Disk Defragmenting - Useful ?
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- Re: Disk Defragmenting - Useful ?
Disk Defragmenting - Useful ?
13-07-2009 12:35 PM
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As I'm slowly learning my way around my computer's registry is it worth defraging my Dell Inspiron 6400 laptop?
Have used it now for 18 months. The CPU memory usage is 75%. If I'm right this is rather high and the probable cause of system slowing down and slow response times.
I'm also getting intermittent internet connection for the last 6 weeks though this is improving and now generally limited to ebay pages. Believe this was a generally PN fault, if I'm correct.
Also the battery icon on the toolbar no longer displays the warning triangles before cutting out. Can I improve this anyway?
I'm also still unable to connect the internet by wi-fi and have three responses in Wireless Broadband but this issue is unresolved.
So Defrag or put the laptop on the scrap heap?
Re: Disk Defragmenting - Useful ?
13-07-2009 1:54 PM
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Most likely culprits are the debris and general 'carp' left around by various install / deinstall routines added to the extra start up items that may utilities insist on putting into the Config for you?
E.g. Printer monitors; Let me look for updates for 'X' every day; Let me start this application for a camera that you just might want to use.
My first port of call would be do Start ---> Run and in the box that appears type MSCONFIG. When the new window opens do a careful check of just what is being started each time you boot - you will probably be surprised Most of these can be inhibited by just removing the tick in the box(es). After this you will need to reboot to make the changes take effect.
Now go to All Programs/ accessories/system tools and Run 'Disk cleanup' This will clear out lots more 'carp'
Now Run the defrag!
Hopefully this should get you some of the performance back.
Let us know how you get on.
PS The battery problem you have sugests that the batteries are Knackered {Technical term ] and need to be replaced.
Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.
Re: Disk Defragmenting - Useful ?
13-07-2009 2:27 PM
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Is it XP - or have you Vista.
This laptop I'm on at the moment is a Vista machine - and it runs defrag automatically according to a predefined schedule, and you never notice it doing it.
It is 18 months old and as far as I can tell it runs as fast as the day we got it. And I have to do less than I do to my XP machine which I have to do a deep clean every few months to keep it going fast.
Re: Disk Defragmenting - Useful ?
13-07-2009 3:33 PM
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Things that significantly improved performance for me was: was on XP, but applies on vista too
1/ Ran Ccleaner & got rid of a gig of rubbish --- like index.dat files
2/ Ran a registry cleaner -- did it first with tuneup utilities that I found on a magazine cover & fixed well over 1000 'errors' -- Ccleaner includes a slightly less thorough registry cleaner
3/ Ran a registry defrag - also part of tuneup utilities
4/ Then derfragmented the hard drive with a NON microsoft defragmenrter -- initially Diskeeper but thanks to service packs for windows switched to others -- currently using piriform defraggler & have also tried JKDefrag
5/ When uninstalling programs I now use Revo Uninstaller which gets rid of the detritus your typical uninstaller manages to miss
following this regime (& upgrading RAM) I have a 2003 computer that runs as well if not better than when new!
Re: Disk Defragmenting - Useful ?
13-07-2009 3:41 PM
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Re: Disk Defragmenting - Useful ?
13-07-2009 3:44 PM
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Under Linux there isn't a defrag utility - there wouldn't be a a noticeable improvement by running one!
There isn't a registry - so there's nothing to clean there!
There's usually a proper package system, so when you uninstall/upgrade etc something, you have no "carp" to carp about
Last but not least - if something was going to phone home for updates etc, it would certainly get your permission first.
"In The Beginning Was The Word, And The Word Was Aardvark."
Re: Disk Defragmenting - Useful ?
13-07-2009 3:47 PM
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Open My Computer - select the disk you want to check - right click properties then tools
Re: Disk Defragmenting - Useful ?
13-07-2009 4:31 PM
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Re: Disk Defragmenting - Useful ?
13-07-2009 4:56 PM
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Now where's Start it used to be at the bottoms of the Windows menu. Am I going blind?
Re: Disk Defragmenting - Useful ?
13-07-2009 5:09 PM
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Re: Disk Defragmenting - Useful ?
13-07-2009 5:11 PM
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Re: Disk Defragmenting - Useful ?
13-07-2009 5:24 PM
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Re: Disk Defragmenting - Useful ?
13-07-2009 5:39 PM
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Quote from: MauriceC .
Most likely culprits are the debris and general 'carp' left around by various install / deinstall routines added to the extra start up items that may utilities insist on putting into the Config for you?
E.g. Printer monitors; Let me look for updates for 'X' every day; Let me start this application for a camera that you just might want to use.
My first port of call would be do Start ---> Run and in the box that appears type MSCONFIG. When the new window opens do a careful check of just what is being started each time you boot - you will probably be surprised Most of these can be inhibited by just removing the tick in the box(es). After this you will need to reboot to make the changes take effect.
Do you know what Synaptics Pointing Device and C-Major Audio are?
The list of 10 programmes which include adobe acrobat and java, I do occassionally use these, does that mean they need to run on start.
Funnily there's also my Dell Wireless WLAN Card Network Tray Applet. Guess I can untick that as t' wi-fi don't work!
Found the menu by clicking on windows button then in Start search box put in Command Prompt and hey presto I think I found the right menu!
Re: Disk Defragmenting - Useful ?
13-07-2009 6:51 PM
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To argue with someone who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead - Thomas Paine
Re: Disk Defragmenting - Useful ?
13-07-2009 8:14 PM
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Similarly for Adobe - there are often two entries one to Pre-load the service, to make it available faster should you need it, the other (if present) loads the 'Update checker'. I usually uncheck both? You can manually check for updates via the 'Help' menu option.
Just to be clear. If you discover that you really do need something that you've unchecked, just re-run MSconfig and restore the tick.
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