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I'm only interested in responses that agree with me. Comments like 'don't worry about it' or 'you're wrong' are not welcome. Not welcome at all.
Hehe.
Seriously, I think I'm slowly going mad.
I'm a .NET developer at heart, playing around with databases, web services, PhotoShop...a good chunk of the online development world.
I've been doing this for a while now, and although I absolutely love it, these last few weeks have been a nightmare.
All because of my laptop.
It all started a couple of months ago, when it started...my laptop would just...hesitate before doing something. Not all the time, though. Just occasionally. Now, it's horrible. I'll be working fine for a couple of hours, then I'll try to open a file, or something quite menial, and it'll stop. I can still move my mouse. I can still use anything else that's already open. But I can't do anything else that's new. Processor's not doing anything, it'll be running at 4% CPU (ish).
It just waits.
Then, 4-5 minutes later, it'll all just start working again.
Happy as Larry.
For another half an hour or so, and it'll happen all over again.
Now, normally I'd just blame the hardware. But this is quite a new [albeit work's] laptop. Core 2 Duo 2.4ghz, 2gb RAM, Win XP.
It's not overheating. I've not got excessive amounts of stuff open. And I'm not just being impatient (well...not too impatient).
It is just me? The IT guru here has done spyware scans, virus scans, and all that. Everything is updated and the latest version.
Now, the reason for this:
Ladies and gentlemen, what should I do? Spend a day reinstalling Windows from scratch? Try to convince work to get me a new laptop? Jack it all in and become a farmer?
Seriously, am I trying to push this laptop too hard? At any one time, I can be running up to 4 instances of Visual Studio 2005, a SQL Server 2005 database, a few Excel documents, the odd Word document, a few FireFox tabs, Outlook, maybe even PhotoShop...
Yeah...I'm pushing it too hard, aren't I?
best plan, imho. those are the situations when I say to myself "you should've got some real education, not this IT-crap".
have you checked for driver updates? I wouldn't jump to hardware-suspects just yet. Check the grafic adapter's drivers, I remember context menus taking forever on my machine when I had a driver issue with my nvidia.
The workload sounds normal to me, I'm a process messie, so that's pretty much the same I usually run and it works like a charm on a similar machine (not a laptop, though).
You're right to be annoyed!
You know, you might have something there. Maybe I've simply become so efficient, that I'm now quicker than time itself.
Man...that's going on my CV...
Hardware (excluding cd/dvd drives) is at least 100 times as reliable as software.
Since it's a work laptop, if they have an IT expert, give it to him and say "fix it". Otherwise it's most likely poor quality, conflicting or badly configured security software. Uninstall/disable each item and retest. If that's too much like hard work, as you said, reinstall windows, but the same problem may reappear.
Kaled.
normally I'd just blame the hardware
Otherwise, security would be my next bet. (Especially where some corporate idiot has two separate anti-malware programs running)
two separate anti-malware programs running
Yeah, or something like that.
Are you on an Internet or network connection any time while this happens? The way windows polls and waits for network responses sometimes hangs things up. (Sorry for the newbish explanation, I know the effect, not the specific causes.)
For example, we're networked here via router, sharing Internet, when I close down one comp the other will hesitate because it's checking where the first computer's shared directory/printer went.
The other, what's the status/setup of automatic updates and AVG scans? I set mine for 3 AM, leave comps on at night, but even so when I hit it at 6 AM to get started, sometimes the AVG is still scanning. Automatic updates can snag you if you don't turn the alerts on.
The only other thing I can offer is don't do anything that needs to be done immediately. If you attempt this, it will hang every time. It senses your urgency. :-)
[edited by: rocknbil at 5:41 pm (utc) on May 5, 2009]
Software: reinstal. But reinstall something else, not the same old stuff. Try something else: *BSD (NetBSD, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, ...), Linux, OS X, ...
Hardware: get a mac :) [seriously: my mac is good for my mental stability]
For me, it seems that you may have several hardware and/or software problems and conflicts.
Let's start with the software ones, but connected to hardware. Heating. Running too much software on a laptop may heat it too much. And of course a laptop is not like a desktop or a tower on "unheating", there's to say, dissipating hot.
1-) The very beginning. This will correct any possible Windows conflicts and errors.
1a-) Insert the CD of XP on the drive.
1b-) Write on the execution box:
sfc /scannow
(note the space between sfc and /
2-) Get a freeware program to control the heating, there's to say, to control fans and so.
3-) Get a cooler basis specially for laptops. Some come wven with two or three extra usb ports (ing general USB 1.2, but what the heck, you may connect the mouse or an extra keyboard to them, stuff not too much demanding).
4-) If you add, move, delete, big files often, your HDU becomes too much fragmented. Get a freeware defragger, there are a few that run in the background and do not disturb you at all, eg O&O Defrag or Smart Defrag.
5-) Virtual memory. The best and fastest HDU will NEVER be able to replace the eakest "real" RAM. So if you are using a too high virtual memory value, decrease it.
5a-) Get CCleaner (a free fine trash and junk trash) and run it often.
5b-) Too much trash files on your laptop startup. These junk programs often steal a big amount of memory. Use CCleaner to check what starts running with XP when your lapotop starts. Deny (to not run on startup) one by one. DO NOT DELETE ANY!, restart and check if your problems are solved.
6-) A Registry cleaning. There are a few tools that clean the registry from junk, trash, and so, and also defrag it. One is CCleaner. The other one is Tune Up Utilities 2009 (wonderful shareware i use since its version 2005).
7a-) Install Tune Up Utilities and set all for fastest performance. Besides, Tune Up has a fine memory controller that is always checking it.
7b-) Forget deskmods, and any other kinda "whistles & bells".
NOW, the hardware issue.
1a-) Memory problems? Get a freeware to check your memory in deep.
1b-) A (possible) memory upgrade.
2-) The overheating issue already referred.
3-) And the HDU defragmention, also already referred.
If, after this, your laptop is still running strangely, it's possessed or so! Get rid of it!
Good luck! :)
If you haven't done so already, and you have a restore point to a known working configuration available, you could try that. That said, swapping components around (with other computers) is always a good idea when trying to diagnose faults.
Kaled.
That said, swapping components around (with other computers)...
Though I still stand by the HDD problem. Hard disks are so often the problem on slow load times, particularly at start-up and if you have them spin down after too short a period of non-use for power saving reasons.
[edited by: Shaddows at 4:40 pm (utc) on May 6, 2009]
Sometimes I feel like doing that to various items around the office. Perhaps I need help.
In my defence, I think it's only the second time I've done that in 3000+ posts.
Kaled.
Get an older computer of the same type and a large lump hammer and place them where your current machine can see them.
Smarter computers will get the message and start behaving. However if yours doesn't fall into line then, next time it plays up, take the hammer and smash the old machine to pieces.
Once you have rendered it into small pieces of smashed plastic and silicone, fix your laptop with a meaningful stare and tell it in no uncertain terms that it is next if it messes you around again. Problem solved!
More seriously, if it is a hardware fault then I'ld look at the hard drive first.
There is much truth in that statement. All I need do is approach a wayward appliance with a screwdriver and it will suddenly begin performing like new. Works almost every time. I have one laptop that didn't understand and it is in a hundred pieces now.
If all else fails, I still have one plot available in the community garden. You may want to consider it for a year, just to develop your farming skills.
maybe that explains your situation.
