Vista running very slow. Need some help please.

R

Rawkfist

Member
I have a Dell Studio 1737 laptop with Vista Home Premium Edition. It is running very slowly. When I try to open programs there is sometimes a long pause before they open. Sometimes when I type in Google Chrome there is lag and long pauses with the keys typing in the letters. I have Defragged, done disk clean up, driver updated and did a hard drive scan. The results of the scan came back that some of the files were corrupt and could not be fixed. What should I do next? I have the original Vista disk. It appears that I have SP 1 installed. I also have scanned for viruses and it is ok. I had Nortons 360 but did a full uninstall and Norton Removal Tool.
Thanks
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Studio 1737
    CPU
    Intel Dual Core
    Motherboard
    2.10 Ghz
    Memory
    400 gb
The first thing I would do is run a diagnostic on the HD. Usually whoever makes the drive has diagnostic programs available for download on their support page. The first thing is to try to find out if it's hardware of software. So we should wait on the results of the diagnostic.

If you cannot tell from the system info who made the drive usually there's details about all the components in the system for each model. So you can always look your machine up on the Dell site(assuming the drive was never replaced.)
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion m9515y
    CPU
    Phenom X4 9850
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Some Radeon Cheapie with 512 MB Ram
    Monitor(s) Displays
    CRT
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    750 GB SATA 3G
    2 SIIG Superspeed docks w/WD Caviar Black Sata II or III

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS420
    Memory
    6 gig
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD3650 256 MB
    Sound Card
    Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell SP2009W 20 inch Flat Panel w Webcam
    Hard Drives
    640 gb
    Cooling
    Fan
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Mouse
    Dell USB 4 button optical
    Other Info
    DSL provided by ATT
Ok I think I got it. It looks as though the hard drive is ST9500420ASG ATA Device. Now I googled this and it says Seagate. So I need to dl the info for this Seagate website and then run the diagnostics?
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Studio 1737
    CPU
    Intel Dual Core
    Motherboard
    2.10 Ghz
    Memory
    400 gb
Rawkfist said:
Ok I think I got it. It looks as though the hard drive is ST9500420ASG ATA Device. Now I googled this and it says Seagate. So I need to dl the info for this Seagate website and then run the diagnostics?
Click to expand...

Right. The download should tell you what drives it may be used with. It should have a list of Seagate models it is designed to test.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion m9515y
    CPU
    Phenom X4 9850
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Some Radeon Cheapie with 512 MB Ram
    Monitor(s) Displays
    CRT
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    750 GB SATA 3G
    2 SIIG Superspeed docks w/WD Caviar Black Sata II or III
I was able to dl and run a diagnostic test through the Dell website for my computer and when it did the diagnostic test it failed the Targeted Read Test and then skipped the rest of the tests. Should I still go to Seagate and try to run a diagnostic test?
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Studio 1737
    CPU
    Intel Dual Core
    Motherboard
    2.10 Ghz
    Memory
    400 gb
Ok I dl the Seagate diagnostic one for my hd. Its called SeaTools for Windows. When I do a Fix All Test it fails and says;

Unfortunately, your Seagate product has failed an important diagnostic test, possibly caused by problem sectors which are difficult to read. Seagate recommends that you run SeaTools for DOS, which has the ability to repair most problem sectors. SeaTools for DOS may be able to save you from the inconvenience and down time of exchanging the drive. For more information on this subject see our online FAQ:

Should I try to do the SeaTools for DOS?
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Studio 1737
    CPU
    Intel Dual Core
    Motherboard
    2.10 Ghz
    Memory
    400 gb
Try the easy route. Download the free Crystal Disc. Crystal is a good quick test to see if your hard drive has problems
CrystalDiskMark - Software - Crystal Dew World
I use it about once a month to determine if my Hard drive is beginning to deteriorate. You should use CD on a regular basis and keep your stuff backed up, just in case.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS420
    Memory
    6 gig
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD3650 256 MB
    Sound Card
    Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell SP2009W 20 inch Flat Panel w Webcam
    Hard Drives
    640 gb
    Cooling
    Fan
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Mouse
    Dell USB 4 button optical
    Other Info
    DSL provided by ATT
Should I try to do the SeaTools for DOS?
Click to expand...

If it is free I would try it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion m9515y
    CPU
    Phenom X4 9850
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Some Radeon Cheapie with 512 MB Ram
    Monitor(s) Displays
    CRT
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    750 GB SATA 3G
    2 SIIG Superspeed docks w/WD Caviar Black Sata II or III
richc46 said:
Try the easy route. Download the free Crystal Disc. Crystal is a good quick test to see if your hard drive has problems
CrystalDiskMark - Software - Crystal Dew World
I use it about once a month to determine if my Hard drive is beginning to deteriorate. You should use CD on a regular basis and keep your stuff backed up, just in case.
Click to expand...

Ok I'm doing the Crystal Disk Mark. After dl it I hit ALL and it's doing its thing. How do I interpret the results? Does it tell me if there is a problem and what the problem is? Thanks.
The SeaTools for DOS is free but it is a bit confusing tbh. I may have to ask someone on their Msg Boards how to do it but we'll see. Thanks so far for all the help guys.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Studio 1737
    CPU
    Intel Dual Core
    Motherboard
    2.10 Ghz
    Memory
    400 gb
Just upload a pic of the results
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS420
    Memory
    6 gig
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD3650 256 MB
    Sound Card
    Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell SP2009W 20 inch Flat Panel w Webcam
    Hard Drives
    640 gb
    Cooling
    Fan
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Mouse
    Dell USB 4 button optical
    Other Info
    DSL provided by ATT
I assume the test is done. Here are the results;

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
CrystalDiskMark 3.0.3 x64 (C) 2007-2013 hiyohiyo
Crystal Dew World : Crystal Dew World
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
* MB/s = 1,000,000 byte/s [SATA/300 = 300,000,000 byte/s]


Sequential Read : 60.660 MB/s
Sequential Write : 61.943 MB/s
Random Read 512KB : 23.948 MB/s
Random Write 512KB : 30.347 MB/s
Random Read 4KB (QD=1) : 0.311 MB/s [ 76.0 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=1) : 0.516 MB/s [ 126.0 IOPS]
Random Read 4KB (QD=32) : 0.589 MB/s [ 143.7 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=32) : 0.501 MB/s [ 122.2 IOPS]


Test : 1000 MB [C: 16.9% (76.0/450.7 GB)] (x5)
Date : 2014/01/10 18:02:10
OS : Windows Vista Home Premium SP2 [6.0 Build 6002] (x64)
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Studio 1737
    CPU
    Intel Dual Core
    Motherboard
    2.10 Ghz
    Memory
    400 gb
You have to set the language to English.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS420
    Memory
    6 gig
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD3650 256 MB
    Sound Card
    Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell SP2009W 20 inch Flat Panel w Webcam
    Hard Drives
    640 gb
    Cooling
    Fan
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Mouse
    Dell USB 4 button optical
    Other Info
    DSL provided by ATT
It says it is set to English. I tried it again.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
CrystalDiskMark 3.0.3 x64 (C) 2007-2013 hiyohiyo
Crystal Dew World : Crystal Dew World
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
* MB/s = 1,000,000 byte/s [SATA/300 = 300,000,000 byte/s]


Sequential Read : 59.582 MB/s
Sequential Write : 59.598 MB/s
Random Read 512KB : 23.518 MB/s
Random Write 512KB : 29.294 MB/s
Random Read 4KB (QD=1) : 0.310 MB/s [ 75.6 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=1) : 0.531 MB/s [ 129.6 IOPS]
Random Read 4KB (QD=32) : 0.589 MB/s [ 143.8 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=32) : 0.509 MB/s [ 124.2 IOPS]


Test : 1000 MB [C: 16.9% (76.0/450.7 GB)] (x5)
Date : 2014/01/10 19:20:07
OS : Windows Vista Home Premium SP2 [6.0 Build 6002] (x64)
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Studio 1737
    CPU
    Intel Dual Core
    Motherboard
    2.10 Ghz
    Memory
    400 gb
Uninstall what you have and download this. I know this is a pain for you, but the results will be worth it.
CrystalDiskMark - Software - Crystal Dew World
If this does not work better for you, just go with Miles, his advice is valid. I just thought that Crystal would be easier to use.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS420
    Memory
    6 gig
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD3650 256 MB
    Sound Card
    Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell SP2009W 20 inch Flat Panel w Webcam
    Hard Drives
    640 gb
    Cooling
    Fan
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Mouse
    Dell USB 4 button optical
    Other Info
    DSL provided by ATT
MilesAhead said:
If it is free I would try it.
Click to expand...
@MilesAhead

I got a little busy the past couple of days but last night I was able to DL the SeaTools for DOS program which required me to;
1) burn an image to a blank cd
2) go into BIOS and make the CD ROM drive the first to start up
3) then reboot the comp. with the cd rom (SeaTools DOS program) installed. As soon as it rebooted it started the SeaTools for DOS program right away.
4) then I ran a long diagnostic test which, after a good while, it found 50 errors with the hd
5) then it asked me if I wanted to repair the errors
6) after a few minutes, it made all the repairs and everything works great.
So I wanted to say THANK YOU Miles for the help. My comp is running fast again. All the lag and delays etc are gone. Thanks man.

Thanks to Richc46 for his help, you provided a lot of tips and things that have helped as well.
Thanks again guys,
Steve
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Studio 1737
    CPU
    Intel Dual Core
    Motherboard
    2.10 Ghz
    Memory
    400 gb
Rawkfist said:
I have a Dell Studio 1737 laptop with Vista Home Premium Edition. It is running very slowly. When I try to open programs there is sometimes a long pause before they open. ....................
Thanks
Click to expand...

I also have this problem on my Dell, 1 GB RAM, clean and efficient system. Unlike yours probably, my system slowdown occurs because of the dreaded System Volume Information (service?) that thrashes my hard drive insatiably. Once the System Vol. crud is done, the computer runs fine, fast, at least until the next time I do anything that adds files, plug in a flash drive, or most anything. Vista totally takes control and doesn't allow ME, the user, the privilege of performing MY tasks. It wants to do ITS thing first.
I despise Vista for this. I've asked, but have yet to find a way to STOP this Sys Vol Info junk from occurring. (BTW, I know it's Sys Vol Info doing this because the Resource Monitor tells me so). Would shutting down System Restore prevent this? Anyone?
Thanks.
EW
 

My Computer

System One

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