My main computer is a Mac, which I know very well, but I’m much less knowledgeable when it comes to Windows upgrades/repairs. About a year ago, I purchased a cheapo Windows box, for some very minor uses. It was from Fry’s, a “Great Quality” brand one, with an AMD Athlon XP 2400 2GHz processor. Like I said, not exactly a powerhouse, but I don’t really need a Windows powerhouse, for my meager needs.
That said, it was starting to feel more than a bit sluggish, even for the minimal use I need out of it. So, wanting to get some more power out of it for a minimal upgrade cost (it’s already got a decent amount of RAM in it), I purchased a new processor: an AMD Sempron 2800+. This afternoon, I broke open the computer, took out the old processor and fan/heat sink, and installed the new one, along with the new fan/heat sink that came with it. It boots up fine. But here’s where I get confused: going into the Device Manager, under ‘Processors’, it’s still listing an Athlon XP 2400. Huh? Do I need to update a driver to get it to recognize the new processor? I tried to use the Windows update wizard, but it’s not working, since it still thinks it’s looking for a driver for the 2400. Also, the computer seems just as sluggish as it did before. What’s going on? It’s really as if I haven’t done a thing to it, but I know I didn’t dream it: the old processor is sitting right there. Is there something I need to manually download? It didn’t come with any software to install.
Go into your bios and make sure the processor is running at the correct bus speed. Some versions of bios will default to a certain bus speed regardless of the clock speed and supported bus speed of the processor.
Also look for a ‘automatic’ setting relating to this, some BIOS have it.
Just as an aside, I’m not convinced that an upgrade to a 2800 athalon is going to improve performance much. And if you’re not gaming, and indeed your needs are ‘meager’ as you say, a 2400 should be more than plenty clock speed for you!
Post up complete specs and be specific about the sluggishness of your comp.
Thanks for the info, Kinthalis! But I’m afraid you’re going to need to walk me through this a bit more. I know not from BIOS. Where do I go to check this info?
You could very well be right about the upgrade not giving me much. The guy at the store assured me it would be a noticeable improvement, but I wouldn’t be surprised to learn he didn’t know what he was talking about.
I’m running XP home, 1gig of RAM, this new processor. The sluggishness is… opening up a folder, and several seconds going by before the new window opens. Sometimes opening something will result in the frame of the window appearing, with several more seconds going by before the rest of the window decides to join it. Applications taking an inordinate amount of time to open. And I’m not talking complicated programs here; I don’t do much serious gaming (I much prefer console gaming). These days, I’m using it mainly for online poker. I also use it to synch with my Blackberry.
I see Kinthalis has already said what I was about to say, including that your old cpu should be more than good enough for you - it certainly shouldn’t be sluggish. Look elsewhere (btw, are you sure your motherboard supports your new cpu? the website of the manu of the motherboard should have a database for this).
You enter BIOS by (usually) holding down the DEL key right after you’ve turned on the computer (briefly, a message is displayed about pressing DEL to enter SetUp). Here, you can adjust your cpu speed. You don’t need drivers or anything (though there is such a thing as a BIOS upgrade, usually not neded).
Alien filled you in on entering your BIOS. Try that and look for anything to do with your CPU specs. Try changing the bus speed to the correct buspeed for your CPU. The bus speed is multiplied to give you your final clock speed.
Yeah, definately somehting else is going on your system should NOT be sluggish at all. It could be anything at this point from a lot of spyware, to a virus, to faulty memory management, who knows. I tend to to clean house eveyr year or so and do a clean install of my OS, you may want to consider doing the same, but only if you can save your important files somewhere else first.
Another thing you can try is making sure your Os is fully updated (you are using windows XP right?), check your hardisk for errors, and try defragmenting your hardrive.
For a Mac user complaining of sluggishness on a Windows box, the first thing I would suggest is making sure you have anti-spyware and anti-virus programs, the definitions are up to date, and that they have been run recently. I have an Athlon 1800 with less RAM for my Windows Needs and it runs pretty well but I keep it clean.
Alien filled you in on entering your BIOS. Try that and look for anything to do with your CPU specs. Try changing the bus speed to the correct buspeed for your CPU. The bus speed is multiplied to give you your final clock speed.
Yeah, definately somehting else is going on your system should NOT be sluggish at all. It could be anything at this point from a lot of spyware, to a virus, to faulty memory management, who knows. I tend to to clean house eveyr year or so and do a clean install of my OS, you may want to consider doing the same, but only if you can save your important files somewhere else first.
Another thing you can try is making sure your Os is fully updated (you are using windows XP right?), check your hardisk for errors, and try defragmenting your hardrive.
I agree and think the sluggishness may well be the fault of spyware. If you do not have an antispyware program, download the free AdAware and also SpyBot, update the definitions immediately, and then run both programs. You may be surprised how much malware is on the drive.
Agreed - I run a PIII 1000 with 1/2 a gig of RAM, and would immediately suspect software or a misconfiguration of hardware should it perform as you describe. The hardware you list is still very respectible.
I’d check out Spybot or some such anti-spyware software. There are many other things to check, but running the task manager and sorting by either CPU or RAM useage while the aforementioned slowness is occuring might lead someplace.
Thanks for the help, everyone. I do have anti-spyware and anti-virus, but it has been a bit of time since I’ve used them. That said, the computer has pretty much always been this sluggish, even when I was using said programs regularly. Still, I will give that a shot and run them again.
Okay, I’m in the BIOS setup screen. The closest option I see that sounds like it might be what you guys are talking about is “Frequency/Voltage Control”. In here, I can change the CPU Frequency, entering a number from 100 to 254. Is this what I want?
Yes, Kinthalis, I’m running XP, and it’s updated to SP2. If none of this helps, I’ll check the harddrive for errors/defrag it. I know what to use on a Mac to do this, but any recommendations for Windows?
Also, sometimes DMA on harddrives magically breaks. Too many services run. Etc. Try downloading SiSoft Sandra and identifying the slow aspect. On a 2400+ double clicking a folder and having it open should not have a noticeable delay(i.e. should be instant) if the system is configured properly.
Aside from spyware or virus (noted above by others), and faulty drivers loaded on startup (my reply here), fragmented drives (Control Panel/Adm Tools/DiskManagement), virtual memory/swap file too small or not allowed to change size automatifcally (Control Panel/System - tab:Advanced, button: Performance), DirectX problem (Start-Run, type: dxdiag, press ok, run test) Direct Memmory Access or DMA not enabled (rarely a problem on XP, but don’t get me started) --, aside from all that this can also be a hardware issue, including failing/faulty harddrive (testprograms via google), harddrive not attached correctly (pop case, C-disk should be plugged into the end plug of a 80 pin (not a 40 pin) cable, not the middle plug hole, plus check on the back of the disk that the jumpers [did anyone scream for help?] forces “master”, not “cable select” (or “slave”), further, problem with RAM sticks (try with one at the time, or your only one, in different slots).
Bet you wanna go back to your Mac now, hum?
Anyway, before doing anything, reboot and hold down F8 right after the message that you can press DEL to enter Setup disappears. You’ll see a menu. Select to start the computer in Safe Mode. Windows will load with almost no drivers. If you still have the problem, this is a hardware or native Windows problem, if it goes away it’s a third party problem. Let is know how your doing.
BIOS is kind of a low level program that comes with the motherboard, defining what kind of hardware you can have/currently have.
BIOS programs are different, but by my experience the option you want is “CPU Speed”, usually right above “CPU Frequency”. Set it to the true value of your CPU speed, not the branded speed (in your case the branded speed is 2800+, you need the true speed). If you have 3 values to choose from, the middle value should be the correct one. The meaning behind the other two: Your PC will sometimes reset your CPU to the lowest value if your PC aborted during initial startup. The highest value allows your CPU to run faster than standard speed and can damage your CPU without decent cooling, don’t use it if you don’t know what you’re doing.
If the only options you have is CPU frequency and it ranges from 100 to 254 you are dealing with bus speed.
What is the bus speed of your CPU? Hmmm 2800+ AMD it should be 333 mhz. So you are looking to set that value to 166. But make sure it’s 333, it might be higher.
Also, if it IS 333 you may want to make sure you are using pc2700 DDR ram, and set the ram speed in your BIOS to 333 mhz.
First, clean your temporary internet file folders and windows temporary files. I recommend Ace Utilities, it has a free 30 day trial download. Run the Ace Utilities Junk File Remover tool, and delete all the files it identifies. This is a very safe cleaner, it won’t delete any personal or important system files. While you are at it, run the Ace Utilities Registry Cleaner, and delete all the entries it identifies.
Next, download a free copy of Diskeeper Lite, and defrag your hard drive. I suspect this is your main problem. Even PC’s that receive only moderate use should be defragged at least once a month.
In my experience the culprit is often a hard drive that is almost completely full…It should be at least 1/4 empty, or half empty. Usually I run a mostly empty hard drive with my system and programs only, and have another one for storing files.
Also adding RAM on both the PC and Mac seems to help, and if you are gaming, having the best video card with the most video RAM will make a way bigger difference than your CPU clock speed will. I recommend a minimum of 1GB of RAM and a 128MB or more video card.
Hmmm. Well, thanks again for the advice, everyone. I’d like to go and try said advice, but now, the computer isn’t starting up. At all. I got nothing. There’s some quiet groaning noises from it, but a completely blank screen.
The last thing I did last night before I went out was to check out the aforementioned BIOS screen. I don’t think I changed anything, but I might have changed the CPU Frequency (I thought I’d cancelled all the changes I’d made before it exited the screen, but I was in a hurry; I might have kept the changes). The machine shut down, and I went out. When I tried to boot it up again this morning… nada. Could anything I might have futzed with in there done something this dramatic? If so, anything I can do? Or is it off to a repair shop for me?
Yes and yes. Go back into the BIOS setup, and see if there is a Restore Defaults selection. This should return you to at least the performance you had before.
