suumagoo
I have an oldish computer (4-5 yrs??) I am unning Windows Vista, and it LAGS!!!!! I used to share it with my 2 kids-they have their own now-so I have deleted many of their programs on Disk Clean-up.....BUT it is SLOW and freezes often (dont have to restart it all the time, but it takes a few minutes to get going again) and sometimes it will go "cloudy white" screen for a while.....what should I do?? Is there a program to help solve this or ??? I do have the reinstallation CDS but dont know exactly how to do that (crash and re-do or what??) HELP ME COMPUTER GENIUSES!! Cant afford Best Buy
Answer
Added: Good info from Wendy C! :-)
You may not realize it, but your computer question has been posted in the Genealogy section (the study of ones family tree.) You may obtain more relevant info if you choose to re-post your question in the Hardware section of the Y!A Computers & Internet category. (After stating your Y!A question, select Hardware (Computers & Internet) before clicking Submit.)
Because I'm a librarian by profession and because I do basic computer clean up work for friends & relatives (for free or low fees), I'll give you some tips.
Windows Vista is notorious for using up lots of hard drive space. Also, if you do not use any anti-spyware software to remove spyware and other "bugs," you may have a lot of spyware running on your computer, causing it to be sluggish. Two anti-spyware programs that are free downloads, that I like are Spybot Search & Destroy (make sure it is the Free version) and Ad-Aware (Free version.) You can find them to safely download here:
http://www.download.com
Also, the "innards" of the computer (if it is a desktop model with a computer tower) may need to been cleaned of actual dust bunnies. I've seen the insides of computer towers full of dust, which has caused the fan to run a lot and overheat, causing the computer to shut down. If you feel brave enough to open the computer tower (unplug the thing from electrical power 1st), you may wish to do that and check for dust that can be removed with a small computer vacuum cleaner
(I bought one from Miles Kimball: http://www.mileskimball.com/MilesKimball/Shopping/ProductDetail.aspx?TID=_MilesKimball&CID=MKOfficeandBooks&SCID=MKDeskandComputerAccessories&ProductID=0000080045&ICMP=Search&)
or a very low setting of a hair dryer.
I like this Lifehacker info on how to clean up/clean out "stuff" on a hard drive that may be slowing a computer down:
http://lifehacker.com/294189/top-10-ways-to-clean-up-your-pc
Be sure to print off the info, so you may refer to it while following the steps outlined.
This web site has some good info, too:
http://www.diy-computer-repair.com/cleaning-a-computer.html
The well-respected website CNET.com has some good forums where similar questions to yours & great info on what to do are posted:
http://forums.cnet.com/
You will need to register/sign up, 1st, for free to ask a question.
If you do not know anyone who can personally look at what your computer is doing and do some cleanup work (for a low fee - some bright teen computer geek-type, maybe), then you may need to take your computer to a "computer fix-it" business to get it cleaned up and back in better running shape. I suspect there are some good local (non-Best Buy) businesses near you, that may charge less for the work. Also, a student in computer studies at your local community college may be able to do the work for a more reasonable fee. You may wish to telephone the community college computer studies dept. and ask one of the faculty members there to refer you to a good student for the work.
Best wishes
Added: Good info from Wendy C! :-)
You may not realize it, but your computer question has been posted in the Genealogy section (the study of ones family tree.) You may obtain more relevant info if you choose to re-post your question in the Hardware section of the Y!A Computers & Internet category. (After stating your Y!A question, select Hardware (Computers & Internet) before clicking Submit.)
Because I'm a librarian by profession and because I do basic computer clean up work for friends & relatives (for free or low fees), I'll give you some tips.
Windows Vista is notorious for using up lots of hard drive space. Also, if you do not use any anti-spyware software to remove spyware and other "bugs," you may have a lot of spyware running on your computer, causing it to be sluggish. Two anti-spyware programs that are free downloads, that I like are Spybot Search & Destroy (make sure it is the Free version) and Ad-Aware (Free version.) You can find them to safely download here:
http://www.download.com
Also, the "innards" of the computer (if it is a desktop model with a computer tower) may need to been cleaned of actual dust bunnies. I've seen the insides of computer towers full of dust, which has caused the fan to run a lot and overheat, causing the computer to shut down. If you feel brave enough to open the computer tower (unplug the thing from electrical power 1st), you may wish to do that and check for dust that can be removed with a small computer vacuum cleaner
(I bought one from Miles Kimball: http://www.mileskimball.com/MilesKimball/Shopping/ProductDetail.aspx?TID=_MilesKimball&CID=MKOfficeandBooks&SCID=MKDeskandComputerAccessories&ProductID=0000080045&ICMP=Search&)
or a very low setting of a hair dryer.
I like this Lifehacker info on how to clean up/clean out "stuff" on a hard drive that may be slowing a computer down:
http://lifehacker.com/294189/top-10-ways-to-clean-up-your-pc
Be sure to print off the info, so you may refer to it while following the steps outlined.
This web site has some good info, too:
http://www.diy-computer-repair.com/cleaning-a-computer.html
The well-respected website CNET.com has some good forums where similar questions to yours & great info on what to do are posted:
http://forums.cnet.com/
You will need to register/sign up, 1st, for free to ask a question.
If you do not know anyone who can personally look at what your computer is doing and do some cleanup work (for a low fee - some bright teen computer geek-type, maybe), then you may need to take your computer to a "computer fix-it" business to get it cleaned up and back in better running shape. I suspect there are some good local (non-Best Buy) businesses near you, that may charge less for the work. Also, a student in computer studies at your local community college may be able to do the work for a more reasonable fee. You may wish to telephone the community college computer studies dept. and ask one of the faculty members there to refer you to a good student for the work.
Best wishes
My computer is talking!?
Jacob
Ok so this has been happening for at least a year. I keep hearing this really weird voice saying random codes and things and then it just stops. The latest one, which was five minutes ago, said "454 great lake." I live in Michigan, which is surrounded by the great lakes. I have run a virus scan which has come out clean. I have a Macbook pro. What is going on? Any info would help.
Answer
Sure... it could be those other suggestions about radio wave interference, but...
Does anyone else (not a malicious attacker, but more like someone you know that likes to pull pranks) have access to your computer? This would include your parents if you are a kid, or your kids if you are a parent.
Here's what I'm getting at:
I'm not suggesting anyone has gained unauthorized access via a virus or by brute force guessing your password, or anything like that.
But, if someone is basically authorized by you, they could still be a prankster.
Given access or the knowledge of your password, it is possible for someone to cause your mac to speak.
For example, this app helps pull the prank, for the less technically inclined: http://www.freemacware.com/remote-say/
But that app simply provides a GUI (Graphical User Interface) to do something that can also be done manually on the command line.
You could do it yourself if you simply open the terminal app and know the right command to enter on the command line (please note: the commands you can enter on the command line can be very powerful, and power used without knowledge can be dangerous...). Try this:
Open the terminal app (unless you moved it, it will be in the Utilities folder, which is in the Applications folders), on the command line, copy and paste the following entire line:
say "Hello Jacob, I am your favorite Macintosh. Please feed me now."
Hit enter if the line you pasted above did not include a carriage return.
Now, if remote access has also been enabled via either ssh or telnet (to enable either of those, physical access would have been required to begin with) then, someone that is also on your same home network could login and execute any "say" command they wished, along with a volume adjusting command to make sure your volume is not muted or very low, and you would hear it at your mac.
Don't worry about your system being vulnerable to attacks from the malicious outside world:
1: Even if the above is what is happening, your prankster would be knowledgeable enough to be able to ensure that your system is not vulnerable from the outside.
2: Hypothetically, if your system was compromised to begin with, so you are thinking the prankster is not someone you know at all... That's not a concern; if your system was vulnerable to the outside and someone was able to guess your password, they would NOT use that access to prank you. Their use would be much more secretive. Again, this is hypothetical; your mac is locked down out of the box and you (or your prankster) would have to go out of your way to make the mac vulnerable to the outside.
Of course, now that you know all that, you are the best judge if you are being pranked based on what is being spoken. Also, does what you hear sound like the same voice as any of the voices you can select in the system preferences? If not, then it would have to be the interference issue.
Wex
Sure... it could be those other suggestions about radio wave interference, but...
Does anyone else (not a malicious attacker, but more like someone you know that likes to pull pranks) have access to your computer? This would include your parents if you are a kid, or your kids if you are a parent.
Here's what I'm getting at:
I'm not suggesting anyone has gained unauthorized access via a virus or by brute force guessing your password, or anything like that.
But, if someone is basically authorized by you, they could still be a prankster.
Given access or the knowledge of your password, it is possible for someone to cause your mac to speak.
For example, this app helps pull the prank, for the less technically inclined: http://www.freemacware.com/remote-say/
But that app simply provides a GUI (Graphical User Interface) to do something that can also be done manually on the command line.
You could do it yourself if you simply open the terminal app and know the right command to enter on the command line (please note: the commands you can enter on the command line can be very powerful, and power used without knowledge can be dangerous...). Try this:
Open the terminal app (unless you moved it, it will be in the Utilities folder, which is in the Applications folders), on the command line, copy and paste the following entire line:
say "Hello Jacob, I am your favorite Macintosh. Please feed me now."
Hit enter if the line you pasted above did not include a carriage return.
Now, if remote access has also been enabled via either ssh or telnet (to enable either of those, physical access would have been required to begin with) then, someone that is also on your same home network could login and execute any "say" command they wished, along with a volume adjusting command to make sure your volume is not muted or very low, and you would hear it at your mac.
Don't worry about your system being vulnerable to attacks from the malicious outside world:
1: Even if the above is what is happening, your prankster would be knowledgeable enough to be able to ensure that your system is not vulnerable from the outside.
2: Hypothetically, if your system was compromised to begin with, so you are thinking the prankster is not someone you know at all... That's not a concern; if your system was vulnerable to the outside and someone was able to guess your password, they would NOT use that access to prank you. Their use would be much more secretive. Again, this is hypothetical; your mac is locked down out of the box and you (or your prankster) would have to go out of your way to make the mac vulnerable to the outside.
Of course, now that you know all that, you are the best judge if you are being pranked based on what is being spoken. Also, does what you hear sound like the same voice as any of the voices you can select in the system preferences? If not, then it would have to be the interference issue.
Wex
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