Laptop problems

[cannabis campbell]

Well at the moment i only have a laptop and its only a 30GB one has i haven't bought an external hard drive for it yet.

I have a problem with it, whenever i am say for example watching a video on youtube or on here, and have windows media player open or something it would just crash.. just freeze the screen would just freeze and stay the same but have weird blue lines going down it sometimes as if it were a crappy quality picture..

I have no idea why this is happening could this be because its overheating or what?

Could it be because of low space in the drive?? at the moment i only have 200mb free which isnt really much at all its because i have so much music but i always try and delete what i dont listen to but i never normally have more than 400mb free space on it so could it have anything to do with that?

I dont see why its happening its not like its a crap laptop or anything it cost about £900 and its only a year old.

any help would be appreciated..

thanks in advance.
CC.

[cannabis campbell]

Err i should think so.. i have all the same drivers that i got with it when i bought it? Lol im not really good with hardware stuff, and yeah i know but i figured that i really need help with this asap, if this breaks down that will be the end of CC for a good long while lol.. and i wanted to get more replies asap.

[stinkyattic]

Well I saw the thread header, and since it wasn't posted in tech, my dirty mind thought you were having an issue with something else... hee hee

But since it's a simple Q, here's my suggestion:

Go into Start- Run- msconfig and you will see all the other shit that your computer has running in the background every time you start up. Most of it is not necessary. You can turn it all off except for the mouse/touchpad driver ('pointer' might appear in the name) and your virus protection. Things should speed up significantly, and your crash problem should REALLY improve.

[KingsBlend420]

Try to keep at least like 500 mb of ram free at all times, it can greatly slow down your computer. Is it loud when it's freezing? That's a clear sign of a computer overheating, how much RAM do you have? What's your processor?

[cannabis campbell]

Pardon me for being stupid haha, but how would i find that out KB420?

[KingsBlend420]

Right click my computer on your desktop and hit properties.

Should look something like the pic I attached.



Also, does your computer freeze when your running several different applications?
If not, try getting a free virus scan program such as Spybot S&D and Ad-aware.

Spybot : The home of Spybot-S&D! (http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html)

Ad-Aware : Ad-Aware 2007 - Reviews and free downloads at Download.com (http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-2007-Free/3000-8022_4-10045910.html?part=dl-ad-aware&subj=dl&tag=top5)

[cannabis campbell]

Ok, heres what mine looks like i dont know if its good or what probably not though becauses its only a laptop, what can you find out from that?

[KingsBlend420]

Your processor is definitely a little out of date. Mine is a duocore processor clocked at 2.00ghz. So it's 4 ghz, yours isn't even one. You also have about 512 mb of ram which is the recommended amount for running Windows XP which is what I see you have.

Now is your computer being really loud when it freezes? Put your hand next to where the fan is in your laptop and see if it's really hot and a lot of air is coming out of the hole when the laptop is freezing. If it's really hot and a lot of air is coming out, your laptop is definitely overheating which I'm not surprised because a less than 1 ghz processor running windows XP is probably really stressing your system especially with that low hard drive space you have and that tiny amount of ram you have.

These are the system requirements for Windows XP.
Here's What You Need to Use Windows XP Professional
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PC with 300 megahertz or higher processor clock speed recommended; 233 MHz minimum required (single or dual processor system);* Intel Pentium/Celeron family, or AMD K6/Athlon/Duron family, or compatible processor recommended
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128 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher recommended (64 MB minimum supported; may limit performance and some features)
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1.5 gigabytes (GB) of available hard disk space*
â?¢

Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher-resolution video adapter and monitor
â?¢

CD-ROM or DVD drive
â?¢

Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device
Top of pageTop of page

You meet a lot of the requirements, which is why it's kind of weird that your laptop would be overheating. However if it's kind of old the material that keeps your cpu cool and everything inside your laptop cool could have worn out by now. It happened to my sisters bf alienware that he got for 2.5 grand just recently.

Try running those virus programs I linked also.


Oooo Also, what browser are you using.

Do a ctrl + Alt+ Del and go to these tabs and let me see how much ram is being used and how many processes you have running

this is what it should look like:


What program are you using to browse the internet with?

[cannabis campbell]

Well no i dont really have the problem of my laptop being really loud, but when i put my hand next to the fan it does seem quite hot most of the time and quite a bit of air coming out.

Ok so it doesnt suprise you that its overheating, less than a 1ghz processor (whatever that is lol!) and running windows XP puts a lot of stress on the laptop well it seems quite stupid to make this laptop then doesnt it lol..

Ill try running those virus programs that you told me to, I had ad-aware on my main computer before when that worked so i know thats a pretty good program.

The browser im using is firefox, and as far as i know thats the only program that im using to browse the internet with, Heres what mine looks like when I Ctrl+Alt+Delete..

so.. what do you think from this then?, thanks for the help by the way.. :)!

[KingsBlend420]

From that I can see that you have a lot of processes running on your comp whic h could potentially be viruses. I have no idea though, run those anti-virus programs. Your laptop could have been made before windows XP came out btw, or did it come brand new with XP? From your first screenshot you can see that you have about 5000mb of RAM and about 90 some available, that could be greatly slowing down your comp. When I have more time, I'll run you through the steps of how to turn off some of those processes and stuff like that, but I don't have time atm, maybe later.

[Aztec077]

I had similar problems once, 1) Are you defragging enough? 2) You might have too many programs running, this can be tough, try to run only the bare minimum programs, uninstall what you don't use. 3) Running lots of video usually means defragging more often. 4) Do a lot of programs run when you restart, you might try to reduce what runs when you start up, helps speed things up. 5) Do you know what level of defragmentation you are at? I always try to keep mine above 89%.
I have the same issue as you when it comes to music on the hard drive, lol, I never want to delete anything.
Also having only 200 MB free space available is not much today. You might try a memory upgrade if possible.
The more you have on your hard drive, the more the PC has to think, and thus run slower. The less it has to think about the quicker it gets and nicer in general.
Hope this helps. Good Luck.

[cannabis campbell]

From that I can see that you have a lot of processes running on your comp whic h could potentially be viruses. I have no idea though, run those anti-virus programs. Your laptop could have been made before windows XP came out btw, or did it come brand new with XP? From your first screenshot you can see that you have about 5000mb of RAM and about 90 some available, that could be greatly slowing down your comp. When I have more time, I'll run you through the steps of how to turn off some of those processes and stuff like that, but I don't have time atm, maybe later.

Thanks man just update it here when you have time i'll run those virus programs in the meanwhile. :thumbsup:

[babystarbud]

your CPU and PF usage from your task manager look ok....
Agree theres way to many processes running, use msconfig like stinky said and do some house keeping and get it below 30.....50 is loads and jumps out to me as a deffinate issue!!!!

also update your video drivers, Very important for smooth running.

free up some more disk space and run AVG antivirus and adaware.
also download a prog called window washer and run a full cleanup.


i suspect theres actually not much wrong with your pc, its just not been kept updated and its clogged up with crap!

[babystarbud]

just to add, your system specs are ok for running xp,
but as already said, are a bit old, so its important to keep your pc clean and only running the minimum number of programs, if you want it to perform.

[NteeM]

your laptop isn't great, but if all you're doing is internet and office work it's perfectly fine. Your processes are fine and no 'virus' would cause it to randomly freeze.

most likely it's overheating. if it's dusty get some canned air and clean it out. if I were you I'd download something like SpeedFan (http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php) and see the temperatures. laptops can take heat better since they're designed for it, but if you're going 75*C+, you're probably overheating.

also, your laptop may have more features to save power/stay cooler in it's BIOS.

[GoldenGoblin]

it could be overheating, but the sheer amount of processes screams of a virus/trojan/etc or just a unmanaged windows install.

I would get your external drive transfer your music off and any other stuff you want to keep.
and reformat and partition your harddrive for atleast 2 partitions one for windows and one for your music.
install windows and do all your updates. install antivirus and then check your external drive then transfer your music over to your other partition so that if you loose your windows install again you wont loose your tunes too.
I usually give windows 10 gigs nowadays for it and all the programs you install .
also do a control panel> administrative tools> services and shut down things you know are not going to need. there isa listing of unneeded windows services around on the internet.

also like stinky said do start run msconfig and deselect stuff you dont want to start.
since your computer is old like mine they need the fat trimmed off to keep up.
also dont use themes change to classic windows theme
try to keep system tray down to only the few things you really need.


I know i have the more radical approach but with all the crazy virii running around it doesnt hurt to be safe.
good luck

[cannabis campbell]

Ok just gonna run the ad-aware program now..

[cannabis campbell]

Ok it wont let me says i need to enter a serial number and unlock key.. what the hell!?

Edit : Ok, i just clicked cancel and it took me straight to the program, now i have 3 different options, smart scan, full scan or custom scan which one do i do?

Second Edit : Ok, i just clicked full scan it seemed to make the most sense.

[cannabis campbell]

Well its been 20mins... total infections detected 929!!! Jesus!!!!:eek:!!!!

Edit : Argh computers/laptops are so annoying!!! it found 929 at 20mins and got to 45mins and still had 929 and it was only about 50% and then it just popped up with some error message and the program closed :mad: :mad: Argh!!! oh well i guess ive got no choice but to just try again.

[cannabis campbell]

Well 923 of them were something called "tracking cookie" dont know if thats bad or not? but it doesnt seem like i have any really bad viruses..

[Mississippi Steve]

Lots of good advice, but lets start with the basics....
install Norton System Works(complete), install Spy Sweeper, install Window Washer, install Mail Washer PRO.
Do all of the updates and upgrades so everything is current.
Now run Window Washer
Then run Norton "find and fix" (Win Doctor)
then run Spy Sweeper,
Run Find and Fix again.
Now run Norton "Speed Disk"
then finally run Norton Anti Virus.

your machine will be clean, and ready to rock and roll. I have been running this software for 4 years on the same laptop with XP Home (SP2) and have never had a problem.

You might look into another ram chip... drop in a 500meg, and that will help too.

[cannabis campbell]

well when i tried to "remove" those files the error message popped up and the program closed again now when i try to open it again i get this message aargh i hate this.. screw ad-aware!

[GoldenGoblin]

sounds like your compromised
or at least its broke

i would do the whole reinstall/partition then do what mississippi says but after you run those I would turn them off since your low on resources

[cannabis campbell]

Hmm i dont know how the hell its happened but someone heres has helped since i installed that ad-aware and ran it my pc doesnt freeze or overheat anymore but obviously i will still follow everyones advice to get my laptop working as best as it can, thanks everyone much love cannabis.com!

[Mississippi Steve]

First he needs to dump AdAware.... it doesn't work. and there is a lot of spyware that when it attacks, the first thing it does is disables AdAware and Spybot. Spysweeper is updated frequently, and is currently good for some 180THOUSAND threats. CC shouldn't have to worry about "reinstall/partition" of anything.
After he runs the apps I suggested, he will have loads of room and resources again. I only have a 40 gig HD but I am only using 28% of the capacity of the HD. Every time I run Window Washer, it clears a couple of gigs of space, and I do maintenance weekly. When CC does what I recommended, hes gonna freak when he sees all the crap that is wiped from the "hidded" windoze cache files, and all traces of spy ware and tracking cookies, all of the hidden internet cache files, and then there is the internet history.....

My daughters laptop had 147 instances of spyware right out of the box.

One other thing... if your running AOL, dump it!!! AOL has an incredible amount of ITS OWN built in spyware and worms. When I deleted their pre-installed software, if took me 6 months to get rid of ALL of it, and I am still not sure about that.

[GoldenGoblin]

Here is a link (http://www.jasonn.com/turning_off_unnecessary_services_on_windows_xp) for the services thing. You could search for more but this looks pretty good.

the only reason I was saying partition is that when something happens and you had to reinstall then your data would be on another partition.
just removes some of the worry.

[babystarbud]

Right,

first off, theres some bad advice here, if you dont know, please dont comment. adaware and avg antivirus are brillliant products.

dont panic or worry about partitions or anything, and certainly dont use norton products on a pc that old, that will really cripple your system because they use up lots of resources on a less powerfull pc, and avg does just as good a job with a lot less hastle.

AOL is not great as already said, but thats a problem that can be worked around for now...there are more pressing issues at hand...

....you have to assume the adware scan failed, so the next step is to re-start in safe mode as and log in as administrator, then re-attempt your adaware and avg scan.
the reason for this is because theres some nasties blocking the correct operation of adaware, running in safe mode these nasties will not be running allowing you to scan without interference.


adaware, like avg has two versions, a version you have to pay for, and a free version...it sounds like your installation prob may have been that you downloaded the paid-for version hence why it asked for registation.....it ran in the end so i guess it automaticly reverted to the free version, which is nothing to worry about, the level of protection is the same.

with msconfig open, do a google search for the individulal items to see if you want them or not, you can tell what most are from the name but some you may want to look up before stopping them.

run you scans in safe mode, use msconfig and then post your results.

[cannabis campbell]

Well I saw the thread header, and since it wasn't posted in tech, my dirty mind thought you were having an issue with something else... hee hee

But since it's a simple Q, here's my suggestion:

Go into Start- Run- msconfig and you will see all the other shit that your computer has running in the background every time you start up. Most of it is not necessary. You can turn it all off except for the mouse/touchpad driver ('pointer' might appear in the name) and your virus protection. Things should speed up significantly, and your crash problem should REALLY improve.

Under 'startup' i take it???

Whats that under 'services' ?? do i touch any of that??????????????

[Zwitter]

If the blue lines are on the entire screen, and not just the video portion of it, it could be something called "chip creep" - when heating up and cooling down causes the components inside the laptop to expand and contract accordingly, and some of the boards wiggle out of their slots on the motherboard. This happens more on laptops because everything is so snug together.

I posted that because I hadn't read it yet. If it's just the video portion, then you've been given lots of great advice thus far. I'm A+ and Net+ certified, so I'll do what I can to help.

[babystarbud]

yep, just the "start up" section

[recz0r]

i didnt bother to read all the posts, but i did see someone say ad aware, ditch that and get spybot search & destroy. and get some more space on your HD you probably getting blue screened as your internet cache fills the remaning space on your HD

[cannabis campbell]

Well I saw the thread header, and since it wasn't posted in tech, my dirty mind thought you were having an issue with something else... hee hee

But since it's a simple Q, here's my suggestion:

Go into Start- Run- msconfig and you will see all the other shit that your computer has running in the background every time you start up. Most of it is not necessary. You can turn it all off except for the mouse/touchpad driver ('pointer' might appear in the name) and your virus protection. Things should speed up significantly, and your crash problem should REALLY improve.

What about under 'services'?