Help

[computer_noob943]

Hi,

I’ve had this computer with the following specs for about 4 years or so and haven’t done much to upgrade it other than adding some rams, DVD drive, and 2nd hard drive. Other than that I have not done much to it. However, I’ve encountered viruses throughout the years and often times had to format my computer a couple of times in those 4 years.

I’ve read online in forums that heavy dust can slow your computer down especially P4s so I took everything out to get all the dust out. I pretty much got all the dust out and plugged everything back in. I even installed an extra chassis fan to cool the system. Then, I formatted the computer and reinstalled all the drivers only to find it runs even slower and even occasionally freezes up. I use my 2nd hard drive stores my documents, mp3s, movies, and etc.

I’ve listed all my specs to the best of my knowledge below for your review and comments. My question is why is my computer running so slow? Or what should I do to fix it? Where can the problem be coming from? My main usage on this computer is for surfing the internet, online poker, Counter-Strike, and MS Office Apps.


Nvidia GeForce 6600GT Video Card
80GB Master HD, 160GB Second HD
Intel Pentium 4 2.66Mhz CPU
ASUS P5VD1-X Motherboard
Kingston 3GB RAM
Integrated Audio
Integrated Gigabit Networking
Antec 485W Power Supply
Hitachi 22x DVD Burner
Toshiba 12x DVD Drive

 

[Paperdoc]

My guess is that, in removing, cleaning and re-installing the parts, you managed to loosen a connection somewhere. So you have a component not functioning at all, or working only intermittently, and generating errors. When that happens, often the system will make multiple retries to use the "faulty" item, then continue on with a backup procedure, and never tell you the details. This wastes time and makes your system appear slow.

For this type of problem my general approach is to go through the system slowly and carefully, unplugging and re-connecting each item several times GENTLY so that you don't risk breaking anything. This usually will clean off any minor surface dirt or oxidation in the connectors and re-seat them cleanly. Do this for all cable connections (both ends, data and power cables), all your PCI cards, and your RAM. I would NOT do this for the CPU unless you run out of other options, simply because it is the most expensive part and more difficult to do.

I would start with the RAM and HDD connections first, since they certainly can generate this trouble. In fact, for the RAM, besides doing this physical thing, you should download and run Memtest86+, preferably continuous running overnight. It will identify any RAM misbehavior. If it runs no trouble you can be pretty confident the problem is NOT in your RAM.

Only other obscure thought I can contribute is to check how your new fan is set up. First make sure it is blowing the right way to help your case ventilation. (Oh, by the way, in cleaning everything did you clean out all the air intake filters?) Then, how is the fan monitored and controlled? If it's just hooked into a Molex connector and running all the time, not likely to be a problem. But if it is being monitored by the system BIOS, and especially if its speed is under BIOS control, check all the associated settings. With many modern mobo's (I don't know yours) there are temperatures you set: what's the minimum temp to turn the fan on? At what temp should the fan speed be up to max? At what temp should the BIOS slow down the CPU to avoid further overheating? At what temp should the BIOS shut down the entire system because it is 'way too hot!

If you have displays built into your BIOS Setup screens, you may be able to see CPU and case temperatures, any limits and alarms, and fan speeds. Check those for a clue to what's happening. Run your system for a while, then reboot and hold down the right key (often "Delete") during reboot to get into the BIOS Setup and go quickly to these displays so you can see temps and speeds while the system is still at "normal" operation conditions.

Only other thought: all above assumes you did NOT remove and replace the CPU cooler during your cleaning. If you did that, it is possible you do not have good thermal contact and the CPU really is overheating so that the BIOS slows it down or stops it for protection. That would show up as very high temperatures in the CPU if there is any monitoring display you can see in BIOS Setup.

 

[computer_noob943]

My guess is that, in removing, cleaning and re-installing the parts, you managed to loosen a connection somewhere. So you have a component not functioning at all, or working only intermittently, and generating errors. When that happens, often the system will make multiple retries to use the "faulty" item, then continue on with a backup procedure, and never tell you the details. This wastes time and makes your system appear slow.

For this type of problem my general approach is to go through the system slowly and carefully, unplugging and re-connecting each item several times GENTLY so that you don't risk breaking anything. This usually will clean off any minor surface dirt or oxidation in the connectors and re-seat them cleanly. Do this for all cable connections (both ends, data and power cables), all your PCI cards, and your RAM. I would NOT do this for the CPU unless you run out of other options, simply because it is the most expensive part and more difficult to do.

I would start with the RAM and HDD connections first, since they certainly can generate this trouble. In fact, for the RAM, besides doing this physical thing, you should download and run Memtest86+, preferably continuous running overnight. It will identify any RAM misbehavior. If it runs no trouble you can be pretty confident the problem is NOT in your RAM.

Only other obscure thought I can contribute is to check how your new fan is set up. First make sure it is blowing the right way to help your case ventilation. (Oh, by the way, in cleaning everything did you clean out all the air intake filters?) Then, how is the fan monitored and controlled? If it's just hooked into a Molex connector and running all the time, not likely to be a problem. But if it is being monitored by the system BIOS, and especially if its speed is under BIOS control, check all the associated settings. With many modern mobo's (I don't know yours) there are temperatures you set: what's the minimum temp to turn the fan on? At what temp should the fan speed be up to max? At what temp should the BIOS slow down the CPU to avoid further overheating? At what temp should the BIOS shut down the entire system because it is 'way too hot!

If you have displays built into your BIOS Setup screens, you may be able to see CPU and case temperatures, any limits and alarms, and fan speeds. Check those for a clue to what's happening. Run your system for a while, then reboot and hold down the right key (often "Delete") during reboot to get into the BIOS Setup and go quickly to these displays so you can see temps and speeds while the system is still at "normal" operation conditions.

Only other thought: all above assumes you did NOT remove and replace the CPU cooler during your cleaning. If you did that, it is possible you do not have good thermal contact and the CPU really is overheating so that the BIOS slows it down or stops it for protection. That would show up as very high temperatures in the CPU if there is any monitoring display you can see in BIOS Setup.

Thanks Paperdoc. I'm going to look into that and get back to you for more feedback.