Anyone want to help me kill my computer?

Hmm, about the network, I am not sure. Is it wired or wireless? That would be the first thing to know.

Second, I cannot imagine that your machine is not enough to run Photoshop. Sure, PS is a resource heavy program, but I have run it with no problems on a lesser system. When creating large files and doing more complex things, my system slows down noticeably, but not to the point of freezing up. I would suspect that perhaps there are other things going on. But I cannot be more precise than that. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will be around to help.

Regarding PS CS2 and that eMachines ... that's plenty. I'm running it on that EXACT same machine (T6520) at home with no problems. In fact, I run it here at work w/ a lessor machine and it suffers no problems. When I start adding things to the running apps list ... that gets a little hairier. I'm a developer, so I've usually got Visual Studio, Firefox, IE, Trillion, NoteTab Pro (text editor), plus remote Desktop to the webserver and database server. So, I tend to abuse my system with regularity.

Here's a question - do you experience slow responses with other apps? or is it just PS?

You might want to do 3 things (just 'cause they're a good habit to get into)

1 - run a virus scan, always a good thing to do
2 - run an ad-ware scan (Ad-aware SE from www.lavasoft.de is a good one)
3 - run a spyware scan (Spybot S&D (Search & Destroy)) is a good one.

We usually do this once a week. If it starts acting sluggish, we'll do it more frequently.

Will say one thing, it's more than likely NOT the computer itself ... I'm very happy with the T6520. Of course, I was coming from an Athlon 1.3 w/ 384meg of RAM and 40 Gb hdd.

1 - run a virus scan, always a good thing to do 2 - run an ad-ware scan (Ad-aware SE from www.lavasoft.de is a good one) 3 - run a spyware scan (Spybot S&D (Search & Destroy)) is a good one.

The last 2 are a must.  And I would download the Windows Beta software (it is pretty good) as it runs in the background, while the 2 listed above have to be run manually.  But all 3 catch different things, so having all 3 is not a problem. And you would be surprised how much bandwidth those nasties can suck down!

I take it your vonage does not go through your gateway/Router?  Most of those little gateway/routers do not support QOS which is essential for VOIP.

There are 2 other things I would check out (altho they will be hard).  I have found that not all gateway/routers are the same.  The Linksys I use to have was very flaky that way.  A periodic reboot (power off and on) was essential for it.  The Netgear I have now is much better (I also have one so old, it does not have a recognizable name brand, but it rarely gives me problems).  Also, when you do lose your internet connection, make sure your DNS is still set correctly.  Comcast has a nasty trick of constantly changing their DNS, so unless I refresh my IP and that of the gateway/router, I 'lose' internet connectivity.

Finally, do you run any P2P software?  That can suck down your bandwidth fast, even if you do not have files shared.  And a 'simple' uninstall does not get rid of all the pieces of it.  That usually requires a registry hack.

I may have your network issue answer. I am not all that 'up' on Vonage but I do know a bit about Time Warners VOIP service.

The VOIP device will launch a denial of service attack on your local router IP to preserve VOIP quality. If you call Vonage I doubt you will here those words repeated but you should check the fine print of your contract. Time Warner uses some interesting language to describe what they will do to provide QOS on the phone.

All of the other PC side suggestions are great thing to try and I have to agree that Windows Antispyware Beta has been a wonderful product in our enterprise. I use it on all of my personal PC's as well.

The last sounds like a good thing to check. The other stuff would'nt hurt to look into.

I use Cox cable and they get hiccups in the line everyonce in a while. So the easiest way to fix it is to open command promt.

ipconfig /release
then
ipconfig /renew

works like a charm.

Hmmm, I am wondering what I am doing RIGHT? I have a slightly slower configuration than you, and I have a notebook. I run WB for the OS, Photoshop CS, Poser, Office...the usual stuff. My network is running through Comcast with everything setup with the defaults, so in short, I have no probs whatsoever. Perhaps this all has to do with the "don't fix it if it ain't broke" theory. Have you made any significant changes to your system in terms of tweaks and such? Sometimes, this can cause adverse effects that can compound the problem. If you have the capability of doing a sytem restore, you may want to do that and then try reinstalling components and/or software with their latest patches and fixes. You may have to do this one step at a time in order to figure out what is wrong.

I use Vonage (have since October, 2004) and find this particular forum very helpful. You may want to give it a try - they may be able to help.

Link

Thank you all. I am going to try running Spybot-I thought Adaware checked for spybots too, but I'm going to see if this helps. just one question...

unless I refresh my IP and that of the gateway/router, I 'lose' internet connectivity

How do you refresh the gateway? That seems to be the weak link (losing that most often)

Any recommendations for Virus Scans? I had a free trial for Norton but i think it's due to expire....McAfee? Something else?

Is it wired or wireless

Wired, but if it turns out that router is flaky, I'll get a wireless one. (How do I test the router? My phone is fine, the problems are only showing in the pc)

do you experience slow responses with other apps?

Yes

Will say one thing, it's more than likely NOT the computer itself ... I'm very happy with the T6520.

Waaa Hooo Thanks for making me feel better!

The VOIP device will launch a denial of service attack on your local router IP to preserve VOIP quality

Hmmmm, I remember something about bandwith vrs call quality....but wouldn't that only be an issue if I'm on the phone? I'll read up on it.

Finally, do you run any P2P software? That can suck down your bandwidth fast, even if you do not have files shared. And a 'simple' uninstall does not get rid of all the pieces of it. That usually requires a registry hack

I don't run any P2P stuff. I had to wipe the hard drive on my old computer to get rid of it. Never again.

8490 bad products blocked......ouch. I guess I really did need Spybot! Thanks!

This could be quite simple to sort, do you regulary clear out your old files( disc clean) also how fragmented is it. A lot of people often forget these basic house keeping items. There is some good software available (quite reasonalby priced - "Diskeeper run a free trial excellent prog) from tucows. Or use windows tools.

How do you refresh the gateway? That seems to be the weak link (losing that most often)

Power it off and back on.

just a thought - some software firewalls with so- called automatic network detection automatically block new networks until they are configured in the settings- I've known both Norton and Zonealarm to do this. So.....do you use one of these software firewalls or just the windows firewall? The reason it might work when you turn the router/modem off then on is that the IP address allocation may be changing to something not blocked by a software firewall. The other clue is that you said the computer detects a LAN connection but you can't surf....sounds softwareish to me!
Cheers
Chris

lo lifehappens

You may want to try Trendmicro's online virus scanner.
It's free and I use it whenever I feel there may be something
going on "behind my back" in my system.

http://www.trendmicro.com/en/home/global/enterprise.htm

Click the "Free Online Scan" link and then click through
the following pages installing the engine and definition
files.
(just click the "Scan Now. It's Free!" links and then on
the third page the "Launching HouseCall" button)

If you use Internet Explorer you can let it install the
scanning engine plugin which lets you scan your computer
from within IE.

If you use another browser you must install the Java runtime
environment.

Let us know what happens.

You got some terrific advice, and PLEASE protect your pc! I would not go with Norton, a lot of others even better out there, you have done the research and others have made great suggestions...
BUT IF YOU WANT TO GET A 3LB SMALL SHORT SLEDGE HAMMER,
THAT GOES A LONG WAY IN THE DISTRUCTION PROCESS!

Well well, I am having similar problems with disconnection when resources seem to drop. The system should have plenty of grunt. I have even dropped some system tray progs and IconX. Ouch! Can anyone comment on WC/Stardock program combinations that could hog resources? Don't get me wrong I love 'em all. I use IconX, WB5, Object Dock Plus, and Cursor XP. Thanks for some ideas to work on and getting the discussion started. As they say life happens.

Thank you, thank you to all who have given me advice. I'm noticing a definete increase in speed and I'm glad to know that I'm not expecting to much in the way of resourses.

Still, I have a few more questions.....on the gateway issue.

Power it off and back on.

that is what I'm doing....or I click the repair button (now in my icon tray-speeds that fix up) But I'd like to fix it once and for all. Can someone explain how exactly?

software firewalls with so- called automatic network detection automatically block new networks until they are configured in the settings- I've known both Norton........do you use one of these software firewalls or just the windows firewall? The reason it might work when you turn the router/modem off then on is that the IP address allocation may be changing to something not blocked by a software firewall. The other clue is that you said the computer detects a LAN connection but you can't surf....sounds softwareish to me!

Yes, I have Norton. how do I fix this? Should I just use the Windows or change the settings? If it's just the settings, than can you clue me in....

Cynder-Elluh-Thanks for the image of using a sledge hammer....but since I am poor, I better hold off on that and just dream of it!

Thanks again to everyone for putting up with what is probably a technogeeks biggest irritation-someone with just enough knowlege to get them confused even more!

Yes, I have Norton. how do I fix this?

Uninstall it as quickly as possible.

there may be a few issues here.....hold on tight...
first thing is to establish that you have the router set up properly. Usually the router is accessed via your browser such as internet explorer on a local IP address (such as 192.168.1.1). Check in the router manual for your particular router's address, type it into the address bar of internet explorer and click go - this should take you to the router configuration page. Make sure the router says the modem is connected to the internet - if it isn't there is perhaps a problem with the modem settings. Next, The router should be set up to be a DHCP server, so it can dynamically assign IP addresses to all local devices connected to it: if DHCP isn't enabled then your computer will not receive an IP allocation at all, but this is worth checking, as there may be options here with regards to Ip ranges, default gateway addresses etc.

Next, and this is the bit you may want to be careful with, I would FIRST reenable the windows firewall by right clicking on the LAN connection in Network Connections and clicking on the Advanced Tab, then in the Settings section of the windows firewall switch it on. Next, disable Norton - I don't have Norton now as I use ZA Pro so I can't help with exactly how to do this. I'm hoping that removing Norton will allow new networks to be used by IE for internet access. You will now hopefully have removed any impediment to your router actually supplying you with an internet connection.
My overall guess is that the problem lies either (or both) with the set up of Norton (try reinstalling) or the router (read the manual for settings). If you do get a connection, try going to www.grc.com and test your net security on the 'Shields Up' section in the common ports testing area.
Hope some of that is useful
Cheers
Chris

Uninstall it as quickly as possible

hee hee. thanks. So iin looking at my Norton Security Center....it turns out that I'm running Windows Firewall. It doesn't look like I have norton for anything else either! I guess I forgot that I'd gradually started using other stuff.... Still the problems are much less than before.

How do you fix the gateway for good?

If at the end of the day you still want help with killing your PC, I have alot of pent up frustrations/anger, etc...along with dynamite, gelignite, nitro glycerine and sulphuric acid gettable....send Pc with preferred method and I'll gladly accomodate.


After I've stripped it for anything useful

just fomat the c drive which xp is there and reinsrall it

I'm surprised no one has asked this yet. Has your connection always had problems, or is this a recent issue? If so, what was the last change you made?