Windows Vista Very slow laptop

I have now run the diags on the HDD with no problems found.
I still have the problem of when the laptop is first switched on it will occasionaly freeze for anything up to six minutes and then it will come back to life. After it has been switched on for an hour or so it is ok.

 

Does it boot right up (and seem to run OK) from a Live CD, like Knoppix?

 

Yes it boots up fine, but then it does boot up fine in windows vista, jut freezes every now and then until it's been up for an hour or two.

 

The laptop does not appear to be slow anymore it's just the intermittent hangs when it is first switched on, ie cold. Disabling the startup programs doesn't alow me to use the pc in the way that causes the hangs. I normaly now only get one hang in a session. If I switch it off for an hour and then on it doesn't hang. Only get the problem when it has been off all night.

 

It may be one or more auto-updaters, and/or anti-malware scan(s). Might want to try something like "What's my computer doing?" version 1.0 and see if it can help you zero in on the problem.

 

I have run "Whats my computer doing?" and it shows Sidebar and DWM.Exe using the processor but it also shows MobileBroadband.exe using the HDD. Whilst I was watching what was running I had one of my hangs for six minutes with just these three progs' showing so I have disable MobileBroadband from starting up as I think it's odd that it showed it was using the HDD all the time. I await to see if theres any change.

 

Six minutes? Still sounds like some type of hardware problem, (and no amount of fiddling around with software will fix flaky/failing/failed hardware).

 

2 days without a hang since disabling mobilebroadband.exe, seems faster as well.

 

Looks like you might have found out what was causing your issues Paul.

I used to use mobile broadband some time ago - provided by T-Mobile and I have to say that it wasn't as easy to use as the brochure made out it to be. I had problems with the dongle overheating and also the sporadic nature of the conneciton. I also had serious problems with the software provided. In the end I got rid of it and simply created an ordinary connection and set up the dongle as a simple modem. That was how I got round it.

Install the driver and nothing else. Then set up an ordinary connection. Its far from being a brilliant setup but it does get the job done (eventually) when there are no alternatives.

 

Good to hear you potentially found the problem. Thanks for posting back.

 

Oh dear it just hung for several minutes whilst trying to open a document in email.

 

Which email program and what type of document?

--

Have you tried replacing McAfee with Microsoft Security Essentials?

 

Have you uninstalled the mobile broadband program or just disabled it?

I'd also agree with SpywareDr and bin Mcafee.

 

I tried uninstalling McaFee and installing windows security essentials but it's made no difference. The odd thing is I only get the intermittent hangs when it is first switched on in the morning, sometimes one sometimes two hangs, after it's been on for about an hour I get no further hangs.

 

Does it hang like that when running from a Live CD, like Knoppix?

 

This is getting too complicated for me and as it's my wifes laptop and she says each time I try something it makes it worse, I think I'll give up.
Thanks for all your help anyway.