# Solved: Dell Dimension 2400 Running Slow



## peterinwa (May 29, 2004)

Everything seems to be working but suddenly it's slow motion. Takes a long time to load Internet Explorer, for example. Just about anything.

Could be coincidence, but seems like maybe a fan or disk drive or something is a little noisier than normal.

Do I just have to get service? Any way to tell if it could be software?

It's run fine for about 15 months since I got it new. Warranty JUST ran out two days ago and I decided not to renew.

Thanks for any suggestions,

Peter


----------



## norton850 (Mar 9, 2004)

Hi Peter

Have you kept up with running antiviral and antispyware software on your machine? If you press the CTRL-ALT-DEL keys what's running under task manager?


----------



## win2kpro (Jul 19, 2005)

Peter, I would start with just some general cleanup. Clean out the temporary IE files and cookies, clean the TEMP folder, download both AD-AWARE and SPYBOT S&D (both are free) (after you install these program before you run them check for updates, then run the programs and delete whatever they find) download PC TOOLS REGISTRY MECHANIC (you can run it and it will tell you how many registry errors you have but won't clean all of them until you purchase the program).

Have you cleaned the interior portion of the tower? If not get a can of compressed air available at most any office supply store,
unplug everything from the tower, remove the side panel and take the tower outside and blow out any dust or debris in the tower. Remember the key here is to blow the dust and debris OUT not INTO the tower. Be careful blowing on the fans because you may overspeed the fans and damage a bearing. When you blow on the fans it's best to hold one blade with your finger tip to keep it from spinning. Check the heatsink closely to make sure that it is not excessively clogged with dust and debris.

After the cleaning reconnect the tower, remove the side panel and power everything up. Visually look at all the fans and see if they appear to be operating properly without any "jerky" motions. If you have one that is not operating or is "jerky" i.e. (not running smoothly) replace the fan.

As to the noise I use an old method to determine the source. I took a wooden dowel, cut it off and rounded one end. I can hold the flat end of the dowel against a fan motor or hard drive with the rounded end at my ear and can hear any fan motor bearing noise or any "clicking" or "grinding" in the hard drive. Essentially, this is just a cheap stethoscope. 

Generally, any "clicking" or "grinding" sound from the hard drive indicates the beginning of hard drive failure.

Hope this helps you.


----------



## techno_lust (Mar 21, 2005)

peterinwa said:


> Everything seems to be working but suddenly it's slow motion. Takes a long time to load Internet Explorer, for example.
> 
> Thanks for any suggestions,
> 
> Peter


Why in the world are you still shackled to IE?

Even under the best of condidtions, Internet Rxplorer is a big fat resource pig with endless security issues. try something new.

http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/


----------



## techno_lust (Mar 21, 2005)

peter, 

The cause of a sudden slowdown could be caused by so many different things that troubleshooting on your part is required unless you have really deep pockets.

It wasn't long ago that my system went into slowmo and it took about a week to isolate but what it came down to for me was that I had just bought a new multifunction USB printer and it has really crappy drivers and as a result, it really causes my system to lag.

I didn't make the mental connection to the problem being with the new printer at first because I hardly ever use the thing. About a week after I bought it, I unhooked it so I could loan it to friend for a day and it was then that I discovered that the new printer and it's driver software were the cause of my sudden system slowdown.

The point I am trying to make is that your problem could be many things and in the end it will probably prove to be something very simple. Your just going to have to hack your way through the issue. You will find the problem, I am confident


----------



## peterinwa (May 29, 2004)

Thanks for the great advice. I'll take it a step at a time as win2kpro suggests.

Yes, anti-viral stuff in up-to-date.

Actually it's running a little better this morning, which can only make it harder to find and maybe implies falky hardware. Noticed it took a long time to load a webpage from MY hard drive so it's not the internet.

It's only a year old so I doubt it's dust but I'll do that anyway. Have the can of air... given to me to clean the LCD monitor but I don't use it because it freezes it and causes water to appear.

About IE... I use it because most of my website visitors use it so it makes it the most important browser to me for that reason. I test my site with other browsers.

Thanks... backing up everything now!

Peter


----------



## peterinwa (May 29, 2004)

Well, it's been exactly a month since I posted and it's been horrible. Wasting so much time every day.

I spent $200 to extend my Dell hardware warranty which was about to expire, but was slow to call for service hoping I wouldn't need to replace the disk drive. Hoping it was software.

I've been running Ad-Aware and Spybot and still the problems continues, so I called for hardware service today. They had me run some diagnostics and insist the disk is fine, so they referred me to software support.

Ouch, after just extending the hardware warranty! It's $99 per incident or $239 a year. At first this just made me mad, but I've wasted so much time this last month I'm wondering if I shouldn't just pay.

I suppose another possibility would be to back everything up (which it is) and wipe the disk clean and just start from scratch. But I'm such a novice with PCs this would be an incredible undertaking.

Looking at the money I'm spending, buying a new PC might be a better option! (Just kidding.. this one's only a year old.)

Norton850... about your post... what running under the Task Manager. Do you mean applications? Nothing.

When I start my PC I get a note saying that my Norton Internet Security is not turned on. When I click on the message, it shows that it is!?!

When I go to Norton IS via the Start menu, it also shows that everything is turned on except:

1. Ad Blocking (As a webmaster I like to see all ads)
2. Anti-Spam (I was sending too much good stuff into an anti-spam folder)
3. Parental Control (Though this is off it always downloads the updates... agrevating!)

It is curious that I get this message saying NIS is off. ???

Thanks.


----------



## norton850 (Mar 9, 2004)

It might be worth downloading and running Hijack This to see if you have something on your system that might be the cause of the problem. Post a log on the forum, but be patient. Although many of us are comfortable with it on our own systems, advising someone else is a different story.


----------



## Couriant (Mar 26, 2002)

When you install and launch HighJackThis, click on Do a System Scan and Save a Logfile. When you save the log file (should be hjt.txt. Save it in a conveinent place), go to where the log file is and open it. Then copy the entire log (Edit > Select All, then Edit > Copy) and paste it here. (Edit > Paste)

It seems that you are running something in the background that is slowing up your machine.

When you said Anti-viral you mean just an antivirus program? Or did you also mean spyware stuff, like Ad-Aware, Spybot S&D or Microsoft Anti-Spyware?


----------



## peterinwa (May 29, 2004)

I'm running Ad-Aware, Spybot with Tea Timer, and Norton Anti-virus and Internet Security.


----------



## peterinwa (May 29, 2004)

Thanks, here's the log... it was easy if I did it right. Not that I'd have a clue what it means!

I ran Ad-Aware not too long ago and things are running fast now. So maybe I need to do this when it's running slow?

Logfile of HijackThis v1.99.1
Scan saved at 1:27:19 PM, on 10/3/2005
Platform: Windows XP SP2 (WinNT 5.01.2600)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v6.00 SP2 (6.00.2900.2180)

Running processes:
C:\WINDOWS\System32\smss.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\igfxtray.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\hkcmd.exe
C:\Program Files\Java\j2re1.4.2_03\bin\jusched.exe
C:\Program Files\Dell\Media Experience\PCMService.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\dla\tfswctrl.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccApp.exe
C:\Program Files\MusicMatch\MusicMatch Jukebox\mmtask.exe
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Money\System\mnyexpr.exe
C:\Program Files\Dell Support\DSAgnt.exe
C:\Program Files\Spybot - Search & Destroy\TeaTimer.exe
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 5.0\Distillr\AcroTray.exe
C:\Program Files\Digital Line Detect\DLG.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccProxy.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccSetMgr.exe
C:\Program Files\Norton Internet Security\Norton AntiVirus\navapsvc.exe
C:\Program Files\Norton Internet Security\Norton AntiVirus\SAVScan.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\SNDSrvc.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccEvtMgr.exe
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\Security Center\SymWSC.exe
C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe
C:\Program Files\Outlook Express\msimn.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\WINZIP\winzip32.exe
C:\Documents and Settings\Peter\Local Settings\Temp\HijackThis.exe
C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe

R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Page_URL = http://www.dell4me.com/myway
R0 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Peter/My%20Documents/Websites/cph/index_food.html
R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://www.dell4me.com/myway
N3 - Netscape 7: user_pref("browser.startup.homepage", "file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Peter/My%20Documents/Websites/cph/index_burn.html"); (C:\Documents and Settings\Peter\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\default\a6acryxk.slt\prefs.js)
N3 - Netscape 7: user_pref("browser.search.defaultengine", "engine://C%3A%5CProgram%20Files%5CNetscape%5CNetscape%5Csearchplugins%5CSBWeb_01.src"); (C:\Documents and Settings\Peter\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\default\a6acryxk.slt\prefs.js)
O2 - BHO: AcroIEHlprObj Class - {06849E9F-C8D7-4D59-B87D-784B7D6BE0B3} - C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 5.0\Acrobat\ActiveX\AcroIEHelper.ocx
O2 - BHO: (no name) - {53707962-6F74-2D53-2644-206D7942484F} - C:\PROGRA~1\SPYBOT~1\SDHelper.dll
O2 - BHO: (no name) - {549B5CA7-4A86-11D7-A4DF-000874180BB3} - (no file)
O2 - BHO: DriveLetterAccess - {5CA3D70E-1895-11CF-8E15-001234567890} - C:\WINDOWS\system32\dla\tfswshx.dll
O2 - BHO: MSEvents Object - {827DC836-DD9F-4A68-A602-5812EB50A834} - C:\WINDOWS\system32\ssqpp.dll
O2 - BHO: Web assistant - {9ECB9560-04F9-4bbc-943D-298DDF1699E1} - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\AdBlocking\NISShExt.dll
O2 - BHO: NAV Helper - {BDF3E430-B101-42AD-A544-FADC6B084872} - C:\Program Files\Norton Internet Security\Norton AntiVirus\NavShExt.dll
O2 - BHO: (no name) - {FDD3B846-8D59-4ffb-8758-209B6AD74ACC} - (no file)
O3 - Toolbar: Web assistant - {0B53EAC3-8D69-4b9e-9B19-A37C9A5676A7} - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\AdBlocking\NISShExt.dll
O3 - Toolbar: Norton AntiVirus - {42CDD1BF-3FFB-4238-8AD1-7859DF00B1D6} - C:\Program Files\Norton Internet Security\Norton AntiVirus\NavShExt.dll
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [IgfxTray] C:\WINDOWS\System32\igfxtray.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [HotKeysCmds] C:\WINDOWS\System32\hkcmd.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SunJavaUpdateSched] C:\Program Files\Java\j2re1.4.2_03\bin\jusched.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [PCMService] "C:\Program Files\Dell\Media Experience\PCMService.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [dla] C:\WINDOWS\system32\dla\tfswctrl.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [UpdateManager] "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Sonic\Update Manager\sgtray.exe" /r
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [QuickTime Task] "C:\Program Files\QuickTime\qttask.exe" -atboottime
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ccApp] "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccApp.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [URLLSTCK.exe] C:\Program Files\Norton Internet Security\UrlLstCk.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [mmtask] c:\Program Files\MusicMatch\MusicMatch Jukebox\mmtask.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Symantec NetDriver Monitor] C:\PROGRA~1\SYMNET~1\SNDMon.exe /Consumer
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [MoneyAgent] "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Money\System\mnyexpr.exe"
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [DellSupport] "C:\Program Files\Dell Support\DSAgnt.exe" /startup
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [SpybotSD TeaTimer] C:\Program Files\Spybot - Search & Destroy\TeaTimer.exe
O4 - Global Startup: Acrobat Assistant.lnk = C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 5.0\Distillr\AcroTray.exe
O4 - Global Startup: Adobe Gamma Loader.lnk = C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Calibration\Adobe Gamma Loader.exe
O4 - Global Startup: Digital Line Detect.lnk = ?
O8 - Extra context menu item: E&xport to Microsoft Excel - res://C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~4\Office10\EXCEL.EXE/3000
O9 - Extra button: (no name) - {08B0E5C0-4FCB-11CF-AAA5-00401C608501} - C:\WINDOWS\System32\msjava.dll (file missing)
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Sun Java Console - {08B0E5C0-4FCB-11CF-AAA5-00401C608501} - C:\WINDOWS\System32\msjava.dll (file missing)
O9 - Extra button: Real.com - {CD67F990-D8E9-11d2-98FE-00C0F0318AFE} - C:\WINDOWS\System32\Shdocvw.dll
O9 - Extra button: MUSICMATCH MX Web Player - {d81ca86b-ef63-42af-bee3-4502d9a03c2d} - http://wwws.musicmatch.com/mmz/openWebRadio.html (file missing)
O9 - Extra button: Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Windows Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O12 - Plugin for .spop: C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\Plugins\NPDocBox.dll
O16 - DPF: ppctlcab - http://www.pestscan.com/scanner/ppctlcab.cab
O16 - DPF: {17492023-C23A-453E-A040-C7C580BBF700} (Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Tool) - http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=39204&clcid=0x409
O16 - DPF: {2FC9A21E-2069-4E47-8235-36318989DB13} (PPSDKActiveXScanner.MainScreen) - http://www.pestscan.com/scanner/axscanner.cab
O16 - DPF: {6414512B-B978-451D-A0D8-FCFDF33E833C} (WUWebControl Class) - http://v5.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/v5consumer/V5Controls/en/x86/client/wuweb_site.cab?1097085185046
O20 - Winlogon Notify: igfxcui - C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\igfxsrvc.dll
O20 - Winlogon Notify: ssqpp - C:\WINDOWS\system32\ssqpp.dll
O23 - Service: Symantec Event Manager (ccEvtMgr) - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccEvtMgr.exe
O23 - Service: Symantec Network Proxy (ccProxy) - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccProxy.exe
O23 - Service: Symantec Password Validation (ccPwdSvc) - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccPwdSvc.exe
O23 - Service: Symantec Settings Manager (ccSetMgr) - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccSetMgr.exe
O23 - Service: Norton AntiVirus Auto Protect Service (navapsvc) - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Norton Internet Security\Norton AntiVirus\navapsvc.exe
O23 - Service: SAVScan - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Norton Internet Security\Norton AntiVirus\SAVScan.exe
O23 - Service: ScriptBlocking Service (SBService) - Symantec Corporation - C:\PROGRA~1\COMMON~1\SYMANT~1\SCRIPT~1\SBServ.exe
O23 - Service: Symantec Network Drivers Service (SNDSrvc) - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\SNDSrvc.exe
O23 - Service: SymWMI Service (SymWSC) - Symantec Corporation - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\Security Center\SymWSC.exe


----------



## Couriant (Mar 26, 2002)

peterinwa said:


> I'm running Ad-Aware, Spybot with Tea Timer, and Norton Anti-virus and Internet Security.


Just for added protection, you should get Microsoft's Anti-spyware program. It found some that Adware and Spybot missed.

Rule of thumb, run anti-spyware programs once a week.

Also your log file seems good :up:


----------



## peterinwa (May 29, 2004)

Is it Microsoft's version free? Where do I get it?

Also FYI I'm running free versions of Ad-Aware and Spybot in case that makes a difference.


----------



## Couriant (Mar 26, 2002)

1) Yes and from Microsoft.  When it expirs, simply redownload it. 

2) Nope, not really.


----------



## peterinwa (May 29, 2004)

My PC has been running lightning fast for three days now so I guess this is resolved.

What finally happened was my Norton Anti-Virus Software crashed. The status of everything said that it was "Tampered With" and that I should uninstall and re-install.

I couldn't figure out how to re-install since I didn't have a CD. I got the software with the PC... a trial version... then paid for a year.

Over the years Norton has worked well for me but I have always felt they offered ZERO (free) support.

Well, my ISP is Comcast and they recently announced that they offer free McAfee Anti-virus and Internet Security software. So I switched to that and everything's been fine. And they even offer free chat support which I needed to get things going being such a novice.

Thanks for all the help. I'll now run Ad-Aware and Spybot on a regular basis whereas I'd never heard of them before. Not sure they actually helped in this case, but can't hurt.

Oh, and I do have a hunch... just a hunch... that my Norton security wasn't working and so bad stuff kept getting in over and over. And that's what caused the slow PC problem to keep coming back.

Bye for now, Peter


----------



## Couriant (Mar 26, 2002)

:up: good luck


----------



## dustyjay (Jan 24, 2003)

Norton used to be the slickest thing since sliced bread. But lately, I have talked to many people who are extremely disatisfied with it. And the slow down thing is a common complaint. I got rid of Norton over a year ago and use AVG anti Virus and Microsft Anti Spyware. Both Free. Niether have ever caused a problem.


----------



## flyboydale54 (Jul 1, 2008)

*Dell Dimension you have is slow you say, well here is what I found by experience a few days ago working on a friends computer. It was sooooo... slow that I had to wait 10 minutes just for the Start Menu to come up. You could not do anything with it. I used Symantec Systems Work CD, just to check how many registry errors there were. Would you believe 654? This was beyond reasonable repair. Just to get it so I could do something with it, I had to uninstall most of the programs, and then it got a bit cooperative. I completely wiped the hard drive by doing a low-level format by writing all zero's to the HD. I did a fresh install of their XP Home Operating System, followed by installing Service Pack 2 from my CD, followed by windows update for the 90+ hotfixes and critical updates, (which incidently blocked me out of the Windows Update Site immediately after using the site to download the hotfixes and critical updates, 2nd time in 2 weeks this has happened on 2 DELL Computers, one being new and fresh out of the box), followed by Service Pack 3 Installation from my CD (which this fixed the access to Windows Update Web Site). The computer is slow and it has a P4/2.6 Gig processor in it. The front side bus is 533Mhz and the RAM Bus Speed is only 333Mhz. So here is another bottlenecked DELL Computer I have found. I do not see it as being a very fast computer. Take the processor, hard drive, CD Burner Drives, and put them into a good quality motherboard in another case, and I bet it would fly. My personal hands on experiences with DELL Dimension Computer is they are all slow. DELL put the screws to people by toting how fast their FSB specs are, yet they don't brag about the bottleneck in their OEM Motherboards which generally had a much slower RAM Bus Speed, causing a huge bottleneck and slow down. So, it is faster after a fresh install of the OS, but I would not want one because I do not like to wait for the computer to think and act.*

*If anyone has any real good ideas based on the fact this Dimension 2400 :down: has a fresh install of XP Home, so there is not spyware, no viruses, nothing but all zeros written to the hard drive prior to the install, I would like to hear about them. Please email me at: [email protected] if you know why these are so slow compared to other computers with the same processor other than my findings above. Thanks everyone. *


----------

