Burning Electricity

[Connemmara]

Hi all - don't know whether this is the right site but here goes - sometimes in the morning it takes ages for my computer to come on ie perhaps half an hour or 3 quarters of an hour - now this past few nights I have decided to leave it on all night - am I wasting electricity and would it put my leccy bill higher. Thanks.

[bednobs]

yes

[WyeDyed]

It won't use a great deal more, I would be more concerned as to why it takes so long to boot.

[EcclesCake]

It will have a slight impact on your consumption. I'd be more concerned why your computer is taking so long to come on as you put it.

[tonyav]

Your puter needs looking at Conne.

[Old_Geezer]

As indicated above you have moe than one issue/question.

Obviously something switched on and taking electricity will cost. As to whether this is a waste is your own personal subjective opinion. The additional cost will be minimal.

If the PC takes that long to boot up then something "is up" with it. You shoudl check out what is causing the delay. A virus/malware scan might be a good start. Also check how much free disk space you have. Probably worth runnign an application to check your drive also.

If you can supply more information there may be someone here who can help.

[Old_Geezer]

As indicated above you have *MORE* than one issue/question. >:-(

[Old_Geezer]

As indicated above you have more than one issue/question.

Obviously something switched on and taking electricity will cost. As to whether this is a waste is your own personal subjective opinion. The additional cost will be minimal.

If the PC takes that long to boot up then something "is up" with it. You should check out what is causing the delay. A virus/malware scan might be a good start. Also check how much free disk space you have. Probably worth running an application to check your drive also.

If you can supply more information there may be someone here who can help.

[WyeDyed]

Could you tell us which version of windows you are using?

[AB Editor]

Could you let us know what spec you PC is? And how old it is? Might be time for a new one if you're having that much trouble getting on in the morning.

[SlackAlice]

A pc/laptop taking 30 - 45 minutes to start up to a usable desktop is a big concern. Average time should be between 45secs to 1min 30secs.

[Connemmara]

No won't be buying a new anything - I am on the old fashioned computer Windows XP and I love it. What will I scan with it - thanks - it probably does need a good clean out.

[Alston]

It would appear that you Do Not have an Anti Virus programme in your computer. Hence the reason for your asking " What will I scan with it ".

You need to scan to see if there are any 'nasties' hidden in your comp.
Download for free, MSE (Microsoft Security Essentials) and give it a run through and then come back to your thread with the results.

Al.

[Alston]

I should have given you the link for MSE :-

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security-essentials-download

Al.

[gen2]

Alston, I'm pretty sure Microsoft Security Essentials doesn't work with XP.

[society]

"gen2
Alston, I'm pretty sure Microsoft Security Essentials doesn't work with XP. "

Gen2, I think it works for me. I get a warning occasionally asking if I want to run a scan, or update. And I am using XP Pro.

[WyeDyed]

http://www.avast.com/en-gb/index
This is as good a free Antivirus program as any.
Also: http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/download
Ccleaner will delete temporary and otherwise useless files. Also has a nice tool for disabling start-up programs that run in the background (slowing things down)

[razza]

Ive got xp and security essentials,no problem.

[Alston]

Hi gen....I wasn't too sure about MSE being suitable for XP. So I did a check and established the following:-

Key Features

Comprehensive malware protection
Supports Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP
Available in 33 languages
Simple, free* download
Protects you quietly in the background
Automatic updates

Al.

[Alston]

@WyeDyed....I stay away from all the so called Registry Cleaners. True they can identify a lot of junk but can also end up removing things you may wish to keep. Eg...cookies for trusted sites such as AB.

There are ways and means of doing one's own cleaning.

Al.

[WyeDyed]

Ccleaner has an "Intellegent"(?!) cookie remover which leaves site login cookies and just removes the trackers and nasties.
I only use the registry cleaner as a last resort (having backed it up first)