Here's the issue: when you first boot the system up and then open a program or go onto the internet, it is extremely slow. However, when reopening programs, then it opens at normal speeds. I'm not very experienced, and have no idea what this problem could be. If serious, I want to return the computer asap. Would appreciate your thoughts.
Do I have serious problem with new laptop?
- Thread starter mgo
- Start date
Here's the issue: when you first boot the system up and then open a program or go onto the internet, it is extremely slow. However, when reopening programs, then it opens at normal speeds. I'm not very experienced, and have no idea what this problem could be. If serious, I want to return the computer asap. Would appreciate your thoughts.
Its possible that you aren't waiting for all the items in startup to load. Its also possible that the laptop may have some malware problem as well.
However, since its booting to windows ... it doesn't sound like your issues are hardware related.
However, since its booting to windows ... it doesn't sound like your issues are hardware related.
malware/spyware/adware/viruses/trojans/worms.. all are things that that can run on an infected computer that can cause it to always run slow, cause error messages randomly or all the time, pop up ads, stolen financial info, etc.. what are the specs on your laptop? like what cpu/speed, how much memory, how much hard drive space, what windows version are you using, what kind of internet? from what i found in a quick google Dell Latitude C640 1.8GHz Pentium 4-M 256MB/20GB Hard Drive, CDRW drive... first thing i do with any computer is format and reinstall windows with just what i want, you have to put on the dell drivers though after you get windows up for the video, network card, etc. but you can just disable a lot of the things that start up with the laptop that show in the lower right by the clock. you can do that by running msconfig and disabling things you know you dont need starting up that are shown under the startup tab.. you can also run ad-aware, spybot to remove what ever malware/spyware/adware may be on the computer (a windows reinstall removes it all too if there is any)
Thank you, your response is very informative.
2.0 GHz pentium 4-M 512MG/40GH Hard Drive, dvd drive, and dsl (earthlink). I put on anti-virus software (starts with a K) and did a complete scan of the computer, showing no viruses.
2.0 GHz pentium 4-M 512MG/40GH Hard Drive, dvd drive, and dsl (earthlink). I put on anti-virus software (starts with a K) and did a complete scan of the computer, showing no viruses.
do you have more than 5-9 programs that start up with the laptop that show in the lower right corner? disabling them with msconfig will help to get it to boot faster. also the laptop is windows xp right?
Windows xp pro. I'll check the number of programs when I get home, but I don't think it's that many.
Looks like he's got you well on your way to solving your problem. A typical laptop does not have a very fast hard drive to begin with .... and thats especially seen at startup. Really, the only programs you need running in your tray icon group is your antivirus and firewall. Everything else can be started up as needed so there is no need having it run in the background, taking up memory and wasting cpu threads.
Malware ...
Although viruses are malware, not all malware are viruses so it won't necessarily be found in a virus scan. Also, your antivirus solution is only as good as its last update. So lets make sure its completely up to date ....
Many people on here also use one of the following for extra security:
1) Microsoft antispyware beta
2) Spybot S&D
3) Adaware by Lavasoft
These are basically stand alone scanners, not real time protection and many people will use more than one. Just don't be duped into installing one of those rogue "antispy" programs that end up adding to your collection of malware.
I believe if you start by limiting your start-up programs like sieistganzfett suggested to only what you need AND run one of the spyware removal tools mentioned above, you'll begin to see your laptop come to life. If those things don't correct it, come back .... there's a lot more we can look into.
Malware ...
Although viruses are malware, not all malware are viruses so it won't necessarily be found in a virus scan. Also, your antivirus solution is only as good as its last update. So lets make sure its completely up to date ....
Many people on here also use one of the following for extra security:
1) Microsoft antispyware beta
2) Spybot S&D
3) Adaware by Lavasoft
These are basically stand alone scanners, not real time protection and many people will use more than one. Just don't be duped into installing one of those rogue "antispy" programs that end up adding to your collection of malware.
I believe if you start by limiting your start-up programs like sieistganzfett suggested to only what you need AND run one of the spyware removal tools mentioned above, you'll begin to see your laptop come to life. If those things don't correct it, come back .... there's a lot more we can look into.
I think I'm on my way now. 
I've installed spybot s&d and it identifed and took care of 8 problems. The only things besides the Kasparsky anti-virus are volume and remove hardware safely, so that doesn't seem too bad. Thanks again to everyone who responded for all the help.
I've installed spybot s&d and it identifed and took care of 8 problems. The only things besides the Kasparsky anti-virus are volume and remove hardware safely, so that doesn't seem too bad. Thanks again to everyone who responded for all the help. One other thing to look at .... Your cpu is a Pentium 4 - M. That "M" means its designed to throttle down as a power saving feature for longer battery life. You can usually change those settings in the bios to match your computing habits. You may also want to look at your power saving settings within windows. You can usually adjust them for better performance (less throttling) at the expense of a shortening the length of time you can run on your battery.
when adaware or spybot find less than 100 problems it isnt that much, i noticed over 300 its a good idea to do a windows reinstall since other issues will be in there, but if its just to keep it running and prevent reinstalling over 1000 will do still, but windows will still run bad once there is that much spyware.
I have to say that given what the OP has said regarding her knowledge and experience, the last thing I would be recommending is for her to consider reinstalling Windows at this point.
It doesn't sound like a windows reinstall is even necessary. We shortened the start-up list and removed the spyware ... which didn't sound like anything more than some tracking cookies. She should be good for a while with her laptop .... and far longer if she practices the basics in security.
You can't really say that. It depends on what the problems are. For example, one instance of Peper.A can be enough to make your system unstable. On the other hand, you can do a spyware scan and pick up literally thousands of cookies .... and still be all right. I don't use the "number of problems" to determine my next course of action. I use the behavior of the OS to determine whats next. Most things can be fixed without reinstalling the operating system though.
You can't really say that. It depends on what the problems are. For example, one instance of Peper.A can be enough to make your system unstable. On the other hand, you can do a spyware scan and pick up literally thousands of cookies .... and still be all right. I don't use the "number of problems" to determine my next course of action. I use the behavior of the OS to determine whats next. Most things can be fixed without reinstalling the operating system though.
Let me explain why I asked in the first place. This latitude C640 is replacing the one I had that I have to return at the end of the lease, and it was so much slower than my original c640. You guys are right, a windows reinstall is something I would like to avoid for awhile. Again, thanks to all.
Start it up and let it run to the desktop. Then right click on "my computer" and go to properties. The general tab should pop up. On that tab, it will tell you at what speed your laptop is currently running. I've seen laptops run slow because of throttling .... preventing it from running at full speed.
It may not be the problem, but at least lets eliminate it from the equation.
It may not be the problem, but at least lets eliminate it from the equation.
mgo, how much slower is it? are things like the cpu/ram/hard drive the same even though the model is the same, cpus may be different for the same model. its only slow the 1st time you open any program right? how long from the time it first gets to the desktop do you wait before opening programs that open slower on this model? a free program you can download and run on both computers is cpuz which will tell you your current cpu speed even when it does the throttle to other clocks. i dont think there is a problem with your other laptop, however you bought it used so its still a good idea to test out hardware with things like memtest+ and a hard drive diag you can download also, both are free and if they find an error, than something can be wrong, but since it doesnt stay slow all the time while your using it, and its just the 1st time you open a program, i think its due to the fact that programs not in ram take longer to load from the hard drive on the first load and once they are in memory they are faster to open.
DetroitSportsFan, yes i agree, the # of problems idea is a bad generalization and not accurate as you mentioned with that perfect example, and i feel that 99.9 percent of problems can be fixed by not reinstalling, but my 1st 2 years as a tech shown me that on computers that do have bad problems found by doing the same pattern for finding any problems on all machies start to finish, only rarely does a pc come back with the same or other related problems due to not just reinstalling once i find any lockups with any other major problems. before it took 5x longer avoiding reinstall and some problems persisted or new ones emerged. i actually just reinstall on another hard drive while scanning the original drive for viruses, checking it with a hard drive diagnostic, and on the original pc do memtest. once that routine is done i can actually fix the computer even simple things. it just never gets done constantly finding little glitch after glitch, i do the same when i really screw up my programing of something, i start a new file and start over taking from the old program i made. lol.
DetroitSportsFan, yes i agree, the # of problems idea is a bad generalization and not accurate as you mentioned with that perfect example, and i feel that 99.9 percent of problems can be fixed by not reinstalling, but my 1st 2 years as a tech shown me that on computers that do have bad problems found by doing the same pattern for finding any problems on all machies start to finish, only rarely does a pc come back with the same or other related problems due to not just reinstalling once i find any lockups with any other major problems. before it took 5x longer avoiding reinstall and some problems persisted or new ones emerged. i actually just reinstall on another hard drive while scanning the original drive for viruses, checking it with a hard drive diagnostic, and on the original pc do memtest. once that routine is done i can actually fix the computer even simple things. it just never gets done constantly finding little glitch after glitch, i do the same when i really screw up my programing of something, i start a new file and start over taking from the old program i made. lol.
There's definately a time to "drop the bomb" so to speak ... and there's a time not to. I think you would agree that experience tends to tell you which set of circumstances we're dealing with.
In her case, the problems didn't seem that serious ... at least not from the standpoint that it would take too long to fix. I, like you ... saw no reason to drop the bomb on this set up.
By the way ... the CPUz should answer a lot of her questions about the performance differences between the laptops.
Great idea ....
In her case, the problems didn't seem that serious ... at least not from the standpoint that it would take too long to fix. I, like you ... saw no reason to drop the bomb on this set up.
By the way ... the CPUz should answer a lot of her questions about the performance differences between the laptops.
Great idea ....
The only difference I'm aware of is that the CPU on the old is 2.2 and the new is 2.0. Both have 512 mb of memory; not sure about the hard drives but my recollection is 40 on old and 30 on new.
Now the CPUz comparison (apparent signifcant difference on core speed and multiplier):
Old
2193. MHz
x 22.0
99.7 MHz
398.8 MHz
New
1196.5 MHz
x 12.0
99.7 MHz
398.8 MHz
Is that significant?
Now the CPUz comparison (apparent signifcant difference on core speed and multiplier):
Old
2193. MHz
x 22.0
99.7 MHz
398.8 MHz
New
1196.5 MHz
x 12.0
99.7 MHz
398.8 MHz
Is that significant?
yes thats significant when you open programs up. is this the speed when both are plugged into the wall receiving power, or when they are off battery?
Here's what I would do. There's an excellent Freeware System Information tool called "SIW" (System Info for Windows). No malware or backdoors, trojans, etc.
I would install it on both machines. Get it here:
http://www3.sympatico.ca/gtopala/siw.exe
It doesn't install per se...it just opens up when you run the .exe file. So, it's going to open up wherever you download it to. It has tons and tons of info about your system.
What I would do is use the File menu and create a log file on both laptops. It makes the logfile in html. It may take a few minutes to create each. One of the sections of the tool is called "CPU Info". Once you create the logfile, scroll down about half way down the page and find the CPU INfo section. On my system, the direct hyperlink to the CPU info section didn't work...a minor bug. So, I used the "Find" function at the top of the browser to find that section. Anyway, cut and paste the CPU Info of both laptops' log file (and note which is old and which is new). Then we can see what the deal is cpu-wise. And, SIW has a wealth of other useful info in case that doesn't provide exactly what's needed.
Here's the download:
http://www3.sympatico.ca/gtopala/siw.exe
I would install it on both machines. Get it here:
http://www3.sympatico.ca/gtopala/siw.exe
It doesn't install per se...it just opens up when you run the .exe file. So, it's going to open up wherever you download it to. It has tons and tons of info about your system.
What I would do is use the File menu and create a log file on both laptops. It makes the logfile in html. It may take a few minutes to create each. One of the sections of the tool is called "CPU Info". Once you create the logfile, scroll down about half way down the page and find the CPU INfo section. On my system, the direct hyperlink to the CPU info section didn't work...a minor bug. So, I used the "Find" function at the top of the browser to find that section. Anyway, cut and paste the CPU Info of both laptops' log file (and note which is old and which is new). Then we can see what the deal is cpu-wise. And, SIW has a wealth of other useful info in case that doesn't provide exactly what's needed.
Here's the download:
http://www3.sympatico.ca/gtopala/siw.exe
Info for NEW (troubled) laptop
CPU
Property Value
One Physical Processor / One Logical Processor
Vendor GenuineIntel
CPU Full Name Intel Mobile Pentium 4-M
CPU Name Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 Mobile CPU 2.00GHz
CPU Code Name Northwood
Technology 0.13µ
Platform Name Socket 478
Type Original OEM processor
FSB Mode QDR
CPU Number 1
Platform ID 3
Microcode ID 20
Type ID 0
CPU Clock 1994.13
System Bus Clock 398.83 System
Clock 99.71
Multiplier 20.00
Original Clock 2000.00
Original Bus Clock 400.00
Original System Clock 100.00
Original Multiplier 20.00
L2 Cache Speed 1994.13 MHz
L2 Cache Speed Full
CPU Family / Model / Stepping F / 2 / 4
Family Extended 00
Brand ID 0E APIC 00
HyperThreading 1
L1 T-Cache 12 KµOps
L1 D-Cache 8 KB
L2 Cache 512 KB
RDMSR 00000000 00000000 14300814 00000000
MMX Yes
MMX+ No
SSE Yes
SSE2 Yes
SSE3 No
3DNow! No
3DNow!+ No DualCore No
HyperThreading No
IA-64 No
AMD64 No
EM64T No
NX/XD No
SpeedStep No
PowerNow! No
LongHaul No
LongRun No
Architecture x86
Old laptop info:
CPU
1. Property Value
One Physical Processor / One Logical Processor
Vendor GenuineIntel
CPU Full Name Intel Mobile Pentium 4-M
CPU Name Mobile Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 - M CPU 2.20GHz
CPU Code Name Northwood
Technology 0.13µ
Platform Name Socket 478
Type Original OEM processor
FSB Mode QDR
CPU Number 1
Platform ID 3
Microcode ID 39
Type ID 0
CPU Clock 2193.54
System Bus Clock 398.83
System Clock 99.71
Multiplier 22.00
Original Clock 2200.00
Original Bus Clock 400.00
Original System Clock 100.00
Original Multiplier 22.00
L2 Cache Speed 2193.54 MHz
L2 Cache Speed Full
CPU Family / Model / Stepping F / 2 / 7
Family Extended 00
Brand ID 0E
APIC 00
HyperThreading 1
L1 T-Cache 12 KµOps
L1 D-Cache 8 KB
L2 Cache 512 KB
RDMSR 00000000 00000000 16300A16 00000000
MMX Yes
MMX+ No
SSE Yes
SSE2 Yes
SSE3 No
3DNow! No
3DNow!+ No
DualCore No
HyperThreading No
IA-64 No
AMD64 No
EM64T No
NX/XD No
SpeedStep No
PowerNow! No
LongHaul No
LongRun No
Architecture x86
CPU
Property Value
One Physical Processor / One Logical Processor
Vendor GenuineIntel
CPU Full Name Intel Mobile Pentium 4-M
CPU Name Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 Mobile CPU 2.00GHz
CPU Code Name Northwood
Technology 0.13µ
Platform Name Socket 478
Type Original OEM processor
FSB Mode QDR
CPU Number 1
Platform ID 3
Microcode ID 20
Type ID 0
CPU Clock 1994.13
System Bus Clock 398.83 System
Clock 99.71
Multiplier 20.00
Original Clock 2000.00
Original Bus Clock 400.00
Original System Clock 100.00
Original Multiplier 20.00
L2 Cache Speed 1994.13 MHz
L2 Cache Speed Full
CPU Family / Model / Stepping F / 2 / 4
Family Extended 00
Brand ID 0E APIC 00
HyperThreading 1
L1 T-Cache 12 KµOps
L1 D-Cache 8 KB
L2 Cache 512 KB
RDMSR 00000000 00000000 14300814 00000000
MMX Yes
MMX+ No
SSE Yes
SSE2 Yes
SSE3 No
3DNow! No
3DNow!+ No DualCore No
HyperThreading No
IA-64 No
AMD64 No
EM64T No
NX/XD No
SpeedStep No
PowerNow! No
LongHaul No
LongRun No
Architecture x86
Old laptop info:
CPU
1. Property Value
One Physical Processor / One Logical Processor
Vendor GenuineIntel
CPU Full Name Intel Mobile Pentium 4-M
CPU Name Mobile Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 - M CPU 2.20GHz
CPU Code Name Northwood
Technology 0.13µ
Platform Name Socket 478
Type Original OEM processor
FSB Mode QDR
CPU Number 1
Platform ID 3
Microcode ID 39
Type ID 0
CPU Clock 2193.54
System Bus Clock 398.83
System Clock 99.71
Multiplier 22.00
Original Clock 2200.00
Original Bus Clock 400.00
Original System Clock 100.00
Original Multiplier 22.00
L2 Cache Speed 2193.54 MHz
L2 Cache Speed Full
CPU Family / Model / Stepping F / 2 / 7
Family Extended 00
Brand ID 0E
APIC 00
HyperThreading 1
L1 T-Cache 12 KµOps
L1 D-Cache 8 KB
L2 Cache 512 KB
RDMSR 00000000 00000000 16300A16 00000000
MMX Yes
MMX+ No
SSE Yes
SSE2 Yes
SSE3 No
3DNow! No
3DNow!+ No
DualCore No
HyperThreading No
IA-64 No
AMD64 No
EM64T No
NX/XD No
SpeedStep No
PowerNow! No
LongHaul No
LongRun No
Architecture x86
Nothing really looks unusual there to my eyes. Looks as it should.
What I would do next is empty the XP "Prefetch" folder. This is what could be clogging your startup time. Even if not, it won't hurt to empty it (and I mean empty it, don't delete the folder itself!) because Windows recreates the values contained within when you start a program for the first time.
Here's a how-to on how to empty the prefetch folder. Don't bother with changing any registry settings listed on the bottom of the page. You just want to "select all" inside the folder, and then delete the entries as directed on this page. Then, try your startup again and see if anything is different. It might not be lickety split fast the first time you startup and run programs, as Windows has to recreate the prefetch stuff the first time you run an application. So, what I would do is empty the prefetch, then reboot. Then, once booted back into Windows, one by one open and then close the normal programs you would use when you startup the laptop.
Once you're finished opening and closing the programs once, reboot again and see how Windows responds when you go to open programs again. (prefetch will have been rebuilt at this point).
http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articl...s/Gaining-Speed-Empty-Prefetch-XP.html
What I would do next is empty the XP "Prefetch" folder. This is what could be clogging your startup time. Even if not, it won't hurt to empty it (and I mean empty it, don't delete the folder itself!) because Windows recreates the values contained within when you start a program for the first time.
Here's a how-to on how to empty the prefetch folder. Don't bother with changing any registry settings listed on the bottom of the page. You just want to "select all" inside the folder, and then delete the entries as directed on this page. Then, try your startup again and see if anything is different. It might not be lickety split fast the first time you startup and run programs, as Windows has to recreate the prefetch stuff the first time you run an application. So, what I would do is empty the prefetch, then reboot. Then, once booted back into Windows, one by one open and then close the normal programs you would use when you startup the laptop.
Once you're finished opening and closing the programs once, reboot again and see how Windows responds when you go to open programs again. (prefetch will have been rebuilt at this point).
http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articl...s/Gaining-Speed-Empty-Prefetch-XP.html
I did notice that the new (troubled) laptop is 200 mhz slower than the other. Granted, thats not significant ... but its enough for it to feel "not quite as fast" as the other one. Since I don't have them present with me to make a side by side comparison, we'll assume its only a small part of the problem.
Other differences in hardware might also make a difference. For instance, most laptops from that generation come with 4200 rpm hard drives. However, if the faster of the 2 laptops has a 5400 rpm hard drive .... then the difference would be significant when combined with the slower processor. We still may be dealing with a difference between the machine's hardware. Does the tool you used above also show anything about drive info?
Did you empty out your prefetch yet? If so, has it improved any? If you're sure the only difference between the hardware in the two machines is the old one has a slightly faster processor, we can still take a peek at your "HIJACK THIS" log to be sure your system is free of malware. If you'd like to give that a try, we can. However, download it into its own folder and extract it there. Run the program, but don't do anything else but "save file to a log". Once you have your log, copy the WHOLE log into your next post. At the very least, I can verify that your system is clean.
You can get HijackThis HERE.
Other differences in hardware might also make a difference. For instance, most laptops from that generation come with 4200 rpm hard drives. However, if the faster of the 2 laptops has a 5400 rpm hard drive .... then the difference would be significant when combined with the slower processor. We still may be dealing with a difference between the machine's hardware. Does the tool you used above also show anything about drive info?
Did you empty out your prefetch yet? If so, has it improved any? If you're sure the only difference between the hardware in the two machines is the old one has a slightly faster processor, we can still take a peek at your "HIJACK THIS" log to be sure your system is free of malware. If you'd like to give that a try, we can. However, download it into its own folder and extract it there. Run the program, but don't do anything else but "save file to a log". Once you have your log, copy the WHOLE log into your next post. At the very least, I can verify that your system is clean.
You can get HijackThis HERE.
You should download and run that tool yourself, Detroit (SIW, linked above). You can then use it to guide her further if something sticks out at you. There is a veritable plethora of info in this tool.
It won't tell you per se if the drives are 5400 or 4200, etc., but it will give you all the other info about the drive, including make/model, DMA/PIO capabilites, and a laundry list of other info.
So, take a look at it on your own system, Detroit. Then, if you think of anything else for her to check, use the tool and ask her what her system says.
The drives are detailed in the Hardware/Storage Devices section. The right column will just give the drive names until you click on the drive name individually. Once you do that, the universe of drive info opens up.
Edit: For one of my two drives, it shows rotational speed. I'm assuming SIW just queries the controller for info, and whatever is there is there.
It won't tell you per se if the drives are 5400 or 4200, etc., but it will give you all the other info about the drive, including make/model, DMA/PIO capabilites, and a laundry list of other info.
So, take a look at it on your own system, Detroit. Then, if you think of anything else for her to check, use the tool and ask her what her system says.
The drives are detailed in the Hardware/Storage Devices section. The right column will just give the drive names until you click on the drive name individually. Once you do that, the universe of drive info opens up.
Edit: For one of my two drives, it shows rotational speed. I'm assuming SIW just queries the controller for info, and whatever is there is there.
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