Computer running very sluggish!!!

[eye of the hawk]

This is my laptop, but it isn't a laptop specific problem I suspect.

It's a Dell XPS M140
1.7ghz Pentium M
512mb Ram
60gig WD HD

A few weeks ago it was randomly showing me this lovely Blue Screen. This made (and makes) me think it was the RAM, but i was due for a reformat and wanted to see i that would help.

I installed Vista. I have Vista installed on my desktop and for the most part it runs fine. So, when i had MAJOR issues with it on my laptop (funky things, text missing from certain parts of windows, boxes being stretched horizontally to infinite etc) i wasn't sure if it was due to the lack of power on my laptop (no real video, only 512mb of ram...), or if it was due to Vista being crap, or if it was related to the problems i've had with my computer.

In any case, i reinstalled XP and it runs ok. No BSOD, no crashes etc...but it runs like hell.

When i try to open another window, say firefox, it takes a long time before anything happens. If i'm listening to music while i do this, it gets all choppy and crap. Word takes FOREVER to open (not mins, but longer than it should). When this happens, the CPU load is at 100%.

Any thoughts?

 

[Automata]

Well, try this.

http://www.memtest86.com/download.html

Download that program and burn the ISO to a disc.

Restart the computer and boot to the cd drive, let it run for a couple hours and see if you get ANY errors.

If not, then I highly recommend doing a HDD diagnostic test. I believe Speedfan and Everest will give you the SMART data for the hard drive.

I had a client come in saying their laptop was running extremely slow. It turns our the hdd was toasted and throwing errors like crazy, took 10 mins to open Firefox. I gave it two weeks max.

 

[eye of the hawk]

I've been meaning to run memtest, i'll get on that, and test the H/D

 

[Captain Slug]

Thideras is on the right track, it's most likely the Hard Drive. Dell uses the cheapest of the cheap and they don't last terribly long. I'm having similar problems with my mother's machine, which will be getting it's hard drive replaced later this week.

 

[JamesXP]

Yeah your laptop isn't slow at all. I had a 1.73GHz Pentium M and it hauled

 

[eye of the hawk]

Thideras is on the right track, it's most likely the Hard Drive. Dell uses the cheapest of the cheap and they don't last terribly long. I'm having similar problems with my mother's machine, which will be getting it's hard drive replaced later this week.

It's got a 60gig WD in it.

regardless, i want to be able to hold all my music on here, and i need to be able to run photoshop on my laptop.

Thus, i'm about to order me a 120gig H/D and 2gigs of memory.

Hopefully that'll solve the problem

 

[eye of the hawk]

Mr. UPS manbrought me a present today

120gig Samsung Drive
2 gigs of G skill

Installed Vista and she's screaming again.

It was def. the hard drive, i installed the ram and booted it up, nothing different really. Thanks for the help folks.

 

[Automata]

Mr. UPS manbrought me a present today

120gig Samsung Drive
2 gigs of G skill

Installed Vista and she's screaming again.

It was def. the hard drive, i installed the ram and booted it up, nothing different really. Thanks for the help folks.

Great to hear that you got it working!!!

 

[RJARRRPCGP]

This is my laptop, but it isn't a laptop specific problem I suspect.

It's a Dell XPS M140
1.7ghz Pentium M
512mb Ram
60gig WD HD

A few weeks ago it was randomly showing me this lovely Blue Screen. This made (and makes) me think it was the RAM, but i was due for a reformat and wanted to see i that would help.

I installed Vista. I have Vista installed on my desktop and for the most part it runs fine. So, when i had MAJOR issues with it on my laptop (funky things, text missing from certain parts of windows, boxes being stretched horizontally to infinite etc) i wasn't sure if it was due to the lack of power on my laptop (no real video, only 512mb of ram...), or if it was due to Vista being crap, or if it was related to the problems i've had with my computer.

In any case, i reinstalled XP and it runs ok. No BSOD, no crashes etc...but it runs like hell.

When i try to open another window, say firefox, it takes a long time before anything happens. If i'm listening to music while i do this, it gets all choppy and crap. Word takes FOREVER to open (not mins, but longer than it should). When this happens, the CPU load is at 100%.

Any thoughts?

Was is STOP: 0x00000050 or STOP: 0x0000004E? If it was, you have a RAM problem.

 

[Automata]

Was is STOP: 0x00000050 or STOP: 0x0000004E? If it was, you have a RAM problem.

If you actually read the post, you would have seen that the problem was fixed and it was indeed a hard drive issue

 

[RJARRRPCGP]

If you actually read the post, you would have seen that the problem was fixed and it was indeed a hard drive issue

Just asked.