Computer problems

[KB]

My laptop is running very slowly and the start up now takes about 5 - 7 minutes. I know there was a thread with a bunch of helpful suggestions recently, but I can't find it.

Can someone please point me to it? I run Norton Antivirus weekly, and of course it has't found any cuprits. Thanks..

[cube_rat]

There's a start up options setting that you could delete stuff that's firing up at start up. For the life of me, I can't remember the options (it's an over 40 thing ). Fuzz, wab, BMJ or Laurence would know. You also need to see if you have spyware and malware running amok in the background.

[Brat]

Mine wasn't that bad, but it got very sluggish. I purchased more memory.

Defraging also helped.

[laurence]

you into cruising the registry?


Go to
HKLM (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE)/software/microsoft/windows/currentversion/run and check out all the software you've got set to run on boot up, delete keys you don't need (might want to keep that anti-virus key, though).

Next, check your start menu under programs-->startup and see what's floating in there, delete those entries unless there is something you absolutely need. Remember, in both places, these are shortcuts, not the programs themselves, you aren't killing anything.

A sure fire fix is to save off your data and reload your recovery disks. This will put everything back as it was.

IF however you have loaded a bunch of software, you'll have to make sure that these programs are not in the startup area. Otherwise they'll all start up and eat all your existing memory. Run MSconfig and uncheck them from the startup file.

[laurence]

MSconfig, yes, should have said that! :P

[bosco]

while we're into computer problems, anybody got any clues on this one?

my work notebook has a touch pad. I hooked up a USB mouse and used it for several months. Then I hooked up a usb cordless mouse about a month ago. About 2 weeks ago, the cursor started moving uncontrolably across the screen. Sometimes up, sometimes down. Can't stop it.

switched back to the usb mouse. it now does it too. Unplugged the usb mouse. touch pad does it. it's intermittant, but frequent.

what's weird, though, is if I unplug the USB mouse, and plug it back in, it will stop for a while. also, for a while bonking, or unseating and reseating the batteries would stop it on the optical cordless.

I tried restoring to an earlier time, but that screwed up Adobe acrobat.

anybody run into this before?

[FreeBird]

Just one more suggestion to KB and refering to all those start up programs than can get things clogged up. I found this website a couple of years ago run by a British fellow who has cataloged thousands of these start up programs and the ones that are safe to uncheck and disable in msconfig. Sure has made my start up faster.

http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.php

Good luck.

[KB]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm working through the startup programs.....wow, how did they all get there.

That link for the startup programs is great. Thanks for posting it. I found a few that I was able to uncheck already.