What causes computer freezing and slowness?

[Obamargarine]

Sometimes my PC freezes from too many simultaneous heavy programs.

I have fairly new iron - a Pentium E5200 2.5Ghz processor and 4gb of DDR2 Corsair memory.

So what causes the slow performance - is the processor too slow or do I need to add some more RAM?

[fritzi93]

Maybe you shouldn't run so many programs? Just kidding. If you seriously think it's a real problem:

Have you first used compressed air to clean out the case, checked CPU fan and re-seated ALL connections? Tested memory with something like MemTest?

If that doesn't do the job, then process of elimination: malware, software conflicts, hardware.

Funny, I just recently fixed my wife's computer, it was acting similarly. Turned out to be a dying DVD burner, which surprised me. I happened to notice it would disappear, then reappear upon reboot. Pulling it out and replacing it solved the problem. I'm not suggesting that is your problem, just relating an anecdote.

[wtsinnc]

Hello obamargarine.

What "simultaneous heavy programs" are you referring to ?

Perhaps you have too many applications running at startup. Included in Windows is the application msconfig, and there are numerous 3rd party programs that will allow you to monitor startup and running processes.
To run msconfig, select run, type in msconfig, then ok. Select startup and determine which (if any) startup programs are really necessary; uncheck those that aren't necessary.
Eliminating unnecessary startup programs should help to recover some speed.

Also, you need to regularly clean your hard drive of the junk file fragments , dlls, etc. that accumulate whenever you surf and employ programs additional to your browser.
I use CCleaner at least twice a day, running both the cleaner and registry functions.

Finally, how long has it been since you defragmented the hard drive ?

First check your startup programs, then clean, then defragment.

Do those things prior to anything else and see if your computer runs faster.

[Obamargarine]

Thanks for the info

I mean when sometimes I'm working in photoshop, I have firefox open with like 20 tabs, itunes, microsoft word, Norton Antivirus, that kind of thing. I just like to have much more multitasking on my PC than most people.

So after I've defragged the drive and cleaned the startup, how do I increase the speed even more - will adding 4GB more RAM do the job?

thanks

[edDV]

You may be just seeing the state of the art. Don;t believe the hype.

[wtsinnc]

Do you really need to have itunes and Photoshop open at the same time ?
Is it really necessary to have twenty or so tabs open in Firefox as you work in Photoshop and run itunes ?
With all of these programs running, open Task Manager and see how much RAM and CPU capacity you're using.

Increasing RAM might help, but first try this;
If you're employing two hard drives, move your pagefile to the drive that does not have your operating system installed. That could enhance performance.
To access pagefile options;
right click on computer/properties/advanced/performance/advanced/virtual memory.

If you are using just one hard drive, you might try shutting down any services you don't use.
You can access services via computer management.

Analyze you system and how you use it.
Which version of Norton are you using ? Older versions were resource hogs.
Is your video card draining resources ? Are you running multiple monitors ?
Power down any external hardware you don't need to use, such as a copier, scanner, etc.
Close any programs and tabs that are not task-related.

If none of this gets you to where you want to be, you may need to upgrade to a better dual core (E8400/E8500) or perhaps a quad core processor, plus (perhaps) more RAM if you're running a 64 bit OS. I see you list Windows 7 as your OS. Is it 32 bit or 64 bit, and is it your default operating system ?

[Supreme2k]

It's funny that "multitasking' has become the new phrase for "failing on several fronts".

Here's a suggestion: Pick a task, put all of your effort into that and succeed at it.

Or try driving your car with a paper cup of boiling coffee sitting at your crotch between your legs.

What I'm trying to say is that true multitasking is a myth. Duo-tasking can be much more manageable (except for the driving example). Who is to say that one of those twenty apps doesn't crash and bring down the rest, some (or even one) of which may have been at a critical phase?

[johns0]

Depends on what apps you are running,if you are running intensive apps that take 100% of your cpu resources running more apps will cause windows to freeze and stutter,running many light resource apps will be fine,just dont run too many programs when using one thats a cpu hog.

[Obamargarine]

Supreme2k,

Just because my PC is multitasking doesn't mean I am. Plus, Some scenarios don't need the focus of all my brainpower, like this one:

I'm listening to Jane's Addiction on itunes while editing photos, writing a HTML page for my ebay auctions and browsing the interwebs.

[lordsmurf]

It's funny that "multitasking' has become the new phrase for "failing on several fronts".

Here's a suggestion: Pick a task, put all of your effort into that and succeed at it.

Or try driving your car with a paper cup of boiling coffee sitting at your crotch between your legs.

What I'm trying to say is that true multitasking is a myth. Duo-tasking can be much more manageable (except for the driving example). Who is to say that one of those twenty apps doesn't crash and bring down the rest, some (or even one) of which may have been at a critical phase?

I quit trying to multitask. Indeed, it meant I accomplished nothing or partials.

[INFRATOM]

As rule of thumb under normal working condition your CPU usage should not go beyond %65, the rest should be for peak usage. As for memory each program or service running needs and takes a part of memory, if your page file is bigger than your physical memory you need more resources. On a 32bit system 2.5 gig is typical the rest to 3gig is used by video and OS. So if you are a multi-tasker you need a 64bit and as much RAM as your MB can carry. If you were ok and your computer has become slow then spyware and viruses are the cause. Some antivirus and windows defender cause a lot of slow down too. Also any thing that is internet hog like itune, skype or programs that have activity checker which most programs are like that in these days will slow you down. When CPU or available memory usage goes beyond the available resources that is when it freezes.

[zoobie]

sometimes, the HDD gets stuck in the PIO mode...

[orsetto]

Both iTunes and PhotoShop are resource pigs, plus iTunes runs horrible on Windows to begin with and even worse running on Vista. Like others have said, multi-tasking (or multiple open piggy programs) that run speedily and successfully is a reality for a few and a myth for most, no matter how hot-rodded your hardware. Forget the "iTunes running in the background to amuse me" bullsh*t: did you really spend all that money just to have a sluggish gigantic fake iPod? Put your real iPod in a dock and get your background jollies that way, let your CPU deal with more important stuff.

Aside from that, I recently discovered certain files if stored in the same folder confuse the hell out of Windows and it stalls interminably trying to sort things out, slowing all window operations and file manipulations to a crawl. I suffered from this for a month until I randomly discovered my cluttered downloads folder was the culprit: a couple of software update installers were somehow conflicting with a couple of complex PDF files. When I separated the installers and the PDFs into individual folders, my PC zipped back to light speed. You would be amazed how weird sh*t like that can totally screw up your PC: I thought maybe I had malware or a bum hard drive or corrupt registry or antivirus slowdowns or that bizarre "PhotoShop .psd preview settings conflict with Windows icons" problem.

Nope: it was merely that Windows would prefer some large complex PDFs not fraternize in the same folder with some software installer downloads. Sheesh! Who would have guessed that one?

[lordsmurf]

It also depends on which version of Photoshop. CS3, for example, is a RAM and CPU whore.