ARRGH!Another computer update/ruins my day!

[Ray,IN]

Richard, if you decide to wipe your HDD clean and start over with a new install of W10 (I assume thats what you are running). Don't try an refresh or revert to a backup or clone; instead create a new copy on a thumb drive, wipe your drive, then install an entirely new W10.
Go here, https://www.microsoft.com/en-in/software-download/Click on W10, go down to medial creation tool and follow the directions.
Your computer already has the key i permanent memory, so that is not an issue. Just click on "I do not have a key" when asked and everything is automatic after that, with a few restarts along the way.
You already have your files and pictures backed up somewhere to download onto your computer after W10 is all setup and ready. What will be missing is all your programs you have downloaded. Take a picture of your main screen now so you don't have to remember all of them.

[Diver4242]

I used the snip tool a lot, as well. It's still there, buried in the apps menu. You can right click it and put it on your desktop to make it more accessible.

Or, just use the hotkey, which I've learned and saves me a ton of time. It's pressing the Ctrl and Windows keys down, the pressing S while those two are held down.

[Bo Walker]

I have an old Toshiba laptop I mostly use for making proposals, reports and invoices. I had difficulties with it and took it to a repair shop. The repairman replaced the hard drive. Now, it is slower than it's ever been. I don't like to type and wait for it to catch up with me. I'm trying to decide if I want to replace it.

I use an HP desktop I recently bought. I'm still learning it.

[Diver4242]

I've switched everything I use a computer for from Windows apps to free cloud-based apps like Google Sheets, Docs, Slides, Canva, etc.

This allowed me to escape the Windows/Apple monopolies on bloated, expensive computer platforms. I bought an inexpensive, extremely lightweight, and fast Chromebook laptop. It integrates seamlessly with my android phone and tablet.

I've never been happier, computer-wise. I literally pop the lid up and can start working immediately, no long bootup times, takes seconds. I can be editing a document on my Chromebook, close it, then pick up my tablet or phone and continue without missing a beat.

No more worrying about backups.

[Morich]

Thanks for the comments and suggestions as I am certainly not the fully qualified computer sort. So pointing out ideas or just riding along is helpful!
Some things are beginning to look a bit more clear but that also leaves far too many questions for me to understand.
Maybe you folks can let me know what you are seeing on your end as a way to sort if this is a personal machine problem or just something more the whole field tends to throw at us?

I have the snip and sketch and I use it a lot on various things besides the forum. Shopping on different sites is where I started to notice a trend.
There are dull sites where things like ads are pretty low key and change slowly but there are sites where the ads come almost constantly with lots of videos.

That second group seems to be where my machine gets behind and gradually comes to a stop. Using the task manager graphs as a guide is pretty rough trying to relate ads to the graphs as they are lagging behind at different speeds, depending on how far my machine is lagging?? But it is the best I have, so trying to work with it as a testbed!

So my question becomes whether I am having a personal computer problem or is it more a sign of increased ads flooding all of our machines and I have noticed it more on the forum because I post too much and do too many snips of drawings and such!

Have you folks noticed we are getting lots more big video type ads in the center?
Or am I being paranoid in my search?

I did snag a few examples of when my machine seems to get behind and my work comes to a stop as it is lower priority than the ads?

Click these snips to get something you can read!

Google news site which gives me no trouble doing a snip. It causes a burst of activity as it opens but calms soon, then I open the task manager and snip app for a second burst which also calms quickly.


Does this make sense for you trained folks? Or am I chasing rabbits?

What I see as different ads come on the screen. This one I get a burst of CPU, hard drive , etc but it calms reasonably soon. On this I can do a snip with no problems!


But these seem to give me full time CPU, hard drive, internet and graphics and I have a lot of trouble doing a snip!



Some, I can't snip without clearing some open tabs as my hard drive is maxed?



Does this show you folks anything to point out which way I might go to manage the problem.
I have different equipment for really important work but it seems fine as I don't get involved with much else on that setup. Too much involved if I were careless and got the two mixed!

At this point, changing machines with all the learning curve involved is not likely to happen. I'm closer to fully quitting than I am to starting a new trek of a new desktop.
Chromebook sounds like a thing I might consider if it would move me far enough and also be portable?

[Ray,IN]

I think most of your problems can be solved by installing a new SSD and more memory. Have your files and pictures backed up and do a clean install of your OS on the new solid state drive/SSD. DIY will cost about $70 and and a few hours of your time.


For comparison I have a 1TB SSD, 16gb memory, and did a clean install of W10 after installing those upgrades. I am limited on up/down speeds by being limited to DSL land line service.


As to adds, I have the FireFox add-on Ad Block Plus and adds are never an issue. But first you must clean your machine of trackers and temporary files those adds install.

[Eagle5]

I use SeaMonkey with AdBlock Plus enabled, but if I don't use AdBlock, my 13-year-old system gets seriously bogged-down.

[l1v3fr33ord1]

Richard-

As I read your Task Manager screen, your PC has 4 GB of RAM and roughly 450 GB of disk capacity, I'm not sure how much of that disk is full. Please confirm these numbers and if you can, tell us

- how full is the disk, and
- the year, make and model of your computer

Windows penalizes you if your computer is short on RAM. If it runs out it will use the disk as RAM; this is called "paging to disk." The disk on your computer is much slower than the RAM. When paging occurs your computer will slow down dramatically. If your disk is short on space, it will slow down very dramatically when paging.

Web sites and browsers have gotten sloppy, and now some demand multiple GB of RAM to run. I can see that 4 GB of RAM would have the computer paging. If your computer has a hard disk light and it stays on when browsing, while performance tanks, you probably are a victim of paging.

The fix for paging- and it's been this way with Windows for a long time- is to install more RAM in the computer. If your computer is old, I suggest the maximum amount of RAM it can hold. Hopefully, this eliminates paging completely. If your computer can't hold any more RAM than it has now, a new computer is in order.

How difficult it is to replace RAM depends on the computer. It used to be a user-doable thing, but some laptops are too difficult and some you can't even upgrade.

"Ray,IN's" suggestions in post #26 are the direction to go. If you can install 8, 12 or 16 GB of RAM into your current computer that's where I'd start. Again, go for maximum memory. It's pretty short money. If no relief, then move on to a larger SSD and a clean Windows install.

Re: Chromebook and its ilk, and everything in the cloud. I encourage folks to stick with the devices and operating systems they know, with some exceptions. In your case, I'd stay with Windows. Don't be afraid of a move to Windows 11, though.

[Ray,IN]

Your last snip shows your HDD @ 100%, which is not good, with only 4gb memory. That means yuur machine is maxed-out.4gb memory is the minimum for running Windows 10/W11.
Since you have a laptop, rather than spend money attempting to upgrade both memory and disc capacity, I'd buy a new laptop with at least 16gb ram(memory) and 1TB SSD. About the only brand IMO to avoid is Lenovo. I much prefer HP Products, as they seem to be workhorses; but there are other brands that perform well too.
Update: Richard, this W11 machine sounds like a good deal, with 16GB memory and 512GB SSD https://www.amazon.com/HP-Elitebook-...c&sr=1-18&th=1
IMO it will be blazing-fast compared to your present machine.

[Morich]

A bit of update on this project as I have seen lots of improvement and can see how to make some other gains.

Not any one single thing that has done the good stuff but more of a bunch of small points that added bits here and there.
One is moving a lot of pictures off my machine to reduce the amount of memory used.
Two was getting a bit more advise on doing some simple things to better remove or control the junk that Microsoft pushes on us.

I do not use Edge and likely will not but was unsure how involved to get in trying to remove it. With better trained folks watching me, I did not remove it but did simply disable it. That did not remove the memory hog part but it did shut down a lot of the time wasting it was doing! Major improvement there!

In doing a "bug hunt" for what was running, we went through and removed or disabled a number of junk items which I was sure I would never use and some way had been turned on. I assume these came up and were turned on in updates as they are not things I would ever use as I don't have the added equipment to use them.
No point in having junk running for cameras if I don't have a camera on the machine!
Cortana is not practical with no mike to speak to it!

Still in the process of moving files off the machine. Things like pictures that are already backed up in two different cloud sites but never removed from local memory and that will be a slow process to avoid removing or losing something I want to keep but no big challenge, just time consuming!

We discussed several options of going to a new improved laptop with a huge SSD for bigger and faster. Not really something we wanted to do right now as it is likely to change over time and no reason if what I have is okay once the junk is removed or shut down/disabled. Deferred spending $300 for now. One of the big points would be moving things over and learning Windows 11. Not a fan of the newer as it has even more junk that I do not want?

An added SSD is cheap enough but would require study and lots more time involved than improving what I have, so perhaps something to keeping mind for some day if an in between is needed?

Added a new and better ad blocker which also shows big improvement in overall ops! It did take a bite out of the recovered memory, though!

So, I am now down to "good enough" and I will be more alert when I see new features force fed to me. If not wanted, I am better trained now on killing the snakes as they add them!

Current results after changes show lots of improvement! But I will continue to remove unwanted/unneeded pictures to clear more memory!

[Ray,IN]

Adds and "bloatware" eat up a lot of memory, as you are discovering. Like Eagle5 recommended, download the web browser Adblock Plus, it will block adds from eating up memory and disc space. Then use one of these 2 maintenance programs, CCleaner is a safe to use program that removes trackers and unwanted cookies plus temporary files websites install on your computer.
The other program is Glarysoft5, It is a more thorough program that does the same thing, only better. Both programs are free.
You can download one, use it, then remove it if you wish. I have GlarySoft5, and I remember one week I ran it and it removed over 27,xxx trackers and 900MB of temporary files. I was floored at the sheer amount of trackers and unwanted temporary files it found on my computer.
Neither one of those programs will have a negative effect on your computer if you use the standard configuration.

[Morich]

Thanks for that info. I have made a note and as I get lots more of the excess pictures removed I will then move to getting more of the other stuff removed.
I think I have made lots of progress but now I'm finding lots of junk that I've created and want to get that more controlled while on the mission!

Part of my drive to avoid changing to newer computers is that I know they will have even more junk that I don't want and I don't want to learn a new setup like Windows 11!
It bugs me even more that I am now seeing it done on my car! I took a Honda pilot in for recall work and it came back with new features like a new white line on the dash screen. I know that it doesn't cost me anything for them to add it but then why clutter my screen with a tach when the whole point of having an automatic is that I don't have to think about when the shift!
Just more junk that is more distraction when most drivers are already too busy!
It can't be meant as a sales gimmick or it is not working. When I called back to ask about the function, they did not know it was there as they had never noticed it!
Just part of the recall upgrading the program!

[Eagle5]

Hi Ray, Richard, Et al.,
I used to clean-out 20,000 trackers in just a single 3-hour session. The ad blocker makes all the difference.
Thanks, Eagle5

[Ray,IN]

Richard, we_you and I have 3 upcoming choices; #1 learn W11, #2 learn Linux OS, #3 buy and learn Apple=$$$$$.
Microsoft drops support for W10 in 2025, after that our machines still run but with the likelihood of contamination by a virus or other malware.
That HP laptop I linked to is also sold with W10, but I didn't' mention it because of the previous comments.


Matter of fact, your present machine is a good candidate for running Linux Ubuntu Desktop, which is designed to mimic W10 OS. There is a learning curve, but since you are storing your pictures and files on a cloud the curve will not be as steep.


I"m lucky enough to have both W10 and Linux Desktop on my machine with dual-boot so I can run Linux for a while and when I get stumped with something I can go to the Ubuntu discussion forums and ask for help..