Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

New Products

My Secret Weapon

I know a little something about computers, and so I tend to “attract” people with computer problems of various sorts. I enjoy the challenge of finding out what’s wrong with their machine and on a few occasions it has even helped me save money The complaints I get range from their computer just not running as well as it used to, to it not starting at all or it crashes all the time for no reason, and I have had my share of “bug fixing” to say the least.

I recall one person who joked he was going to throw his PC away because it was so old that no matter what he did, it didn’t run well anymore (the PC was only 4 years “old”).

He had spent a lot of money on upgrades for more memory, larger hard drives, upgrades on all his software, etc. He had even re-installed everything using his restore CD and while all this helped, in a few weeks it was back to the “Slow-Ville Express”.

I asked the usual questions, like did he have and use antivirus and antispyware programs and were these updated continuously, etc. and he confirmed that he had them and used them liberally.

“How often do you defragment your disk?”

“At least once per month, if not more often” was his reply. He then added “all those things help, but it just doesn’t run as good as it used to.”

Now when it gets to this stage, I just can’t help myself — here is a mystery to be solved and so I offered to look at his machine over the weekend.

I got his HP PC and sure enough it was s-l-o-w.

I updated the antivirus signatures and then updated the anti-spyware, and after a very long scan, some malware was found and eliminated, but it was still not as fast as it should have been.

The antivirus scan took a while, but no dice.

I downloaded a free registry checker and it found that his registry was a disaster. After fixing that, the machine was better, but still not quite there yet. I then ensured his drivers were all up to date but that didn’t help much.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

I found that the only defragmentation software he had was the manual MS Disk Defragmenter, so I ran it and since it was taking so long, I went to sleep.

It ran all night and did its thing.

The next day found the PC running a bit better, but still not quite there yet. Then it hit me. I don’t use the MS Disk Defragmenter utility; I use a specialized Defrag program!

So I Googled “disk defrag” and downloaded and installed a fully functional 30 day trial version of the best defrag program I could find and then I put it to work.

First I had it analyze the disk and though this took a while, I was astonished at the results: despite the disk being “defragmented” THREE times, it was showing A LOT of fragmentation! It also showed that the paging file was horribly fragmented and that it and the MFT were grossly misconfigured!

I had the program re-size the paging file and the MFT and then had it defrag the paging file at the next boot up. The difference was phenomenal, and it STILL hadn’t defragged the disk!

When it completed, I used the PC and it was completely night and day: It was running great!

I then ran the anti-spyware programs and interestingly they now found and removed more mal-ware, which made the system perform even better! (I wondered if the fragmentation covered up the malware somehow….)

I like helping people with their computer issues and this experience makes it easy and I end up being a “hero” a lot more often because of it! (And as bonus, it doesn’t take so long to get a result for them….)

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement

Latest Products

Bose 901 60th Anniversary Edition Speakers Lifestyle Front

Bookshelf Speakers

Without any public fanfare, Bose has recreated its legendary 901 Direct Reflecting Loudspeakers that we would like to see and hear in person.

Musical Fidelity M8x Vinyl Phono Stage Silver Front Angle Musical Fidelity M8x Vinyl Phono Stage Silver Front Angle

New Products

Musical Fidelity's new flagship M8x Vinyl Phono Stage is both fully discrete and fully balanced with improved gain stage and more.

Master & Dynamic ME05 Wired Earphones Master & Dynamic ME05 Wired Earphones

Earbuds & In-Ear Headphones

Are wired earphones coming back? The new $199 Master & Dynamic ME05 in-ear headphones refresh a 10-year old design with added support for hi-res...

McIntosh MSA5500 Integrated Streaming Amplifier (Front) McIntosh MSA5500 Integrated Streaming Amplifier (Front)

Digital Music Systems

At $8,000, the McIntosh MSA5500 streaming integrated amplifier isn't for everybody, but it's hard not to be impressed with its styling and audio technology.

HIFIMAN ISVARNA Hybrid Planar Dynamic Headphones HIFIMAN ISVARNA Hybrid Planar Dynamic Headphones

New Products

At $2,899, the HiFiMAN ISVARNA offers both planar magnetic and dynamic drivers to boost the low frequencies in a closed-back design.

Noble audio FoKus Rex5 True Wireless ANC Earbuds Noble audio FoKus Rex5 True Wireless ANC Earbuds

Earbuds & In-Ear Headphones

At $449, the Noble Audio FoKus Rex5 wireless noise cancelling earbuds drop xMEMS support in favor of a new hybrid 5-driver array.

Gift Ideas?

Cyber Monday 2024 Gift Guide

Gift Guides

Cyber Monday 2024 deals you won't want to miss out on from SVS, RSL, THX, Technics, Creative, Denon, Samsung and more.

You May Also Like

Advertisement

ecoustics is a hi-fi and music magazine offering product reviews, podcasts, news and advice for aspiring audiophiles, home theater enthusiasts and headphone hipsters. Read more

Copyright © 1999-2024 ecoustics | Disclaimer: We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.



SVS Bluesound PSB Speakers NAD Cambridge Audio Q Acoustics Denon Marantz Focal Naim Audio RSL Speakers