AVI video slow and general XP slowness.

[spursbob]

Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 (build 2600)
600 megahertz Intel Celeron
32 kilobyte primary memory cache
128 kilobyte secondary memory cache
192 Megabytes Installed Memory

S3 Graphics Savage/IX [Display adapter]
Default Monitor
Generic Television [Monitor]
Toshiba Internal 1024x768 Panel [Monitor] (12.7"vis)

I apologise if this is in the wrong forum but I'm not exactly sure what the cause of the problem is. A week or so ago my computer crashed when uninstalling adobe 7. When I tried to reboot I got an error message. The boot file was corrupted so I reinstalled windows xp.

After the reinstall avi files video will only play in slow motion. These same files worked perfectly before. The sound is good. I've tried all sorts of codecs and combinations so I don't believe it is a codec issue. My graphics card driver is the same. I've tried reinstalling xp and even tried windows 2000. The results were the same.

The system itself was capable so I don't understand why it's not working now. I'm wondering if it could be drivers or hardware conflicting.

Also my computer generally seems slower all round. CPU usage seems higher. Programs seem to fluctuate from 4% to 80%. When I keep the mouse still the usage is low. If I move the mouse it shoots up, even with no programs running. If I have firefox running, when the mouse is still firefox.exe cpu usage is low. When I move the mouse, shoots up. When no programs are open, it is csrss.exe usage that goes up.

Thanks for reading.

[xavmdq]

Hardware problem maybe. Check BIOS settings and hard disk surface (Start Menu->Run...->chkdsk c: /f and reboot).
What is the exactly model of your notebook? (Is a notebook?)
Can you probe with another hard disk?
You install Win2000/XP from scratch, booting from CD?
You choose FAT32 or NTFS file system?

[spursbob]

Originally Posted by xavmdq

Hardware problem maybe. Check BIOS settings and hard disk surface (Start Menu->Run...->chkdsk c: /f and reboot).
What is the exactly model of your notebook? (Is a notebook?)
Can you probe with another hard disk?
You install Win2000/XP from scratch, booting from CD?
You choose FAT32 or NTFS file system?

The bios settings have something I have looked at. There isn't many options in there and it's currently set to default. I've tried changing some things but that hasn't helped. I'll try the chkdsk.

Toshiba Satellite Pro 4300 series

I have a copy of XP on my hard disk. I left my cds in England. I'm in Canada now. I had to convert from ntfs to fat32 during one insallation to run from dos. I then converted back after the install. All installations started with a format of the windows drive.

[spursbob]

I've done the check disk on c: and it picked up nothing. I did it on another partition and it corrected lots of filenames which were probably from the fat32 conversions.

Still same problem.

[xavmdq]

Well, I said you about disk because you first get an error which cause you to reinstall Windows. Is very strange. Chkdsk don't make a thorough surface check. Anyway I don't think is a disk problem (but if you can obtain a program called Spinrite 6, check disk with it).
And notebook BIOS are very limited. Anyway check if has cache options (L1 cache enabled, L2 cache enabled).
Also check CPU settings/power saving settings and services running. Put in manual or disabled the servicxes that you don't use. To access service list:
Start Menu->Run...->Services.msc

I found a BIOS update (2.7 version):
http://cdgenp01.csd.toshiba.com/cont...s/2426dv27.exe
This program creates a bootable disquette to flash and update the BIOS. USE A NEW AND SAFE DISQUETTE.

[spursbob]

Originally Posted by xavmdq

Well, I said you about disk because you first get an error which cause you to reinstall Windows. Is very strange. Chkdsk don't make a thorough surface check. Anyway I don't think is a disk problem (but if you can obtain a program called Spinrite 6, check disk with it).
And notebook BIOS are very limited. Anyway check if has cache options (L1 cache enabled, L2 cache enabled).
Also check CPU settings/power saving settings and services running. Put in manual or disabled the servicxes that you don't use. To access service list:
Start Menu->Run...->Services.msc

I found a BIOS update (2.7 version):
http://cdgenp01.csd.toshiba.com/cont...s/2426dv27.exe
This program creates a bootable disquette to flash and update the BIOS. USE A NEW AND SAFE DISQUETTE.

After a reinstall the first thing I do is go through the services using black viper's site. The cache is enabled and I upgraded the bios to 2.7 a long time ago. Would there be any need to reflash a bios after a crash?

Also set my primary and secondary ide to dma if available and it says they are in udma 2. My hard drive doesn't have an option to set dma but i used a dos boot program for my hard drive. The program stated it was capable of udma 5 but was currently udma 2.

This isn't my original hard drive though. The original hard drive needed replacing but this one has been fine for a long while.

The graphics card I have is the savage ix 8mb and I believe I have the latest drivers which are 6.13.10.7036.

ntldr is missing was the message that forced me to do a reinstall.

[spursbob]

Well it appears I have found a winning answer. Thank you xavmdq for your help I appreciate it. In the bios there is an option under cache to write through or write back. I changed this from write through to write back and now my computer is literally flying. The load up time was so much quicker and I just knew it was going to play the video and it did.

Please tell me this write back isn't an option to speed up the computer but reduce its life span by 99.9%.

[xavmdq]

Well, if you made clean installs, verify service configuration and boot running programs....is a hardware issue.
I don't believe video cause the problem because you have reinstalled windows 2000 and xp and before works fine.
And I don't sure if the original problem is the responsible. How a disk lose NTLDR? Only a virus, hard disk fail o playing with different OS can make this.
I'm not expert in notebook so my last recommendation is a deep check of hard disk. Can you obtain another disk to make a probe?

Originally Posted by spursbob

Would there be any need to reflash a bios after a crash?

I don't think so, may be a reset but in a notebook i don't know how to do that.

[xavmdq]

Good, I don't believe the computer still have that option. The WriteBack Cache system exists since i486 computers. Is a little difficult to explain the functioning basis, but, basically, with WriteBack the data don't go inmediately from cache to system memory and cause an improvement (because system memory is slower than cache memory). I forget to say this option plus the activation of CPU Cache and System Cache that I say before (Level1/Level2 and Level3).