Missy wrote:
>After running for a couple of hours, my system becomes very sluggish
>when performing certain tasks,>>


Others have described the effects of memory leaks, which was also my first 
thought. I understand this is quite rare in XP with its superior memory 
management, but probably not impossible. There are several other 
possibilities, the most common of which would be a sticky fan leading to 
temp overheating, though you seem to have checked for this.

To check for memory leaks, try the following procedure.

1. Run Msconfig/Startup (or your favourite startups manager) and untick 
everything not vital. Actually, Msconfig won't allow you to untick any 
vital system files, so I'd start by unticking EVERYTHING.
2. Disconnect the modem from the internet. (Easiest way for ADSL is usually 
to pull out the power plug or the phoneline---it should automatically 
redial and connect when you repower).
3. Reboot the computer.
4. Walk away and leave the computer untouched for say 3 hours.
5. Return and start working on it as usual.

Observe if you are experiencing immediate slowdown.  If so, it's something 
fairly basic to the system, and probably not a software leak.

If everything is now at normal speed, but later deteriorates, then you know 
it has to be whatever you're working on.

You could also try eliminating and hardware conflicts by unhooking all 
peripherals and rebooting as above.

If none of the above helps isolate the cause, the next step might be to 
uninstall all your software, and proceed by testing each new installation 
separately. It's a painstaking procedure, but may be the only way (other 
than educated guesswork) to eliminate the problem. You might prefer to 
reformat your OS drive and start again--often it's easier in the end, and 
you can thoroughly check performance at each installation stage, imaging 
the HD at each successful step.

I'm assuming you're knowledgeable enough not to be running any of those 
notorious resource hogs such as Norton's security suites or any similar 
system "improvement" suites.

You mention you've disabled all redundant Services. Check in particular 
that Fast Indexing Service is disabled---that has been known to cause some 
serious slowdowns on some systems.

Don't overlook the fact that it might not be any one individual piece of 
software that's at fault. It could be a combination of 2 or more separate 
programs, each of which is perfectly OK by itself, but won't work in 
combination with another.  Even the order in which they get installed can 
make a difference.

Make sure also that you have all automatic program updates 
disabled----anything getting stuck on trying to update might be going into 
a loop and affecting performance. Unfortunately, a lot of software these 
days seems to have a bad habit of checking for updates every time it opens, 
without your permission.

When things start slowing, look for any unexpected internet activity. This 
can also be a cause of major slowdowns.

Don Penlington


 From the Beach at Surfers Paradise in sunny Queensland.
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