The 3 most important reasons for poor performance despite capable hardware are:
1) Antivirus software
2) Windows services
3) Background processes
Antivirus applications are notorious for converting perfectly decent computers into molasses. McAfee and Symantec/Norton are among the worst offenders.
Disable your antivirus program and see if this makes a difference. Uninstall it if my suspicions prove correct. If you feel you absolutely must have antivirus protection, the [i]Avast![/i] freeware has received favorable commentary in this Forum:
http://www.avast.com/
Disable unneeded Windows services. Review Scott Lowe's excellent June'05 TR post:
http://tinyurl.com/yohler
You will need to use judgement, because some of the services that you [i]can[/i] disable might actually be useful for what you're doing with the computer. You will find Windows Services at:
Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services
Right click the service, select [i]Properties[/i], and disable an unneeded service. Those services already set to [i]manual[/i] that have not [i]started[/i] can be left alone, because they do not automatically load into memory at startup.
Finally, investigate background startup processes, and disable those that you don't need. To determine what processes load at startup, open the Task Manager:
Ctrl-Shft-Esc
and examine the [i]Processes[/i] list. Identify the processes at ProcessLibrary.com website:
http://www.processlibrary.com/
If you have access to the command [i]msconfig[/i], you can selectively disable processes that load at startup. If you do [b]not[/b] have access to this command, download and install the free antispyware program Spybot Search and Destroy:
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html
Install Spybot. Under the [i]Tools[/i] menu, you will see a list of startup processes. Uncheck the ones you wish to disable. This is completely reversible if you change your mind later.
It goes without saying that, before commencing any series of computer configuration tweaks, create a Restore Point in System Restore. That way, should you assassinate an essential startup process, you can recover your computer to a working configuration, and then cautiously retrace your steps.
When you have finished, your computer should fly like an F-15 on afterburners. Have fun, and post back in this thread if you have further questions.
Rick/Portland, OR
