fixing all of my computers problems

[craig7]

so, my computer has alot of problems, but no viruses. so heres the list:

system process always uses +100,000k of memory
system idle process has a 'cpu' value of 99, im not sure if thats good or bad


well actually, i think thats about it.
the first problem i believe is caused by avg anti virus, so would it go away if i uninstall it, and if so, what other good free antivirus software is there?

any help is greatly appreciated

 

[jinjuku]

so, my computer has alot of problems, but no viruses. so heres the list:

system process always uses +100,000k of memory
system idle process has a 'cpu' value of 99, im not sure if thats good or bad


well actually, i think thats about it.
the first problem i believe is caused by avg anti virus, so would it go away if i uninstall it, and if so, what other good free antivirus software is there?

any help is greatly appreciated

Try ClamWin antivirus. Try uninstalling any of the bloatware that was pre-installed from the factory. Your system idle process is fine. It means your CPU isn't in heavy use.

What is your pagefile set to (should be system managed). Google it if unsure.

 

[craig7]

Try ClamWin antivirus. Try uninstalling any of the bloatware that was pre-installed from the factory. Your system idle process is fine. It means your CPU isn't in heavy use.

What is your pagefile set to (should be system managed). Google it if unsure.

initial 2046bm
maximum 4092mb
should i set it higher?

edit: i just got clamwin and got rid of avg, system is now down to 336k

 

[jinjuku]

initial 2046bm
maximum 4092mb
should i set it higher?

No, what you should do is find a $20 250GB hd, install it and put the swap file on it. Change the swap file options to system managed.

It will make your computer response a bit snappier.

 

[craig7]

ok a quich question here, im uploading a video to facebook right now and my cpu temp is 51 - 54 degrees. isnt that a bit high?

 

[Theresa]

so, my computer has alot of problems, but no viruses. so heres the list:

system process always uses +100,000k of memory
system idle process has a 'cpu' value of 99, im not sure if thats good or bad

100 MB is not much. The processors utilization is indeed troubling. It could be the AV but it could be a lot of other things. Perhaps you could look at the processes that are running to see which it is.

 

[MDS]

A 99% system idle process means the CPU is idle; other processes at 99% means the CPU is maxed out and the machine will become very slow and unresponsive.

 

[jackaninny]

Microsoft Security Essentials is really all you need if you have a router for your broadband connection. Essentials has really matured into a pretty good product with low background overhead for it's processing.

I would look at doing a fresh install of XP (or Win7) and when you do that think about getting an SSD drive just for the OS and programs - all other "data" files go on a 2nd hard drive - maybe a 2TB or similar. Make sure the SSD has a Sanforce controller.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I dunno 'bout ya all, but i recently added sand-force based ssd disk to my 5 year old machine (a 100 years old in computer years) as boot disk - and it changed my life
Yes, it's expensive upgrade, but it's worth it !
40-50gb should be more than enough for a os boot disk

 

[digicidal]

Yep... I swear by them

I'm slowly but surely upgrading the system drive in everything I own to an SSD. You simply can't beat the speed... regardless of the purpose of the machine. Not to mention that if you are building an ultra-quiet machine (my audio jukebox runs completely fanless) you can really hear those drive seeks loudly. Well, at least until you turn up the volume!

Even if you're running Windows 7 (I am) you don't need more than a 32GB SSD for everything OS + Apps + ??

Just make sure you have a larger drive for data... or if you're really trying for complete silence, just put a NAS box somewhere else and store everything on it. Then everything you need to boot and run is lightning fast and completely silent. Everything else can be big, loud and slow... and you won't ever notice at your listening position.

 

[krzywica]

I saved money by switching to Geico.













Sorry just another post completely unrelated to the OP's.

 

[digicidal]

Lol!

OK then... on topic... I use Avast (free home version) it's pretty lightweight and reliable. Just make sure to turn off all of the sounds if you play music or movies off your PC... because if you don't you will freak out the first time you're watching movie and suddenly hear a "voice from the heavens" proclaiming "your virus database has been updated". Trust me... it's freaky.

I've heard some good things about AVG... but can't say for sure how well or 'thin' it is memory-wise. With avast, even the professional (paid version) only takes up about 14MB of RAM assuming you aren't currently virtualizing an application - which is about the coolest feature an antivirus program can have IMHO.

However, the long and short of it is that if you're anything like me... it's pretty much a necessity to do a backup -> reformat -> reinstall -> copy from backup as needed only cycle about every 18 months. Win7 is much better than many versions of Windows... but it still has the bloat when in comes to uninstalling, etc... You can use utilities to try to find, fix/delete/clean, etc... everything - or you can probably spend less time just reinstalling (depending on your time/patience/experience).

 

[krzywica]

OK then... on topic... I use Avast (free home version) it's pretty lightweight and reliable. Just make sure to turn off all of the sounds if you play music or movies off your PC... because if you don't you will freak out the first time you're watching movie and suddenly hear a "voice from the heavens" proclaiming "your virus database has been updated". Trust me... it's freaky.

I've heard some good things about AVG... but can't say for sure how well or 'thin' it is memory-wise. With avast, even the professional (paid version) only takes up about 14MB of RAM assuming you aren't currently virtualizing an application - which is about the coolest feature an antivirus program can have IMHO.

However, the long and short of it is that if you're anything like me... it's pretty much a necessity to do a backup -> reformat -> reinstall -> copy from backup as needed only cycle about every 18 months. Win7 is much better than many versions of Windows... but it still has the bloat when in comes to uninstalling, etc... You can use utilities to try to find, fix/delete/clean, etc... everything - or you can probably spend less time just reinstalling (depending on your time/patience/experience).

Thats more like it....all good advice. And always remember, the best antivirus is your common sense.

 

[Theresa]

100 MB is not much. The processors utilization is indeed troubling. It could be the AV but it could be a lot of other things. Perhaps you could look at the processes that are running to see which it is.

No, that isn't too high. Its about the same as cpu manufacturers heat sinks usually are. You could get a nice tower CPU cooler with at least one 120mm fan and that would drop it twenty degrees or more YMV. I ordered a new computer about six months ago and it came with a water cooling system. It doesn't lower the heat much over the tower heat sink in my old system but it is quieter.

 

[Theresa]

100 MB is not much. The processors utilization is indeed troubling. It could be the AV but it could be a lot of other things. Perhaps you could look at the processes that are running to see which it is.

No, that isn't too high. Its about the same as cpu manufacturers heat sinks usually are. You could get a nice tower CPU cooler with at least one 120mm fan and that would drop it twenty degrees or more YMV. I ordered a new computer about six months ago and it came with a water cooling system. It doesn't lower the heat much over the after market tower heat sink in my old system but it is quieter.

 

[Theresa]

SSD size for Windows 7

I would find a 32GB one too small. It would be nearly full and SSDs work better with some breathing room. My installation has about 40GB of the 120GB Sandforce drive full and that leaves plenty of room for growth with additional programs. I don't want to take everything non-essential off the SSD as that lowers performance for things like program loading. I had a 60GB Kingston SSD and its performance was dismal, slower than a HD in some cases.

 

[digicidal]

Depends on the usage

I would agree if you only have one computer and you use a ton of applications that a 32GB would be too small - however, I would have sent that Kingston back. I have a little 32GB SSD that even being 90% full is averaging 70MB/sec writes and 140MB/sec reads... granted it's nowhere near as snappy as my 128GB Crucial SSD (170MB & 260MB respectively) but that's to be expected.

Also having to leave 'breathing room' on SSD's is not a big a deal now as it was before better wear-leveling algorithms were implemented at the drive level. I give you that running near full capacity will slightly reduce the life expectancy of the drive, but it will still outlast every physical HD purchased around the same time with ease.

 

[Rob Babcock]

I've been really happy with the 60 GB SSD Mushkin drive. Much faster. To you guys running SSDs, did you delete the swap file?

I agree that Microsoft Security Essentials is at least as good as AVG, especially if you're running Windows 7.

 

[krzywica]

I've been really happy with the 60 GB SSD Mushkin drive. Much faster. To you guys running SSDs, did you delete the swap file?

I agree that Microsoft Security Essentials is at least as good as AVG, especially if you're running Windows 7.

Yes I use swap on my SSD's. As always, double the size of your total physical memory.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I've been really happy with the 60 GB SSD Mushkin drive. Much faster. To you guys running SSDs, did you delete the swap file?

I agree that Microsoft Security Essentials is at least as good as AVG, especially if you're running Windows 7.

I don't swap on the ssd,instead double the ram on regular 7200 hd.
Swapping file on ssd are not recommended sue to higher wear on the flash.
I do have trim, but trim will eventually make ssd run slower.
Supposedly the ssd drives from toshiba used on new MacBooks Pro aren't as fast as SandForce, but don't slow down with high usage..