# I hate computers.....but I need it....help me........



## CrpntrFrk (Oct 25, 2008)

Couple weeks ago, before the Monday scare, my computer became slow, slow, slow. I am not too computer savvy but still do lots of things on it.

It takes foreeevvveeerrr to load something it took 3 minutes just to load this page to post a new topic. Videos? Forget about it! Many times it is my provider but I have asked others if they too are having problems and they say no.

I guess my question is is there a website that can diagnose my computer then point me in the right direction as to what I need to do to get this thing revved back up?

Don't know the model number but it is a Dell laptop. Running windows 7 and Fire Fox. Have Norton for security. Just FYI.

Thanks


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

Norton's not doing you any favors. It's intrusive as hell (though not likely the problem).

Try Spybot Search & Destroy and Malwarebytes, for starters. :thumbsup:


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## CompleteW&D (May 28, 2011)

Well, I'm no real computer expert Frank....but a couple of things come to mind. First of all, I'm assuming you've cleared out all of your cookies and cache? That's the first thing that can start to slow a computer down. Clear the cache, cookies and browser history and you will free up a lot of memory if you haven't done so recently. 

Second, I recommend a good malware cleaner. Malware bytes can be downloaded for free from cnet.com. Clean out all the malware about once a month. You'll be shocked at all the stuff it will find on your first clean up.

Third, and this is just a personal pet peeve.... but Norton is a resource (memory) HOG. As you get more and more stuff on the computer, it can REALLY start to slow everything down. Especially when you boot up or whenever it's downloading updates or running a scan. Once I switched to BitDefender Internet securities, I don't even know it's there. I boot up faster and never even know it's running a scan until it's finished. It also has malware protection which keeps sites from ever placing any on my computer to start with. 

And finally, if it's an older computer with a lot more "stuff" on it than when you bought it, I would highly recommend upgrading to the highest amount of RAM your motherboard and chipset will handle. RAM is relatively cheap these days and so simple to change out.... a Caveman could do it. More RAM = more horsepower to load up Contractor Talk faster. :thumbsup:


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## Tom Struble (Mar 2, 2007)

:clap:


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## CompleteW&D (May 28, 2011)

Follow up.... a couple more things to consider, is run a disk defrag about every other month. And finally, although probably not quite as important unless you use your computer for a LOT of different applications, is load up a registry cleaner. It will clean old, unused or broken registry keys. All of that "junk" after it builds up over time can also slow down your machine.


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## CompleteW&D (May 28, 2011)

Tom Struble said:


> :clap:


LOL Tom.... I guess I'm fresh out of "Thanks" for today. So, THANKS for the laugh. :thumbsup:


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## Tom Struble (Mar 2, 2007)

and who have you been thanking today?:blink:


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## CompleteW&D (May 28, 2011)

Tom Struble said:


> and who have you been thanking today?:blink:


Not sure... all I know is.... It's Baaaaak. :thumbup:


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

Try tune up utilities. That can do amazing things if you ain't computer savvy. As some have said a search for malware is worth while also. Ad aware and spybot are a good combo.


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## CompleteW&D (May 28, 2011)

BCConstruction said:


> Try tune up utilities. That can do amazing things if you ain't computer savvy. As some have said a search for malware is worth while also. Ad aware and spybot are a good combo.


Adaware was always my first choice.... but AFAIK, it's now a full (paid) antivirus suite. You can no longer download Adaware for free. But MalwareBites is a good second choice. Never tried SpyBot.


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## world llc (Dec 9, 2008)

http://housecall.trendmicro.com/

it's a free one time scan. this has saved my ass on many occasion when the google redirect virus was running wild!


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

CompleteW&D said:


> Adaware was always my first choice.... but AFAIK, it's now a full (paid) antivirus suite. You can no longer download Adaware for free. But MalwareBites is a good second choice. Never tried SpyBot.


I ain't checked my adaware for ages. It's always live but no idea I have the anti virus version. I will check later. It has been on my of for 3 years though so perhaps I don't have the anti virus edition. I don't run anti virus.


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## WarriorWithWood (Jun 30, 2007)

BCConstruction said:


> Try tune up utilities. That can do amazing things if you ain't computer savvy. As some have said a search for malware is worth while also. Ad aware and spybot are a good combo.


I work on pc's all the time (In fact I've even worked on a few CT members PC's). Tune up is one of the best pc cleaners I've used. I would also install chrome and see how that works, if it works fine then you know its a windoze issue and not the browser. Firefox also has a known issue with memory leakage so make sure you close it every once in a while to release all the ram it has addressed.

If you run all of the disk tools in Tune Up and also run the "start up" module and turn off all of the programs you don't really use it will do wonders for your system regardless. You'd be amazed how many programs put junk in the start up folder that just consumes resources whether you have the program open or not.

I uninstalled Norton a while ago, it was way too intrusive and slows everything down. I use Microsoft Security Essentials . It's free, lightweight, and nobody knows windows better than Microsoft.

Here's a comprehensive list of the best free options. Take a look at the security sections. http://www.makeuseof.com/pages/best-windows-software

If you can't get it figured out I can help you through remote assistance. Just shoot me a PM and I'll hook you up. :thumbsup:


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## CrpntrFrk (Oct 25, 2008)

WarriorWithWood said:


> I work on pc's all the time (In fact I've even worked on a few CT members PC's). Tune up is one of the best pc cleaners I've used. I would also install chrome and see how that works, if it works fine then you know its a windoze issue and not the browser. Firefox also has a known issue with memory leakage so make sure you close it every once in a while to release all the ram it has addressed.
> 
> If you run all of the disk tools in Tune Up and also run the "start up" module and turn off all of the programs you don't really use it will do wonders for your system regardless. You'd be amazed how many programs put junk in the start up folder that just consumes resources whether you have the program open or not.
> 
> ...


Thanks.

I will let you know if we can't figure it out. We had a friend that was married to a huge computer geek and we did that remote assistance with them. Turns out HP Pavilion DV9000 is just a piece of crap and was actually recalled in a huge lawsuit. Then we just bought this new Dell.


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## tornstrom (Feb 15, 2011)

*This worked for my Dell*

My Dell laptop was getting slower and slower until it was nearly unusable. Turned out it was the fan assembly that had collected so much dust so it wasn't cooling the CPU properly. As a result the computer will reduce the CPU speed so it will generate less heat to prevent overheating. This makes the machine painfully slow.


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

CompleteW&D said:


> Well, I'm no real computer expert Frank....


Who's Frank:blink:

Freak I'll have to agree with everyone here and say that Norton Symantec is a virus in itself! I've been using Kaspersky for a while. But now I've let this mystart.incredibar on to my PC and it sucks! It's a very tricky POS that keeps dodging everything I throw at it. I've scanned with Kaspersky, Malwarebytes, spybot S&D. I've scanned in the safe mode, I've scanned with the lights on then with the lights off and still have this fungus I'm about to go fu(ken nuts:blink::blink:


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

Dirtywhiteboy said:


> I've scanned in the safe mode, I've scanned with the lights on then with the lights off and still have this fungus I'm about to go fu(ken nuts:blink::blink:


Randy, Google shows a lot of successful resolutions for that problem. Don't let it get you down.

Most of them seem to involve uninstalling/reinstalling your browser of choice, FWIW...


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

Tinstaafl said:


> Randy, Google shows a lot of successful resolutions for that problem. Don't let it get you down.
> 
> Most of them seem to involve uninstalling/reinstalling your browser of choice, FWIW...


Yes I know, it's just they look very complex and I'll have to print out the directions:blink: My printer out of ink, the things so old I'm having a hard time finding ink lately:no: It's a Lexmark X1150 one of the best gadgets I've ever bought! I works great and is 10 to 15 years old. I'm looking to just run a program and get wiped out, but it looks like that's not gonna happen:no:


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

Dirtywhiteboy said:


> Yes I know, it's just they look very complex and I'll have to print out the directions:blink:


That's one of the reasons it's been years since I had less than 2-3 working computers around here. :laughing:

Good luck, man.


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## Sir Mixalot (Jan 6, 2008)

Dirtywhiteboy said:


> Who's Frank:blink:


:laughing:


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## Robie (Feb 25, 2005)

25.25 download
4.25 upload


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## Willy is (May 20, 2010)

Unsecured router; sharing with others, thus sucking down your speed?


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## Leo G (May 12, 2005)

I've found that this test checks your max speed. Doesn't matter what's on the line. I have two boys playing WOW at the same time and I do the test and it comes up the same as normal.


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## Robie (Feb 25, 2005)

I stopped using the router and wired directly with my laughable cord to the modem. 
Big difference.


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## WarriorWithWood (Jun 30, 2007)

It's a slow night for me.


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## WarriorWithWood (Jun 30, 2007)

CrpntrFrk said:


> Ping Download Upload
> 18ms 0.35Mbps 0.55Mbps
> 
> 
> ??


When was the last time you restarted your modem and router?


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## WarriorWithWood (Jun 30, 2007)

Robie said:


> I stopped using the router and wired directly with my laughable cord to the modem.
> Big difference.


I had the same problem until I bought a decent router.

After I bought the Netgear WNDR4500 N900 router my speed became much more snappy and stable.

One more thing CF, are you using a public DNS? When I switched to Google's DNS from Comcast it made a difference in time it took to find pages.

 How to install Google's DNS


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

I don't even know how you guys get that shot:blink:


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## Robie (Feb 25, 2005)

My present cord...
I take it, that it makes no differnce?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0028BDACO/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00


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## WarriorWithWood (Jun 30, 2007)

After the test click this









Then click the forum tab and copy









Then paste it into the reply box and hit post.


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## Leo G (May 12, 2005)

Then choose copy and then choose the little picture of the mountain and sun and paste the URL into the box. It will show the results.


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## WarriorWithWood (Jun 30, 2007)

Robie said:


> My present cord...
> I take it, that it makes no differnce?
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0028BDACO/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00


Not for the speeds you're running. Cat 7 is shielded so it can run next to HV lines. Using that is like framing an entire home from PT lumber. Is it better? sure but it's a waste of money.

You'll get the same speed from this cat 5.


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

:clap:


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## Robie (Feb 25, 2005)




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## Robie (Feb 25, 2005)

Thanks


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## WarriorWithWood (Jun 30, 2007)

Leo G said:


> Then choose copy and then choose the little picture of the mountain and sun and paste the URL into the box. It will show the results.


you don't even need to do that, it's already coded. Just paste and post.


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

Dam a C+ that pisses me off But Leo got a D-:laughing: I got to get a new router:thumbsup:


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## Leo G (May 12, 2005)

Has nothing to do with my router. I got the same response with an entirely different router I had before it decided it didn't like to do FNC. It's nice to be able to run encrypted.


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## WarriorWithWood (Jun 30, 2007)

Dirtywhiteboy said:


> Dam a C+ that pisses me off But Leo got a D-:laughing: I got to get a new router:thumbsup:


Make sure it's your router by doing what Robie did. Try plugging into your modem direct and running a speed test. If it's a LOT better than your router is killing your speed.


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

It's an old cisco linksys,, maybe 6 years old. But I'll check it.


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

Dirtywhiteboy said:


> :clap:



I've gone from a C+ to a C in minuets:blink:


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## CrpntrFrk (Oct 25, 2008)

Leo G said:


> What is the speed you are suppose to have? 1.5MB, 3? I have the slowest (cheapest) plan they have and that is 3MB/s. It works OK, sometimes I get buffered on videos but not usually not.


Just checked and we are supposed to be at 5.:blink: 


WarriorWithWood said:


> When was the last time you restarted your modem and router?


Just before I logged on today around 4PM my time. (It's 8 now) Then again right now while talking to Cable One. They think our modem is f'd. Won't argue with them cause we rent it and they will just give us a new one. 


WarriorWithWood said:


> I had the same problem until I bought a decent router.
> 
> After I bought the Netgear WNDR4500 N900 router my speed became much more snappy and stable.


We have the WNDR3400



WarriorWithWood said:


> One more thing CF, are you using a public DNS? When I switched to Google's DNS from Comcast it made a difference in time it took to find pages.
> 
> How to install Google's DNS


What is this?


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## CrpntrFrk (Oct 25, 2008)

Better but not good enough.


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

CrpntrFrk said:


> What is this?











I'm wondering about the ping thing too


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

Cable one sucks:laughing:


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

Oh by the way, another great thread CarpenterFreak:thumbsup:


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## Leo G (May 12, 2005)

CrpntrFrk said:


> Better but not good enough.


Are you kidding me? You went from .5 to 5, that's a 10x increase. Upload times can be all over the place, that's where your low grade is coming from. 

Sounds like time for a new router.


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

Leo G said:


> Sounds like time for a new router.


Bosch or Makita:blink:


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## Leo G (May 12, 2005)

Festool


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## CrpntrFrk (Oct 25, 2008)

We thought it was the router at first. I have been directly connected to the modem for a couple days.

We are going to have Cable One change out the modem tomorrow.

I can't have slow times when I am surfing CT:laughing:


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## CrpntrFrk (Oct 25, 2008)

Leo G said:


> Festool


I have said it before .......................

F*** Festool!!:laughing:


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## WarriorWithWood (Jun 30, 2007)

CrpntrFrk said:


> What is this?


What Is a DNS Server?

The easiest way I can explain it is: The DNS is a computer that acts like a phone book. It puts the name to the number. So instead of remembering a bunch of IP addresses (like http://68.86.99.100) you just type in facebook.com and the DNS tells the browser where to go. The faster the computer hosting the DNS the faster you can browse. Google has some of the fastest on the internet. 


Now before anyone asks me "What exactly is an IP address?" look here.
 IP addresses explained in layman's terms.


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## CompleteW&D (May 28, 2011)

And I don't even have any gold plated connectors..... :whistling


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## WarriorWithWood (Jun 30, 2007)

CompleteW&D said:


> And I don't even have any gold plated connectors..... :whistling


Me neither


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## oktex56 (Dec 30, 2011)

Oh well, got a B. Not too bad.

I have found over time that these tests can be all over the place.


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## WarriorWithWood (Jun 30, 2007)

Mine has been pretty stable. 40 down 7 up on speedtest.net. It's a little slow tonight but not unacceptable. Ever since Comcast put their Corporate HQ here in Philly it's been getting faster every year. If I pay and extra 10 bucks I can get 50 down and 10 up.


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## Robie (Feb 25, 2005)

CompleteW&D said:


> And I don't even have any gold plated connectors..... :whistling


You should get some.:whistling


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## CrpntrFrk (Oct 25, 2008)

Was the modem. 

Got a new one and back to normal. I guess. Still a "D".


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## CompleteW&D (May 28, 2011)

Robie said:


> You should get some.:whistling


And waste my money on something TOTALLY un-necessary? No, I think not. My $7 USB cables work just fine thank you very much.


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## CompleteW&D (May 28, 2011)

Robie said:


> 25.25 download
> 4.25 upload


Almost missed this.... look how much faster you are with those those Gold connectors! :whistling

:laughing:


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