Prev: Code 38 When Inserting USB FD
Next: Local printer not ready after Windows restart
From: Jose on 2 Apr 2010 19:51
On Apr 1, 2:18 pm, "General Mailbox" <nospam...(a)home.net> wrote:
> Greetings.
> I have a 10yr old HP8705 800Mhz CPU, 512MB RAM that has slowed down
> noticeably in opening programs, ect.  I have been using this computer
> consistantly on the ballpark of 6hrs a day for 10 yrs. You can count on two
> hands any significant issues I've had with this and less than a dozen
> warnings of viruses in its life so far. Processes at fresh bootup run
> between 28 and 34. I have these MS newsgroups to thank for these 10yrs of
> helping me keep the machine running well.  It had to happen sometime I
> suppose.  Something is giving out causing memory access to fall below
> average benchmark levels. All 3 DIMMs were changed out in guessing it might
> be one or more of the memory chips, but did not change anything. My CPU is
> showing 797MHz (800Mhz) (6x133), so that hasn't slowed down. In my opinion,
> the temperature has always been a bit elevated for the CPU (114F avg) never
> exceeding 120F.  My readings from Everest Report is:
>       Computer:
>        Operating System    Microsoft Windows XP Professional
>        OS Service Pack    Service Pack 3
>
>       Motherboard:
>        CPU Type    Intel Pentium IIIE, 800 MHz (6 x 133)
>        Motherboard Name    Asus Pegasus
>        Motherboard Chipset    VIA VT82C694X Apollo Pro133A
>        System Memory    512 MB (SDRAM)
>
> Memory Read
>     CPU    CPU Clock    Motherboard    Chipset    Memory    Read Speed
>
>       PIII-E    866 MHz    ECS P6VAP-A+    ApolloPro133A    PC133 SDRAM
> 840 MB/s
> for what I think it should be to
>       PIII-E    800 MHz    Asus Pegasus    ApolloPro133A    PC100 SDRAM
> 281 MB/s
> which is what it is now.
>
> Memory Write
>       PIII-E    866 MHz    ECS P6VAP-A+    ApolloPro133A    PC133 SDRAM
> 190 MB/s
> for what I thik it should be to
>       PIII-E    800 MHz    Asus Pegasus    ApolloPro133A    PC100 SDRAM
> 93 MB/s
>
> which is what it is now.
>
> Memory Latency
>       C3    800 MHz    VIA EPIA    PLE133    PC133 SDRAM    3-3-3-6    178.5
> ns
>
> for what I think it should be to
>       PIII-E    800 MHz    Asus Pegasus    ApolloPro133A    PC100 SDRAM
> 2-2-2-5    343.1 ns
>
> which is what it is now.
>
> While it has been recommended by MS for WinXP to have a better machine, this
> has done sufficient for me with e-mail and web browsing.
> I say this to save time in anyone who would write "Get a new machine",
> unless in this case there is no cure for it, then I would.
>
> Thanks to all for your assistance!
>
> B.rgds,
> Kevin

That is all interesting. Checking the IDE channels will not hurt
(seems to be a lot fo that going around) PIO is bad.

If you want ideas that do not involve guessing and are based on what
your system is doing (or thinks it is doing), do this:

Reduce the possibility of existing malware on yor system.

Download, install, update and do a full scan with these free malware
detection programs:

Malwarebytes (MBAM): http://malwarebytes.org/
SUPERAntiSpyware: (SAS): http://www.superantispyware.com/

They can be uninstalled later if desired.

What is your current antivirus and malware situation? McAfee, Norton,
Spybot, AVG, ZoneAlarm, etc.


Click Start, Run and in the box enter:

msinfo32

Click OK, and when the System Summary info appears, click Edit, Select
All, Copy and then paste back here.

There would be some personal information (like System Name and User
Name) or whatever appears to
be only your business that you can delete from the paste.

Provide information about the current processes on your system.

To do that:

Right click the Taskbar, choose Task Manager and select the Processes
tab.

Click View, Select Columns, check the box that says: Virtual Memory
Size. Expand the
width of the Task Manager by dragging the corners so you can see all
the columns and
processes in one windo if possible.

Double click a column heading in TM to sort by the column. For
example, sort Task Manager
by the CPU or Virtual Memory size column.

Take a screenshot of what you see in Task Manager (see below for
instructions).

Download CCleaner, install it, run it, click Tools, Startup.

CCleaner is good for this since it shows more information in a bigger
display and CCleaner
has other useful functions you can check out later. You can uninstall
CCleaner later if you
don't like it.

Notice in the example, CCleaner fills the whole screen. Sort the
columns by the
Enabled field so all the Yes items are on top and drag the columns
sizes so all columns
are readable - expecially the File column.

Get CCleaner here:

http://www.ccleaner.com/

When you are done, we will be able to see what you are seeing.

To create and email/post/print a screenshot:

Press the Print Scrn button to copy your entire screen to the Windows
clipboard.

Press Alt Print Scrn to copy just the active window to the Windows
clipboard.

Open MS Paint:

Start, Program Accessories, Paint

When Paint opens, press CTRL-V to paste the clipboard, save the new
Paint file
to your desktop or someplace you can remember. JPG files take up less
hard
disk space than BMP files and just as readable.

Make as many screenshots as you need. Practice makes perfect. Be
careful your
screenshot does not contain any personal information. Practice
viewing your images
before you upload them to be sure they are okay.

Some sites will let you attach a file directly to your post. If the
site has some kind of
attachment/upload function it is usually easiest just to use it.

If there is no such function in your message board to upload files,
then use a free
third party image hosting WWW site.

Create a free account on some free picture hosting web site. You can
always remove
your account later if you want. Here are some free image hosting
sites:

http://www.imageshack.us/
http://photobucket.com/

Using your free account, upload your screenshot(s) (the JPG or BMP
files) to the
site and it will return to you a URL web address (a Direct Link) for
your new image(s)
which you can paste the Direct Link in a message post, email, etc.

Post that Direct Link web address back here in your response and we
can click on the
link address and see your screenshot. Post as many as you need - the
sites are free.

When you are done, what you post for others to use should look
something like this:

http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/6530/taskmanagerv.jpg <- Task
Manager
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/6969/ccleanerstartup.jpg <-
CCleaner Startu
From: General Mailbox on 3 Apr 2010 22:27
Thank you all for your responses. There are a few suggestions that I am
familiar with, and some I am not. I work on weekends, so please forgive me
if I don't get back with you until Monday. Of course this Sunday is very
special and is being spent with family.
Bless you all and happy Easter!
B.rgds,
Kevin


From: General Mailbox on 6 Apr 2010 06:02
Greetings.
I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend.
Thank you all for the suggestions. I have tried just about every one of
them.

Bob I: I had wondered how to set the DMA mode to always be Ultra DMA 2, but
didn't get a reply a few weeks ago. I install a DVD burner program and upon
first use after installation, it wants to set the DMA to work and has me
reboot. Since I restore my OS to near fresh OS installation about every 4
months, I have to repeat this process, along with installing the latest
versions of other softwares. This routine has been the easiest for me to
ensure no, or little, chance of malware/spyware or registry errors. I update
an archive of the OS with MS updates then save it again, making it easy to
restore to something fairly recent. Now, about the channel properties:
The Primary IDE shows Device 0 Device Type "Auto Detection" Transfer Mode
"DMA if available", Current Transfer Mode: "Not applicable".
Device 1 Device Type "Auto Detection" but greyed out. Transfer Mode "DMA if
available", Current Transfer Mode "Ultra DMA Mode 2".
Secondary IDE shows Device 0 Device Type "Auto Detection" greyed out,
Transfer Mode "DMA if available", Current Transfer Mode "PIO Mode".
Device 1 Device Type "Auto Detection" but greyed out. Transfer Mode "DMA if
available", Current Transfer Mode "Ultra DMA Mode 2".
Removing Secondary IDE channel and scan for hardware changes did not change
anything. Is this a problem that neither Device 0 is showing the current
mode as DMA?

db and Anteaus: Sorry, I didn't get to you ideas of safe mode, or
resetting the bios.

Paul: MemTester86+ showed Memory 512MB 309MB/s
I have tried CPUZ in recent years, and tried again. Just doesn't beat
Everest.
I could show more than what I sent originally, i.e. processes involved, but
I didn't think anything would be wrong with processes as they have been
fairly consistant for years and I kept the number low (28-34 processes).
Which brings me to Jose.

Jose: You have made a long and detailed list of procedures of how to obtain
information you wanted without cost of software for me. We are alike in how
we try to think ahead of possible replies of "I don't know how to do it."
I do know a couple of ways to provide you a list of processes without having
to sign up on a free image server. HijackThis seems to give a lot on
processes while my text report from Everest (or CPUZ) can give details on
hardware, voltages, and timings (benchmark tests). Before I give you more
information, you can tell me if we need to take this any further as
conditions have changed.

Memory Read
My expectations: 840 MB/s
Yesterday 281 MB/s
Today 767 MB/s

Memory Write
My expectations 190 MB/s
Yesterday 93 MB/s
Today 158 MB/s

Memory Latency
My expectations 178.5 ns
Yesterday 343.1 ns
Today 124.5 ns

The culprit; Spybot Search & Destroy software version 1.6 was somehow
involved as after Jose mentioned Spybot was a waste of virtual memory, I
uninstalled it then ran the Everest report again. My system properties for
physical memory vs. commit charges never got that close to 512MB that it
needed to use page file, meaning excessive drive access. I am not clear on
how a program can slow up memory, yet not use all of the available memory
first before it slows down.

Jose: Patience is a virtue.

To everyone: You can see I have a couple of outstanding questions that
related to this subject. If you think it wiser, I can start a new thread on
DMA question or just tell me it's ok or not from what I already wrote.
Paul, is 309 MB/s a decent reading for a P3 cpu at 800Mhz? If anyone is
still seeing a problem, we can go on. Else, I "think" the readings are
close to par and will try to run the computer for awhile yet while shopping
for another one. I just want to take my time researching the best value of
parts to build my own machine. Gee, now we're up to i7 chip? Gee whiz!

Take care!
B.rgds,
Kevin

P.S. You may see my name again as I usually share what I know a few times
before I move on.


From: Bob I on 6 Apr 2010 10:12
Only addressing the IDE channels, please review what is plugged in to
where. Your primary drive should be the Master on the first IDE header
and it doesn't look like it is. It appears you have it on the second
header, and in the Slave position. I suspect you have an optical drive
set up as masters. If you are using "Cable select" instead of
Master/Slave, then switch position on the Cable so the Drive is at the
end, not the center.



General Mailbox wrote:

> Greetings.
> I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend.
> Thank you all for the suggestions. I have tried just about every one of
> them.
>
> Bob I: I had wondered how to set the DMA mode to always be Ultra DMA 2, but
> didn't get a reply a few weeks ago. I install a DVD burner program and upon
> first use after installation, it wants to set the DMA to work and has me
> reboot. Since I restore my OS to near fresh OS installation about every 4
> months, I have to repeat this process, along with installing the latest
> versions of other softwares. This routine has been the easiest for me to
> ensure no, or little, chance of malware/spyware or registry errors. I update
> an archive of the OS with MS updates then save it again, making it easy to
> restore to something fairly recent. Now, about the channel properties:
> The Primary IDE shows Device 0 Device Type "Auto Detection" Transfer Mode
> "DMA if available", Current Transfer Mode: "Not applicable".
> Device 1 Device Type "Auto Detection" but greyed out. Transfer Mode "DMA if
> available", Current Transfer Mode "Ultra DMA Mode 2".
> Secondary IDE shows Device 0 Device Type "Auto Detection" greyed out,
> Transfer Mode "DMA if available", Current Transfer Mode "PIO Mode".
> Device 1 Device Type "Auto Detection" but greyed out. Transfer Mode "DMA if
> available", Current Transfer Mode "Ultra DMA Mode 2".
> Removing Secondary IDE channel and scan for hardware changes did not change
> anything. Is this a problem that neither Device 0 is showing the current
> mode as DMA?
>

From: General Mailbox on 7 Apr 2010 02:23
Thank you for bringing this up. I vaguely remember that I played around
with the jumpers on the drives at least 2 years ago, then disconnected a 2nd
drive. Now the end of the ribbon cable is connected to the master drive,
and the middle of the cable is connected to the slave drive. BIOS shows
Primary Master WD120 drive, Primary Slave WD40 drive, Secondary Master CD-RW
drive, Secondary Slave DVD ROM drive. I changed back the jumpers and added
the 2nd HDD as I had quite awhile ago to get the new readings below. I say
this so you don't have to guess how the new readings came to be *smiles*.

The Primary IDE shows Device 0
Device Type "Auto Detection" greyed out,
Transfer Mode "DMA if available",
Current Transfer Mode: "Ultra DMA Mode 2"

The Primary IDE shows Device 1
Device Type "Auto Detection" greyed out,
Transfer Mode "DMA if available",
Current Transfer Mode "Ultra DMA Mode 2".

Secondary IDE shows Device 0
Device Type "Auto Detection" greyed out,
Transfer Mode "PIO only",
Current Transfer Mode "PIO Mode".


Secondary IDE shows Device 1
Device Type "Auto Detection" greyed out.
Transfer Mode "DMA if available",
Current Transfer Mode "Ultra DMA Mode 2".

Changing "PIO only" to "DMA if available" did nothing. Again removing
Secondary IDE channel and scan for hardware changes did not change
anything. I am expecting you to say that a CD-RW drive wouldn't have DMA
ability, right? But it didn't hurt.

I just got an added bonus here because of your sharp eye! Thank you!

Best in life to you,
Kevin


"Bob I" <birelan(a)yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:uaajtMZ1KHA.5972(a)TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> Only addressing the IDE channels, please review what is plugged in to
> where. Your primary drive should be the Master on the first IDE header and
> it doesn't look like it is. It appears you have it on the second header,
> and in the Slave position. I suspect you have an optical drive set up as
> masters. If you are using "Cable select" instead of Master/Slave, then
> switch position on the Cable so the Drive is at the end, not the center.
>
>
>
> General Mailbox wrote:
>
>> Greetings.
>> I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend.
>> Thank you all for the suggestions. I have tried just about every one of
>> them.
>>
>> Bob I: I had wondered how to set the DMA mode to always be Ultra DMA 2,
>> but didn't get a reply a few weeks ago. I install a DVD burner program
>> and upon first use after installation, it wants to set the DMA to work
>> and has me reboot. Since I restore my OS to near fresh OS installation
>> about every 4 months, I have to repeat this process, along with
>> installing the latest versions of other softwares. This routine has been
>> the easiest for me to ensure no, or little, chance of malware/spyware or
>> registry errors. I update an archive of the OS with MS updates then save
>> it again, making it easy to restore to something fairly recent. Now,
>> about the channel properties:
>> The Primary IDE shows Device 0 Device Type "Auto Detection" Transfer Mode
>> "DMA if available", Current Transfer Mode: "Not applicable".
>> Device 1 Device Type "Auto Detection" but greyed out. Transfer Mode "DMA
>> if available", Current Transfer Mode "Ultra DMA Mode 2".
>> Secondary IDE shows Device 0 Device Type "Auto Detection" greyed out,
>> Transfer Mode "DMA if available", Current Transfer Mode "PIO Mode".
>> Device 1 Device Type "Auto Detection" but greyed out. Transfer Mode "DMA
>> if available", Current Transfer Mode "Ultra DMA Mode 2".
>> Removing Secondary IDE channel and scan for hardware changes did not
>> change anything. Is this a problem that neither Device 0 is showing the
>> current mode as DMA?
>>
>


First  |  Prev  |  Next  |  Last
Pages: 1 2 3
Prev: Code 38 When Inserting USB FD
Next: Local printer not ready after Windows restart