Need some computer help

[brownsfan019 17]

Computer guys, need your advice -

 

one of my computers that just runs charting (currently OEC charts) recently started slowing down to the point that I really noticed. After checking it out today, it looks like something is causing the CPU Usage to spike massively - pushing 100% OFTEN.

 

If I am doing nothing with no programs open, it runs at 0-2%.

 

As soon as I do anything - open a browser windows, etc. - it spikes all over the place and pushes 100% no problem.

 

The tech guy at OEC said possibly a hardware or 'system' issue. Problem is that I have no idea what to check for and how. How do you try to test your system yourself to find the problem? Or I am just wasting time and should take it up to the local repair shop?

 

Thanks!

[TinGull 10]

My vote would be to take it to a guy who's job it is to figure that thing out. Then they have to back their work up and if it doesn't work, then take it back and stick it to him.

[darthtrader 10]

how old is the system?

I always build mine but if i get more than 2 years out of the machine and it starts to get flakey i just ditch it and build a new one. At the 2 year mark you could probly build the same machine again for less than what it would cost to repair.

I was just looking at maybe building a new one and you can get a monster duo core 2, with 2 gigs of ram and 500 gig drive with all top of the line components for probly about 700 bucks. i'm sure that would eat anything charting wise you could throw at it for lunch.

[brownsfan019 17]

Good points guys - it's a fine line between dumping money into this and just starting over. My concern at this point is that I need a system that can handle 6 monitors and I had to custom order this one I have now. I went locally to have this one made and that shop is out of business. There's another shop close by that I used before and was reasonably priced.

[Reaver 10]

Check out Tune Up utilities 2007, you can download a free trial it scans for things that may be causing problems like you mentioned.

[AbeSmith 10]

Computer guys, need your advice -

 

one of my computers that just runs charting (currently OEC charts) recently started slowing down to the point that I really noticed. After checking it out today, it looks like something is causing the CPU Usage to spike massively - pushing 100% OFTEN.

 

If I am doing nothing with no programs open, it runs at 0-2%.

 

As soon as I do anything - open a browser windows, etc. - it spikes all over the place and pushes 100% no problem.

 

The tech guy at OEC said possibly a hardware or 'system' issue. Problem is that I have no idea what to check for and how. How do you try to test your system yourself to find the problem? Or I am just wasting time and should take it up to the local repair shop?

 

Thanks!

 

Hey Brownsfan. Could be hardware issue. One way to check is to reinstall your operating system. If the problem persists with different programs then it is most likely a hardware issue. Did you change anything recently with the hardware? I don't know if this is related at all but this morning when running OEC Demo I thought my computer was running slower than usual as well.

[brownsfan019 17]

Hey Brownsfan. Could be hardware issue. One way to check is to reinstall your operating system. If the problem persists with different programs then it is most likely a hardware issue. Did you change anything recently with the hardware? I don't know if this is related at all but this morning when running OEC Demo I thought my computer was running slower than usual as well.

 

No hardware changes Abe recently on this machine. OEC did an upgrade recently and while I am to think that may be the issue, the machine is still spiking when I have OEC closed down and running internet explorer.

[AbeSmith 10]

No hardware changes Abe recently on this machine. OEC did an upgrade recently and while I am to think that may be the issue, the machine is still spiking when I have OEC closed down and running internet explorer.

 

Hmm. I don't know. Sometimes after a while a computer gets bogged down with malware or other programs slowing down the computer. From time to time I reinstall my computer's operating system and often it fixes some issues, like slow computer. Otherwise it could be a hardware issue. That I do not know much about but there are sites online that might give good advice. MajorGeeks.com is one site.

[AbeSmith 10]

Also, it helps not having too many programs running. I try to keep my computer to the bare minimum programs. I check the startup programs to keep unecessary programs from opening up on startup, like RealPlayer and other programs that are not necessary to be starting on startup. This might not have anything to do with your troubles, but just FYI.

[mister ed 10]

BF, I would try a few things before taking it to an expert,

CCleaner (find it at http://www.filehippo.com/download_ccleaner/) will rid the hard drive of unnecessary files, may help speed things up.

FreeRamXP (find at http://www.yourwaresolutions.com/) is invaluable in keeping RAM available, doesnt sound like your problem but might be of assistance.

Try using Firefox instead of IE, see if it makes any difference?

[Sparrow 10]

Try to identify the program which causes the cpu usage spikes, if it is a software problem.

Open the task manager, switch to the processes tab and sort by cpu utilization.

 

Virus scanners can sometimes cause spikes, but should be less of an issue on more powerful machines.

[darthtrader 10]

Reinstalling is probly the best idea.

If that works you should consider Norton Ghost. Basically you would reinstall all your apps, get your machine setup perfect then take a snapshot of the harddrive with ghost. Then if you have problems you can just blow away the drive and Ghost will put the drive back to the way it was when you Ghost it the first time.

I always do these tweaks from the audio recording world too for better performance when I first install.

http://www.pcmus.com/TweakXP.htm

I dont bother with Enable APM or Disable Write behind Caching, not sure why though.

 

If its still a hardware issue you really should consider trying to build your own system.You will laugh at how easy it is when your done, its only scary the first time

[brownsfan019 17]

Reinstalling is probly the best idea.

If that works you should consider Norton Ghost. Basically you would reinstall all your apps, get your machine setup perfect then take a snapshot of the harddrive with ghost. Then if you have problems you can just blow away the drive and Ghost will put the drive back to the way it was when you Ghost it the first time.

I always do these tweaks from the audio recording world too for better performance when I first install.

http://www.pcmus.com/TweakXP.htm

I dont bother with Enable APM or Disable Write behind Caching, not sure why though.

 

If its still a hardware issue you really should consider trying to build your own system.You will laugh at how easy it is when your done, its only scary the first time

 

Good idea with Ghost Darth. I never thought of using it like that - get it perfect - windows updates, etc. - and then use Ghost. I guess that would make reformatting a tad easier. :thumbs up:

 

I would like to learn how to build my own to be honest. The local college has a beginner class, so maybe one day I'll do it. I HATE being reliant on others for stuff like this but unless I do it initially, I am stuck at times. And it's not even about money, I just like knowing that if my stuff takes a crap on Sat night that I can spend Sun getting it ready.

[darthtrader 10]

I wouldn't waste your time with a class. Like I said once you decide to do it you will laugh at how easy it is. Even calling it "building" a computer is probly insulting to people who really build stuff. I'm not even sure what they would teach at a class, the biggest part is how to use a screw driver.

Basically you snap the CPU, RAM, video card, audio card into the motherboard, screw the board into the case. screw the hard drive, dvd drive into the case, plug them into the board and install...

If you buy the top quality parts there isn't much that can go wrong and it will be a much better computer since makers are going to skimp on the quality of parts they can't market. You can also salvage parts too if the system dies or you upgrade. I think my power supply is 7 years old now.

[brownsfan019 17]

Thanks darth, I appreciate the advice. The Ghost thing is brilliant since I've never thought of that before! Instead of doing a hard reformat that can take hours with windows updates and stuff, just do it once! I love it!

[AbeSmith 10]

Darth has some great advice Brownsfan. I would only add that you probably should do some reasearch before building your system. There should be websites about this, and also there may be magazines at Barnes and Nobles that are specifically about building your own system. You might also want to check with a technical support forum, like MajorGeeks for example, and ask them what kind of hardware setup they recommend for your requirements. You might be able to use some of your old parts, like graphic cards, ram, and power supply. Just makes sure your power supply is high wattage to be able to handle multiple cards. Your motherboard's manual should also tell you what amount of power is recommended. Let us know how it progresses.

[brownsfan019 17]

Thanks for the suggestions Abe.

 

When the time comes, I'll let you guys know how the building of the computer goes. I'm tempted to do a cheap one just to try it out. I get some email ads from TigerDirect that occasionally are about building a system from the ground up.

 

Here's a question - how hard/easy is to build a laptop? I don't see much about that, so is that just a completely different animal that is not advisable for the do-it-yourselfer?

[MC 10]

Thanks for the suggestions Abe.

 

When the time comes, I'll let you guys know how the building of the computer goes. I'm tempted to do a cheap one just to try it out. I get some email ads from TigerDirect that occasionally are about building a system from the ground up.

 

Here's a question - how hard/easy is to build a laptop? I don't see much about that, so is that just a completely different animal that is not advisable for the do-it-yourselfer?

 

Laptops are a pain in the a$$ IMO. There are some barebones laptop kits but I wouldn't bother. I used to service computers and have been in many name brand model laptops. They are made quite well and with the screw layouts and space to work with in there I would just leave that to the pros. I put a dvd burner in my Apple powerbook g4 with the 12" screen...What a nightmare. They make those things bulletproof, all the cables taped down and so snug. UGGG

 

A desktop is really not hard at all. The worst part is usually getting the front panel connectors to match up if they are not labeled well. Other than that its nothing to "build a pc".

[darthtrader 10]

I don't think its really possible to build a laptop. im not really sure why, I dont know if it has to do with the keyboard/mouse or whatever.

 

if you really wanted to practice before building you could probly go to a computer shop and get some old celeron based machine for 20 bucks, take it apart and put it back togather.

 

even memory now is so cheap I see you don't have to worry about skimping. I always get crucial memory and its 100 bucks for 2 gigs.

 

Just looking quick on new egg its still about 600 bucks to build a sick machine(that price seems constant, just the specs get better over time), then depends what you want to spend on a case. The only thing is i think i might wait until the 3.0ghz duo 2s come down to the less than 200 range. 180-200 always seems to be the deal area for bang for the buck cpu wise. duo core 2 3ghz has to be absurdly fast.

 

the most important thing is to get a cool case

[darthtrader 10]

ahh, this is what my next computer will look like. its like its a brain/alive.

[MC 10]

http://www.directron.com/nbdiy.html

 

Not that I would do it but here is a site that sells barebones laptop kits.

 

Darth has great input...get a junky old computer and tinker.

[brownsfan019 17]

Darth,

I need to ask you to stop posting sweet looking, fun new 'toys' for me or April is going to want to have a word with you.

 

:o

[brownsfan019 17]

Darth and others - so let's say I wanted to learn more about building a computer, any suggestions of books, websites, etc?

[TinGull 10]

http://www.apple.com ................ sorry, just had to. Everyone knew it was coming!

[Sparrow 10]

Building a comp is easy, just choose a cpu, fitting coolers, ram, psu, gpu, motherboard, harddrive, the necessary cables(not that many) and the case and done.

 

Assembly isn't that difficult, i'm always scared to break something but i even short circuited a cpu once and it still runs just fine. Being careful doesn't hurt though.

 

Hardware is outdated so quickly that it is really hard to be well informed.

IMO most off the shelve computers will handle trading and office work easily, at least running xp.

 

Hardware reviews are good at http://www.tomshardware.com i guess but there are tons of other sites.

I love http://www.silentpcreview.com, don't want to spend my day next to a lawnmower.

 

Selecting the hardware might be a bit tricky because it needs some knowledge which components fit toegether.

 

Try this http://www.daileyint.com/build/