Computer Static & Lag Issue

[Coldkilla]

I have this:

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AMD 3000+
450W PSU MGE NINJA Case
1024 DDR Corsair Ram
GeForce 6800GT
2x 80GB Western Digital 7200RPM Hard Drives
Windows XP Professional
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The computer worked perfectly fine for over 5 months. The computer was set-up using ONLY the drivers form the CDs provided with the parts for my computer. After 5 months of a perfectly functioning computer. The start-up time jumped from 10 seconds loading windows XP (The loading bar when you start-up did 4 passes from one end to the other before loading, now took on the range from 7-20). After that happened, my music started to lock up (It sounded like when you try playing music using over 100% of system resources). Games then started to become laggy, lock up, all in the same sequence with the sounds lagging. I had thought this was Spy-Ware so I ran a check with a HUGE amount of Anti-Spyware and Anti-Virus programs. Nothing worked.

I had done a COMPLETE format. The computer worked perfectly for about a week. I just then moved the computer from my mothers house to my fathers house. Apon connecting it and turning it on, it came back. It was Wednesday, so I tried RESTORING it back to tuesday when it worked fine. To my amazement, it worked perfectly again. It worked for 24 hours until the next day when I turned it on again, it came back! I did another restore and it worked. I had continued this process for about 5 days, giving me the time I wanted to play music and play games.

Now restoring takes litterally over an hour (Just like the slow start-up times, loading anything takes a million times longer to load). When trying to copy a file while listening to music, thats when the most distinct problem of lag appears, or burning a CD, as I said though, this is on all programs and applications. I had since then, after I formatted and installed all of the drivers provided on the CD (The drivers that worked perfectly for 5+ months). The problem came back, and I figured updating to the latest drivers would help. It didn't.

I don't know what the problem could be. I have nothing Illegal (Limewire/Kazaa/360 Share/WinMX/Morpheaus/etc.) Nothing that was put back into my system that could cause this problem again. As I said, I did a complete (Not quick) format and the problem occurs again and again. I don't know what to do anymore. Thanks for the help

 

[The Pentium Guy]

Clean out your dust, and *maybe* you have some corrupt registry keys. Try using WinASO or something and it might work

 

[Coldkilla]

For the dust: I clean it once a week with CO2 spray.
Would a complete format distroy these registery keys? Because if that's what it is, I don't see how they could remain after I just did do a format. This WinASO I will check out. Any other ideas?

 

[The Pentium Guy]

Oh sorry I sort of skimmed your post and didn't see "Complete Format". It's POSSIBLE that your drives are failing.

 

[Coldkilla]

I did update to the latest drivers. Even though the older drivers worked perfectly, I updated, hoping that my old drivers were failing. Apparently the newer drivers didnt help ether.

Any Ideas?

 

[Coldkilla]

Is there no solution?

 

[Coldkilla]

It might be something to do with Loading. When I was copying a file, the mouse began to lag as well. Loading takes forever when i start my computer. Music lags when its playing, games lag when they are playing.. Any ideas???

 

[FlyingPenguin]

Pentium Guy said DRIVES not DRIVERS. Download the hard drive manufacturer's diagnostic and run the full (advanced) test. One of your drives may be failing.

 

[Coldkilla]

HMM! That might be it actually! I did install my new hard drive and shortly after that the problems started to occur. I will try this 'diagnostic' and see. If it was my newer drive (D could it effect everything? Including my start-up etc?

Edit: I right clicked on 'C:' and 'D:' and went into their properties/tools tab and lauched a 'error checking' thing and those were complete. The problem still exists.

Running a Diagnostic now. Going to be done with C drive in 7 hours, then will run a test in D tomarrow. If there are any other possible causes to this problem please post. I am eager to exhast all possible sources to this problem as to get my system healthy as quickly as possible. Thanks all. Any more ideas will be of great help.

 

[Coldkilla]

Finished the first diagnostic. Took 7.5hrs for 60gbs of stuff.. Is it supposed to take that long?

 

[CrispyFried]

Check in Device Manager and make sure your ide channels are running in udma mode.

 

[Coldkilla]

I did the C and D drive diagnostics. Both Hard Drives PASSED.

How do I find that they are running in UDMA mode? I went into device manager under IDC controllers and I tried looking and the only thing related to any kinda 'mode' was:

C:/ Drive (Primary IDE Channel) --> Transfer Mode: Ultra DMA mode 5
D:/ Drive (Secondary IDE Channel) --> Transfer Mode: Not Applicable

Any other idea's guys?

Edit: This is what I see: Picture Link

 

[icp]

Might be heat related. Is your computer running in an air conditioned room? Did the air temperature increase a lot lately?

 

[Coldkilla]

Nope. If the computer is off for over 9 hours, and I turn it on for the first time the loading with windows still takes 2-3 minutes and the sound/video/games/loading/mouse still lags.. *what now.. so was anything wrong from that picture I posted above? I hope so because i want to find this problem before I throw this computer out of the window

 

[Coldkilla]

When my screen shows: Not applicable for one of the hard drives and displays a transfer mode on the other one.. is there anything wrong with that? I want to pin point this problem so I can ether figure it out here or call someone.. but since i built this computer I need to know who to call. That picture on the transfer mode on the hard drives is here:

Click

 

[Coldkilla]

I just restored to 2 weeks ago. The problem is fixed. Temporarly. I wan't to continue pursuing the possible cause of this problem so I can avoid it happening in the future. It'll probably start to lag back up in the next 24 hours.

 

[MobiusPizza]

Just a thought, if you open task manager did you see any suspicious running process that use lots of CPU or uses much memory?

There was a virus I saw keeps HDD Activity high so they are slow to hell. Check your HDD activity lights
I don't know why but some virus seem to go pass formatting. Or your PC might be linked with outher PC by LAN; Or your CD Rom is infected with virus?

Just a thought


Otherwise it's likely the drive problem

Try unplugging D drive

 

[Coldkilla]

I don't think so. Here Take a look here

I also had Windows Media player going and 3 internet windows so that why you see 16% there instead of 1-4%. Thanks for the idea, anyone else have an idea or two?

If it's my new drive (D) could it be slowing everything down? Mouse/games on C Drive/music on C drive? I'll unplug it and see when i have a little time later tomarrow. Thanks for the tip

 

[Coldkilla]

The problem is BACK and kicking! Just like I predicted. This time I noticed exactly when it started to happen:

When I alt-tab back and forth from a game to a desktop application (AIM etc) it comes back. I don't know how this causes the computer to take forever to start up, slow down entirly, lag my mouse/music/video.. but this started happening exacty when minimizing.. from one application to the next.. I don't know if this has something to do with being a source of the problem.. just thought I'd like to point that out... I dont know what to do and I am REALLY getting sick and tired of reformating to a few weeks ago.

 

[Coldkilla]

To people who don't wan't to backtrack all of the posts, heres the problem and thing's I've tried:

I got the computer about 5-6 months ago. The computer worked wonders during that whole time without the need of a format. Recently, Windows took over 2-4 minute to load instead of 15 seconds. My mouse lagged whenever the system was loading. My music started to lag (More distinct when the computer is busy). Video started to lag as well. Video lags and sound lags, throw them two together with a game, loading takes 100s of times longer to load/install/copy something.

Things I?ve tried:
1. Formatted my hard drive ? Full format, not quick (Worked for a week or two, but then came back)
2. Ran Anti-Virus software (Mcafee/Norton 2005)
3. Ran Anti-Spyware programs: Ad aware, spybot, Microsoft?s utility for removing spyware, and some others.
4. Taken apart my system, moved RAM sticks to different slots, removed Video Card and cleaned that as well.
5. It isn?t an over heating problem due to the fact that it can be off over 9 hours and come back when I wake up the next morning.
6. My registry is clean (Ran a check using the program WinASO)
7. The hard drive manufacturer's diagnostic stats that both of my hard drives PASSED
8. Drivers that were used for the 5+ months were ONLY those from the CDs and that is when the computer worked perfectly. After formatting my computer, and using the exact same drivers from those CDs, the problem still came back. The newest drivers were then installed and the problem remained.
9. There are no programs eating my computer (Task manager)
10. System Restore: Works but only for a short period of time (24 hours perhaps, or less).
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Things that I have done in the passed few weeks that may help with my situation, to possible find a solution:

1. This is my first built computer and I am no expert with computers.
2. I recently installed my second western digital hard drive. (Currently don't know what the jumper is connected to)
3. The problem after a format came back after I minimized a game to chat online.
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System Specs:

AMD 3000+
450W PSU MGE NINJA Case
1024 DDR Corsair Ram
GeForce 6800GT
2x 80GB Western Digital 7200RPM Hard Drives
Windows XP Professional
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Any ideas are really appreciated...

 

[Coldkilla]

Guess I've stumped the smartest of you. Well perhaps you live in the USA, Wisconsin, Milwaukee and know a good place to take my computer in.. lemme know because obviously I'm without a computer until I get this fixed

 

[Chadder007]

Originally posted by: Coldkilla
Finished the first diagnostic. Took 7.5hrs for 60gbs of stuff.. Is it supposed to take that long?

7 hours....for 60 gigs?....no its not supposed to take nearly that long.

 

[Coldkilla]

Well then.. we now have a huge list of symtoms with a million errors.. and I guess I've covered all basses. Since this is my first computer, I am having doubts as to why I did it.. now I can't take it like to a best buy/curcuit city and just have them fix it.. nore can i call tech support.. BECAUSE I don't even know whats the source of this problem.. and I guess spending 300 dollars on new parts is a risk I'm going to have to take.. considering the computer worked perfectly for so long.. and if i managed to find some computer guy to come here, he would ultimately format the damn computer and want his money.. only for me to have the problem come back 2 weeks later

 

[Chadder007]

You did update Windows with all of the patches after reformatting right?.... and you turn on Windows XP's built in firewall at least too right? Maybe a worm is getting into your system if you aren't updating it.

 

[RadiclDreamer]

Originally posted by: Chadder007

Originally posted by: Coldkilla
Finished the first diagnostic. Took 7.5hrs for 60gbs of stuff.. Is it supposed to take that long?

7 hours....for 60 gigs?....no its not supposed to take nearly that long.

If it was the extended test then it would take a while, but not that long if it were the quick test it should have been done in 5 minutes. It sounds very much like a drive either being underpowered or going bad