Help for an old slow computer

[Jezza819]

I've got a 10 year old Windows 10 PC. I am going to replace it probably in the next few months. I want a clone of my gaming PC.

But in the meantime I'm having to deal with my old one and it's driving me crazy. The biggest problem I have is with File Explorer. At times it will either lock up entirely or I get the slow moving green bar at the top like it's loading but it never finishes. Recently I've been using Bulk Rename Utility to clean up and rename a lot of files but sometimes out of say 20 files it will give an error on a few of them saying the file is open somewhere else and needs to be closed but it's not. Even if I try to delete them it gets the same error. That's when i have to restart the computer to clear it out and finish my renaming. So far this week I've had to restart 6 times.

Now the other problem is when I open up Edge, or Chrome I get a blank page for about 30 seconds before the home page pops up. Firefox is my default browser but even it will get a pause before totally loading a website. It takes Youtube about 20-30 seconds to fully load.

So I need some help to try and drag this thing along for now until I get a new one.

 

[Nexus]

Does your current computer have an SSD? If not, they're very cheap nowadays - it'll be the biggest upgrade you can do.

How much RAM do you have? IMO with Windows 10, 8GB is the bare minimum you want - 16GB would be a more comfortable amount, especially if you like keeping lots of browser tabs open.

 

[Jezza819]

Does your current computer have an SSD? If not, they're very cheap nowadays - it'll be the biggest upgrade you can do.

How much RAM do you have? IMO with Windows 10, 8GB is the bare minimum you want - 16GB would be a more comfortable amount, especially if you like keeping lots of browser tabs open.

I don't know if it has an SSD or not. It does have 8GB of RAM. I don't keep open a lot of tabs. I really don't want to invest in any hardware upgrades for it. I was looking more at if there was something that needs cleaned up that could be slowing it down.

 

[Saidur_Ali]

Have you tried running following command?: chkdsk /f /r

Do you have any files you need keeping or can do a complete reinstall. Worth considering upgrading to Windows 11 by doing a clean install. You can use Rufus to bypass TPM 2.0 requirements if your system doesn't have it.

 

[Jezza819]

Have you tried running following command?: chkdsk /f /r

Do you have any files you need keeping or can do a complete reinstall. Worth considering upgrading to Windows 11 by doing a clean install. You can use Rufus to bypass TPM 2.0 requirements if your system doesn't have it.

What does that command do?

I will be getting a completely new system in a few months. I'm just trying to get this one to run as good as possible until then.

 

[Saidur_Ali]

What does that command do?

I will be getting a completely new system in a few months. I'm just trying to get this one to run as good as possible until then.

It fixes errors on the disk, locates bad sectors and recovers readable information.

Worth doing a clean install of Windows 11 if you know how to install operating systems. Doesn't take long to do.

 

[Jezza819]

It fixes errors on the disk, locates bad sectors and recovers readable information.

Worth doing a clean install of Windows 11 if you know how to install operating systems. Doesn't take long to do.

I definitely do not know how to install operating systems. Is there routine maintenance you should be doing to speed things up? I remember back in the day being told to run scan disk and deleting temporary internet files.

 

[Saidur_Ali]

I definitely do not know how to install operating systems. Is there routine maintenance you should be doing to speed things up? I remember back in the day being told to run scan disk and deleting temporary internet files.

Your issue seems related to your disk drive. That chkdsk command I mentioned earlier has a good chance of fixing most of your computer problems as long as it is not a drive that has gone completely bad, might be just a file system issue.

You can run the following afterwards to make sure nothing has corrupted on Windows if you want to run scan disk. All these commands should be run with command prompt elevated to administrator level.

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

and

sfc /scannow

Is your Windows 10 fully updated?

 

[Jezza819]

Your issue seems related to your disk drive. That chkdsk command I mentioned earlier has a good chance of fixing most of your computer problems as long as it is not a drive that has gone completely bad, might be just a file system issue.

You can run the following afterwards to make sure nothing has corrupted on Windows if you want to run scan disk. All these commands should be run with command prompt elevated to administrator level.

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

and

sfc /scannow

Is your Windows 10 fully updated?

Yes Windows 10 is fully updated. I'll try to run that command soon and let you know what happens.

 

[Jezza819]

Have you tried running following command?: chkdsk /f /r

Do you have any files you need keeping or can do a complete reinstall. Worth considering upgrading to Windows 11 by doing a clean install. You can use Rufus to bypass TPM 2.0 requirements if your system doesn't have it.

I tried running that command but it said process is in use somewhere else or something like that but it asked to run it again at the next startup. Since I had the infinite green bar on file explorer again I did a restart. Computer is on, but screen is black. I've restarted it 4 or 5 times since then but the screen is still black.

 

[Saidur_Ali]

I tried running that command but it said process is in use somewhere else or something like that but it asked to run it again at the next startup. Since I had the infinite green bar on file explorer again I did a restart. Computer is on, but screen is black. I've restarted it 4 or 5 times since then but the screen is still black.

Does it not even post BIOS screen when booting up? Do you have a USB flash drive and do you know specs of your computer?

 

[Jezza819]

Does it not even post BIOS screen when booting up? Do you have a USB flash drive and do you know specs of your computer?

Nothing. Screen stays black. It's done this a few times over the last few months. It might take twice to attempt to restart it but it's always came back up. Not this time. I might have a flash drive somewhere. I haven't looked for it in a long time. I do not know the specs.

I have some time off next week starting Tuesday so I guess I'll have to take it to the shop. I just need it back up one more time and I guess now I'll have to get that new system. I think I have the specs on this one (gaming PC) somewhere if I can find them and I know they are going to think it's overkill for just a web browsing, Youtube, other streaming PC but this will probably be my last system and I want it to last and be very powerful.

 

[Saidur_Ali]

Nothing. Screen stays black. It's done this a few times over the last few months. It might take twice to attempt to restart it but it's always came back up. Not this time. I might have a flash drive somewhere. I haven't looked for it in a long time. I do not know the specs.

I have some time off next week starting Tuesday so I guess I'll have to take it to the shop. I just need it back up one more time and I guess now I'll have to get that new system. I think I have the specs on this one (gaming PC) somewhere if I can find them and I know they are going to think it's overkill for just a web browsing, Youtube, other streaming PC but this will probably be my last system and I want it to last and be very powerful.

Won't be of much use if your computer doesn't turn on correctly. Do you hear noise from drive when it starts up? Do you have a graphics card for this PC or just running off integrated graphics? You can see on back of PC what port you are using and if there are more of them available. It could be any kind of failure. Hopefully that means it is not your drive that is faulty but maybe something else so should be able to recover your data. They might need to run chkdsk on it if they struggle to back up data from it if it runs really slow.

If getting a new system, there are new chips from AMD and Intel recently launched so you may want to get them instead as an upgrade over your other PC.

 

[Jezza819]

Won't be of much use if your computer doesn't turn on correctly. Do you hear noise from drive when it starts up? Do you have a graphics card for this PC or just running off integrated graphics? You can see on back of PC what port you are using and if there are more of them available. It could be any kind of failure. Hopefully that means it is not your drive that is faulty but maybe something else so should be able to recover your data. They might need to run chkdsk on it if they struggle to back up data from it if it runs really slow.

If getting a new system, there are new chips from AMD and Intel recently launched so you may want to get them instead as an upgrade over your other PC.

You can hear a light noise just as you hit the power button but after that, nothing. It is integrated graphics.

 

[Saidur_Ali]

You can hear a light noise just as you hit the power button but after that, nothing. It is integrated graphics.

It could be anything at this point, potentially faulty motherboard / CPU / power supply / memory causing such issues.

Maybe worth turning off power at the mains for the PC, holding power button on for say 30 seconds to drain power and switching back on the mains and trying to boot up again and see if that does anything.

 

[Jezza819]

It could be anything at this point, potentially faulty motherboard / CPU / power supply / memory causing such issues.

Maybe worth turning off power at the mains for the PC, holding power button on for say 30 seconds to drain power and switching back on the mains and trying to boot up again and see if that does anything.

Hold the button for 30 seconds to drain power, unplug it, wait a bit, plug it back up and try again?

 

[Saidur_Ali]

Hold the button for 30 seconds to drain power, unplug it, wait a bit, plug it back up and try again?

Unplug first, then hold power button for about 30 seconds. Can wait a bit then plug it back in and try again.

 

[Jezza819]

Unplug first, then hold power button for about 30 seconds. Can wait a bit then plug it back in and try again.

Thank you so much!!!!

Now then, since it's back up, I don't think I need to try running that chkdsk prompt again since before it said it couldn't run without a restart. Don't want to risk another meltdown.

 

[Saidur_Ali]

Thank you so much!!!!

Now then, since it's back up, I don't think I need to try running that chkdsk prompt again since before it said it couldn't run without a restart. Don't want to risk another meltdown.

Do you have an external drive to back up to? Worth seeing if you can copy data over and if it moves at slow speed still.

I assume your current OS drive is the C drive.

Maybe worth trying the following command instead: chkdsk c: /f /r

If you can get it to run, it might solve your issues if only problem is a corrupt file system.

 

[Jezza819]

I do not have an external drive to back up to. Yes OS drive is C. I might give the command a try tonight if I can.

 

[BenMillard]

Is the disk full or nearly full?

1. Windows Explorer, right-click the C: drive, Properties.
2. There's a row called "Free space" what is the number to the right of that, please?
3. Button for "Disk Clean-up".
4. Opens a new window called "Disk Clean-up for (C: )".
5. Button for "Clean up system files". Don't worry, that doesn't change anything yet.
6. It will show a progress bar and then the window will return.
7. Near the top of this window there should now be a bit of information. "You can use Disk Clean-up to free up to xyz MB of disk space on (C: )."
8. There's a list which shows various things you can clean up. You can tick which things you want to remove. Don't tick things you want to keep.
9. There will also be a new tab at the top called "More Options".
10. In the "More Options" tab, the lower section called "System Restore and Shadow Copies". It has a button "Clean up" which is safe to use, since you have older backups and this still keeps the most recent Restore Point.

Would you mind sharing the system specs for the machine you are trying to fix, please? It might just be a super slow spec for Windows 10.

EDIT: Check the Recycle Bin if you've been deleting stuff. It doesn't actually go until Recycle Bin is emptied.

EDIT2: It's possible a virus scan is running or a 3rd-party software is doing some bloated update process. Ctrl+Shift+Esc to bring up Task Manager, click on the "CPU" column header to bring the most active processes to the top. That will help identify if the system is busy. Let it run for a few hours if the % numbers are staying high.

 

[Jezza819]

Is the disk full or nearly full?

1. Windows Explorer, right-click the C: drive, Properties.
2. There's a row called "Free space" what is the number to the right of that, please?
3. Button for "Disk Clean-up".
4. Opens a new window called "Disk Clean-up for (C: )".
5. Button for "Clean up system files". Don't worry, that doesn't change anything yet.
6. It will show a progress bar and then the window will return.
7. Near the top of this window there should now be a bit of information. "You can use Disk Clean-up to free up to xyz MB of disk space on (C: )."
8. There's a list which shows various things you can clean up. You can tick which things you want to remove. Don't tick things you want to keep.
9. There will also be a new tab at the top called "More Options".
10. In the "More Options" tab, the lower section called "System Restore and Shadow Copies". It has a button "Clean up" which is safe to use, since you have older backups and this still keeps the most recent Restore Point.

Would you mind sharing the system specs for the machine you are trying to fix, please? It might just be a super slow spec for Windows 10.

EDIT: Check the Recycle Bin if you've been deleting stuff. It doesn't actually go until Recycle Bin is emptied.

EDIT2: It's possible a virus scan is running or a 3rd-party software is doing some bloated update process. Ctrl+Shift+Esc to bring up Task Manager, click on the "CPU" column header to bring the most active processes to the top. That will help identify if the system is busy. Let it run for a few hours if the % numbers are staying high.

Total size: 917GB Free Space: 497GB
Disk Cleanup said it can free up 7.19GB

Specs: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-7400 CPU @ 3.00GHz 3.00 GHz
Installed Ram: 8GB

Do you know how to fix the infinite green loading bar on Windows Explorer? That's an indicator that I need to restart it again. Because when I get that no thumbnails will be in the picture file, just the program symbol and if you click on one it takes forever before it eventually opens. Also you cannot delete or rename a file because it says file in use elsewhere but it isn't. You can't delete a photo because it says photo is in use in photos please close and try again.

 

[TB]

Do you know how to fix the infinite green loading bar on Windows Explorer?

Redirecting

 

[BenMillard]

Total size: 917GB Free Space: 497GB
Disk Cleanup said it can free up 7.19GB

Specs: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-7400 CPU @ 3.00GHz 3.00 GHz
Installed Ram: 8GB

Do you know how to fix the infinite green loading bar on Windows Explorer? That's an indicator that I need to restart it again. Because when I get that no thumbnails will be in the picture file, just the program symbol and if you click on one it takes forever before it eventually opens. Also you cannot delete or rename a file because it says file in use elsewhere but it isn't. You can't delete a photo because it says photo is in use in photos please close and try again.

Thanks for trying that. We've ruled out the disk being too full.

We've also ruled out the CPU being extremely slow. I have an i7-7700HQ and it's fine in Win10 with an SSD.

The thing about 'file in use' could be anti-virus or it could be a problem with Windows Permissions. Could also be a problem with more than one user being signed into your machine at once. But a restart would normally fix that.

Ctrl+Shift+Esc to get Task Manager. Then sort by "Disk" column. Do any processes have a large % number in that list when things are not working?

Does anything in that list often have a high % if you sort by "CPU" column?

If nothing is showing high % in Task Manager then it is possible the drive motor is wearing.

Another possibility is the machine is running too hot. Not necessarily one of the major components, but the drive or some I/O chip on the motherboard. Aging of the motherboard and possibly an electrical part degrading are also possibilities, given the age of the CPU I guess the motherboard is also that old.

It can be so many things. You'll probably need a long process of ruling out one thing after another to eventually find it.

EDIT: I forgot to ask, is there a big Windows Update trying to install in the background? That's literally the first thing to check anything a Windows machine feels slow but maybe you haven't checked this recently.

 

[Jezza819]

Thanks for trying that. We've ruled out the disk being too full.

We've also ruled out the CPU being extremely slow. I have an i7-7700HQ and it's fine in Win10 with an SSD.

The thing about 'file in use' could be anti-virus or it could be a problem with Windows Permissions. Could also be a problem with more than one user being signed into your machine at once. But a restart would normally fix that.

Ctrl+Shift+Esc to get Task Manager. Then sort by "Disk" column. Do any processes have a large % number in that list when things are not working?

Does anything in that list often have a high % if you sort by "CPU" column?

If nothing is showing high % in Task Manager then it is possible the drive motor is wearing.

Another possibility is the machine is running too hot. Not necessarily one of the major components, but the drive or some I/O chip on the motherboard. Aging of the motherboard and possibly an electrical part degrading are also possibilities, given the age of the CPU I guess the motherboard is also that old.

It can be so many things. You'll probably need a long process of ruling out one thing after another to eventually find it.

EDIT: I forgot to ask, is there a big Windows Update trying to install in the background? That's literally the first thing to check anything a Windows machine feels slow but maybe you haven't checked this recently.

Nothing is showing a high % in the disk column, in fact most everything was at 0.

Nothing is high % in the CPU column either. Most everything is below 1%

All updates have installed, there is nothing trying to install now.