by William M.

Member since:
July 31, 2006

Problems

June 14, 2012 12:28 PM UTC

views: 0 | 11 people recommend this | comments: 99

Lately my computer seems to be acting up some. The hard drive will be spinning like mad and nothing will work for a while. According to task manager the only process running is system idle and at times IE. At times the computer has just stopped working. I just ran a virus scan and nothing showed up. If anyone has ideas about what is happening with my computer I will welcome them.

As slow as the computer is working I’m getting behind on Gather. I have things to do outside today which will take up time. I will be on Gather when I take breaks to rest and cool off. It is hot. Tonight I’ll catch up as much as I can.

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11 people recommend this post

Rose Hill

Sherrie H.

Cynthia C.

Nancy S.

Virginia L.

Jan S.

Comments: 99

Darin Waugh Jun 14, 2012, 12:37pm UTC

Any issues happening with your automatic updating of windows?

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 1:43pm UTC

I don't think so, Darin.

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Phill Senters Jun 14, 2012, 12:43pm UTC

That isn't your hard drive making the noise. It's the cooling fan. Most of them start fast, then slow down. Your computer may have a lot of dust accumulated inside and needs to be cleaned. That's where I would start.

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 1:44pm UTC

Thanks for the info, Phill. The speed does vary. There seems to be several speeds. I will check.

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 2:03pm UTC

It has been working better for the last little while before cleaning. I did clean out some dust. Now I guess I'll just see what happens in the future. If the fan was not cooling enough I guess it could slow the computer down. Thanks again.

ʚϊɞ Carol ʚϊɞ Jun 14, 2012, 2:06pm UTC

Phill is right, you would be surprised at how quickly the dust builds up.

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 2:14pm UTC

Thanks, Carol. I did clean out some dust.

Karen E. Jun 14, 2012, 3:25pm UTC

I was going to refer you to Phill! He has helped me countless times! I see he has already paid you a visit! :)

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 5:13pm UTC

Thanks, Karen. He probably has the right answer.

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 7:24pm UTC

That is a great idea, Fancy. Thank you very much.

Sassy *bacon makes me happy* Cat Jun 15, 2012, 12:18am UTC

You are supposed to take your computer apart to clean out dust??

William M. Jun 15, 2012, 2:21am UTC

I have already cleaned it out, Sassy. Thnak you very much.

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Peter Joseph Swanson Jun 14, 2012, 12:59pm UTC

I hope you get it fixed soon!

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 1:44pm UTC

Thank you Peter.

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Angela A. Jun 14, 2012, 1:04pm UTC

If I were you, I'd take your computer to a place, where a professional can look at it, to make sure there is not a virus or something else, you just can't detect at home

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 1:45pm UTC

I might have to do that, Angela. I hope not.

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Susan G. Jun 14, 2012, 1:09pm UTC

Defrag and clean out your cache. If that doesn't do the trick, do a restore on it. Over time, the windows code becomes more and more corrupted which can lead to your computer freezing up fairly frequently. A local computer shop can do it for you but they will need the original disks.

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 1:48pm UTC

I appreciate the info, Susan. I'll take it to a computer shop as a last resort.

Susan G. Jun 14, 2012, 3:18pm UTC

My computer had done the same as yours before I took it into a local shop. It was well worth what I had to pay. They loaded Office, Firefox, an amazing anti-virus program, backed up and restored my saved photos and documents plus solved my problems. My other advice would be to diagram all your connections and wires before unhooking anything so you can put it all back together afterwards.

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 5:14pm UTC

Thanks for the advice, Susan. You are w good friend.

Susan G. Jun 14, 2012, 6:36pm UTC

Aw shucks.

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 7:13pm UTC

I love the expressin "shucks".

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connie h. Jun 14, 2012, 2:03pm UTC

I know the feeling the last 2 days my computer has been driving me crazy.

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 2:34pm UTC

It can sure be frustrating, Connie.

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Elaine S. Jun 14, 2012, 2:27pm UTC

Phil is right.I had to have my fan replaced a couple of months ago.

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 2:35pm UTC

Thanks, Elaine. I has been working better now. I cleaned out some dust but it seemed to be working better before I did.

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Rosa j. Jun 14, 2012, 2:28pm UTC

I recently had to do a complete system restore. The scan never revealed a problem, but each time I turned the computer on, one program would dominate everything. The computer is less than a year old. So, the manufacturer walked me through the process of restoring the system. Not even a roll-back worked. They felt it was an undetectable malicious virus. Hope things get straightened out for you.

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 2:36pm UTC

I appreciate the info, Rosa. I don't know anything about a system restore but will try it if I have to.

Rosa j. Jun 14, 2012, 3:27pm UTC

I agree with MLM, it does sound as though the hard drive is about to crash. What I meant by system restore is that you take you computer back to the time you began to use it. I don't know how old your computer is, but system restore would take it back to the time of purchase, as if it were new. That option should already be on your computer programs, when you click in prompts will be given. It is time consuming and if you don't feel comfortable doing this, it will be best to seek professional help.

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 5:15pm UTC

Thanks again for info, Rosa. It is appreciated.

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M L M. Jun 14, 2012, 2:41pm UTC

I think you'll have to take it in to a shop, sounds like the hard drive is about to crash.

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 5:16pm UTC

I might have to, M L M. Thank you very much.

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mary v. Jun 14, 2012, 3:36pm UTC

I would contact Jeff from Computer Care on here.

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 5:17pm UTC

I'm not familar with Jeff, Mary. I might look him up though.

mary v. Jun 14, 2012, 6:04pm UTC

He owns the Gather group Computer Care. He is pretty good with computer problems.

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 7:13pm UTC

I appreciate the info, Mary.

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Angela M. Jun 14, 2012, 3:40pm UTC

have you checked to see how much memory you have left on your hard drive?
what type of virus scanner do you use
what operating system ? a virus can hide in some like XP and the scanner cant find them unless you do a lot of steps before your run the scanner

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 5:19pm UTC

I should have lots of memory, Angela. I use windowsxp I think it is. Thanks for the info. It could help.

Angela M. Jun 14, 2012, 11:35pm UTC

this is from the makers of windows to help clean up some of the crap that can get on your computer MicrosoftÂ® WindowsÂ® Malicious Software Removal Tool its just one of those things you want to have on your computer

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?amp;displaylang=en&familyid=AD724AE0-E72D-4F54-9AB3-75B8EB148356&displaylang=en

someone posted a link to housecall below never use that its a joke.

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 11:41pm UTC

I appreciate it very much, Angela. You are a jewel.

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Jennifer Neff Jun 14, 2012, 3:51pm UTC

Try to do a boot virus scan. Avast, which is free has this option. The plus of this is that IF there is a virus on there chances are it starts up as soon as windows starts and it could not be found on scans as some of them disable that scanning feature or hide. I've had it happen before. A boot scan will scan BEFORE windows loads and therefore it WILL get caught.

That's about the only suggestion I have other than your basic spyware and virus scanning, cache cleaning and basic upkeep things.

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 5:21pm UTC

I really appreciate the info, Jennifer. I just got back on the computer a short while ago and it is working now. If I have more troubles I'll probably give that a try.

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Renee (Pres of Baby James Foundation) ~. Jun 14, 2012, 4:07pm UTC

I hope the issue is fixed or gets fixed soon

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 5:21pm UTC

Thank you very much, Renee.

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Steph-in-NE ..... Jun 14, 2012, 4:27pm UTC

you are always a good thing to see, we shall see you when we can

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 5:22pm UTC

I appreciate that very much, Steph-in-NE.

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Betty S. Jun 14, 2012, 4:29pm UTC

I am totally in the dark about fixing computer problem even though I have used back up a few times.

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 5:22pm UTC

Thank you for the interest, Betty.

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Connie C. Jun 14, 2012, 6:01pm UTC

I have found out that once you get behind on gather, it is impossible to catch.

Have you checked to make sure your computer is updated? Sometimes it will get slow and act crazy when there is an update available.

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 7:15pm UTC

It is almost impossible to catch up, Connie.

It is supposed to be updated. Thanks for the advice.

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Diane Huizenga Jun 14, 2012, 6:51pm UTC

Yup check the fan I have more problems with the fan than any other part

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 7:16pm UTC

I think the fan is running OK, Diane. Possibly the dust was doing it. For right now it is working alright. I have not been on it much though to know for sure.

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Mylinda Elliott Jun 14, 2012, 6:57pm UTC

I hope it works out. I don't know that much.

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 7:17pm UTC

Thank you for the interest, Mylinda.

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Connie C. Jun 14, 2012, 7:00pm UTC

Just dropping by to let you know that this post/photo is spotlighted in the
What Is Happening Today on Gather ~ Thursday June 14, 2012 post.

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 7:17pm UTC

I appreciate that very much, Connie.

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Jan S. Jun 14, 2012, 7:14pm UTC

Mine is doing them same thing. I've been copying photos and files because I'm afraid of losing it all. I have cleaned it before and will try again. Hope it works for both of us!

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 7:20pm UTC

Mine seems to be OK right now, Jan. I hope it will continue to be. I hope yours is too or you can get it that way soon. Some of the comments on here might help you.

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Kool Boy Jun 14, 2012, 7:23pm UTC

do diskclean up and disk defragment by going to start>accessories> system tools

ihope it will help :-)

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 9:04pm UTC

Thanks for the advice, Kool Boy.

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The original comment in this thread has been deleted by its author.

Phill Senters Jun 14, 2012, 8:13pm UTC

True, but the vast majority of PC users have Windows. Most of them must use AV...They look at me funny when I tell em I don't use any with my Windows. LOL

Phill Senters Jun 14, 2012, 8:14pm UTC

http://housecall.trendmicro.com/uk/index.html

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 9:07pm UTC

What is the link to, Phill? I think your first suggestion might have solved my problem. I have not been on a lot since then so I'm not completely sure. Thanks very much.

Phill Senters Jun 14, 2012, 9:13pm UTC

The link is to a free scanner which will find and remove any viruses, trojans, or other malware from your computer. As for dust inside the computer, you should buy a can of compressed air (Walmart) to blow it out from where a brush can't reach. Especially behind the processor cooling fan. (The one making all the noise.)

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 9:20pm UTC

I really appreciate you taking the time to help. I do have a can of compressed air and have used it. If I keep having problems I'll check out the free scanner. Thanks again.

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Tessa D. Jun 14, 2012, 9:13pm UTC

purr! komment kitty was here

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 9:20pm UTC

Thanks for stopping by, Tessa.

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RedBird. B. Jun 14, 2012, 10:05pm UTC

William, I cannot be much Help, because my computer is acting up also. Right now I'm using my Son's Tablet to access Gather. I sure Hope your computer problem gets fixed soon. Good Luck!

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 10:20pm UTC

I hope your computer has no serious problems and can be fixed easily and quickly.

RedBird. B. Jun 14, 2012, 10:43pm UTC

Me Too! Thank-You, William!

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 10:47pm UTC

;-)

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Larry H. Jun 14, 2012, 10:20pm UTC

Our computers are acting funny too.

William M. Jun 14, 2012, 10:21pm UTC

I'm sorry about that, Larry. I hope you can get them straighten out soon.

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Janet "Jax" B. Jun 15, 2012, 1:15am UTC

It does sound like your cooling fan is shutting down. That's not good...but replacing it is fairly easy, as I've had to do it to mine.

William M. Jun 15, 2012, 2:14am UTC

I'm hoping that cleaning it has got it fixed, Jax. Thanks.

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Cynthia C. Jun 15, 2012, 5:56am UTC

I had to clean my fans when mine started acting up and now it's running good so far :)

Thank you for sharing with Sadies Points

William M. Jun 15, 2012, 8:28pm UTC

I hope yours keeps working OK.

You are welcome.

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Sherrie H. Jun 15, 2012, 9:29am UTC

Good luck! Sounds like I should clean mine out, too.

William M. Jun 15, 2012, 8:28pm UTC

Thanks, Sherrie. It sure would not hurt to clean it.

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michele r. Jun 15, 2012, 11:19pm UTC

Dust is so hard on a computer. It can slow it down so fast. I am glad that after cleaning the fan yours is up and running again.

William M. Jun 15, 2012, 11:25pm UTC

Thanks a bunch, Michele.

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Marilyn S. Jun 17, 2012, 12:38pm UTC

Glad your computer is back up to snuff. Even though my computer is running just fine, it takes a lot of time answering all the posts I would like to answer on Gather. Then there is Facebook and regular e-mail to answer. It all takes up a lot of time. Sometimes I just don't want to get near the computer so I can get something accomplished around the house & yard.
Happy Father's Day!

William M. Jun 17, 2012, 12:44pm UTC

Thanks, Marilyn. The computer can take up a lot of time. Sometimes I think too much time. I appreciate your comment.

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Rae M. Jun 18, 2012, 7:33pm UTC

I have been having a lot of trouble with my lap top too, I finally gave up and got a new one today. I hope you figure out what's up with yours.

William M. Jun 18, 2012, 9:28pm UTC

Mine is working a little better but not completely right.

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Rose Hill Jun 19, 2012, 1:35pm UTC

I don't know anything about computers, William but I learned a lot just reading the comments. Guess I need a can of air cleaner for mine as well since it sounds as if we are having the same problem and I think I'll try one of the other suggestions too.

William M. Jun 19, 2012, 8:26pm UTC

I hope it works for you, Rose.

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☃ Shannon K. Wendt Jun 19, 2012, 5:01pm UTC

I had computer problems last year and ended up with a fried hard drive. I had to get a new computer.

Good luck!

William M. Jun 19, 2012, 8:26pm UTC

Yours was bad, Shannon. Sorry it happened.

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Adelaide M. Jun 28, 2012, 1:35pm UTC

Thanks for posting to Point Taken. Have a great day!

William M. Jun 28, 2012, 2:14pm UTC

You are welcome, Adelaide. You have a good one too.

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Beth J. Oct 4, 2012, 2:22pm UTC

Thank you for posting on Helping Out One Another

William M. Oct 4, 2012, 3:55pm UTC

You are very welcome.

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