My PC is a bit Slow - How to Speed it Up?

waster · 02-06-2006, 04:59 AM

I'm running a PC that is about 6 years old and running Win98 and it's a bit (a lot!!) slow. Any advice on speeding it up?

I've deleted a lot of files and programs that I do not need. It was not my PC but obtained by my partner from her ex so not got a clue what may be slowing it down!! He could not get it to run anything or even connect to internet as he thought it had been infected with a virus or something else. He ended up buying a new PC!!! Also, her daughter also used it for MSN and similar and may have downloaded some nasty or the other without realising it!

What is best way to health check it to see if anything is lurking in the background? I've run some anti virus (AVG and Norton before I deleted it) and they say they have found nothing. Also run AdAware and similar and deleted the spyware etc that they found. But the HDD chunters away when normally I would think it should not be working.

What is the quickest and easiest way to speed up the thing? I am a bit slow on these matters so idiots guide most welcome.

All advice gratefully received.

Geekgirl · 02-06-2006, 01:07 PM

First Steps at Removing the Malware and Posting your Log

You dont need to post a log if you dont feel you need to but please use the other useful information to clean out the pc.

0578dv · 02-08-2006, 07:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by waster

I've deleted a lot of files and programs that I do not need. But the HDD chunters away when normally I would think it should not be working.

Hello Waster,
Once you make sure the system is free of nasties, look into these-
Sounds like your HDD is under a lot of strain. somethings i'd recommend would be to make sure there are not too many programs loading while the system boots. Next since u say you deleted a lot of stuff, its likely that your drive is fragmented. Did you clean out the temporary files, recycle bin etc? If not do so. and then run a scan disk and defragment the drive as it will help speed up the system. Also have only one antivirus ( AVG is good) running at a time. check out these links
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/slowcom.htm
http://www.pctechguide.com/tutorials/HDDMaint.htm#Scope

**JamesO** · 02-08-2006, 11:01 AM

Lack of enough RAM and too many processes loaded can slow the fastest machine along with too many Temporary files and a hard drive that needs to be defragmented.

That being said, there is only so much speed you can expect from a machine based upon what you are working with.

Details would be helpful.
What OS are you running? Win98 or Win98SE?
Processor type and speed?
Amount of RAM installation and how much RAM is available? Many Win98 machines can run fine on 64-256 MB of RAM.
Number of programs running?

JamesO

02-06-2006, 04:59 AM	#1 (permalink)
waster Registered User Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 3 OS: Win98	My PC is a bit Slow - How to Speed it Up? I'm running a PC that is about 6 years old and running Win98 and it's a bit (a lot!!) slow. Any advice on speeding it up? I've deleted a lot of files and programs that I do not need. It was not my PC but obtained by my partner from her ex so not got a clue what may be slowing it down!! He could not get it to run anything or even connect to internet as he thought it had been infected with a virus or something else. He ended up buying a new PC!!! Also, her daughter also used it for MSN and similar and may have downloaded some nasty or the other without realising it! What is best way to health check it to see if anything is lurking in the background? I've run some anti virus (AVG and Norton before I deleted it) and they say they have found nothing. Also run AdAware and similar and deleted the spyware etc that they found. But the HDD chunters away when normally I would think it should not be working. What is the quickest and easiest way to speed up the thing? I am a bit slow on these matters so idiots guide most welcome. All advice gratefully received.

02-06-2006, 01:07 PM	#2 (permalink)
Geekgirl Assistant Manager, Microsoft Support Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Six-burgh, Pennsylvania Posts: 14,164 OS: XP Home SP3/XP Pro SP3/Vista Ultimate SP2/Windows 7 Professional	First Steps at Removing the Malware and Posting your Log You dont need to post a log if you dont feel you need to but please use the other useful information to clean out the pc. __________________ Compare NOD32 to your current antivirus and anti-spyware solution, HERE How to back up and restore the registry in Windows XP and Windows Vista Or Windows 7 How to back up and restore the registry in Windows 98/ ME / NT 4.0 / 2000 I DO NOT ACCEPT EMAILS AND WILL NOT REPLY TO THEM !!!!! TSF DOES NOT SUPPORT ASSISTANCE THROUGH EMAIL OR PRIVATE MESSAGES, PLEASE KEEP ALL QUESTIONS IN THE OPEN FORUM *The Pittsburgh Steelers - 6 X Superbowl Champions !!!!!!!* *The Pittsburgh Penguins - 2009 Stanley Cup Champions !!!!!!!*

02-08-2006, 11:01 AM	#4 (permalink)
JamesO Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Fairfax, VA USA Posts: 2,289 OS: 98SE, W2k Pro, XP Pro	Lack of enough RAM and too many processes loaded can slow the fastest machine along with too many Temporary files and a hard drive that needs to be defragmented. That being said, there is only so much speed you can expect from a machine based upon what you are working with. Details would be helpful. What OS are you running? Win98 or Win98SE? Processor type and speed? Amount of RAM installation and how much RAM is available? Many Win98 machines can run fine on 64-256 MB of RAM. Number of programs running? JamesO