windows xp help

[thered]

right i have found i have a problem my windows xp has slowed up a bit lately mainly it seems when im printing or burning i thought it may have something to do with nero or maybe just that my computer is absolutely chocca with programs


so i got rid of nero i have installed fresh still the same probs i have ran tune up utilities and reg supreme cleared all the clutter used a few programs avast,spyware terminator,adaware and malware bytes computer is saying it finds no viruse's ect and registry is in very good health

so i thought it must have some kind of issue with xp and i would try a repair from the install disk problem is it wont let me boot up from disk or go in safe mode,when i press f12 i get the menu up to select boot device but it will not let me select a boot first device the keyboard has become inoperative

so if anyone knows a way round this i would be glad of the help thanks


btw pc is a bit old but should be working much faster than it is the spec is

amd dual core 4200 with 2gb ram using xp home gforce 76000

[C64]

Is anything hogging the CPU in task manager mate?

[thered]

not really so much that ive noticed apart from when i turn something off it can take an age to get rid off dump.prep seems to take so long sometimes that i have to terminate it from process by using end process tree

[DavC]

i've found ccleaner best for removing sh*te from windows. uninstall any programs you no longer use first, then run ccleaner. also in ccleaner there is a section that tells you all the process that start up on bootup, google each one of these and disable any that look dodgy/are not required. then it might be worth letting a defrag run through for an hour or to, or just leave it over night.

what antivirus software do you have running, if it's norton then get rid!

also if you've had a network set up, be sure to delete any printers or mapped network drives that no longer exist, they can cause windows to hang for ages even when you least expect it.

as for getting into the bios, try pressing delete and/or F2 when you switch the pc on. once in the bios disable the hard drive from boot devices, and put the cd drive at the top. if you cant get into the bios then make sure your using a ps2 keyboard (not usb or wireless)

[thered]

cheers for the sdvice m8 but i have used ccleaner too i have also deleted loads of programs that i dont really use i can get the boot screen ok but i cant control the options as if the keyboard is turned off but it is through usb connection is this normally a problem


just to add i use avast and i have defagged already and i have used a progarm called whats running to show whats on my pc i have disabled it all apart from firewall and avast

[thered]

just to add again switched keyboard socket to the normal inlet with usb adaptor tried to boot from disk same as before tried to get safe mode same again it wont let me select it

[infinityukok]

Hi red,

Do you know what mobo you have? if so, i can advise you based on your bios

That aside, you say you're pressing F12 to select boot device... first port of call is going into the bios setup...
(This is gonna sound really patronising if you've tried this so i apologise in advance!)

Firstly, some bios(/mobo's) are funny about picking up keyboards. You cant go wrong with an 'old style' PS2 keyboard! USB>PS2 adapters dont always agree with older setups.

Secondly, when you boot the pc... if the is a seperate option (F key) for 'Setup' or similar, press that.
(assuming the keyboard still works!)

Go into your bios setup and make sure your cdrom/dvd rom is set as the first boot device. This will be in a menu like 'boot sequence' or something. If it is then you should be able to boot from the cd.
Restart the pc & see if you get 'press any key to boot from cd...'

I wont ramble on anymore, incase im wasting ur time. Let me know if you already know this/ have tried it.

Cant go much more in-depth in 1 forum post! :D

Can I?!?

[DavC]

failing the above, try resetting the bios (jumper inside the pc near the battery, should be called CMOS RESET or similar). by default i'd imagine the cd drive to be set before the HDD in the boot up order

[cunny]

is the keyboard on usb and is legacy enabled in the bios.

once in xp open a dos prompt and do a chkdsk /r, should ask to do 1 on next reboot, leave it going, my thoughts are there could be bad clusters on the hdd that will need sorting out.

Failing that try a format of the hard drive and reinstal xp once your boot sequence and usb legacy are sorted in the bios.

[thered]

right thanks fella's for all the advice i managed to get my keyboard up and running and i have done a clean install after trying a failed repair of windows which left me with nowt lol


so anyways i now have a clean pc to start off so im gonna be busy getting my system set up again so thanks for the help

[DavC]

how did you get it working mate?

i know its a complete pain, but its a good idea to do a fresh install once in a while

[thered]

hi m8 yeh i followed the suggestions put forward and managed to get my keyboard running through bios which enabled me too boot from cd.

i could not find any problems on my pc at all tbh ran chkdsk ect all seemed well but the performance was just not there so i thought id try to repair the windows installation which just crashed then it would not re-boot

so anyways i just did a clean install and started again just a bit of a pain getting everything back on the system as i decided to format the lot but like you said m8 a good clean install and a fresh start does the pc the world of good its much faster now

one problem i have got is it seems to be overheating i have cleaned it all put thermal paste round the fan but it doesnt seem to have done much is there a way of changing fan speeds ect

[akyboo]

i use registry mechanic for registry errors and it also cleans obsolete folders and malwarebytes for hidden viruses and malware
NewTorrents.info - PC.Tools.Registry.Mechanic.v8.0.0.900.Incl.Keymake r-ROGUE torrent download (http://www.newtorrents.info/torrent/53598/PC.Tools.Registry.Mechanic.v8.0.0.900.Incl.Keymake r-ROGUE.html)
Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware - Free software downloads and reviews - CNET Download.com (http://www.download.com/Malwarebytes-Anti-Malware/3000-8022_4-10804572.html)
works every time i have problems

[cunny]

You should be able to do it inside the bios.

Failing that get a better heat sink but for now just run it without the side on.

You can also set the threshold for the shut off when temp is at or totally disable it.