pc performance
my pc (win xp premium) is very slow even when shutting down. after doing a check disk, clean/scan disk, defrag, deleting temp files & cookies, replacing norton a-v w/ avg a-v it isn't much better. what background processes can i turn off using task manager w/o doing damage? any other suggestion? thanks in advance!2 people need an answerI do too
July 6th, 2010 9:18am

There are no background processes you can turn off, without knowing a great deal more about your PC - too much to detail here, as its PC specificHow does your PC run if you boot into Safe mode?What size is C and how much free space? How much memory?
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July 6th, 2010 11:08am

i'm not even using 30% of my memory. it runs a little faster in sfe mode.
July 6th, 2010 12:30pm

Some reasons for computer slowness:1. Computer hasn't been maintained - http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Maintenance 2. Computer is infected with malware - http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware 3. Hard drive is too full. Remove unnecessary stuff, uninstall unused programs. Don't forget to back up!http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Backing_Up4. Flaky third-party software. Toolbars and add-ons are particular culprits in this area. Uninstall toolbars (Google, Yahoo, ISP-branded, etc.) and look carefully at what add-ons are in use in your browser(s).5. Computer has too many unnecessary programs/processes running in the background. Manage your Startup:For XP - How to Troubleshoot By Using the Msconfig Utility in Windows XP - http://support.microsoft.com/?id=310560 The free Autoruns program is very useful for managing your Startup - http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/default.mspx http://aumha.org/a/loads.htm - What loads at Startup?http://www.theeldergeek.com/services_guide.htmhttp://www.blackviper.com 6. User is running a bloated/invasive antivirus program such as ones from Norton and McAfee. Replace with a better program. I recommend either NOD32 (commercial) or Avast (free). Avira is also good but the free version has an unpleasant nag screen (Google for instructions as to how to disable this). User may also be running more than one real-time antivirus/firewall/security program.7. User has installed new programs that are processor and/or memory-intensive (Photoshop, AutoCAD, Mathmatica or the like) and doesn't have the necessary hardware power.8. Hard drive is failing and is in PIO Mode (IDE drives only - not applicable to SATA drives). This is very dramatically slow (like being back in 1985). See Hans-Georg Michna's information here -http://winhlp.com/?q=node/10 If the PIO registry fix doesn't "stick" (or you have a SATA drive), the hard drive is probably failing and should be tested.http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Hardware_TshootIn addition to the above, also see http://miekiemoes.blogspot.com/2008/02/help-my-computer-is-slow.html Note: If computer has always been slow, in addition to items above user may have purchased a machine with a less powerful processor and not enough RAM (memory). For normal computer use, 512MB-1GB is usually sufficient for XP; Vista should have a minimum of 2GB; Windows 7 is less demanding than Vista but the minimum of 2GB should also be used.MS-MVP - Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic!
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July 6th, 2010 3:29pm

That fails to answer the origonal Q with regard C & memory
July 6th, 2010 5:41pm

Original question was "what background processes can i turn off using task manager w/o doing damage?". OP has not come back with details. Yes, the size of the hard drive and amount of memory is addressed in my answer. See Items 3. and the end note. And of course *I* can't possibly answer your question about "C & memory [sic]" since I'm not the OP.MS-MVP - Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic!
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July 6th, 2010 6:51pm

excellent info malkeleah. however, i've done all that. i just want to know what processes should not be stopped w/ task manager & apparently that varies too much on different comps. thanks to all...8)
July 7th, 2010 11:47am

These links might help:http://aumha.org/a/loads.htm - What loads at Startup?http://www.theeldergeek.com/services_guide.htmhttp://www.blackviper.com You can also Google the items you see in your Startup list to find out what they are.MS-MVP - Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic!
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July 7th, 2010 3:31pm

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