New PC time.......again.

Miroslav

Hi

My current PC is 3ghz, 1mb RAM 70gb hd. XP.

It's fine for what I use it for (very little these days) but other household members like to use it for watching tv/videos and other fairly heavy applications and the current pc struggles.

With a budget of just £300-£400 is it possible to get a better PC which will.be smoother for watching tv and video? The budget needs to cover
operating system as well but a little can be added for a new monitor as the old pc will still be used for the little things I do (thus the monitor too)

Where is a good place to go? I've been recommendrd Novatech but have never heard of them.

Thanks for any advice.

TakeThis

You really don't need to spend much money for such simple requirements.

As little as £190 for this ZooStorm PC. Stick a £30 graphics card in and you are done.

A decent 24" monitor will set you back around £130, so still some money left in the pot. So you can get a better processor and a bigger HDD for £220 here.

Take a look. Quite a few from which to choose.

closed

Do you mean iplayer/youtube?

What graphics card has it got?

post a hijackthis log.

Miroslav

TakeThis - Thanks. Will take a look at those links.

closed - yes, iplayer, you tube, tv catch-up etc.

Not on PC at mo but when It's not being used I shall look at graphics card and do a hijackthis log.

Thanks

gonzo127

as above, yes you can very easily get a system which will suite you requirements for little money, and argos ebay outlet is great for some bargins

this being said doing Closed's thread and cleaning and tuning will work wonders and is highly recommended

as to buying new (argos ebay outlet are classed as refurb but in my experience are as good as new anyway) Novatech are good but not generally the cheapest for what you get, unless you look at their customer service which might be a consideration for you,

anyway looking at the cheapest system they do
http://www.novatech.co.uk/pc/range/isysv2.html (comes without a operating system which brings it to about £340) - this system http://www.dinopc.com/shop/pc/configurePrd.asp?idproduct=1093 has a slightly better processor and is cheaper as it includes the operating system at £270

tightrs

I bought from dell outlet refurbished pc ( mine looked brand new ) £357 core i5 processor ,6gb RAM ,1 tb SATA 3 hard drive,blueray ,Windows 7 home premium
These are posted around 2-3pm weekdays


http://configure.euro.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&oc=D006216&dgc=AF&cid=5212&lid=122756&acd=e879c2c949e0eceba605dd0a1d41c965

macman

Are you sure that the problem with streaming TV or video isn't your linespeed? iPlayer/YouTube etc needs a minimum speed to work without buffering. if so, changing your PC will make no difference whatsoever.
Test your linespeed here:
www.speedtest.net
PS: I think you'll find that your RAM is 1GB, not 1MB. Why not increase that to 2GB if the mobo will take it?
If the issue is playing back video, then maybe upgrade the graphics card-what do you have at present?

Miroslav

gonzo - I bought this one from Argos ebay (I think) about 3 years ago and it's never caused me any issues aside it's a little slow now. Would emptying files off the computer make any considerable difference?

Thanks for the links. I will take a look at them.

tightrs - Sounds a nice system for the price (based on my limited knowledge) Will check Dell out, thanks.

macman - Yes, I meant 1GB, sorry. It's usually video playback that's the issue, but when using a couple of programs at the same time it can slow the PC down alot and sometimes my browser (Firefox or Chrome) can just stall and you have to wait a minute or two or sometimes the whole PC can freeze.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/1858453970.png

Always scared if I change anything inside that it won't work again but if Ram would make a difference?

How do I find out what graphics card I have - I right clicked My Computer and found Intel (R) 82945G Express Chipset Family. Is this it?

This is m y HijackThis log - I have no idea what some of the things are?

Logfile of Trend Micro HijackThis v2.0.2
Scan saved at 10:10:49, on 27/03/2012
Platform: Windows XP SP3 (WinNT 5.01.2600)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v8.00 (8.00.6001.18702)
Boot mode: Normal

Running processes:
C:\WINDOWS\System32\smss.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
c:\Program Files\Microsoft Security Client\Antimalware\MsMpEng.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\svchost.exe
C:\Program Files\Lavasoft\Ad-Aware\AAWService.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe
C:\Program Files\SUPERAntiSpyware\SASCORE.EXE
C:\Program Files\Common Files\AOL\ACS\AOLAcsd.exe
C:\Program Files\Microsoft\BingBar\SeaPort.EXE
C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\bin\jqs.exe
C:\Program Files\Microsoft LifeCam\MSCamS32.exe
C:\Program Files\CDBurnerXP\NMSAccessU.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\SearchIndexer.exe
C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE
C:\Program Files\BT Voyager 105 ADSL Modem\dslstat.exe
C:\Program Files\BT Voyager 105 ADSL Modem\dslagent.exe
C:\Program Files\VoyagerTest\fts.exe
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Security Client\msseces.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon.exe
C:\Program Files\Lavasoft\Ad-Aware\AAWTray.exe
C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe
C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\plugin-container.exe
C:\Program Files\Sports Interactive\Football Manager 2005\fm2005.exe
C:\DOCUME~1\user\LOCALS~1\Temp\~e5.0001
C:\WINDOWS\system32\rundll32.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\mmc.exe
C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\HijackThis\HijackThis.exe

R0 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://www.google.co.uk/
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Page_URL = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=69157
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Default_Search_URL = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=54896
R1 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Page = http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=54896
R0 - HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://www.searchcanvas.com/?ot=6
R3 - Default URLSearchHook is missing
F2 - REG:system.ini: UserInit=C:\WINDOWS\system32\userinit.exe
O2 - BHO: AcroIEHelperStub - {18DF081C-E8AD-4283-A596-FA578C2EBDC3} - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Acrobat\ActiveX\AcroIEHelperShim.dll
O2 - BHO: RealPlayer Download and Record Plugin for Internet Explorer - {3049C3E9-B461-4BC5-8870-4C09146192CA} - c:\program files\real\realplayer\rpbrowserrecordplugin.dll
O2 - BHO: Increase performance and video formats for your HTML5 <video> - {326E768D-4182-46FD-9C16-1449A49795F4} - C:\Program Files\DivX\DivX Plus Web Player\npdivx32.dll
O2 - BHO: Use the DivX Plus Web Player to watch web videos with less interruptions and smoother playback on supported sites - {593DDEC6-7468-4cdd-90E1-42DADAA222E9} - C:\Program Files\DivX\DivX Plus Web Player\npdivx32.dll
O2 - BHO: (no name) - {5C255C8A-E604-49b4-9D64-90988571CECB} - (no file)
O2 - BHO: Windows Live Sign-in Helper - {9030D464-4C02-4ABF-8ECC-5164760863C6} - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Windows Live\WindowsLiveLogin.dll
O2 - BHO: Bing Bar Helper - {d2ce3e00-f94a-4740-988e-03dc2f38c34f} - "C:\Program Files\Microsoft\BingBar\BingExt.dll" (file missing)
O2 - BHO: Java(tm) Plug-In 2 SSV Helper - {DBC80044-A445-435b-BC74-9C25C1C588A9} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\bin\jp2ssv.dll
O2 - BHO: JQSIEStartDetectorImpl - {E7E6F031-17CE-4C07-BC86-EABFE594F69C} - C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\lib\deploy\jqs\ie\jqs_plugin.dll
O2 - BHO: BlingeeTb - {FCBCCB87-9224-4B8D-B117-F56D924BEB18} - C:\Program Files\Blingee Plus\blingeetb.dll
O3 - Toolbar: Blingee Toolbar - {D1121FE0-0145-44C9-AA35-72071AC20A9B} - C:\Program Files\Blingee Plus\blingeetb.dll
O3 - Toolbar: Bing Bar - {8dcb7100-df86-4384-8842-8fa844297b3f} - "C:\Program Files\Microsoft\BingBar\BingExt.dll" (file missing)
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [DSLSTATEXE] C:\Program Files\BT Voyager 105 ADSL Modem\dslstat.exe icon
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [DSLAGENTEXE] C:\Program Files\BT Voyager 105 ADSL Modem\dslagent.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [%FP%Friendly fts.exe] "C:\Program Files\VoyagerTest\fts.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [MSC] "c:\Program Files\Microsoft Security Client\msseces.exe" -hide -runkey
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [ctfmon.exe] C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon.exe
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [Google Update] "C:\Documents and Settings\user\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Update\GoogleUpdate.exe" /c
O4 - HKUS\S-1-5-18\..\Run: [CTFMON.EXE] C:\WINDOWS\system32\CTFMON.EXE (User 'SYSTEM')
O4 - HKUS\S-1-5-18\..\Run: [DWQueuedReporting] "c:\PROGRA~1\COMMON~1\MICROS~1\DW\dwtrig20.exe" -t (User 'SYSTEM')
O4 - HKUS\.DEFAULT\..\Run: [CTFMON.EXE] C:\WINDOWS\system32\CTFMON.EXE (User 'Default user')
O8 - Extra context menu item: &AOL Toolbar search - res://C:\Program Files\AOL Toolbar\toolbar.dll/SEARCH.HTML
O9 - Extra button: Blog This - {219C3416-8CB2-491a-A3C7-D9FCDDC9D600} - C:\Program Files\Windows Live\Writer\WriterBrowserExtension.dll
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: &Blog This in Windows Live Writer - {219C3416-8CB2-491a-A3C7-D9FCDDC9D600} - C:\Program Files\Windows Live\Writer\WriterBrowserExtension.dll
O9 - Extra button: (no name) - {CD67F990-D8E9-11d2-98FE-00C0F0318AFE} - (no file)
O9 - Extra button: (no name) - {e2e2dd38-d088-4134-82b7-f2ba38496583} - C:\WINDOWS\Network Diagnostic\xpnetdiag.exe
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: @xpsp3res.dll,-20001 - {e2e2dd38-d088-4134-82b7-f2ba38496583} - C:\WINDOWS\Network Diagnostic\xpnetdiag.exe
O9 - Extra button: Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O9 - Extra 'Tools' menuitem: Windows Messenger - {FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683} - C:\Program Files\Messenger\msmsgs.exe
O16 - DPF: {6E32070A-766D-4EE6-879C-DC1FA91D2FC3} (MUWebControl Class) - http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/v6/V5Controls/en/x86/client/muweb_site.cab?1254314383843
O16 - DPF: {C3F79A2B-B9B4-4A66-B012-3EE46475B072} (MessengerStatsClient Class) - http://messenger.zone.msn.com/binary/MessengerStatsPAClient.cab56907.cab
O17 - HKLM\System\CCS\Services\Tcpip\..\{1BA52BBB-C2D8-4707-8245-5E3ABC9AC2A4}: NameServer = 92.31.242.20 92.31.241.21
O20 - Winlogon Notify: !SASWinLogon - C:\Program Files\SUPERAntiSpyware\SASWINLO.DLL
O23 - Service: SAS Core Service (!SASCORE) - SUPERAntiSpyware.com - C:\Program Files\SUPERAntiSpyware\SASCORE.EXE
O23 - Service: AOL Connectivity Service (AOL ACS) - AOL LLC - C:\Program Files\Common Files\AOL\ACS\AOLAcsd.exe
O23 - Service: Java Quick Starter (JavaQuickStarterService) - Sun Microsystems, Inc. - C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\bin\jqs.exe
O23 - Service: Lavasoft Ad-Aware Service - Lavasoft Limited - C:\Program Files\Lavasoft\Ad-Aware\AAWService.exe
O23 - Service: NBService - Nero AG - C:\Program Files\Nero\Nero 7\Nero BackItUp\NBService.exe
O23 - Service: NMIndexingService - Nero AG - C:\Program Files\Common Files\Ahead\Lib\NMIndexingService.exe
O23 - Service: NMSAccessU - Unknown owner - C:\Program Files\CDBurnerXP\NMSAccessU.exe

--
End of file - 7080 bytes

Miroslav

Also, as per closed's thread....

Commit total charge 669800
Commit charge peak 755792
Physical Memory total 1038764

macman

Nothng wrong with your linespeed-over 5MBps.
A 3 year old PC should not stutter while playing back video. Make and model?
I'd start with a general clean up with CCleaner, get rid of some of the pointless toolbars (Bing etc).
XP will run OK on 1GB, but 2GB is always better. If you can use a screwdriver then you can add RAM modules-it's a 10 minute job.
You do not have a separate graphics card-you have onboard graphics. So an investment in a modest graphics card might be worthwhile. No doubt somebody can recommend one.

rmg1

Looks like the Nero indexing service is running as well. That takes a lot of processing power for not a lot of gain (IMO). I can't remember how I switched it off when I had XP but it did make a big difference when I did.

Will that be conflicting with the Windows indexing service?