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04/24/2009 02:19:39 PM · #1 |
I upgraded my pc about a month ago. Photoshop, Bridge and InDesign seemed to run faster and longer for the first week. Now I am having to restart several times a day. Any advice would be appreciated!
configuration:
8GB RAM @ 1066MHz
Windows XP Media
12MB Cache (2.6GHz Processor)
512MB Video Card
(2 new, fast hard drives. I am not sure of the specs but can find out if it makes a difference)
And no, I can't switch to Apple at this time!
I have Norton Antivirus, Thunderbird for email, and a laser printer. |
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04/24/2009 02:28:32 PM · #2 |
| I am NO expert (by a long shot)...but I had a boat load of problems with Norton Anti-virus....got rid of that (and that took some doing) and my computer quite spitting at me...we use Trend Micro Internet Security Pro now...haven't had a problem since... |
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04/24/2009 02:35:43 PM · #3 |
Norton does have a reputation as beiung bloatware these days. Maximum PC magazine determined that it did indeed slowdown their testbed computer by a noticeable and measurable amount. It's possible that Norton is busy doing a full system scan and that is the real problem. If that's the case, then you can go into the settings and adjsut the schedule to not interfere with the time you are actually using the PC.
I use the free version of AVG antivirus, though Maximum PC reported that AVG is not as light on resources as in past years. Their current favorite is Antivir. You can find more information and links to both of those in this article from Maximum PC |
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04/24/2009 02:44:34 PM · #4 |
My Norton is set to scan at night, so it is not actively scanning while I am working. I will try working without it this weekend.
Any other opinions also welcome! |
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04/24/2009 02:51:45 PM · #5 |
| I ditched Symantec products years ago. They did nothing but charge for everything and slow down everything. We are currently using Avast! for anti-virus, and Spybot for spyware. I use PC Pitstop's Optimizer to keep everything running at top speed. |
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04/24/2009 03:06:12 PM · #6 |
| Guess I'll see what happens without Norton for the weekend. Thanks for responding! |
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04/24/2009 03:12:40 PM · #7 |
Try bringing up task manager (right click the task bar on the bottom of your screen to find it) and watch how it's allocating memory. Maybe something is grabbing memory and won't let it go. This will help you identify what might be causing the problem. Also you can sometimes get better performance by tweaking your page file here's a link to show you how. LINK
If you are using the 32 bit version of WindowsXP remember there is a 4GB memory limitation. |
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04/24/2009 03:21:33 PM · #8 |
Originally posted by robinssong:
If you are using the 32 bit version of WindowsXP remember there is a 4GB memory limitation. |
I noticed that in her specs as well, but even though she has some ram that cannot be used, it'snot going to be part of the problem. Brings back fond memories of the MS-DOS 640k barrier. I remember how great it was when I installed Windows 3.0 and was able to use 4 Megabytes of memory. |
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04/24/2009 03:22:56 PM · #9 |
Is it just Photoshop that is acting up?
Also, you didn't mention why you had to restart.
You may want to try
CTRL ALT DELETE - the go task manager - Processes and see how much stuff you have running in there.
You can also go to "run" then type "msconfig" and then "start-up" programs.
also on the same screen you will see "services". You can click "hide all microsoft services" and then select the remaining to "disable". This will stop all service except what is needed by XP. You can then see if the computer is running normally. If it is, then enable all and then disable one at a time until you find the "crappy" one !
At times, even if it is a "trojan" or "virus", it will be using the "services" or "startup" to STARTUP...at times...it won't though!
Let us know.
Originally posted by chaimelle:
I upgraded my pc about a month ago. Photoshop, Bridge and InDesign seemed to run faster and longer for the first week. Now I am having to restart several times a day. Any advice would be appreciated!
configuration:
8GB RAM @ 1066MHz
Windows XP Media
12MB Cache (2.6GHz Processor)
512MB Video Card
(2 new, fast hard drives. I am not sure of the specs but can find out if it makes a difference)
And no, I can't switch to Apple at this time!
I have Norton Antivirus, Thunderbird for email, and a laser printer. |
Message edited by author 2009-04-24 15:23:51. |
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04/24/2009 03:52:50 PM · #10 |
SO far, Bridge will say it has encountered a problem and shut down. Photoshop starts working very slowly. If I ignore that, it will eventually give me the "not enough memory" message and stop working. InDesign just won't work (can't use the tools) although I have been able to save before closing. I have been working strictly with Adobe, doesn't seem to matter if I have one or all 3 open. I haven't used Illistrator on this system yet, but I imagine I would still have problems. Usually my email is up, but not always, and no other programs running.
Sometimes PS will take whatever tool I am using (often zoom) and carry it all the way down to almost nothing. It has to go all the way down before I can get it back to the size I want to work with. Bridge has also done this a couple of times.
(Just looked: Physical memory: 3406252K, available: 2276400K, cache: 2224932K) |
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04/24/2009 04:02:26 PM · #11 |
Well FYI, your OS will only make use of a measly 3gb of your RAM. You need a 64 bit OS to handle the other 5 gigs.
However, I'd just try popping the Adobe install CDs back in and running a repair. |
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04/24/2009 04:20:22 PM · #12 |
The tool "thing" sounds rather bizarre. I'd still try closing all unnecessary programs (as described earlier) and try again.
Originally posted by chaimelle:
SO far, Bridge will say it has encountered a problem and shut down. Photoshop starts working very slowly. If I ignore that, it will eventually give me the "not enough memory" message and stop working. InDesign just won't work (can't use the tools) although I have been able to save before closing. I have been working strictly with Adobe, doesn't seem to matter if I have one or all 3 open. I haven't used Illistrator on this system yet, but I imagine I would still have problems. Usually my email is up, but not always, and no other programs running.
Sometimes PS will take whatever tool I am using (often zoom) and carry it all the way down to almost nothing. It has to go all the way down before I can get it back to the size I want to work with. Bridge has also done this a couple of times.
(Just looked: Physical memory: 3406252K, available: 2276400K, cache: 2224932K) |
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