Computing problems
I’ve had problems with my Windows XP machine for the last little while. and it seems like (although they are small) they keep popping up just when I’ve fixed the last one. Today’s is that the startup routine now takes two to three times longer than it used to, just two days ago. And there’s a lot of disk use going on there. I’ve run the spyware and virus stuff with all applicable updates, but nothing. In fact, the only change I made to the computer was to update the spyware and virus software.
I’ve only had this thing for two and a half years, but I wonder if it’s time to take the plunge and buy the powerbook. It’s annoying, because I got four years out of my last computer, and I was hoping to eke out a few more months at least. And it makes me afraid to work on my work, because who’s to know if the machine is on the verge of konking out and losing what I’ve done. (And, yes, I do backup my Docs folder, along with e-mail boxes and browser bookmarks.)
Any ideas? Is it prematurely dying? Time to switch?
Ecto blogging software
8 September 2005 at 12:13 pm.
Nate, your machine *could* be dying, but it’s more likely that you’ve developed a software issue that affects your startup routine. In fact, it’s quite possibly an issue with the spyware and AV software you just installed.
Do you know how to run utilities to troubleshoot startup, and to check that it’s not a hardware problem? If not, let me know and I can talk you through some basics.