# windows XP really slowed down



## roc-n-goats (May 29, 2007)

Have XP, lately it has really slowed down.

If I watch streaming video, or youtube it will shut the computer
off after running about 5 min.
computer will then try to restart, but shuts itself off and starts over and over.

Only thing I can do is unplug the power for 5 min or more and then restart it.

Have defrag-scandisk-de-folder temps. everything I could think of.

I'm on DSL hookup--but acts like dial-up anymore.

Anyhelp would be appreciated.

bruce


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## Prickle (May 9, 2009)

If it's just stopping and rebooting itself it could be your fan.

Have you checked to see how many programs are loading at start up and running in the background?

Have you run an anti virus or adware remover?

Have you tired deep cleaning the temp files with something like Ccleaner?

http://www.ccleaner.com


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## roc-n-goats (May 29, 2007)

I've tried ccleaner and adware, and malwarebytes.

Thought it might be the fan, possible overheating?

Tomorrow I'll take it apart and clean inside.
thanks for the help.

bruce


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

How about checking your memory? Right-click in the My Computer icon and select properties. You'll see the memory under "Computer" on the General tab.


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## roc-n-goats (May 29, 2007)

Here's what I saw under MY Computer

18.3 G.B.--12 G.B available

3.01 GHz 480 M.B of Ram

Does that help any?

Not real computer savay.

bruce


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

roc-n-goats said:


> 480 M.B of Ram


That used to be plenty, but the service packs have make XP more of a memory than it used to be. If your computer starts out running pretty well when you first turn your computer on, but then get slow as you use it, you may have a memory shortage problem.

You can look at your memory usage by doing a Ctrl-Alt-Del to bring up the task manager, then select the performance tab. That will provide you will a real-time chart of the CPU and memory usage. If you ever exceed 480 mb then you know that memory is the culprit. That wouldn't be a bad thing. You should be able to double your memory for about $15.


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## Kari (Mar 24, 2008)

roc-n-goats said:


> Have XP, lately it has really slowed down.
> 
> If I watch streaming video, or youtube it will shut the computer
> off after running about 5 min.
> ...


Considering that the pc is shutting down when streaming video which is a bit more cpu intensive then say reading HT forums, I would venture to say that there is nothing wrong with the memory, rather a symptom of overheating...especially considering the pc boots back up after 5 minutes or more.

When the pc is on, can you feel any air movement from the back of case fan? If not then this could be the culprit, or it could be the CPU fan that is either dead or running slow and on it's way south. 

If you feel brave enough, you can open the case and observe both fans while streaming the videos. If one of the fans are not working or running what appears to be slow or erratically, they can be usually be replaced for a decent cost and should not take any repair shop more then 10-15 minutes max...

Perhaps upon opening the case, you may also find the innards are covered with dust and other debris which may explain the problem. If this is case, then you can purchase a can of compressed air to clean it out. Also a vacuum cleaner that reverses and blows air out will also work great. Once done, experiment again with the video streaming and see if this fixes it.


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## jross (Sep 3, 2006)

480 mb ram is hardly enough to run the operating system and allow a video buffer to work well. Over heating is also good thing to check. Open it up and blast it with canned air.


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## roc-n-goats (May 29, 2007)

Thanks for the ideas.

I added a 1 gb memory card, had 2 512's in there.

But, the dust bunnies were every where.
Took the fan apart and the sink(?) coils were solid covered with dust.

Cleaned it all out and the computer is so quiet now and things are faster.

Thanks again.

bruce


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