Windows XP Performance

[bhujanga]

OK, the title might not really describe my question(s), but I couldn't think of what to call it.
About 1 out of 4 times when I turn my computer on it does not respond (nothing comes on at all) and I have to shut it off by brute force (i.e. hold the power button down.) Then it usually works fine. Should I be concerned that something's close to a major crash, or is there something I could do to fix the problem?

Also I'm wondering if I upgrade from XP to Windows 7 on my 4-yr old computer if I am asking for any kind of trouble?

Thanks for your help.

 

[papadba]

Might the pc not have been completely shut down? Several of our people experience a "windows is shutting down" message/screen, but the pc locks sometimes and has to be done as you have - brute force. It is not predictable so far and appears to cause nothing but inconvenience.

Before upgrading to 7 i'd recommend making sure your pc is strong enough to run 7. The only 7's my people use had 7 installed before delivery. I've heard some bad stories about upgrading to a box that is not quite big enough.

However, your mileage may very. . .

 

[linney]

SHUTDOWN & RESTART TROUBLESHOOTING

http://aumha.org/win5/a/shtdwnxp.htm

Some general things to try.

See if System Restore will get you back to a restore point before your problem with Explorer.

Try Safe Mode (Do you have this problem in Safe Mode?).

Try running ChkDsk to check your drive for errors. Right-click your Drive icon/ Properties/ Tools/ Error Checking. Try it first by not checking either box (this will run it in a Read-only mode) to see if it flags any hard drive or file problems. If it does, restart it by ticking both boxes, and rerun it to allow it to attempt to fix any found problems.


Run the System File Checker program from the Run Box by typing.....Sfc /Scannow in it and have your XP CD handy.

HOW TO: Verify Unsigned Device Drivers in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q308/5/14.asp

Have you checked for malware?

I see lots of recommendations here for programs like -

Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php

SuperAntispyware

http://superantispyware.com/

Create another user and see if they have the same problem as your current user.




If they don't work you could try repairing windows by running it over itself. You will lose all your windows updates but your files will be untouched.

How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade (Reinstallation) of Windows XP (Q315341)

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315341/en-us

Windows 7 suggestions.

Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/get/upgrade-advisor.aspx

Upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 7

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-AU/windows7/help/upgrading-from-windows-xp-to-windows-7

"It may seem confusing, but here’s the solution: PCmover Upgrade Assistant. XP to Windows 7? No problem! Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Professional? Yep, we do that. How about Vista 32-bit to Windows 7 64-bit? Of course!"

PCMover

http://www.laplink.com/pcmover/pcmoverupgradeassistant.html

How to use Windows Easy Transfer to migrate files and settings from one Windows-based computer to another Windows Vista-based computer

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928634/en-us

Description of Windows Easy Transfer for Windows Vista

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928635/en-us

 

[Freestone]

Some clarification is needed, at least by me. Linney has listed tons of links for Windows issues. But if you are saying the PC is off to start with and will not POST, then Windows is totally out of the picture.

So....is the PC truly off when you press the power on button? If nothing comes on at all, do you mean literally nothing? If so, why would you have to hold in the power button to shut it off? Or do you mean you hear fans but the screen remains blank? If this is the case, then the PC is failing POST (Power-On Self Test) and this can be difficult to troubleshoot.

Please clarify.

 

[G0AOZ]

I've read your post as maybe front panel l.e.d.s and fans come on, but nowt else happens. Forcing the machine to power off, and then immediately switching on again brings it to life.

First suggestion is a failing PSU. They can take a battering from spikes and glitches on the mains supply over the years, and fatigue often shows itself as a reluctance to start up and produce sufficient current at the correct voltages to fire up the motherboard, etc.

You cold try unplugging hard drive(s), DVD drive, etc., to relieve the load, but I'd try substituting the PSU for a known good one of the same or higher Wattage rating.


ROGER - G0AOZ.

 

[wolluf]

Agreeing with Roger & Freestone - needs clarification and does sound like hardware issue - apart from PSU the motherboard is also likely culprit.

As to win7 upgrade - why? What will win7 give you that xp doesn't? (because even if your machine is up to it, it will take a fair few hours to accomplish, and I still can't think of anything in win7 that's not in xp that I need).

 

[fisheromacse]

i am going to avoid the start up issue. i think linney/freestone/g0aoz have pretty much nailed the two most likely issues.

Unless your 4 year old computer was a top of the line, maxed out speed demon when you bought it, i would not even consider upgrading to 7. First, it likely will not fix your problem. Second, in my limited experience with Win7, it does need more than the minimum specs to be useful, and they are well beyond what WinXP needs to be screamin fast.

 

[BadBigBen]

As G0AOZ mentioned, I too believe it is the PSU that is most likely the culprit here... replace it with a known good one with at least 500 watt rating or better (I mention this as I do not know all the peripherals you have attached)...

also, see if the mainboard has any bulging or leaking capacitors, these too can cause the symptom you describe...

see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague

and only if the above issues are rectified, then you can start thinking about eventually upgrading to Win7...

Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"

 

[LilBob]

As Ben mentioned, check your capacitors. If even only 1 is bulging/leaking, you may want to consider replacing the mobo. Odds are, others will follow suit. If you have a spare PSU, you might try replacing yours to see if that helps the situation. Again as Ben said, replace with at least 500 watt rating, especially if you've been adding extra drives. I bought a new mobo after blowing a capacitor from a supplier I never used before & although it tested OK, it still wouldn't POST after installing all, even with a new PSU. As all have said, more info would be helpful.

Bob

 

[terryISO]

Can I suggest (very strongly) that you also do this before you go much further, and then do it every few weeks?

Open a DOS box (sorry, "command prompt" these days) and type:

chkdsk C: /f /r

Answer yes when asked if it should run when you restart the PC. I'll guarantee that it will find all sorts of errors n your hard disk (and it should fix them as well).

If you have other disks (D:, etc), repeat for each of them, one at a time.

I'll also guarantee that your XP eperience will be greatly improved with better speed of loading and more stability of operation.

I firmly believe that all PC owners should be forced to run chkdsk every few weeks or be imprisoned if not!

 

[strongm]

I'm not sure I agree. It really isn't necessary as part of regular maintenance these days, particularly since NTFS does much of the error checking that CHKDSK does (NTFS, for example, dynamically implements the functionality of CHKDSK's /R option) and is dramatically more resilient to the sort of errors that CHKDSK was really designed to deal with on FAT/FAT32. The existence of SMART drives also reduce the need for regular CHKDSK runs.

Indeed, if you have a mechanically failing HD, then CHKDSK /R may actually further damage the drive rather than saving it ...

 

[cdogg]

terryISO,
Although it can be a helpful tool at times, Chkdsk is not something you should run consistently as a preventative measure as strongm pointed out. NTFS, SMART, and even the industry's trend towards SSD (Solid-State Drives) are all contributing to the tool's growing obsoleteness.

According to Microsoft:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb457122.aspx#EHAA

NTFS is a journaling file system because it guarantees the consistency of the volume by using standard transaction logging and recovery techniques. If a disk becomes corrupted, NTFS runs a recovery procedure that accesses information stored in a transaction log file. The NTFS recovery procedure guarantees that the volume is restored to a consistent state. For this reason, it is unlikely that NTFS volumes might become corrupted.

[red]Caution[/red] NTFS does not guarantee the integrity of user data following an instance of disk corruption, even when a full Chkdsk is run immediately after corruption is detected. Chkdsk might not recover all files, and files that are recovered might be internally corrupted. Therefore, you must protect important data by performing periodic backups.

If file system errors do occur on an NTFS volume, you must run Chkdsk to repair the damage. The recommended procedure is to run chkdsk /f as soon as possible, but you can also run a shorter version of Chkdsk by using the /c and /i parameters. These parameters were designed for administrators who manage exceptionally large NTFS volumes and who require flexibility in managing the downtime that is incurred when Chkdsk is running.

[red]Caution[/red] Using the /c and /i parameters can result in a volume remaining corrupted after Chkdsk completes. Therefore, you must use these parameters only in situations where you need to keep system downtime to a minimum.

~cdogg
"All generalizations are false, including this one." - Mark Twain
[tab][navy]For posting policies, click [/navy]here.

 

[bhujanga]

Thank you for all of your input. Regarding the clarification - what happens is that the fans come on and the power light changes to blue and it sounds like the drives are being accessed for a little while, but nothing ever happens on the screen, i.e. it stays black the whole time, not even the passing start up screens come on.

In any case I did try running CHKDSK a couple days ago. So far, so good, but it's too soon to be sure due to the intermittent nature of the problem.

The only reason I was wondering about Windows 7 is because I might need to upgrade my Office suite to 2010, and I was just wondering if it would require a newer OS than what I'm using. I'd prefer not to have to.

Thanks again.

 

[flyboytim]

MS Office 2010 runs well under XP, as long as there is plenty of RAM (>1GB total is good) and disk space >1.5GB for installation.

I normally recommend running chkdsk and defrag (I use Puran Defrag at boot-time) prior to installation of an office suite. You are halfway there!