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Author
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Topic: Need Help With A Computer Problem
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Gunner
Pilot
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posted 03-15- 09:16 AM
   
My computer freezes for a second or two randomly.For example, In Autocad, the crosshairs freeze for a second, or while typing the cursor stops for a second. My Winamp skips and sounds like a hip-hop machine for a second or two. I have run a full scandisk, and defraged twice. Got any ideas? This is very annoying! Thanks, Gunner IP: Logged |
Zurawski
Pilot
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posted 03-15- 10:28 AM
What OS and what background apps are you running?IP: Logged |
Gunner
Pilot
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posted 03-15- 11:24 AM
WiN98seEverything possible is turned off in the background other than the OS and Acad14 that I am working in. Gunner IP: Logged |
Zurawski
Pilot
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posted 03-15- 11:45 AM
Ok... a few questions I for got...  1.) Do you.if you have Any revision Office installed, by default it puts "fastfind" into your startup folder... this app will pound your HD every 10 minutes to reindex office files (causing a pause). If you have this, "kill it". 2.) What amount of RAM do you have? You'll like wise get a pause like this if you have insufficent memory, thus windows pages out to the harddrive. 3.) Check your Acad14 settings to see if you have any form of "auto-save" running... This would cause the app to make a quick-save ever once in a while cuasing a pause. 4.) Do you have a scanner on your PC? If you do, turn it off when not using it... Scanners will poll your PC causing a pause from time-to-time.... IP: Logged |
Gunner
Pilot
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posted 03-15- 12:15 PM
Yeah,No autosave,no fastfind, no scanner, 256 meg of RAM. I know, it's very strange. Gunner IP: Logged |
hip63
Pilot
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posted 03-15- 12:25 PM
Try this:
Click on the 'Start Button'
then click on 'RUN'
type in 'msconfig' & click 'OK'
A system configuration utlity will pop-up
at first you will be under the 'General Tab'
under the General Tab click 'Selective Start Up', then below that click 'Load Start Up Group Items' & remove the check mark there...
Then, back up top click on the 'Start Up Tab'(near the upper-right-hand corner).
This is a list of programs that are automatically started up when you start your PC & believe me, alot of these can really be a drain on your system, so I turn most of this crap off, but there are few that need to stay on & these are as follows:
On this list put back the check marks for 'Scan Registry', 'System Tray', & anything related to your Anti-Virus...and anything else you know for a fact you need on all the time.
Then click 'Apply', then click 'OK' & when prompted, restart your computerhope this helps.......
hip63 
------------------
...remember always fly HIGH!!!
http://groovygalaxy.50megs.com/psychedelicsquadron.html [This message has been edited by hip63 (edited 03-15-2001).] IP: Logged |
Stever
Cadet
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posted 03-15- 07:35 PM
I just upgraded my system to 256 mb ram and my computer has been intermittantly freezing for a second or two also. The cursor will stop and then move. I thought it was due to the processor being bogged down. This did not happen when I had 128 mb ram. But overall SDOE runs smoother and loads faster with the 256 mb ram. I also have win98se with a k6-500.IP: Logged |
Nat
JAG
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posted 03-15- 10:59 PM
Another good idea is to try limiting your cache, regardless of the amount of RAM you have, windows likes to use your hard drive to cache instead of your RAM, much slower obviously and causes momentary lockups. Also, some applications eat your system resources for fun, a good example is Max 4 Magama, I use Memeturbo to help track memroy use and resources, and Max4 takes me from 160mb free right down to 1mb Ram! forcing my system to cache to HD and eating quickly into resopurces.OK, 2 things:
Try running the windows Resource Meter when using Autocad and see how low the resources get. (start/programs/accessories/system tools/resource meter) changing your cahce settings:
control panel/system/performance/Virtual Memory tick "Let Me specify my own virtual memory settings, select the HD to use (if you have more than 1, select the faster drive) Set the minimum and maximum to the same size, I suggest trying 64 to start with, then restart your system and try out your programs, if you have problems set the min/max higher and try again, if it's fine at 64, you can try going lower. This is not dangerous to your system and if you really have problems after chaning this you can just go back to letting windows manage the virtual memory (some programs require a certain amount of v-memory before they will run, AOL is an example of this) IP: Logged |
Da Jug head
Pilot
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posted 03-17- 01:16 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Nat:
Another good idea is to try limiting your cache, regardless of the amount of RAM you have, . . ."Let Me specify my own virtual memory settings, select the HD to use (if you have more than 1, select the faster drive)
Actually, if you have more than one HD, selecting the HD the windows OS is NOT on for your cache will speed up your system, even if the drive you select for the cache is slower than the one the windows OS is on (unless one drive is IDE and the other SCSI- whole different ball of wax). The major problems have been covered but there can be some other culprits. Here are other problems you may have- if you bought generic memory, the latency may be longer than your old ram, check your bios, set CAS latency for 3 and see if the problem goes away, if it still exists, put it back to 2. Next, if you have a 100MHZ bus and bought PC133 ram, the old ram stays in the first memory slot (slowest memory should go in the first slot to prevent timing errors).
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ArgonV
Pilot
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posted 03-17- 01:39 AM
A few questions:How old is your hard drive?
How large is your hard drive?
What kind of hard drive do you have?
When your computer "pauses" does the LED light for your hard drive blink? IP: Logged |
Mighty
General
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posted 03-17- 09:00 AM
One source of pauses I've seen is the network card. Do you have TCP/IP bound to your network card? If so, can it always see the DNS server?As I understand it, if you have TCP/IP bound to the card then every five minutes or so Windows will go looking for the DNS server. While looking it locks up the computer for a second. I believe it tries three times in a row. IP: Logged |
Stever
Cadet
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posted 03-17- 08:37 PM
Just wanted to let you know that I changed the CAS latency from 3 to 2 and the system seems to be stutter free. Thanks.IP: Logged |
Gunner
Pilot
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posted 03-19- 05:18 PM
This is a frickin Gateway that I use at work.P2 500, 128m ram. How do get to the Bios on this thing? I went into setup and it won't let me into the Bios setup. Grrrr Gunner
IP: Logged |
Nat
JAG
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posted 03-22- 02:04 AM
usualy to get into the BIOS you hit the Delete key when the PC is loading, when you would see the memory check come up on screen. This is for "most" PC's, some use wierd keys presses, some use F1, sometimes it will say something like "Press Delete to enter setup" so that you know which key it is. If it's not been passworded then you'll get in no problem, if it has been passworded.. well, we can get round that and I'll explain more if thats indeed a problemIP: Logged |
Zurawski
Pilot
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posted 03-22- 02:54 PM
...Gunner,Don't bother... Gateway shields thier sub-bios settings (ya can't see them) And only can get to them with a second-party software product. Mighty might be onto something... I completely for got about the DNS polling! If you have any virus proggies runnig, try closing it down as well... some do poll your system (at odd times too)... IP: Logged |
Gunner
Pilot
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posted 03-22- 03:45 PM
I can dig it Zur,I knew how to change my settings but could not access the ones I needed. Frickin gateway! Gunner IP: Logged | |
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