If I had enough hair -- not this buzz cut -- I would be pulling it out now! For the past week or so, my computer has been bedeviled with some sort of problem. It's running slow as molasses and it keeps freezing up. It used to be that I could click my Firefox or Thunderbird icons and the programs would open almost instantaneously; now I click them and must wait 30 seconds to 2 minutes before either will open.
Not only are my programs behaving very sluggishly, but I've had more freeze ups in the past week than I've had in the previous 6 years combined. I'll be surfing the net or writing an email and the system comes to a complete halt. So, I have to reboot and that is moving slower than normal too!!
To make matters even more frustrating, I've run a number of diagnostic tools on the various components of the computer environment -- processor, memory, hard drive, adapters -- and no problems are uncovered. Everything checks out as working the way it is supposed to at the speed or size it is supposed to.
I've also performed several different virus and malware scans. No virus, worm, trojan horse, adware or hijacked settings have been discovered. Every test or scan I've run indicates that my computer should be operating normally and yet it isn't.
I've spent numerous hours and most of my mental energy on trying to run down the problem[s]. This is the chief reason I haven't been posting as frequently as usual.
I'm at my wits end!
Not only are my programs behaving very sluggishly, but I've had more freeze ups in the past week than I've had in the previous 6 years combined. I'll be surfing the net or writing an email and the system comes to a complete halt. So, I have to reboot and that is moving slower than normal too!!
To make matters even more frustrating, I've run a number of diagnostic tools on the various components of the computer environment -- processor, memory, hard drive, adapters -- and no problems are uncovered. Everything checks out as working the way it is supposed to at the speed or size it is supposed to.
I've also performed several different virus and malware scans. No virus, worm, trojan horse, adware or hijacked settings have been discovered. Every test or scan I've run indicates that my computer should be operating normally and yet it isn't.
I've spent numerous hours and most of my mental energy on trying to run down the problem[s]. This is the chief reason I haven't been posting as frequently as usual.
I'm at my wits end!
Firefox may be your problem. It has gotten rather large and memory hoggish with the latest few builds. Just to eliminate it as the problem try the new Chrome from Google or Opera. I still use Firefox but it is getting sluggish. If one of the new browsers runs a little better or a lot better then you just need to decide if you want to keep one or the other and dump Firefox. If you don't like either one of the new ones they aren't hard to deinstall.
ReplyDeleteThe source of 99% of computer problems have one simple cause:
ReplyDeleteMicrosoft Windows
Its time for you to reinstall it. Google the word 'Ubuntu' before you do - It is worth the effort.
I have a nice buzz cut, too. Keeps me from yanking my hair out, with my problems. Hang tough!
ReplyDeleteOh, yeah, like Anonymous said -- if you've been running MS Windows for a few years (or even a year) the system software becomes inherently unstable. Trust me, I test software for a living. Back up all your important data and give a reinstall a go. But if you are not sure on how to do it, take the PC to a computer shop and pay to have it done correctly.
ReplyDeleteThat's how a laptop of mine was acting before the hard drive went belly up. I hope you have any important things backed up.
ReplyDeleteFirefox can have a memory leak. Make sure you are running version 3.6
ReplyDeleteIt may be time to do a OS reinstall. I see a Linux cheerleader suggests Ubuntu.:) I am a Microsoft whore. Linux requires learning a whole new set of skills. Make sure you consider that if you go that route. Huge learning curve.
Wish you lived closer so I could help you with this.
Bruce
If you have a memory leak, like Bruce says, that will affect the whole computer's performance, so yeah, you need to delete the one you have and either go to Opera or find another version of Firefox.
ReplyDeleteWindows is a bitch, too, but there isn't very much we can do about it.
Deleting large files that you don't need, like photos, may help, too.
Hey Trey,
ReplyDeleteThis is Krish and I have been reading this useful blog for quite sometime, Thank YOU!
I am a computer hardware engineer by profession and would love to help you to sort this out as a note of thanks. Please mail to krishnaprabham@gmail.com if you would like my help.
Krish