Dumb PC Question

[gdr_11]

This may be a dumb question, but I notice that my eMachines Celeron desktop often slows down and stops my internet access while there are no programs running. I have Comcast wireless and will sometimes have to wait 3-5 minutes to open a new browser page even though I have a good signal. Meanwhile, I can hear the CPU grinding away on something even though all I have is a page like Calguns open with minimal active ads, etc.

I open Task Manager to confirm no other apps or processes are running, and I do frequent Malware and spyware scans which almost never reveal anything.

I guess my question is whether this is normal. It does not seem like any of my other PCs ever did this.

[AreWeFree]

This may be a dumb question, but I notice that my eMachines Celeron desktop often slows down and stops my internet access while there are no programs running. I have Comcast wireless and will sometimes have to wait 3-5 minutes to open a new browser page even though I have a good signal. Meanwhile, I can hear the CPU grinding away on something even though all I have is a page like Calguns open with minimal active ads, etc.

I open Task Manager to confirm no other apps or processes are running, and I do frequent Malware and spyware scans which almost never reveal anything.

I guess my question is whether this is normal. It does not seem like any of my other PCs ever did this.

Posting your PC specs will greatly help.

In Task manager you will have a bunch of processes running, what does it have for a total number?
What other programs are you running? Do you have online backup services like carbonite?
How old is your computer?

[Peter.Steele]

"eMachines" and "Celeron."

Sorry to be blunt, but those are your first two problems right there.

You've got a bottom of the barrel processor in a machine made by a bottom of the barrel manufacturer.

[catmman]

Got something going on. Don't think it is your internet. Have you defragged and run msconfig and disabled the startup of programs you don't need.

[ocabj]

"eMachines" and "Celeron."

Sorry to be blunt, but those are your first two problems right there.

You've got a bottom of the barrel processor in a machine made by a bottom of the barrel manufacturer.

and from 1999.

[foxtrotuniformlima]

What operating system are you running?

It sounds like the OS is trying to update or perform something in the background like a restore point or ?

[Merc1138]

and from 1999.

Funnily enough... that's not necessarily true. Intel still labels CPUs as "celeron" to this day, and emachines existed well after 2000 when they got bought out by Gateway, who then got bought by Abit(or was it Acer? I forget).

Now that still doesn't change that it's a bottom of the barrel CPU made by a bottom of the barrel manufacturer.

gdr_11, do you have a USB port and some sort of recovery or OS re-install discs(cds? dvd?)? If so, get yourself a USB drive of some sort, copy your important stuff to it, and run whatever OS restore(might even be a matter of hitting a key on boot or something) to totally wipe out your computer, start from scratch, and then you'll have your important stuff still on the USB drive.

The reason I say this, is because without the culprit being totally obvious, it's going to take forever to actually troubleshoot(even in person), and isn't necessarily something that can be completely resolved(likely a multitude of issues). Even when I worked at a computer shop where we charged by the hour, we wouldn't waste our time trying to "fix" your situation, and would instead just charge a flat rate to wipe it out and start from scratch(an hour or two of occasionally walking past the computer to hit the "next" button, or countless hours billed up to a rate no one would ever want to pay just to try and fix it with no guarantee, would be cheaper to spend <$400 on a new low end PC).

[Jason95357]

Almost certainly you're running WinXP (insecure and unpatchable since May, 2014) and just a certainly you're infected with something(s) you cannot see. Time to get a new PC that can run Win7/8.

[the86d]

Celeron is really 1/2 a CPU (well a major part of the processor [cache] failed MFR'ing so they burnt it out,) and sold it on the cheap.

I have dealt with eMachines before, and one couldn't take more than 128MB RAM with the latest BIOS update.

RAM QTY?

A lack of any significant cache on the CPU makes the processor rarely stop working (it can't remember instructions it just processed, so it has to process them again).

Try booting to Knoppix "CD" to verify it isn't Windows... (Don't do the DVD, as it is probably on it's last leg as it is...)

[baih777]

I would stop using that computer for any banking and personal information. retrieve all your photos to a storage drive.
something is running in the background.
the easiest way to fix that is to reinstall the OS as mentioned above.
the bug could also be trying to access your computers on your wireless network.

STOP using it.
I myself would remove the hard drive and destroy it.
this year I had my tax return stolen. lucky for me the IRS had it on hold when I called. some of the info was not correct. I had to send a nortirized letter with copies of my ID and wait a few more months.

[AreWeFree]

...

I myself would remove the hard drive and destroy it.

Woah slow down... no need to burn your house down just because you may have cockroaches.

[Bastard]

"eMachines" and "Celeron."

Sorry to be blunt, but those are your first two problems right there.

You've got a bottom of the barrel processor in a machine made by a bottom of the barrel manufacturer.

this pretty much sums it up - I am usually very hesitant to recommend a new computer, but it's time for a new computer.

[MotoriousRacing]

I'm going to guess it is one of those accidental "free" dowloads, that usually purport to be a PC Tuner/Doctor. I feel like these programs purposly run in the background and consume resources.

They try to get you to pay for the "check-up", when what they likely do is just remove some internally running process that was actually installed by it's own free version.

I built a 'gaming' PC for my nephew and in about 6 months, he said it was really slow. I went over and found on Control Panel -> Programs, about 8-10 of these types of programs. After unistalling all of them, the PC was back up to speed.

Same for a PC I built for my Dad. Same for a cheapy PC I bought my mom from Costco.

One of them on my mom's PC would not uninstall, so after searching the internet, I found I had to enter the Registry and delete a couple key words in about 2 dozen places.

DO NOT enter the Registry until you understand you can completely brick your hard drive if you remove/edit/add anything incorrectly, and would need to reformat the HD and start again.

Good luck.

[blazeaglory]

"eMachines" and "Celeron."

Sorry to be blunt, but those are your first two problems right there.

You've got a bottom of the barrel processor in a machine made by a bottom of the barrel manufacturer.

Sad but true

[lowdive]

I bought a Celeron processor once and vowed to never do that again. Little pieces of crap! Grinding sound could be the hard drive on its way out. Definitely back up all the stuff you want to keep. I also recommend just getting a new system.