PC Acceleration (software) help..

[12Stones]

I feel like my computer gradually gets slower and slower over time, and I'm not really adding any active processes (that I know of) to it.

Can anyone (preferrably Particle or someone else that knows what they are talking about) recommend some good software that will help me customize my computer for what I use it for, or something that can help clean it up?

Iv'e done the normal stuff like adaware, virus scans, etc..  i'm looking for an all-in-one program that get's a little more technical.  I used to have one that did all sorts of stuff for me (like let me change startup settings and such), but I don't remember which one it was.

[Kyrie]

There's TuneXP. It's just a small window with a load of options for configuring and changing settings on your computer. Can mess up your computer (I've heard) if you use it incorrectly, but it gives detailed descriptions of what each option does and its effect on your system.

http://www.tunexp.com/

[12Stones]

Hah, thanks!  That site had the name of the old program I used to use.  I rather use something a little more automated..  I'm sure i'd mess up this computer if I was to decide for myself which settings to change =)

[Particle]

Tweak XP can also help you customize a lot of stuff regarding Windows.  In addition, be sure to load up msconfig (Start>Run>msconfig) and check for stuff you aren't using.  There's a lot of crap that loads with computers that is really unnecessary.  It wastes resources and increases boot time.  Another thing to do is check your services that you are running.  There are many that can be shut off completely, saving even more resources.  For example, most desktops don't need Wireless Zero, the service that manages WiFi connections on a computer.

[Bovidi]

Whenever my computer runs sluggish I just reformat the thing, I found that my windows often corrupts itself and slows itself down because of the corruptness but it can be a very big pain reformating and remember you forgot to back up a couple things

[Kyrie]

I hate reformatting. Backups, reinstalls,  :evil:  

[Noalear]

the last time i formatted i forgot something, my 5 gigs of music- that i paid for.

[12Stones]

Tweak XP can also help you customize a lot of stuff regarding Windows.  In addition, be sure to load up msconfig (Start>Run>msconfig) and check for stuff you aren't using.  There's a lot of crap that loads with computers that is really unnecessary.  It wastes resources and increases boot time.  Another thing to do is check your services that you are running.  There are many that can be shut off completely, saving even more resources.  For example, most desktops don't need Wireless Zero, the service that manages WiFi connections on a computer.

What are the only necessary processes that need to be running in order for windows to run, and programs like word or a game like tribes?  I know I need explorer.exe, but what others?

I used to do this all the time on MY computer..  disable all the active processes before I played a high resource game, but I forgot which ones I need.

[Darwin]

At one point you just need to replace the hard drive.  Hard disks wear down over time.  I tend to replace my main drive once every three years.

[Particle]

At one point you just need to replace the hard drive.  Hard disks wear down over time.  I tend to replace my main drive once every three years.

You jest, surely.

[Darwin]

No particle.  Once my hard drive's motors begin to emit the whining noise, they are quickly replaced and shelved.

It took me awhile to realize how much of a role a fresh hard drive plays into computer performance.  It first began with an OEM machine, that was once spiffy, began to slow more and more as time went on.  CS would have high framerates, then would pause for 1-3 seconds, then continue with the high framerates.  This was the same in most other games.  Reformats did jack, so I replaced the drive, and sure enough, it was better than new.

Just this weekend did I replace my uncle's hard drive from a 1ghz athlon OEM machine that had been whining for a few years.  Again, reformats did little to fix performance issues, and the machine frequently crashed due to age issues.  With the replacement drive in (a nice 200gig Seagate), it boots in under 20 seconds.  That is faster than my own machine, and I am baffled.

This is actually a common issue in most of my "clients" pc's.  In the last year, I have replaced over 10 drives that are between 4-10 years old (after formats did little to fix performance issues), and the computer was once again as snappy (or better) than the day it was brought home.  

Tomarrow, a new drive will arrive at the firm I work at, where I will be replacing a drive in an OEM machine that is 5 years old and has become sluggish and loud.

[Particle]

You MUST be kidding me that you believe this as you typed it out...

[Darwin]

Yes particle, this is something I have noticed is very true in very real world situations.

Havent you ever noticed mechanical break down of your own hard drives?  Ever find them to whine or perhaps whirr or grind as time wears on?  You cannot possibly refute that a hard drive does wear out over time, and that reformats no longer bring back the freshness that the drive once had when it was new (for an old drive).

In the extreme example, take a "head crash" as case in point, in which the head literally hits the platters.  I have found most older disks, one which were regularly used and ever abused, to be more prone to a head crash.  The hard drive I am replacing tomarrow is beginning to experience these problems, as I can hear the sharp and painful scream of the drive every once in awhileas it accidentally scrapes the platters.

Here's another.  What happens when you have a fan moving at high rpm for many years?  It breaks down.  It becomes louder over time, finally breaking down to a slow, loud crunching whirr in the end.  Today's average hard drive rotates at 7200rpm.  Now, a fan and a hard drive are two very different devices, but what they do have in common are bearings, which allow for such rotation.  These wear out, become loud, and go beyond the point of usefulness.


Now, I am unsure of what points of my arguments you do not agree with, as you havent really been specific.  Tell me what is wrong with my logic, because I can guarantee you that in my real world experiences a hard drive replacement was NECESSARY to make the machine useful again.


*edit*

Since I'm all up on Green Tea, Chai Tea, and passion flower extract, I have gone even further to push my point.  Heres a video (mostly just the sound) of my old faithful hard drive that gave me years of service before I finally retired it.  Over time, read/write times increased, even after formats.  The whirring noises increased, and finally the head began to smack the platters.  That was the day I bought a 30gig 7200rpm hard drive, which I used for 3 years until it began to whirr and read/write times did not seem as they once were.  

Whoah, too long of a desc.  Heres the video:
http://media.putfile.com/Hard-Drive-Spinning-Noise
*edit again -- listen closely, you'll hear the light crashing*


So that 30gig was replaced with two 80gig hitachi's, which will be replaced someday down the line as they begin to show their age.

[Bovidi]

I have had hard drives for like years on years and I have never had one break, loose performance on me, or whirr on me.  They all sound perfect and run in the same condition that they were before.  Two of the harddrives even survived a powersurge that destroyed my power supply on one of my computers.  The only time I think I ever heard of harddrives messing up is if someone doesn't treat their computer right and they bash it around and such.

[Corona]

I have only ever had one modern hard drive actually crash on me (with no chance of data recovery). I take the various hints my PC offers up, such as inexplicable Windows crashes and read/write errors, strange intermittent noises, S.M.A.R.T. analysis results, and yes... a loud whining noise that gets worse over time... and replace the drive before it gets a chance to totally fail, and in most cases I get 100% of my data off it before it does. The hard drive and power supply are two components that I always get the most expensive/highly rated versions of... you really don't want them to fail.