Computer slow boot up-Why?

Tim L · 01-11-2004, 06:04 PM

First off I have to say I am not that computer saavy- but a friend helped me and re-install my operating system (Windows 2000 Prof.) My computer is a dell dimension 8200- 1.7G with 512 RDRAM- when I first got the computer (say 2 years agao) it was like lighting when booting up- now it crawls and hangs big time when booting up and shuting down and I have much less software installed now- is there something that I could do to rectify this? Its becoming quite aggravating lately- any advice appreciated greatly
Tim

MorganT · 01-11-2004, 06:25 PM

Reinstall Windows...

NickSo · 01-11-2004, 06:40 PM

MorganT: Maybe you should READ the posts before you give your 'advice' to them... he just said

Quote:

but a friend helped me and re-install my operating system (Windows 2000 Prof.)

Diallo B · 01-11-2004, 07:35 PM

tim i think morgan meant to say do a CLEAN INSTALL OF WINDOWS.

the items that you need are:

1. blank cd's to back up your files.
2. windows boot disk on a 3.5 floppy. (which version does not matter as long as it is not windows xp)
3. your win 2000 disk
4. your friend if you can't follow this.
5. patience and clear thinking. haste makes waste.

next:

1. back up ALL your important files. do not back up programs unless these are programs that are saved to your hard drive and are not on disk. for this situation you need to back up your programs so that you can reinstall them later.

2. reboot your computer with the windows boot disk in the a: drive.

3. go to the following links and FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS TO THE LETTER!

http://www.cybertechhelp.com/html/tu...rial.php/id/38

4. after you have formatted your drive re-install win 2000 and all your programs and put your files back on the hard drive.

5. then revisit http://www.cybertechhelp.com to learn how to keep your computer as fast as possible.

Tim L · 01-11-2004, 09:10 PM

Thanks for the quick replies- I'll check into those links and try to follow theinstructions myself this time- I hate to keep bugging friends- its time I stepped up the the plate this time- hopefully I won't make things worse-the reason for the first re-install was two-fold- a virus got into my computer and my c-drive crashed- so he installed a new hard drive for me ( he also installed a second drive- but now the c:drive is the G:drive- but thats another problem for later I guess). thanks again
Tim

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DaveB · 01-11-2004, 09:56 PM

Sounds like a good idea, Tim. You'll really get a better feel for computers once you dive in and start doing the dirty work yourself. Most learn by a combination of trial-and-error and using the internet as a resource and hopefully to hedge against expensive mistakes.

Good luck!

David

John_Berger · 01-11-2004, 10:51 PM

Tim, make sure that you install the newest IDE drivers for your motherboard. There is no guarantee that Windows 2000 recognizes the chipset. If it doesn't, it will not be able to do any kind of burst mode. Since the hard drive is now the bottleneck in all modern computers, you need to make sure that your drives and motherboard are communicating at the maximum efficiency.

With my DVD authoring system, I absolutely must install the drivers for the IDE chipset when I reinstall Windows 2000. If I don't, I get maybe -- MAYBE -- 5-6 MB/sec transfer rates. Once I install the IDE drives, I can consistently get 35-36 MB transfer rates on my ATA-100 drives. The speed difference on bootup is very noticable before and after the IDE drivers are installed.

Also, make sure that you download and install the newest service pack (currently at SP4) and that you get updates through Windows update. For some reason, I seem to recall a few IDE-based fixes between the service pack and the Windows update.

Chuck Stephens · 01-12-2004, 05:29 PM

John, how do you measure transfer rates from your hard drive? I've been having the same problem as Tim and am just wondering if there's a way to test for what the bottleneck might be. I'm thinking that it's the IDE channel after reading your post but don't want to start installing a bunch of new drivers if it isn't necessary.

John_Berger · 01-12-2004, 06:04 PM

I test it two ways. The first is to just do a transfer from one physical hard drive to another (assuming that both are equivalent in transfer rates) and time it. Obviously, MB transferred / seconds = MB per second.

Nero Burning ROM has a testing utility as well under File -> Preferences -> Cache. It mostly yields consistent results, but not always. It's still enough for you to get a ballpark number.

Of course, hard drive age and type is critical. You're simply never going to get ATA-100 speeds out of an ATA-33 drive no matter how many drivers you install or how much you tweak them.

Tim L · 01-12-2004, 06:28 PM

John thanks for the info- I'm afraid alot went over my head though- I picked up some magazines today and have tried scoping out different sites on the internet trying to grasp all of this stuff- I appreciate all the help guys-I'm just going to have to catch up to speed on this (terminology etc.)-but I'm eager to learn-but what john mentioned about the new hard drive and motherboard make sense- it did seem to slow way down after the install of the new drive-learning something new everyday, thanks again guys keep up the good work. By the way is there a particular dite I could obtain the latest IDE drivers?
Tim