Slow PC

[mc2fool]

Right click on C: and select Properties - Tools - Check. See https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/hel ... -windows-7

I did this, and it certainly seems to have had a beneficial effect, so thanks.

Ok, but what did it say regarding errors on the disk? Once you start getting them (at least more than the occasional one) it's often a sign that your disk is on the way out and you'll get an increasing number of errors until it dies. I'd suggest checking again every few days, at least until you are reasonably confident that the slowness isn't due to disk errors.

[Infrasonic]

Do I just buy a 4GB module? But I note the comment at the side that says: `MODULES MUST BE ORDERED AND INSTALLED IN PAIRS for Dual Channel mode'. I don't know what this means, or if it applies to me.

RAM is a bit faster in operation when in 'dual channel' mode (it can flip flop the data), but you'd only really notice the difference if doing graphics or high end work that was maxing everything out. For the dual channel effect to be fully functional the RAM sticks would need to be matched on specs.
If you could match the current 4GB stick(s) then you'd still get the benefit. But overall the advantage is bit moot.

And if I do buy the 4GB module is it really just a matter of opening the back of the PC and slotting it in? Are there any risks involved? It may sound a bit pathetic, but I don't think I've ever opened the back of a PC and I don't want to take any risks at all.

Just watch out for static as that isn't very good for memory modules at all. Leave the PC plugged into the mains but switched off at the wall if you can (so that you still have an earth route.)
Ideally you should have some sort of earth strap on your wrist / ankle before handling the RAM, but I've never bothered.
Avoid wearing any man made fibres and maybe wash your hands before doing anything to reduce any static build up potential.

[tea42]

+1 for an SSD. Transformed my PC. Boots up in 14 seconds, everything's quick and silent, and, its about 10 years old!

[syrio]

If you don't have a lot of technical knowledge, I'd just suggest getting a new PC. You really shouldn't be waiting 30 seconds for documents to open on a PC these days - more like 1 second or less. The whole machine should be booting up and getting to the desktop in less than 30 seconds.

You don't need anything fancy. I suggest

i5 processor
8GB RAM
256GB SSD (if you need lots of space then also get a large hard drive)
Onboard graphics sound like they would be OK, probably no need for a graphics card, certainly not an expensive one.
Windows 10

Alternatively upgrade your existing PC with 8GB RAM and an SSD. Get rid of anything unnecessary that runs at startup. Perhaps even reinstall or refresh windows (I'm not sure if the refresh option is available on windows 7). But you still might find that you have problems even going with this option.

The upgrade route is going to be more work and you aren't technically inclined, you are also going to be stuck with Windows 7 for which mainstream support has ended, and the extended support for it will end in January 2020 at which point you will need to upgrade.

Since the upgrade route will mean buying RAM and SSD now and probably then buying Windows 10 in less than 2 years time - you might as well buy a new PC now.

I imagine that Windows 7 will have more and more performance problems as time goes on as Microsoft are no longer really interested in developing it. I certainly found that to be true for Windows Vista.

[kiloran]

I don't think we've had an answer about the antivirus.

My sister's laptop is a decent enough spec with Windows 10, but it was slow to boot and everything (such as opening Word) took an age. Sounds just like your PC.

Her laptop had Norton Antivirus (or Internet Security or whatever it was called). I removed Norton (a devil of a job) and enabled Windows Defender, and the laptop is totally transformed. Could even be described as blazingly fast.

viewtopic.php?f=39&t=9205

--kiloran

[Infrasonic]

I don't think we've had an answer about the antivirus.

My sister's laptop is a decent enough spec with Windows 10, but it was slow to boot and everything (such as opening Word) took an age. Sounds just like your PC.

Her laptop had Norton Antivirus (or Internet Security or whatever it was called). I removed Norton (a devil of a job) and enabled Windows Defender, and the laptop is totally transformed. Could even be described as blazingly fast.

viewtopic.php?f=39&t=9205

--kiloran

Same on my sisters 6 year old W10 desktop PC, she didn't want it uninstalling though, so I tried to minimise its treacle like intrusiveness in Nortons settings.
Once I cloned the HDD to the SSD it was much better though*, HDD read/write latency really is the issue.
*(Although still not as good as a 'clean install' without Norton/Rapport...)

[Itsallaguess]

+1 for an SSD. Transformed my PC. Boots up in 14 seconds, everything's quick and silent, and, its about 10 years old!

Amazon are selling a SanDisk SSD Plus (120GB) for £36 delivered -

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SanDisk-PLUS-S ... B07621PNWC

£36 delivered is the cheapest this drive has ever been - https://uk.camelcamelcamel.com/SanDisk- ... B07621PNWC

For that price, and given the ease of most transfers from existing drives to a new SSD, I'd think think this is definitely worth a look at, further to the great suggestions already given to check for local software issues etc.

Worth it just for the noise-reduction for an office-PC, never mind the fantastic speed increase seen during normal use.

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[PrincessB]

Do I just buy a 4GB module?

Probably not as your memory configuration is likely served by 2x2GB modules for a total of four GB.

I would probably go for simplicity and simply order a single 8GB module, remove the existing memory and slot the new one in. That has the greatest possibility of working without fuss.

Are there any risks involved? It may sound a bit pathetic, but I don't think I've ever opened the back of a PC and I don't want to take any risks at all.

A backup of your data is always a good idea. I usually touch metal inside the case to equalise/remove static before commencing.

Youtube has a useful video showing how to access the memory modules on your machine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6f6N0LHfRE

Other videos from Youtube show how to replace the hard drive, you may wish to watch a few of them as it appears the internal layout of your machine exists in several different configurations.

On the subject of hard drives, it appears your machine uses a laptop sized drive to save space. Any standard SSD drive is laptop size so you'll have no issues with it fitting.

What you may find is that a new SSD drive might be shallower top to bottom than the drive it replaces - In the old days, laptop drives were 9.5mm high, current units tend to be 7mm so you do run the risk of a new drive being smaller than the cage that locks it in place and rattling about. More of a problem with a portable laptop than a desktop but be aware.

The low tech solution is to pack it with some cardboard, or buy a dedicated spacer for a few pounds more.

I am a bit concerned at the advice about drive capacity, personally I would aim for 500GB - The Samsung 850 series 500GB units cost about £125 (Price from Amazon UK).

Bear in mind that should your computer fail, you'll be able to drop the SSD into any new machine you buy.

On that note, SSD drives seem to be both reliable and capable of giving some warning of impending failure if you're lucky. Conventional spinning hard drives can go without any warning.

My five year old Samsung 840 SSD drive reports its health as good, it cost a lot in 2013 (at least £250 for the 480GB model) but at a time when people were buying 64Gb or 128GB models, the extra money spent back then for a higher capacity model has meant I've not had to keep upgrading when space gets tight.

HTH

B.

[RaspberryFool]

I can fully appreciate the OP's post. My own PC suffers the same problem when opening Office documents. I bought a reasonably high spec PC, it contains a quad core CPU, I have doubled the RAM to 8GB, I constantly monitor the rubbish that gets installed and attempts to run at Start-Up, and I've disabled the unnecessary clutter. However, Office continues to be rather slow at starting.
Recently I noticed that when I open an office document, a process called 'Microsoft Click to run' starts and gobbles up anywhere between 20 to 30% of the CPU. Googling this will find many threads about the problem. It seems to be unavoidable. I did follow the advice on one thread and attempted an online repair to Microsoft Office. Don't, on any account, attempt that! In my case it totally wiped out my entire Office installation. I have simply had to teach myself to live with the problem. I suspect that Office is doing all sorts of stuff in the background before it starts. Annoying, yes. Open a document and use the intervening time to make yourself a nice cup of tea to calm the nerves!
RF

[Breelander]

Recently I noticed that when I open an office document, a process called 'Microsoft Click to run' starts and gobbles up anywhere between 20 to 30% of the CPU.

You have Office 2010 or later, most likely 365. 'Click to Run' is the Office installer and works in the background to keep your install up to date. It's an integral part of your Office, mess with it at your peril. High activity probably indicates that Microsoft has recently updated parts of Office, these updates would be installed as soon as you try to you use a part of Office to which an update applies.

Click-to-Run is a Microsoft streaming and virtualization technology that you can use to install and update Office products....

... with the streaming capabilities in Click-to-Run, you can open and start to use the product before the whole product is installed. While you are using the product, the rest of the product is being downloaded in the background. If you try to use a feature that is not yet downloaded and installed, Click-to-Run immediately downloads and installs that feature.

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-gb/lib ... 19427.aspx

[BobbyD]

I have simply had to teach myself to live with the problem. I suspect that Office is doing all sorts of stuff in the background before it starts. Annoying, yes. Open a document and use the intervening time to make yourself a nice cup of tea to calm the nerves!

How long does it take to open a blank document?

None of my documents are particularly complex, but usinga 5 year old i3 with 16GB of RAM none of them takes more than 2 seconds to open, including the start up time for Excel.