My (ancient) PC has started displaying videos hesitantly. They're slow to load and will only run for a few seconds before freezing and then jumping ahead. This happens continuously and effectively makes you tube unwatchable.
I'm getting 30Mbps download and the problem doesn't occur on tablets or phones using the same router.
I've cleared the cache and cookies. I've done a disc clean up of the C: drive, that's using 50 gig of 460 available.
I've looked at task manager, can't see anything obvious, but to be honest I don't know what I'm looking for.
Any suggestions as to what I can do would be appreciated.
Windows 10 pro
AMD athlon II X2 250 processor 3.00GHz
4.00GB RAM
64 bit operating system x64 based processor
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You wont like the answer, people will disagree and send you down rabbit holes of pain & agro but
Back up your files, format your disk, re load windows.
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>> Back up your files, format your disk, re load windows.
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I have to agree with this man. A bit of a pain, but it makes an amazing difference.
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Yep I agree but you could just try a disk check first.
And if you go ahead do make sure you have the installation media and any necessary codes available for everything you've got loaded. And doubly make sure you have backed everything up.
If you have a large enough USB drive you could do a whole disk image, which would also give you a fallback in case the upgrade didn't work. use Macrium Reflect for this. In fact I'd suggest this is almost essential.
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Do I need to back up my files? Googling re-loading windows suggests there's ways of doing it that don't need backing up files. (I've never backed up anything before).
I've had a look for the original Windows disc, but can't find it (win 7?). Would I be able to still update to win 10 as I recall seeing something about a limited time frame to do this?
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..this is just a quick reply. If you do decide you want to reinstall then you probably need some more support.
There are options available to upgrade/reinstall and keep your programs and files, but these are sometimes inhibited and might not be the best option with your issues.
You don't need an install disc, you can download the latest win10 pro install image from Microsoft. (Usb storage required)
This will install quite happily if your current win10 install is activated digitally (odds are it is, but I don't know how you got to where you are). It would be worthwhile going to "settings/activation" on your current machine and reporting what you see there.
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>>if your current win10 install is activated digitally
It says: Windows is activated with a digital licence linked to yout Microsoft account
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I'm out walking at the moment.
The activation means you should be able to download and install the latest
win10 version seamlessly.
The connection to your account gives you an activation fallback (it *should* activate without intervention)
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Here's a "how-to" reset your Windows PC - which i think is close to a clean install, and probably less effort (and risk).
support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/give-your-pc-a-fresh-start-0ef73740-b927-549b-b7c9-e6f2b48d275e
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I don't think I've time right now to sit down and sort this out. I'm still trying to renovate this bungalow we've moved into and currently have this long hallway I'm trying to decorate.
I think I can manage without youtube for a while and will re-visit the problem when I've time on my hands.
Many thanks to everyone for the suggestions.
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I had time this weekend to re-visit this, but couldn't manage to download everything. Son-in-law is far more au fait with this sort of stuff and was staying. He managed to do a backup and re-load and it's far better.
He suggested it could be further improved by increasing the RAM. I upgraded when the PC was new from 2 to 4meg. IIRC there's only two available slots, each with 2meg. I see 4meg DDR is cheap as chips. Worth trying?
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Yes, biggest bang for your buck you get.
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20+ years ago I had a customer with an older system. 6/7 years old.
His spec was the same as another customer he knew, who had bought a new Unix server the year before.
He claimed he needed something faster as he had a bigger data set - he didn't really need a faster machine
Brand new server, latest model was some £60K from his 2/3 preferred suppliers.
Previous year's model was available from 1 particular supplier for some £26K ex-showroom model- never really used - he bought that put in twice the memory IIRC it was under £1,000 for the memory upgrade.
£27K for better than £60K for a new model.
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Video problem - Zero
