Laptop running super slow- advice?
 

While my other laptop is in for repair, my older one now seems suddenly very jammed up. It's running on Windows XP Professional. I cleared all the personal history and cache on FireFox and am shutting it down to restart it, but it's still barely responding. Any other suggestions like clearing temp folders and de-fragging? I'd need fairly step by step advice, as I'm not too computer savvy. TIA...

Could be the HD going out, could be heat buildup... You try and blow out the fan?

How do I do that? Blow into the vent with a can of compressed air?

Laptop off, use the can-o-air and blow into where the exhaust air exists (Reverse of how it comes in). Laptops do collect dust and pet hair easily.

CRTL+ALT+DEL to open task manager. Click on the "Processes" tab to see what's hogging resources.

Rtvscan.exe 66,784 K
svchost.exe. 34,500 K
explorer.exe. 27,036 K
LUCOMS~1.EXE 10,032 K

svchost.exe appears 8 other times

You really care about CPU useage. Look for something that is constantly eating up 50% or more...

Get rid of that Symantec/Norton crap IMO.

I'm locked up again. CPU usage is constantly at 100%. I'm trying to uninstall it...

I can't even get the Add or Remove Programs folder to open up.

Boot up in safe mode w/ no networking.

It's taken maybe 15 minutes, but the add/remove window opened and populated. I selected remove Symentec and it's slowly configuring it. Might as well continue, right?

Bad RAM chip.

Now I get a message that says Service Symentec Event Manager could not be stopped, verify that I have sufficient privileges to stop system services. Great.

Why won't "End Process" work on Rtvscan.exe in the task manager?

Seems I succeeded in ending Rtvscan and the CPU is still running at 100%. I ended explore and all my desktop disappeared and the CPU is still at 100%.

Shuie might be onto something...

Sounds like virus/spyware to me. I would just format it to the manufacture stage.

RAM could do that, but bad RAM usually ends in a BSOD or a click, black screen and reboot.

A bad HD can do this... On occasion, a failing HD will cause a pc to run extremely slow

Look at the task manager again... in the Presesses tab, CPU column. What processes show large numbers there?

I'm voting on failing hard drive....

My son is my 14 yo IT guy and he is in charge of fixing the 4 laptops floating around our house. Windows XP is a pretty solid platform and is easy to reload the operating system. I think it is running out of support unless you have service pack two or higher. XP was the last OS that doesn't need a key-code to reload, or more specifically one that only has a single use. If you can get what you need off your computer and clean installl the OS, you would be amazed on how it runs better. Sometimes you can only get so far by trying to fix the OS and it just remains buggy and slow. My son actually has had good luck in upgrading some really old laptops to Windows 7. The disk that came with the computer should be a start. Go on line and search "clean install windows XP" and you will find plenty of material.

Is it a Dell? Some are bad about the fan clogging and the CPU will over heat, had it happen to me.

Jay

It's a Chem Book, probably 7 years old. Been very reliable until now, even has the original battery. It's my backup computer and naturally fails while my Toshiba is in the shop.

Wow, my old Dell laptop has been getting slower and slower lately, thanks to the info here I will be cleaning out the fan tomorrow. :)

Thanks.

I downloaded Windows Defender because I heard it was good, thinking there might be some sort of virus. For some reason the Symantec process isn't showing up in the Task Manager after I ended the process and re-booted. (I was unable to uninstall it). For some reason I can't check for updates on Windows Defender. I think this has to do with the Symantec being there. When I run a scan with whatever 2006 definitions are on the program, the CPU usage drops to almost zero for a while before it goes back up. I wish I knew what I was doing...