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Very random slow downs on Dell XPS PC

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Dell XPS 600, 64-bit, Windows Vista Business
I just wiped it all clean and rebuilt it. It did this problem behavior before.

This is a great computer yet every once in a while this strange “slowness” happens. When this happens anything I click takes minutes to occur. The mouse freezes, usually but not always. Even if I restart the computer it continues. I get frustrated and leave. When I come back (hours later) it is all good and fast again. I have yet to ‘outlast’ this slow period to see when it suddenly gets fast again.

It also, while using it in its normal fast mode, will have a few seconds of doing nothing

Does anyone have any words of experience of where to start troubleshooting this?

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Clarifications

In reply to Very random slow downs on Dell XPS PC

Clarifications

Open the Task Manager

In reply to Very random slow downs on Dell XPS PC

And see what the system is actually doing.

Many times when you think the system is slow it is doing something in the background.

Check the applications

In reply to Very random slow downs on Dell XPS PC

When you rebuilt the system was it a factory restore with all those apps that slow it down? You can do a clean boot, that is one without any startup or non-Microsoft services running to test if it is a conflict with an add-on program. Remove any app that is a problem. Also, upgrading the memory to 4 GB or more will improve the system speed.

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