OT{ sort of .Slow computer

[Bod]

Look for windows.old files and delete them. They are simply a waste of space are not needed.

[Bod]

[AnthonyL]

ISTR reading that each installed Windows update has to check to see if it is on the list for any further update, very clever design if that is the case. But that of course will only affect boot up and not normal running.

I switch on my 1.8GhZ 2GB RAM XP SP3 laptop then have breakfast and get dressed. Once booted and settled it is mostly fine even with disk intensitive stuff.

Wife's little Win 7 netbook is up like a shot.

[Bod]

Bod

[tony sayer]

Aren't they just best thing I ever did was to fir a SSD, machine now positively flies even using the much derided winders 7 Pro..

That and 100 meg broadband, anything elsewhere I have to use feels rather tardy by comparison...

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I suppose it depends on what you mean normal running. I find as well as a slower boot, it take more time to load some progs too. But reasonably ok when actually using it.

Probably a different version of Windows which also has less updates?

[John Rumm]

I have never really understood this fascination some people have with reinstalling windows as a way of "fixing" problems[1]. For any machine with more than a couple of applications installed its just not worth the hassle and usually much quicker to just fix the problem.

[1] Rather like buying a new car because the ashtray was full on the old one.

[tabbypurr]

Are you Rod Speed by any chance?

NT

[AnthonyL]

[AnthonyL]

I'm on XP, the OP is on Win 7. Don't think either of them have .old

[Ronnie]

Depending on how much space you have allocated for system restore files and as long as you have system restore active, then there's a good chance that you can delete a lot of old restore files etc. You only need to have the *Last Known Good* system available, IMO. The rest are just taking up space.

[David]

See

Cheers

Dave R

[whisky-dave]

It can be the quickest way to get it sorted, and the most efficient.

if you can find the problem. Of course if you're sure it's a software problem, or perhaps a virus or trojen/worm, but hardware problems do occur,which can slow a disc down, bearing wear etc.... It could even be a controller problem or the cache/buffer.

Not like that at all.

[tabbypurr]

More like buying a new car when the old one would cost more to fix, ie has multiple problems, some of which you know you haven't even found.

NT

[Dave Plowman (News)]

My small laptop uses a different version to my full sized one, both supplied with Win7.

I'm not quite sure what a netbook is.

[John Rumm]

It can, but IME it usually isn't.

I have resorted to a complete reinstall as a fix probably only once or twice in the last few years, while managing 150 machines or so.

(the exception to that being when a machine is hosed as well as being old and knackered, in which case its usually more sensible to just replace it rather than spend a customer's money fixing it or reinstalling stuff to get them back to a machine they are not happy with anyway).

If you are going to opt for a complete reinstall, then by the time you have done it, reloaded all the software, set everything up again you are usually many hours into the process. So you need to consider if its a good use of time. Most problems can be beaten in less time.

Normally I can.

If its hardware, then reinstalling windows at that stage is really not the way to go. Fix the hardware first or you will only make the problem worse.

[Chris French]

Clean installs of windows won't have it.

You only get a windows.old if you upgrade a version of windows (even if you tell it to do a new installation, if it finds an old windows installation it will put the files in the windows.old folder.

Which is why you should format the partition before installing

[Chris French]

In message , "Dave Plowman (News)" writes

Basically, the small 10 inch laptops that were prevalent on the market a few years ago.

They came with a different, cheaper version of Windows, and had to meet the limited specs MS insisted on the be allowed to use the special version of windows

[AnthonyL]

You've snipped the bit now where I clearly stated I was on XP SP3, hence my ??

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Then why mention your wife's Win7 netbook?