Asked By
jimmy_kid
0 points
N/A
Posted on - 08/28/2011
Right after boot up, I am unable to run any program until 5 minutes. When I double click any icon, my mouse cursor turns to an hour glass for a moment and then nothing happens. If I try this on several different programs, same thing happens. After about 5 minutes, everything I have double clicked pops up and computer starts running normal. This problem started a few days ago and I am unable to trace any reason for this problem.
I am using Windows XP with 2.6 Processor and 1GB RAM.
My system is slow or infected?
If your remember nothing on what is causing this problem to your computer, then have a full scan on your computer to find out whether this is caused by a malicious software or a virus. If nothing was found then have your computer system restore into a state wherein it was working properly.
You access system restore in Windows XP by going to "All Programs" in start menu > "Accessories and under "System Tools" click on "System Restore". If you are not sure what restore point to select then, locate a system restore point that says' "System Checkpoint" select it and start restoring your computer system.
My system is slow or infected?
What are you using for virus and spy-ware protection? That is always a good reason for such type of symptoms. You can also try “Autorun” to see what programs are starting at start up. Because I also faced the same kind of problem and reason in my case was same that I had a list of programs which automatically run on starting system. Then I turned off everything that wasn’t needed and it really worked as my system returned to normal speed.
Also does your system slows down only in start or you also noticed slow speed during the process. There is one possible solution that is a clean install of your OS, back to factory conditions. It will be as fast as when you purchased it first time. As you will install antivirus and spy-wares to your system, it will start becoming slow but will take about a year to become as slow as it is now.
One solution is to remove all power and reset all card, memory and cables (both ends). Remove the dust bunnies and clean the vents. Check out that the fans are working properly and your system doesn’t heat up sooner.
Hope above mentioned measures will help you solve your problem.
My system is slow or infected?
The problem occurs when the computer is infected with a virus. You will need to use a proper antivirus solution and run the antivirus on your computer.
Also, even after running the antivirus software the problem persists, you need to free memory on your hard drive by running the disk cleanup utility from start–>accessories—>system tools—>disk cleanup and also disk defragmentor.
The computer should be able to boot faster now. If the problem persists try increasing the memory by adding additional RAM.
My system is slow or infected?
I’m not sure if that was caused by a virus. That problem is more likely caused by a startup program, a hardware, or a device waiting to be loaded after booting the computer. If you installed Microsoft .NET Framework, this problem can also happen.
Another is if you have installed a RAM disk on your computer, this can also happen. Like in my case, I have a 140 MB RAM disk running on my computer. Every time I start my machine, after booting Windows, I have to wait for like two to three minutes for the RAM disk to load. That’s why I think this is also the case in your computer.
Check if you installed something few days back then try uninstalling it and see the difference. To make sure the problem is not caused by a virus, try downloading Sophos Virus Removal Tool and install it. Once installed, start Sophos then wait until the virus signature database gets updated. When updating is complete, click to scan your computer.
The tool will scan everything on your computer including external devices such as USB flash drive and external hard drive. Scanning will take about an hour or more depending on the size of the drive and the amount of data. When a virus is found at the end of the scan, remove the virus and repeat the scan over and over until it no longer detects a virus.
