Booting Issues in Windows XP

[Otilio]

My desktop computer is powered with an Intel core2duo processor and DG-13 motherboard. It has system memory of 1gb and hard disk capacity is of 260gb. It has Windows XP service pack 3 installed on it. It was working fine but from few days the Computer boots up really slow and sometime Windows freezes while running some applications. If any application is tried to open then it takes forever to open and sometime the computer restarts. I cant figure out what the problem is. Can this be because of some hard ware failure? Please help.

[Solomon]

The system memory of your computer is very low according to me. It is possible that it is getting used up by some unwanted processes which is making the computer slow. Check if there are any unwanted applications or processes which are running in background and creating problems. To check if there are any applications or processes which are running in background, Press Control, alt and delete to start the Task manager. In task manager, open the Processes tab and see which process is taking up all the memory and terminate it. Dont terminate the processes which are required by the system as it will restart the computer.

[Lillebror]

I think the system is infected by a virus which is creating problem in smooth working of the Windows. Many viruses and malicious programs get downloaded on the system while visiting some website or opening some emails. This programs have a tendency of linking themselves to most used executable files. Therefore when we run this executable files, the virus also gets activated and duplicates itself. This duplication process leads to unwanted processes taking up all the system memory which results in degradation of performance of the system. Get your system scanned and cleaned by an updated antivirus.

[Elijah]

By looking at the problem, it is clear that the problem is with Windows installation. The system files must have got corrupted. System files get corrupted if some application which links itself with system libraries is installed and then removed. Removal of such application leads to deletion of the system files which are linked to it. Whenever the system requires to access these files, they are found missing and hence the system performance suffers. Reinstalling the operating system will solve the problem.

[mv]

Open the cabinet and check if the Cable connecting the hard disk is properly fixed. Also check if the cable does not have any physical damage. Slow data rate can be caused due to faulty connecting cables. If you have extra cables then you can try changing the cable and see if the performance improves. You can also check the power cable connected to the hard disk whether it is providing right wattage of power. Also check the rotation of the hard disk.

[Rajesh4mLA]

Windows XP with service pack 3 has many problems with it. The main being with system performance. Service Pack 3 has many bugs which create problems in running the windows smoothly. Drivers of many devices dont work properly in SP3 and hence the system suffers. I will suggest you to either upgrade the operating system to Windows Vista or install Windows XP with service pack 2. Installing either of the two will improve the system performance. Try to increase the system memory as it can also be the reason of the computer restarting while opening application.