When is it time to toss a computer?

[Orange Guzzi]

I have tossed several computers in the past due to increasingly poor performance.  The current lap top I use in the lazyboy is getting worse by the day.  I have remove all the extra's from it, used various virus scans, cleaners, downloads, updates.  Is it a natural progression for a computer to start having problems due to electronic erosion?  The scrolling is getting slow and unpredictable, the cursor will randomly move to a new location, the backspace key will move slowly or quickly and the enter key will randomly delete everything that has been typed?  I have found that my desk top system has performed flawlessly for several years.  I use it for my accounting and other work. 

One of the events I have noticed is the adds on the screen affect the movement around the screen, typing speed and cursor movement.  I have tried changing the pop up blocker setting to no avail.  When an ad changes or seconds before they change, the key strokes are affected. 

I cannot decide to use a 38, 357 or sks to repair. My wife said she is going to toss it when I am not looking because it make me say bad words. 

If someone sold an internet connection that was add and pop up free, I would gladly pay the extra cost to have access. 

[oldbike54]

 A reliable source states that computer tossing will replace the discus in the 2020 Olympics .

 Seriously , one of our computer experts told me using a mouse will solve most of your problem .


  Dusty

[Orange Guzzi]

A reliable source states that computer tossing will replace the discus in the 2020 Olympics .

 Seriously , one of our computer experts told me using a mouse will solve most of your problem .


  Dusty

Good point.  I did not think about that. With my desk top I use a rollerball and my laptop the mousepad.  I will give this a test run.  A rollerball would work good while sitting in the lazyboy. 

Anyone else concur with Dusty?  And or have other suggestions? 

[Greenman]

There is always the Linux option. But then you have to be a Linux fanboy to install it or know one who will do it for you.
Linux puppy can be installed on a flash drive and you just plug it into a usb port and run it from there, this is probably your best option as it doesn't change anything on your lappy.

D

[Wayne Orwig]

One of the events I have noticed is the adds on the screen affect the movement around the screen, typing speed and cursor movement.  I have tried changing the pop up blocker setting to no avail.  When an ad changes or seconds before they change, the key strokes are affected. 

My 9 year old laptop works fine even with Win 10 on it. I did just replace it though because the battery was toast, and I wanted new features like a touch screen and stylus.

It sounds like you just have an accumulation of adware crap. Even the ads that are 'safe' are getting where they consume a lot of download bandwidth.

What I would do is do a factory restore on the PC. That should get back the performance.
Then on yes a good adware blocker and virus prevention software. Note that a lot of antivirus software cripples you PC too.

[pikipiki]

I still use a BlackBerry for browsing the net. Playbook can be picked up for a few dollars on ebay.
The obscure OS makes it immune to the worst of the adware/malware.
That said it's a little hard to use on Wildguzzi forum, but for just checking the news, hardly ever get the laptop out.

[Dean Rose]

There is always the Linux option. But then you have to be a Linux fanboy to install it or know one who will do it for you.
Linux puppy can be installed on a flash drive and you just plug it into a usb port and run it from there, this is probably your best option as it doesn't change anything on your lappy.

D

http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop

Easy to install, and has all of the software you will need. FREE!

Dean

[Wayne Orwig]

http://www.ubuntu.com/download

Easy to install, and has all of the software you will need. FREE!

It will run my Cadd, schematic capture, PCB layout, EMC32, GuzziDiag, SPICE, Visual Studio, OneNote?

[SeanF]

I had similar phenomenon occur (random mysterious keystrokes & cursor movement) due to interference from a nearby computer's wireless network interface. If there are other networked devices nearby, try shutting down one at a time & see if anything changes.

[ajwood]

A lot of Arizonans today...

Orange Guzzi, be sure to disable your laptop pointing device driver before running a new one or you may still have "pointer creep".

[Triple Jim]

There is always the Linux option. But then you have to be a Linux fanboy to install it or know one who will do it for you.

The recent Linux versions don't require any special knowledge to install and use, at least for the versions of Fedora I've recently installed, and I assume that applies to the other major distributions.  I think the biggest stumbling block for most people is that going to any different operating system requires time to learn how to use it.  My rule of thumb for learning to use new software like a full featured CAD program or different operating system is that it will take about one month of significant daily use to feel comfortable with it.  This explains why Windows users often hate Macs, why Mac users often hate Windows, and why both of them often hate Linux.  They want instant gratification.

But it sounds like Orange Guzzi's problems may be partly hardware related (try trackball as mentioned) and partly that his installation of Windows is getting bogged down for various reasons.  That doesn't necessarily mean he needs a different operating system, just a clean installation of the one he likes.

[Stevex]

Got a Fujitsu Siemens laptop I bought in 2008 running Vista and it's still going strong.

[Luap McKeever]

You could have a failing harddrive too.  That will cause all types of slowness, and does not discriminate on OS's.  Harddrives fail. That is a fact in every computer.  Like concrete will crack, harddrives will fail.  It's just a matter of when.

[brlawson]

You could have a failing harddrive too.  That will cause all types of slowness, and does not discriminate on OS's.  Harddrives fail. That is a fact in every computer.  Like concrete will crack, harddrives will fail.  It's just a matter of when.

+1

Especially true of laptops as they get shuffled around a lot. A 7200 rpm drive could also provide a boost. Additional memory could also help. These items a pretty cheap these day.

[Kiwi Dave]

If someone sold an internet connection that was add and pop up free, I would gladly pay the extra cost to have access.

To avoid pop ups and advertisements, I always use Mozilla Firefox for internet access, and install an add on named "No Script".

It works a treat, but sometimes has to be disabled when viewing random sites that require scripts to be active.  Favourite sites can be given permission to run scripts without intervention.

[Triple Jim]

Got a Fujitsu Siemens laptop I bought in 2008 running Vista and it's still going strong.

I might have you beat, Steve.  I have a couple Dell Latitude CPx notebooks that were sold around 2000 that are still running strong as web and mail servers, using Linux in text mode.  They're pretty slow with graphics.   

[screamday]

I have an old Dell laptop I've had for a whole that I use in the garage. I don't know how old it is but it's running Windows 2000 Professional and it still works. I use it over a wi-fi connection to get to the web.

[canuguzzi]

When it no longer provides you with the functions and features you need and or want.

[rboe]

To me, sounds like you may have a hardware issue and a new OS will not help. Like living in a crappy house. New roommates will not help.

Do a google search on  your model of computer and see if there are common failure modes that can be cheaply remedied. Scratch and sniff pads can go bad. Hard drives as mentioned earlier can go bad (in my experience their failure mode is a bit different but electronics have a way of enlightening you on cool and new ways to drive you nuts).

You'll also want to look at the task manager to see if the system is slammed (over tasked). Faulty old video drivers can wreak havoc too.

And some laptops are built to a very low price point and you're better off getting a nice used one off of eBay or searching the outlet stores for a good deal on a new one.

[rboe]

If you do look at replacing it, go with a Lenovo Thinkpad, business class Toshiba or Panasonic. Avoid HP and most Dells. Just not worth the frustration.

[lucian]

When you use it  to load a new map in your bike and it never runs again. :Beating_A_Dead_Hors e_by_liviu

[charlie b]

How big and how full is the hard drive?  If over half full when was the last time it was defragged?  If over 3/4 full then that's when things start to slow down a bit.  90% full and it will be a slug.

Hard drives develop bad sectors too (along with other things).  Defrag can help that too.

The question is, can you spend the money for a new one, do you want a new one, or do you want to spend a little to make the old one last longer?

I love using Linux on older machines.  Ubuntu is the easiest to use that I have worked with.  If you really get into it then Fedora/Red Hat is what our electronics hardware is developed on.