In the last six months or so my computer has been experiencing mounting performance problems. I have the feeling that it is a combination software/hardware issue, but the primary symptom right now is the mouse so I thought I'd start here.
I really noticed it when I started using Facebook apps. They run very slowly, and graphics are herky-jerky. I would periodically get a message saying that the Windows memory paging area was insufficient and was being reset. After a while I just reset it manually to a larger size, but that seemed to cause problems itself so I let it go back to an automatic setting. Then the mouse started to freeze and lose power occasionally. Now it's happening every few minutes.
What usually happens is that first the cursor freezes, then the mouse appears to lose power. When I unplug it and plug it back in, it comes back to life.
Originally assuming that this was a memory or driver problem, I tried:
a) installing and running a new anti-malware program (I was using AVG, switched to Avanquest on the theory that maybe a new program would find something different.
b) running CC Cleaner
c) defragging
d)disabling a bunch of unnecessary stuff--well, in fact everything, ultimately-- on the start menu
e) uninstalling the mouse driver and reinstalling it
An additional problem that makes diagnosing this difficult is that Task Manager doesn't work. No matter how it is launched, the only pane it will display is one that lists my account and offers the option of disconnecting it.
I'm running Windows XP, with a Celeron processor of some sort. I've thought about buying some more RAM, but don't want to if the computer has some mechanical problem (a dying mouse port?) or some kind of sneaky virus I can't seem to find.
Help!
Edit: I have now taken an old mouse off another computer and hooked it up to a different port. So far, that seems to have solved the mouse problem, although I don't know if the issue is the mouse or the port. (They have different socket configurations, so I can't test the port.) I still have the Task Manager issue, though.
I really noticed it when I started using Facebook apps. They run very slowly, and graphics are herky-jerky. I would periodically get a message saying that the Windows memory paging area was insufficient and was being reset. After a while I just reset it manually to a larger size, but that seemed to cause problems itself so I let it go back to an automatic setting. Then the mouse started to freeze and lose power occasionally. Now it's happening every few minutes.
What usually happens is that first the cursor freezes, then the mouse appears to lose power. When I unplug it and plug it back in, it comes back to life.
Originally assuming that this was a memory or driver problem, I tried:
a) installing and running a new anti-malware program (I was using AVG, switched to Avanquest on the theory that maybe a new program would find something different.
b) running CC Cleaner
c) defragging
d)disabling a bunch of unnecessary stuff--well, in fact everything, ultimately-- on the start menu
e) uninstalling the mouse driver and reinstalling it
An additional problem that makes diagnosing this difficult is that Task Manager doesn't work. No matter how it is launched, the only pane it will display is one that lists my account and offers the option of disconnecting it.
I'm running Windows XP, with a Celeron processor of some sort. I've thought about buying some more RAM, but don't want to if the computer has some mechanical problem (a dying mouse port?) or some kind of sneaky virus I can't seem to find.
Help!
Edit: I have now taken an old mouse off another computer and hooked it up to a different port. So far, that seems to have solved the mouse problem, although I don't know if the issue is the mouse or the port. (They have different socket configurations, so I can't test the port.) I still have the Task Manager issue, though.
