Windows XP Speed Issues

I'm not claiming that there's a malware infection, but let me point

out that there's no way to be 100% positive. It may be very unlikely,

but the probability is not zero.

I ran two full scans using MalwareBytes yesterday, and only found a small group of non-malware PUPs - nothing that could, or should have dramatically affected the computer's speed.

On Sun, 20 Dec 2015 00:55:30 +0000, Lachlan Ruhr wrote:

Please be more specific about the speed problem. What is slow?
Startup? Internet access? Some programs and not others? What programs?
Something else?
And please put numbers on the problem, even if approximate. How long
does it take to do whatever is slow?

Roughly, the computer in general is pretty slow.
#1 I'm positive there's no malware on the computer, but I'll get better anti-malware software for her and run a new scan just to be sure.

I'm not claiming that there's a malware infection, but let me point
out that there's no way to be 100% positive. It may be very unlikely,
but the probability is not zero.

Please be more specific about the speed problem. What is slow?

Startup? Internet access? Some programs and not others? What programs?

Something else?

And please put numbers on the problem, even if approximate. How long

does it take to do whatever is slow?

Roughly, the computer in general is pretty slow. Internet browsing is slow but there is a solid connection, Windows Explorer lags a lot and even sometimes crashes, and with that being said even multitasking is a major problem - I mean just doing two tasks at once seems to become a major hiccup.

This only seems to happen intermittently though. Sometimes it works fine other times it doesn't, and when it doesn't it can take up to 5 minutes or more for it to complete whatever task I've set it to do.

Running 'foreign' programs (eg. applications not installed by default to the OS, such as anti-malware software or other stuff) also seems to take it's time, and copying or moving files can also be a small hiccup.

Like I said, the computer in general is pretty slow, but as aforementioned it can vary from time to time.

@BurrWalnut; I'll get onto those steps ASAP, but I can confirm the following:

#7 is no problem - booting up/shutting down seems to take no time at all.

#8 I've already looked at using msconfig, but I'm familiar with Autoruns so I'll get that and have a closer look.

#3 & #6 isn't an issue as she says she runs a defrag quite frequently (not that she needs it, what with the significant lack of stuff on the drive).

#1 I'm positive there's no malware on the computer, but I'll get better anti-malware software for her and run a new scan just to be sure.

I'll follow through with the others.

On Sat, 19 Dec 2015 11:35:51 +0000, Lachlan Ruhr wrote:

Hi guys,

Yes, I know Windows XP is considerably outdated now, but this is my grandmother's computer and I'm trying to get it running up to speed.

Please be more specific about the speed problem. What is slow?
Startup? Internet access? Some programs and not others? What programs?
Something else?

And please put numbers on the problem, even if approximate. How long
does it take to do whatever is slow?

Here are a few things that may help to speed up your Grandmother’s XP computer. Not all of them will necessarily apply to her but look through the list and run those that seem appropriate:

1. Make sure you are free from malware as that can slow it down. If necessary, run your ‘anti’ programs.
2. Although XP supposedly runs on 512MB of memory (RAM), adding more if you have less than about 1GB will help it run better. It will behave even better with 2GB. To check how much memory you have, right-click My Computer, click Properties and the General Tab shows how much is installed.
3. Run Disk Cleanup via Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk CleanUp. Now, defragment the hard drive (not on an SSD) via Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter. Click on the drive and choose Defragment.
4. Check the disk for errors. Open a Run window (Windows Logo key+R), type chkdsk /r and press Enter. Allow it to run next time you restart the computer or restart it now.
5. Don’t turn off your antivirus program, but check if it’s running a scheduled scan when you switch on the computer. If it is, reschedule it for a more appropriate time.
6. You’ll get a slightly faster start up if you optimise the boot files and applications by running a special defragmentation (not on an SSD), i.e. in a Run window (Windows Logo key+R), type cmd and press Enter to open a command prompt then type defrag C:\ -b (note the two spaces) and press Enter.
7. When you have a slow boot, check that no external drives have media in them. If they have, experiment by booting with it inserted and without.

Remove unwanted programs that run when you switch on the computer. Bear in mind that it’s not necessarily how many programs run at start up, but which of them affect the computer’s performance. If possible, look at the program’s options/preferences to see if it can be stopped from running at start up.

If there is no option, run Microsoft’s Autoruns from the right pane here http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902 Go to the Logon Tab and remove the tick alongside the programs you don’t want to start. Right-click an entry and choose Search online for more information about it. It is completely reversible if you unintentionally stop a program from starting up.

Also, the built-in system configuration utility (msconfig) can be used, but its primary function is to troubleshoot start up errors. Note that some programs use a service to start them running.

9. You can use Process Explorer to see which services/programs are using which files. To determine which process is using a particular file, click Find at the top, type the name of the file and click Search. To see the svchost processes, let the mouse pointer hover over each svchost.exe in the left pane. Download it from here http://technet.microsoft.com/en-gb/sysinternals/bb896653.aspx