Need help analyzing my HP laptop

[JDBush61]

Oh, and I forgot to address your other advice!

As to the "sluggishness", keep in mind that your Sony Vaio laptop has 4 GB RAM compared to the HP with 503 MB.  RAM is not expensive (as illustrated by selecting the model of your HP laptop here and following the instructions at, for example, How to Add Memory to an HP Pavilion Notebook | eHow.com).  You could also take it to a reputable, local TechShop (no idea about what is available in Japan).  It really depends on how long you want to keep that laptop to justify any expense.  The end of extended support for Windows XP is April 8, 2014.

All great points! However, I don't quite understand the persistent "sluggishness" that I am still often experiencing. My '95 MAC always ran lickity-split, even when it was in its golden years, so I don't see why the 503MB HP would be running so sluggish.

>>>>>>>>>>>
Another consideration is that the laptop may need a different kind of cleaning -- that is the ports or cooling vents may be clogged with dirt & dust.  Although canned air can be used, the only problem with that is spraying too with the canned air may result in liquid in the fan blades, causing them to seize.  (Do NOT use a vacuum cleaner as it can end up causing damage by sucking the dust and debris into fragile parts.)
>>>>>>>>>>>

Do you suppose that what I am hearing (the constant loud spinning/cycling) is actually a cooling problem (dirty ports/vents and a hard working fan)? There must be a way to access all of those components from the underside of the laptop, so I will inspect those areas when I get home. I have never before tried canned air on anything, and yes, I will keep the vaccuum cleaner unplugged. ;)

[Corrine]

Hi, "JDB".  :)

Nice job on following through with the ComboFix uninstall!    :thumbsup:

I'm not finding a corresponding document for Windows XP.  However, the D drive is generally the recovery partition and should not be used for backup.  This document is for Windows Vista:  http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01555992&cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en

If you do not get "Your system is low on virtual memory" error messages, I would leave the virtual memory and page file size alone.

In the event it may help others, why don't we move the WinPatrol discussion to the WinPatrol Help & Information forum. 

Mechanical parts wear out, JDB.  The loud spinning could also be a sign that one of the fans is wearing out.  Use caution with the canned air though -- don't hold the can and spray & spray & spray.  Shutdown the laptop, turn it over & use little bursts.  If you don't see any dust coming out, stop.  (The beginning of this video will show you what I mean:  http://youtu.be/q9zTf2JuxNI) If you can see a lot of collected dirt through the openings, then more thorough cleaning may be needed. 

[JDBush61]

Hi, "JDB".  :)

Nice job on following through with the ComboFix uninstall!    :thumbsup:

I'm not finding a corresponding document for Windows XP.  However, the D drive is generally the recovery partition and should not be used for backup.  This document is for Windows Vista:  http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01555992&cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en

If you do not get "Your system is low on virtual memory" error messages, I would leave the virtual memory and page file size alone.

In the event it may help others, why don't we move the WinPatrol discussion to the WinPatrol Help & Information forum. 

Mechanical parts wear out, JDB.  The loud spinning could also be a sign that one of the fans is wearing out.  Use caution with the canned air though -- don't hold the can and spray & spray & spray.  Shutdown the laptop, turn it over & use little bursts.  If you don't see any dust coming out, stop.  (The beginning of this video will show you what I mean:  http://youtu.be/q9zTf2JuxNI) If you can see a lot of collected dirt through the openings, then more thorough cleaning may be needed.

Hi Corrine,

This morning, I downloaded (to the desktop) the TFC program and ran ran it from there. All appeared to go well, and a reboot was initiated after the temp files were cleaned out. I then performed a defrag, and although there were few fragmented files, it took the better part of 30 minutes for the defrag to complete. Is that normal?

So, the laptop does seem to be running quicker now, in general, yet I still suspect that I have many files or programs or (??) that need to be cleaned out and tossed in the trash. I have yet to delve into the start-up advice that you kindly sent, nor have I had much time to investigate and configure the WinPatrol program. As per your suggestion, I will move all further discussion regarding WinPatrol to the link that you supplied for the other thread.

By the way, you are absolutely correct about the D drive ("HP_RECOVERY (D:)"). My mistake. It is actually only for recovery, not backup. I do not remember ever backing anything up to that drive, yet its current state is: Size: 3.66GB, Available Free Space: 99MB, % Free Space: 2%. Since I did burn recovery CDs from that computer when I first purchased it, is that drive (partition?) even still needed? And if it is, is there a way to clean up that drive? (and is a clean-up even needed?) Just thinking on my own as to how to free up more RAM, because I still cannot understand what is hogging/robbing it. Maybe my Norton 360 program?

Sorry for so many new-guy questions! I will go back to doing more reading!

Oh, one final note. I did download the Secunia PSI program to that box this morning before leaving for the office. I ran the program and the results came back 99% up-to-date, with 1 end-of-life program detected. So maybe my Adobe, Java, and other programs are currently in a good state. I also followed the link to your personal site and read the update advisories that you posted. Nice site!... and now bookmarked on both of my machines. ;)

- John

[Corrine]

Hi, John! 

It took a while, but I'm glad we're on a first-name basis now. :)

Actually, 30 minutes is a good time for the defrag to complete.  If you are spending a lot of time on this laptop or notice it slowing down, you should consider running TFC followed by a defrag.  You may also want to run the Disk Cleanup Tool.  Before running, create a fresh restore point and then include the option to remove all restore points except the most recent restore point:  Description of the Disk Cleanup Tool in Windows XP.

As to "HP_Recovery (D:)", even though you created recovery CD's, I would leave it.  If one should fail, you would have the other to fall back on.

Could your Norton 360 program be slowing things down?  It is possible.  I have personally never used Norton.  You mentioned early on that you were considering changing programs when it was time to renew your license.  In the event you decide to do that, if you pick another paid A/V program, most have a trial so you can see how it works on your system.  You'll need to uninstall Norton before trying a different program though.

Great job with Secunia PSI and thank you for the compliment about my "Security Garden".

Don't hesitate to ask additional questions!

Regards,

Corrine

[JDBush61]

Hi, John! 

It took a while, but I'm glad we're on a first-name basis now. :)

Actually, 30 minutes is a good time for the defrag to complete.  If you are spending a lot of time on this laptop or notice it slowing down, you should consider running TFC followed by a defrag.  You may also want to run the Disk Cleanup Tool.  Before running, create a fresh restore point and then include the option to remove all restore points except the most recent restore point:  Description of the Disk Cleanup Tool in Windows XP.

As to "HP_Recovery (D:)", even though you created recovery CD's, I would leave it.  If one should fail, you would have the other to fall back on.

Could your Norton 360 program be slowing things down?  It is possible.  I have personally never used Norton.  You mentioned early on that you were considering changing programs when it was time to renew your license.  In the event you decide to do that, if you pick another paid A/V program, most have a trial so you can see how it works on your system.  You'll need to uninstall Norton before trying a different program though.

Great job with Secunia PSI and thank you for the compliment about my "Security Garden".

Don't hesitate to ask additional questions!

Regards,

Corrine

Hi Corrine,

Thanks for your reply, and please know that I cannot thank you enough for the extensive amount of personal time you spent walking me through all the cleanup/analysis procedures! Strange, yet I don't quite remember how I stumbled accross this forum, however, I now feel very blessed that I did.  :D

I will now pay much closer attention to program updates, disk clean-ups, and system maintenance in general. After all of your help, I feel much more comfortable about the current performance of my HP laptop at home, yet I still want to deeply investigate the start-up programs, as well as what other things might be cluttering up the RAM, system speed, and the machine in general. Still does not feel 100% normal, yet as you mentioned previously, that laptop might just be getting old and wearing out. I still haven't had time to check the cooling ports and the fan, yet will jump on that pronto. I will also create a new restore point and delete the previous ones when I get home tonight.

Once again, thank you so very much for your time and kind efforts on my behalf! Truly amazing, and I learned A LOT!.  :flowers:

Best regards,

- John

[Corrine]

Hi, John.

If all is well with  your computer now, you can delete Security Check from your desktop and then do the following:

Please do the following to implement cleanup procedures and also to reset System Restore points:

Click Start > Run and copy/paste the following bolded text into the Run box and click OK:

ComboFix /Uninstall

Note: In the event you wish to contribute to the ongoing development of ComboFix, the developer is accepting donations via PayPal.


I think we covered all your questions, but please don't hesitate to let us know if something else comes up.