My computer st-st-st-stutters...

Can someone please advise on what I can do to help this problem?

I have a new computer with Windows XP Service Pack 2 installed on it. Even though the computer is new it seems to stutter. Any program I run seems to stall out every few minutes. The whole system seems to freeze up and then after about 20 seconds kicks in again.

I tried to follow sopme of the suggestions in similar posts but was concerned I might cause more problems so I decided to post my own thread.

Would really apprecioate any advice.

Thank you!

Rox

 

I'd first try disabling some windows services like indexing, which is a major processing hog. Then I'd reduce the number of startup programs to just a couple. Then I'd ask for advice from people much smarter than me.

 

Thanks for the advice. Could you tell me how to go about disabling indexing please?

 

From the Start menu > run > type services.msc and click ok.

Once you're in the Services page, scroll down to Indexing, double ckick on the line.

In the drop down menu next to Startup type, click on Disabled.

This thread is about performance and startup programs
http://www.windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?t=39425

Regards - Charles

 

Thanks for the instructions. When I checked, indexing was already stopped.

I will check out the other thread too.

 

Did the computer come with an internet security suite...like McAFee or Norton (aka, Symantec)...installed?

If so, open the program and temporarily disable all of it and see if things improve. You'll get warnings from the Security Center that comes with XP but since you're only doing this to troubleshoot, ignore them.

If shutting all that down solves the problem, start re-enabling the features one at a time, running the computer for a while after each, to see which are the resource hogs.

If it turns out that it was the security suite that is the problem, what you choose to do is purely a matter of personal preference. There are free security/antivirus/antispyware alternatives available which are not such resource hogs.

Keep in mind that most pre-installed security software are trial versions and will require you to pay for subscriptions to continue to use them after the trial period ends.

 

I don't use McAfee or Norton. I use AVG Free Edition and ZoneAlarm along with AdAware, SpyBot and CCleaner.

 

Hi ThisGirlRox,

To follow up on Miz's suggestion, open ZA and go to the preferences tab and disable starting up on bootup and reboot.

If you have XP w/SP2 installed, Windows firewall will start up in the absence of ZA. Go into the Security Center via the Control Panel to make sure WF is running on the reboot.

If pre SP2 XP version, go into the Services page and scroll down to ICS/windows firewall to start it up.

You can also try that appoach with AVG - but one at a time.

Regards - Charles

 

I'm not real sure why I wouldn't want my firewall to come on at start up?

Also, I've heard Windows Firewall causes lots of problems. That's why I am using Zone Alarm.

I'm really confused....

 

Hi ThisGirlRox,

Sorry for not being clear - this is to test whether its ZA that's causing the stutering problem. Disabling it is temporary. Afterwards you enable ZA to start up again.

The reason to test firewalls, anti viruses and security programs this way is because they have a major impact on the computer.



Windows firewall does not cause problems. The reason for not generally recomending it is because it does not monitor programs on your system for outbound net access requests.

Windows firewall is an inbound blocker of unsolicited net traffic, and as such, just as good as ZA or any other firewall for home use.

Regards - Charles

 

Ok, thanks for the clarification. I disabled AVG and Zone Alarm but neither one helped the problem....

 

Hi ThisGirlRox,

Ok, now that you've eliminated ZA and AVG, go into msconfig and continue with this process - disable a startup, see if it is the culprit, then the next. I know its tedious, but no other way when there isn't an obvious reason.

A question I didn't ask before: how much physical memory installed? My Computer and in the left panel > View System Information > General tab > bottom line.

From the Start menu, click on run.
Type msconfig and ok.

Then in the System Configuration utility, click on the Start tab.

Uncheck a program.

Afterwards when you boot up, you'll get a message from the System that you have changed the startups, tick the box on the left to shut the message off.

Regards - Charles

 

I've got 768 MB of RAM installed.

I am going to look into the startups but I don't think much is set to start when I sign on...

 

Is there any way for you guys to be able to access a log from The Ultimate TroubleShooter that I have installed? Maybe that could give someone with a bit more knowledge a clue to what the problem is?

The only startup I have on is cftmon.exe

 

Restore you original startup items. Reboot.

Ctrl-ALt-Delete to bring up Task Manager.
Double click on the column header "CPU" to place the heaviest user of CPU cycles at the top.

Watch for a little while and note the highest user(s) of CPU cycles.

Run and application that stuttered before. Does the process with high CPU usage change?

Report back to the forum.

(I assume you have recently defragmented your hard drive).

 

OK, I have Task Manager open. I clicked on performance which brings me to CPU Usage History. I see no column header titled CPU.

There's CPU Usage, Commit Charge, Kernel Memory, Physical Memory, CPU Usage, PF Usage, CPU Usage Historty and PF File Usage History.

 

Hi ThisGirlRox,

It sounds like you have clicked on the "performance" tab rather than the "processes" tab. Once on the "processes" tab, you'll see a heading named "cpu ". It is this heading that needs to clicked on so that the list of processes is loaded from the highest number to the lowest. This should tattle tale on which process[es] is using the biggest chuck of your cpu resources. You'll need to watch it for a few minutes because the list will change as a program demands more of the memory. It may pop in and pop out.

 

OK thanks everyone for the clarification. It seems "System Idle Process" is always at the top of the list . Username System. CPU always in the 90's. I will watch it and see what happens when the comp stutters.

 

I watched for awhile now and the comp stutters out over and over but nothing really changes on the CPU list. Like I said before System Idle Process is usually at the top (which from what I understand is normal). When I am online and I go to different web pages Firefox takes the top spot and then once the page is loaded SIP returns. Nothing seems to happen on the list when the computer stutters. except that the list freezes also....