Dell XPS 410

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moosey

Golden Member
Apr 18, 2001
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My relatives just got a Dell XPS 410 and it seems kind of slow for the specs of the system. Overall performance in Windows doesn't really seem to be anything special and sometimes it can slow it down when opening another program (just basic Windows XP stuff). Also, the DVD drive seems to have trouble dragging old files off of a burned CD to put them on the HDD. It seems like it only wants to do a few files at a time and it isn't really fast either...and these are just docs and pics. Some folders are 100MB or so but I was thinking it'd be faster and not locking up.

Anyway, here are the basic specs...
-Win XP Media Center
-1GB DDR2 533
-C2D 2.4GHZ on Intel P965 board
-GF 7300LE Turbocache
-Everything is SATA (no PATA)
- system came with minimal additional software ("no preloaded software" was checked when ordering)

Any ideas??
 
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mithrandir2001

Diamond Member
May 1, 2001
6,545
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I have a XPS 410 with the 250GB Samsung P120 drive. Like you said, it can slow down when opening programs (particularly load Outlook 2007) or when performing disk-intensive activities.

Run a hard drive benchmark tool, like HDTune or HDTach.

I discovered, to my dismay, that while sequential transfer rates are very good (70MB/s - 40MB/s) the seek times are abysmal: varying between 19ms and 22ms! It should be about 14-15ms. There is something wrong. If the drive were silent I'd say it's due to acoustic management. But it's not, seeks are definitely audible. I've tried all the BIOS settings, using Samsung's HUTIL (which doesn't work because of Intel's Matrix Storage Manager I take it), disabling virus-scanning, etc., but seeks are still slow.

I wonder if your relative's machine has the same issue.
 
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John

Moderator Emeritus<br>Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
33,944
4
81
[*] start > run > msconfig > uncheck all unnecessary startup items and non-MS services
[*] control panel > system > advanced > performance > settings > adjust for best performance (if you want the visual style and drop shadow only check the bottom two)
[*] if you have anyting Norton or McAfee on there uninstall it using the removal tools that can be found in my sig.
 
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John

Moderator Emeritus<br>Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
33,944
4
81
Originally posted by: Ilikepiedoyou
Could McAfee be slowing down my Dell? Is that common?
Click to expand...

Absolutely because it's extremely bloated and has several running prcesses.
 
Chapbass

Chapbass

Diamond Member
May 31, 2004
3,147
96
91
IMO norton is even worse...


try takin off norton (Symnrt is your friend, search it). maybe put on AVG at least in the interim to see if it helps.
 
J

John

Moderator Emeritus<br>Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
33,944
4
81
Originally posted by: moosey
Originally posted by: Ilikepiedoyou
Could McAfee be slowing down my Dell? Is that common?
Click to expand...

this one actually has norton, if it matters
Click to expand...

Absolutely because it's extremely bloated and has several running prcesses. :p Please see this thread for a discussion of freeware antiviruses and this one for a discussion about firewalls.
 
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moosey

Golden Member
Apr 18, 2001
1,331
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hey mithrandir2001,
thanks for the tip on the HDtach, I didn't think of that. I just ran it on mine to compare to what the Dell gets.

Anyone have any suggestions on the DVD drive thing? For example, how it seems like it only wants to transfer a little bit of data (docs, pics) from a CD to the HDD at a time. Plus, it seems kinda slow there as well.
Any similar programs to HDtach that I could use for the DVD drive? Also, what times would I be looking at on average for the DVD drive?

Thanks
 
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Mavtech

Platinum Member
Jun 11, 2003
2,197
0
71
On every Dell I have ever purchased, I do a fresh install. So, contact Dell to get a reinstall CD/DVD if you don't already have one.
 
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