Prev: Fonts in Outlook
Next: "Reboot and Select proper boot device....." NO HARD DRIVE IN S
From: Lindsay Graham on 28 Jun 2010 19:07
On 29 Jun 2010 at 00:576, 123Jim wrote:
> "Lindsay Graham" <LDGraham(a)aapt.net.au> wrote in message
> news:%23vG1C2sFLHA.6120(a)TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>> I've had an EeePC netbook with Win XP Home SP3 for just over 2 years. A
>> long time ago, hibernate stopped working -- I was told to do a system
>> restore, but that never happened as I was then only using it
>> intermittently. Now that I'm using it more regularly, hibernate still
>> does not work and the computer is gradually but inexorably slowing down,
>> to the point that it is now very frustrating to use.
>>
>> Is System Restore likely to provide a solution? Why do I not seem to have
>> any System Restore points that are older than 3 months?
>>
>
> System restore overwrites older restore points based on the amount of disk
> space allocated for the system restore points.
>
> You say you have three months of system restore .. but you say: system
> restore does not work. Do you mean you can't restore your system to any of
> those three months of restore points? (I have seen this often enough - the
> solution is usually to restore in safe mode).
>
> If you can restore in safe mode but still find that your system is slow ..
> You need to look at things like: 1 - is your system malware free?, 2 - Which
> programs are starting when you boot up? (and which ones you don't need),
> - Do you need more RAM? 4 - Have you enough free disk space?
>
>
I did not say system restore does not work -- I've never tried to do a
system restore, but I now want to. If system restore will solve the
hibernation problem, then presumably I would need a system restore point
that predates the emergence of that problem, which was much more than 3
months ago. Is there any other way of accessing system restore points
older than those shown?

1. I believe my system to be malware free.
2. No programs (at least no visible ones) start when I boot up.
3. I don't think I need more RAM (the netbook came with 1GB, and I
doubt it would be possible to install more).
4. Yes -- C:\ drive has 51GB free, D:\ drive has 22GB free.

Lindsay Graham
From: Lindsay Graham on 28 Jun 2010 19:09
On 29 Jun at 1:26, James Silverton wrote:
> 123Jim wrote on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 15:57:07 +0100:
>
>
>> "Lindsay Graham" <LDGraham(a)aapt.net.au> wrote in message
>> news:%23vG1C2sFLHA.6120(a)TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>>>
>>> I've had an EeePC netbook with Win XP Home SP3 for just over 2 years.
>>> A long time ago, hibernate stopped working -- I was
>>> told to do a system restore, but that never happened as I was
>>> then only using it intermittently. Now that I'm using it
>>> more regularly, hibernate still does not work and the
>>> computer is gradually but inexorably slowing down, to the
>>> point that it is now very frustrating to use.
>>>
>>> Is System Restore likely to provide a solution? Why do I not
>>> seem to have any System Restore points that are older than 3 months?
>>>
>> System restore overwrites older restore points based on the
>> amount of disk space allocated for the system restore points.
>
> That is a very important consideration and you can change the allocation
> if you think you don't have enough restore points.
>

Yes, but that does not seem to help my current problem. It's not that I
don't have enough, I don't have any that are more than 3 months ago.

Lindsay Graham
From: Lindsay Graham on 28 Jun 2010 19:11
On 29 Jun 2010 at 05:56, Billns wrote:
> On 6/28/2010 7:23 AM, Lindsay Graham wrote:
>> I've had an EeePC netbook with Win XP Home SP3 for just over 2 years. A
>> long time ago, hibernate stopped working -- I was told to do a system
>> restore, but that never happened as I was then only using it
>> intermittently. Now that I'm using it more regularly, hibernate still
>> does not work and the computer is gradually but inexorably slowing down,
>> to the point that it is now very frustrating to use.
>>
>> Is System Restore likely to provide a solution? Why do I not seem to
>> have any System Restore points that are older than 3 months?
>>
>> Lindsay Graham
>> Canberra, Australia
>
> I wouldn't trust system restore points that are three months old anyway.
>
> System Restore is not a panacea. Use a backup program, preferably to an
> external hard disk.
>
> Bill

Why would you not trust older system restore points?

I backup regularly to an external hard disk. But how is that relevant
to my question?

Lindsay Graham
From: 123Jim on 28 Jun 2010 20:05

"Lindsay Graham" <LDGraham(a)aapt.net.au> wrote in message
news:OPU6paxFLHA.5448(a)TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> On 29 Jun 2010 at 00:576, 123Jim wrote:
>> "Lindsay Graham" <LDGraham(a)aapt.net.au> wrote in message
>> news:%23vG1C2sFLHA.6120(a)TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>>> I've had an EeePC netbook with Win XP Home SP3 for just over 2 years. A
>>> long time ago, hibernate stopped working -- I was told to do a system
>>> restore, but that never happened as I was then only using it
>>> intermittently. Now that I'm using it more regularly, hibernate still
>>> does not work and the computer is gradually but inexorably slowing down,
>>> to the point that it is now very frustrating to use.
>>>
>>> Is System Restore likely to provide a solution? Why do I not seem to
>>> have any System Restore points that are older than 3 months?
>>>
>>
>> System restore overwrites older restore points based on the amount of
>> disk space allocated for the system restore points.
>>
>> You say you have three months of system restore .. but you say: system
>> restore does not work. Do you mean you can't restore your system to any
>> of those three months of restore points? (I have seen this often enough -
>> the solution is usually to restore in safe mode).
>>
>> If you can restore in safe mode but still find that your system is slow
>> .. You need to look at things like: 1 - is your system malware free?, 2 -
>> Which programs are starting when you boot up? (and which ones you don't
>> need), - Do you need more RAM? 4 - Have you enough free disk space?
> I did not say system restore does not work -- I've never tried to do a
> system restore, but I now want to. If system restore will solve the
> hibernation problem,

Sorry I misread about 'hibernate' problem .. so now I understand it does not
hibernate ..
Do you have it set up to hiberate when you close the lid? .. in any case ..
if it does not hibernate then some program is stopping it from hibernating
... but which one? ....

Before your close the lid or leave it to hibernate check 'task manager' ..
(right click task bar > choose task manager) Look in the processes tab,
click to order the tasks on 'most active on top' by clicking CPU (once,
maybe once more) .. now observe .. Which process is using the CPU? it is
likely that this is the process that is preventing your system from
hibernating. When you discover that, you can stop that program, either from
starting at all, or before you want your system to hibernate. (I find that
some java applets in the browser can prevent my system from hibernating)


> then presumably I would need a system restore point that predates the
> emergence of that problem, which was much more than 3 months ago. Is
> there any other way of accessing system restore points older than those
> shown?

no, sorry they will have been overwritten

> 1. I believe my system to be malware free.
> 2. No programs (at least no visible ones) start when I boot up.
> 3. I don't think I need more RAM (the netbook came with 1GB, and I doubt
> it would be possible to install more).

You can upgrade to 2GB but 1 GB as you have now, should be sufficient as
long as you don't have too many programs running. (just FYI check here:
www.crucial.com for memory upgrade possibilities - their scanner is very
useful)

If your system is slow, it is worthwhile looking at the programs that start
on boot .. and stop them from starting. How to do that? . well .. I prefer
the Autoruns program from sysinternals, (google - sysinternals autoruns) but
there is also ccleaner which has a section to look through and disable your
startup programs. (google - ccleaner) ccleaner's main function is to clean
your system of useless files like temporary system files, but that is just
to make more space on your hard disk .. That is not a problem for you at the
moment as you have plenty free disk space . but it doesn't hurt to do this.
There is of course the windows way to stop programs starting on boot ..
Start > run: msconfig .. but I don't like that way, as you end up booting
in a perpetual 'diagnostic startup' mode, just to prevent some programs from
running.



From: Shenan Stanley on 28 Jun 2010 20:27
Lindsay Graham wrote:
> I've had an EeePC netbook with Win XP Home SP3 for just over 2
> years. A long time ago, hibernate stopped working -- I was told to
> do a system restore, but that never happened as I was then only
> using it intermittently. Now that I'm using it more regularly,
> hibernate still does not work and the computer is gradually but
> inexorably slowing down, to the point that it is now very
> frustrating to use.
> Is System Restore likely to provide a solution? Why do I not seem
> to have any System Restore points that are older than 3 months?
>
> Lindsay Graham
> Canberra, Australia

Having read the other responses and your responses to some of them - and
knowing what a System Restore Point will have in it - I can tell you that if
you need one that is 3+ months old - it's too late and you are better off
fixing the problem as opposed to trying to restore to that point. To me -
especially in XP - a few days restore should be more than enough. Anything
beyond that it is better to diagnose and reolve the issue in another manner.

Why - you might ask - do I feel this way?

System Restore is not a cure-all and it only backs up the *system* files.
Your files - the ones that most people actually care about and truly the
only ones that matter since the others should be reproducable on a multitude
of other systems over and over without a single backup - system restore
could care less about (although it can devestate those if stored in
particular areas as well.)

So - System Restore should be used sparingly - and after 3 months - so many
changes have probably been made (applications updated, system files (DLLs
and the likes) updated by Microsoft, registry entries for applications
installed, uninstalled, updated and such modified/removed/added that a
System Restore Point that old would likely cause more stuff to fail while
trying to fix a simple (and pointless in comparison usually) issue.

Personally - I don't recommend hibernation - particularly in XP - as my
tests generally have show that a total shutdown and later power-on is about
the same time taken as a full functional recovery (network connectivity and
all) from a hibernation. Many people would argue this point - and I guess
hibernation has its place if you need to leave work open - but I have always
found that idea pretty strange as well - considering saving is the agreed
upon better option. Now this is all my experience over many different
machines (hardware-wise) - and is *just* my opinion. I still - to this
day - do not turn hibernation on any machine I setup (generally I turn it
off completely.) Not green? Possibly - but I don't think so.

In any case - System Restore is made for those "oops" moments realized in a
short period of time. Anything past a short period of time should be done
with actual system backups, disk images, etc - not System Restore. IMHO.

If your problem is your hibernation - my suggestions are:

- update all your hardware device drivers (motherboard chipset, video
device(s), network device(s), audio device(s)) and your system BIOS to the
latest version from EACH corresponding device manufacturer (or if a
third-tier product like Dell, HP, Lenovo, Gateway, etc - from the
make/model/serial number web page for your particular system.)

- Cleanup the system with the following steps - based on where you posted -
exactly:
(Seem like a lot? It is - but your system will be cleaner and may act right
afterwards. Some of it basic maintenance would prevent the need for; some
of it *is* basic maintenance. Like changing the oil in a vehicle, taking
out the trash from your home, picking up your mail...)

Reboot and logon as administrative user.

Empty your recycle bin.

Download/install this:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290301

After installing, do the following:

Start button --> RUN --> type in:
"%ProgramFiles%\Windows Installer Clean Up\msizap.exe" g!
--> Click OK.
(The quotation marks and percentage signs and spacing should be exact.)

If you are comfortable with the stability of your system, you can delete the
uninstall files for the patches that Windows XP has installed...
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/spack.htm
( Particularly of interest here - #4 )
( Alternative: http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_hotfix_backup.htm )

You can run Disk Cleanup - built into Windows XP - to erase all but your
latest restore point and cleanup even more "loose files"...
(You don't *have* to do the first part right now - the restore point thing
- based on your posting, you may feel uncomfortable doing this -
although it is highly unlikely you would have the ones you seem to want
and everyone is telling you you are better off not using if you did
anyway...)

How to use Disk Cleanup
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310312

Clear out your Internet Explorer Temporary Internet Files (all of them,
cookies, caches, etc.) (Instructions depend on IE Version. Want them?
Come back and give that information. ;-) )

You should now perform a full CHKDSK on your system drive (C:)...

How to scan your disks for errors
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315265
* will take time and a reboot

You should now perform a full Defragment on your system drive (C:)...

How to Defragment your hard drives
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314848
* will take time

Uninstall any and all third-party firewall applications (ZoneAlarm, etc)
and utilize the built-in Windows Firewall only.

Reboot and logon as administrative user.

Download, install, run, update and perform a full scan with the following
(freeware version):

SuperAntiSpyware
http://www.superantispyware.com/

Reboot and logon as administrative user.

Download, install, run, update and perform a full scan with the following
(freeware version):

MalwareBytes
http://www.malwarebytes.com/

Reboot and logon as administrative user.

Download and run the MSRT manually:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx

Reboot and logon as administrative user.

Fix your file/registry permissions...

Ignore the title and follow the sub-section under "Advanced Troubleshooting"
titled, "Method 1: Reset the registry and the file permissions"
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/949377
*will take time
** Ignore the last step - you likely (hopefully) have SP3 already...

Reboot and logon as administrative user.

Download/Install the latest Windows Installer (for your OS):
( Windows XP 32-bit : WindowsXP-KB942288-v3-x86.exe )
http://www.microsoft.com/downloadS/details.aspx?familyid=5A58B56F-60B6-4412-95B9-54D056D6F9F4&displaylang=en

Reboot and logon as administrative user.

Download the latest version of the Windows Update agent from here (x86):
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=91237
.... and save it to the root of your C:\ drive. After saving it to the root
of the C:\ drive, do the following:

Close all Internet Explorer windows and other applications.

Start button --> RUN and type in:
%SystemDrive%\windowsupdateagent30-x86.exe /WUFORCE
--> Click OK.

(If asked, select "Run.) --> Click on NEXT --> Select "I agree" and click on
NEXT --> When it finishes installing, click on "Finish"...

Reboot and logon as administrative user.

Visit this web page:

How do I reset Windows Update components?
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971058

.... and click on the "Microsoft Fix it" icon. When asked, select "RUN",
both times. Check the "I agree" box and click on "Next". Check the box
for "Run aggressive options (not recommended)" and click "Next". Let
it finish up and follow the prompts until it is done. Close/exit.

Reboot and logon as administrative user.

Visit http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ and select to do a
CUSTOM scan...

Every time you are about to click on something while at these web pages -
first press and hold down the CTRL key while you click on it. You can
release the CTRL key after clicking each time.

Once the scan is done, select just _ONE_ of the high priority updates
(deselect any others) and install it.

Reboot and logon as administrative user.

If it did work - try the web page again - selecting no more than 3-5 at a
time. Rebooting as needed.

The Optional Software updates are generally safe - although I recommend
against the "Windows Search" one and any of the "Office Live" ones or
"Windows Live" ones for now. I would completely avoid the
Optional Hardware updates. Also - I do not see any urgent need to install
Internet Explorer 8 at this time. (If you already have it - so be it...)

Come back - especially if you get stuck someplace, but even if you don't -
and let everyone know how it turns out.

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html


First  |  Prev  |  Next  |  Last
Pages: 1 2 3
Prev: Fonts in Outlook
Next: "Reboot and Select proper boot device....." NO HARD DRIVE IN S