www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk

My PC seems to have been running slow at times lately, so I thought I would try and look into why.

When checking the memory it says I have 4Gb.

It then says I have only 3.25 Gb usuable.

Does this mean the other 0.75 is faulty, or is it being used somewhere else by windows 7?

I have a seperate dedicated graphics card.

It also say, usually, that 64% of memory is being used.

Don't worry about the bit of RAM that seems to be not being used.
If you have a 32 bit Windows OS it will only recognise about 3.25 GB of RAM.

Do you have Ccleaner installed? If not:
Download and install Ccleaner
When installing, watch out for the tick box that will install the Yahoo Toolbar if left ticked
Once installed, click Check For Updates (bottom right of the screen)

Then follow these CCLEANER Setup Instructions

Also in Ccleaner is a list of all items that run at Startup, open ccleaner -> Tools -> Startup, and see what is on the list.
All you really need at startup is all the security programs that are listed and possibly your wireless adaptor if fitted. Almost everything else will start and run only when you need it.
Study the list and make a list of all the items you are not sure about and check them out here. Enter then in the search box half way down the page.
It will mean doing each one ata time so do it when you have a bit of time spare, then disable any that you do not need at startup, using the list in Ccleaner.

A good defrag will also work wonders if you have not done one for ages.
Try Defraggler from the makers of Ccleaner.

dave

Once again thanks Dave.

I have got ccleaner and use it regularly, as well as defragmenting.

If a 32 bit OS doesn't recognise more than 3.25 Gb, does it mean it is not being used?

If so is it a waste to upgrade to more memory?

What happens on a 32bit system is that with an integrated graphics card some of the 4GB of memory is permanantly allocated to the graphics and the remaining 3+GB is for the OS and programs.

It would not serve any purpose installing any more RAM on your computer if it is a 32bit OS and especially as you have a separate graphics card with its own RAM.

As you use Ccleaner regularly, just have alook at what is starting when yuo boot up.

This is what Microsoft say are the max usable RAM in different OSs;

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-gb/library ... 85%29.aspx

dave

I find ccleaner ok, but I find that everytime I use it it deletes the 'most visited' menu in firefox.

What do I need to untick to preserve this menu?

I do have win7 64bit, but I am wary of upgrading to this incase some of my software won't work with it.

Is this how 64 bit is faster, because it will let more memory be used?

Did you see the link I edited into my last post to explain RAM sizes.

Open Ccleaner and clcik Cleaner -> Applications Tab and untick
Internet History.
I am not sure which one your 'most visited' comes under but if that does not stop it clearing your list, then re tick it and untick Download History.

dave

Just had another raed of this, is it Ccleaner that is clearing that list or is Firefox set to delete recent history when closing down.

Try visiting a few sites with Firefox and then close it down and restart it and see if the list is still populated. If it is cleared then it is the settings in Firefox.

Tools -> Options -> Privacy. See what is ticked in the History Pane.

dave

dave.m wrote:Did you see the link I edited into my last post to explain RAM sizes.dave

I have now

Took a bit of doing as I did not use the 'Most Visited list' so had to go into Firefox Configuration to reset it.

Tried a few times with different settings in Ccleaner and it is the 'Internet History' that needs UNticking to stop it clearing the list.

If that does not sort it, then it is Firefox settings that are clearing it.

dave

I do have win7 64bit, but I am wary of upgrading to this incase some of my software won't work with it.

Is this how 64 bit is faster, because it will let more memory be used?

1, Upgrade to Win7 as soon as you like, just about everything that works in Vista will work in Win 7.
There is also the Compatability mode in Win 7 that helps with any XP hardware etc.

Read this and get some confidence to upgrade:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/31 ... -mode.html


2. Win 7 64bit is faster not so much because of the memory but because it is sleeker. It will recognise and use all the 4 GB that you have which helps it's speed, but it is less 'bloated' than Vista is and so uses RAM more economically.

dave

Be aware that Win7 x64 requires 64-bit drivers. It's worth checking before upgrading that 64-bit drivers are available for all your peripherals, especially if they're a few years old. You will also need to get a 64-bit compatible version of your anti-virus software. One other thing to check before upgrading is that the 64-bit extensions on your CPU are enabled in your BIOS as I've found that they can be disabled on some motherboards by default. Did I read that you're currently running Win7 x32?

Yes I am on win 7 professional 32 bit.

I also have win 7 pro 64 bit.

All 64 bit drivers are available for my peripherals. They are all fairly new. I don't keep things long.

My CPU is 64 bit compatible.

My Kaspersky is 64 bit latest version compatible as well.

I'm mainly concerned about Sage (latest version from last year) and Adobe CS4 design suite.

I have checked microsoft but they don't say it is 64 bit compatible.

I have lent my son my spare PC, otherwise I would load the 64 bit on there and experiment.

Dave, it is defo CCleaner that is removing the most visited list. Just unticked internet history and most visited is kept intact

I've recently installed Adobe Photoshop CS4 onto Win7 x64 and it works perfectly. It installs a 64-bit version of Photoshop as well as the 32-bit version. If your PC is a fairly new install of Windows it might be worth investigating the slow-downs further before going for a rebuild. A rebuild could well fix the issue, but it could also be caused by a background process relating to some software on your machine, and if you re-install it after your rebuild the problem could come back.

gas4you wrote:I find ccleaner ok, but I find that everytime I use it it deletes the 'most visited' menu in firefox.

I find that quite useful, especially if my partner wants to use my PC


er .... I just sort it out for you love ...