Slow, balky PC?****update****

[GA_Boater]

Re: Slow, balky PC?

Re: Slow, balky PC?

When you have Task Manager open, what process has high CPU usage?

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: Slow, balky PC?

Re: Slow, balky PC?

The only type of hardware error I have ever dealt with that creates this type of problem has been a failing memory chip, they can cause this to happen, but it is quite rare.

By the way, did you try to boot into safe mode? If you don't know how, it is quite easy, when you first turn the computer on, start slowly the F8 key and this should bring up a black and white screen with several different options on how you want the computer to boot, choose safe mode with network support, it will then load a minimal set of drivers and you can start investigating what is actually loading during a normal boot up.

 

[alldodge]

Re: Slow, balky PC?

Re: Slow, balky PC?

I disabled my single real time anti-virus program and ran SuperAntiSpyWare then Malwarebytes. They both came up with nada. However, when trying to close a program/function that would not populate or close, I hit Ctrl/alt/del and it brought up the process page that showed cpu usage at between 97-100%.

I have disconnected the 'puter and am no taking it down to a geek service.

I would suggest start it up and wait until the drive light stops flashing or gets real slow. This will tell you that the computer has finished booting up.

Go the Start - Programs - Startup , and note all the programs listed. If you find any program which you know you don't want running, delete it from the list. If your unsure write them down and let us know.

Reboot the computer and again wait for the drive light to stop flashing

Go to control panel and select add/remove - let it sit even if it sits all night to populate. With the list up and the drive light not flashing find programs you don't need and remove. Start with any program you know you did not install. Do them one at a time and reboot.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Slow, balky PC?

Re: Slow, balky PC?

Use msconfig to remove unwanted items at startup.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Slow, balky PC?

Re: Slow, balky PC?

Geek squad is very expensive, just look at a buddies computer a couple of weeks ago, they charged him $265.00, I agree with oldjeep, if that is the only option, I would just put the money to a new computer and then take the HD out, put it in an external enclosure and transfer the files you need. I have done this a few times over the last couple of years.

Didn't take it to Geek Squad MT. I took it to a local shop that I found on Angies List. By all accounts, they are very reasonable. Besides, with my old DOS business program, I cannot change to Win 7 or especially Win 8

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: Slow, balky PC?

Re: Slow, balky PC?

Didn't take it to Geek Squad MT. I took it to a local shop that I found on Angies List. By all accounts, they are very reasonable. Besides, with my old DOS business program, I cannot change to Win 7 or especially Win 8

Why can't you change?

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Slow, balky PC?

Re: Slow, balky PC?

I thought most DOS programs would work fine on a 32 bit Windows 7 install. Not sure about 64 bit though.

I would say, get a new business program! There has to be way better ones than an old DOS one. Come on Boomyal, join the 21st century!!!!

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Slow, balky PC?

Re: Slow, balky PC?

I thought most DOS programs would work fine on a 32 bit Windows 7 install. Not sure about 64 bit though.

I would say, get a new business program! There has to be way better ones than an old DOS one. Come on Boomyal, join the 21st century!!!!

In 64 bit Win 7, you can only open a CMD prompt window to about a fifth of the screen size. The program was a custom construction from a development program called FilePro. I started having it built back in 1992. It is taylored to my particular needs. It has no other functionality to weed through or set up, other than what I exactly need. I had never intended it to be a DOS style program with all it's limitation in moving sideways, from one function to another.

I was a novice and got sucked in by a psychotic programmer. I was also overloaded running the business. The costs just kept piling up, far exceeding the original estimates that were given. I am very lucky that the program still functions as this programmer programmed in some lockups that I was fortunate to find. In the end I blew him out but I never got any of the ??source codes that he used to build the program. Even people who are familiar with FilePro can do nothing without them.

This was all back before there was even a Quickbooks. Other programs like PeachTree were still DOS based and very generic and clumsy to use. Even still, today, QuickBooks would be a pain to try to do all the customer record keeping functions that my FilePro does. I do think that FilePro now has a Windows version but I could not just move my data over to it. I would have to start over again and spend money that would not come close to being justified.

In the end I had 14K wrapped up in this thing. This late in the game, having downsized and being semi-retired, I won't be looking for another program. This one has to go the distance. It is a race to see what goes first; my dwindling customer base (haven't advertised in 10 years), my 300+k mile E150 service van OR my ticker.

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: Slow, balky PC?

Re: Slow, balky PC?

It is a race to see what goes first; my dwindling customer base (haven't advertised in 10 years), my 300+k mile E150 service van OR my ticker.

My experience of the stress and frustration of fighting with old and balky software says it might not be the van or your customers....

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Slow, balky PC?

Re: Slow, balky PC?

In 64 bit Win 7, you can only open a CMD prompt window to about a fifth of the screen size.

You're doing it wrong. If you are trying to make win 7 backwards compatible with Dos programs (and I mean backwards). You uninstall the video driver and use the windows VGA driver. Now you lose the ability to put your screen in a modern format, but if you are running dos programs then I guess you are not concerned with that.

 

[achris]

Re: Slow, balky PC?

Re: Slow, balky PC?

Hi Boom,

Have a look at this software (free too :thumb...

CrystalDiskInfo Portable | PortableApps.com - Portable software for USB, portable and cloud drives

I run it about once a week to check drive conditions. If the hardware checks out with this program, then a disk defrag might be required...

Chris.......

 

[britisher]

Re: Slow, balky PC?

Re: Slow, balky PC?

Why not buy a new PC and use that for everything else you use your PC for. Strip out everything except this custom program on the current PC. That should lighten the load on the RAM and HD and in theory make the thing run a bit better.
You said the custom program was designed in 1992, so just how old is the current PC?
If the custom program you are using isn't able to transfer to a newer PC operating system, you are on very dangerous ground. Any important business data would be lost forever if the old PC dies as you can't move it anywhere to continue using it.
Just my 5 cents.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Slow, balky PC?

Re: Slow, balky PC?

In 64 bit Win 7, you can only open a CMD prompt window to about a fifth of the screen size.

I use cmd window at work all the time. I always have to make it bigger.

How to Make the Windows Command Prompt Wider

This big enough?

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Slow, balky PC?

Re: Slow, balky PC?

Hi Boom,

Have a look at this software (free too :thumb...

CrystalDiskInfo Portable | PortableApps.com - Portable software for USB, portable and cloud drives



I run it about once a week to check drive conditions. If the hardware checks out with this program, then a disk defrag might be required...

Chris.......

Great link Chris. I will give it a go.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Slow, balky PC?

Re: Slow, balky PC?

Why not buy a new PC and use that for everything else you use your PC for. Strip out everything except this custom program on the current PC. That should lighten the load on the RAM and HD and in theory make the thing run a bit better.
You said the custom program was designed in 1992, so just how old is the current PC?
If the custom program you are using isn't able to transfer to a newer PC operating system, you are on very dangerous ground. Any important business data would be lost forever if the old PC dies as you can't move it anywhere to continue using it.
Just my 5 cents.

Been doing that more and more, britisher. I seldom go on the internet with it. It does have a lot of old data on it that I keep backed up. Plus I keep the business program backed up onto an external drive and is fairly easily transferred to another computer. I would have to do some massaging to get the two different printers hooked up. (pin printer for labels and a 66 line per inch laser) I do have another PC that I do all my internet cruising on.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Slow, balky PC?

Re: Slow, balky PC?

I use cmd window at work all the time. I always have to make it bigger.

How to Make the Windows Command Prompt Wider

This big enough?
View attachment 217785

I'll check that out bruce, thanks. I have googled the subject before and did not come up with any solutions, just descriptions of DOS limitations. I might be able to use it on my Win 7 laptop where I keep a periodically revised copy of the business program. I do not use it for any input, just for occasional reference but it is a PITA with the small CMD prompt window.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Slow, balky PC?

Re: Slow, balky PC?

You still may have a problem on a 64 bit OS vs a 32 bit one. I had a windows program that would not run on a 64 bit version of W7 but would run on a 32 bit version of W7

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Slow, balky PC?

Re: Slow, balky PC?

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Slow, balky PC?****update****

Took the 'puter to a local service. They said that there was a conflict between Avast and a Windows update that was causing the near lock-up and high CPU usage. They said they uninstalled Avast, then did the update, then reloaded Avast. As it turns out, they were only partly right but but they didn't charge much.

When I got it home the computer did respond better but my DOS business program wouldn't work. You would open it up, it would open a large black CMD prompt window, then a smaller CMD prompt window, with the program menu would open inside that. Then shortly, the smaller menu box would go pffft and you could not close the larger black CMD prompt window. You had to hot kill the computer.

Soon the whole computer was back to the same overall problem.

I ended up calling an old computer guru, I have used, down in FLA. He had my computer remotely for all of Sunday. For the short term he disabled Microsoft updates, fixed the business program issue and then did a 'restore' back to Nov 3. He confirmed that this was plain and simple a problem/conflict with Microsoft updates. He said an OS reload was not going to cure the issue. He is currently doing more research on the problem.

For a good part of the day, I sat in front of the computer watching him go thru so much stuff it had my head swimming. I do not know how mortal man can ever work around a computer, in such depth, as he did.

So far, for the first half of this week the computer works fine, so the way he left it is on the right track but he does not like the idea of having to keep the MS updates turned off.