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Thread ID: 110679 2010-06-27 23:30:00 really slow computer fixed Thomas01 (317) PC World Chat
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1113951 2010-06-27 23:30:00 My very old desktop running XP is pretty fast for its age but the other day was really dragging its heels.
I decided to check first for a virus.
There were apparently bits of a couple of viruses but deleting them seemed to make no difference.

Then I decided to do what so many times I have read about and which so many expert have said is useless.

First sort out my Registry (using Registry Mechanic) and then defrag the hard drive (PC World seems to have stopped saying this is useless).

So I did and good old Wild Pig, my desktop, is back to its blistering speed again.

I don't know what really makes the difference but my feeling is that it is the defrag which does most.

I didn't shut down and reboot at all while this was going on.
Now the experts will tell me I am wrong and imagining the difference!

Tom
Thomas01 (317)
1113952 2010-06-27 23:58:00 The benefit you gain from cleaning your registry/temp files etc out and defragging is completely proportional to the length of time since you last did it - that's why you tend to notice huge speed increases on old PC's.

I did a Celeron 3.0Ghz (XP, 1Gb of RAM) recently that had a few thousand entries removed by CCleaner and Glary (about 2.3Gb's worth), and was a 40Gb drive with about 32Gb used, VERY heavily fragmented - ran JKDefrag overnight in safe mode, and the difference was night and day.
nofam (9009)
1113953 2010-06-28 00:52:00 The benefit you gain from cleaning your registry/temp files etc out and defragging is completely proportional to the length of time since you last did it - that's why you tend to notice huge speed increases on old PC's.

I did a Celeron 3.0Ghz (XP, 1Gb of RAM) recently that had a few thousand entries removed by CCleaner and Glary (about 2.3Gb's worth), and was a 40Gb drive with about 32Gb used, VERY heavily fragmented - ran JKDefrag overnight in safe mode, and the difference was night and day.

We agree. defrag does work well - and so does cleaning out the registry.
I do it regularly and also use CCleaner. But I don't know Glary - is it worth getting?
I have a much bigger hard drive than the one you mention.
75gb WOW. Power!
Tom
Thomas01 (317)
1113954 2010-06-28 05:31:00 We agree. defrag does work well - and so does cleaning out the registry.
I do it regularly and also use CCleaner. But I don't know Glary - is it worth getting?
I have a much bigger hard drive than the one you mention.
75gb WOW. Power!
Tom

To be honest, I'd recommend staying away from Glary; it can actually be a bit over-zealous in what it removes. Just stick with the most recent release of CCleaner.

Registry cleaners certainly have their place, but they're inherently dangerous - if they remove the wrong entries, at best you'll have applications that won't run.

At worst, you'll have a PC that won't run :o
nofam (9009)
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