Replies

Thanks so much for this tip, Susan.

On my Win7 Pro system, Diagnostics [with an S] Tracking Service is located here:

Control Panel>Computer Management>Services and Applications>Services>Diagnostics Tracking Service

Steve

There are lots of things I wish I could download but cannot.

However I CAN download from theoperaplatform.eu with Video DownloadHelper on Firefox with no problem.
http://www.downloadhelper.net/

I tried several tips and tricks gleaned here and elsewhere. Each time I was elated that the problem appeared to be solved, but alas it was not.

The newest version of Firefox (23) did not solve anything.

Since this never happens at some sites and always happens at others, I have come to two similar conclusions:
1) The latest versions of browsers use the latest coding standards and are not (made to be) backwards compatible with websites that don’t use the latest coding.
2) Some websites are using the latest standards and coding, and so are not a problem. Older sites that are not updated are now a problem, even if they weren’t a few months ago.

Sometimes the web developer is the problem. In one case I emailed the person and said that when I click on a link (to within the website) it goes to a blank page. He told me, “There is no problem”, so I sent him a screen shot and the reply was “I don’t need to look at a screen shot; it works here, so the problem is yours.” So much for wanting to make your website compatible with as many users, platforms, and browsers as possible.

If I find a solution, I’ll post back.

RE: 1. Installation date: If you remember roughly when the mystery menus began appearing, start with Windows 7’s Programs and Features tool. It should show any software that was installed around that time. (Vista and Win8 will also show when software was installed — alas, XP doesn’t.)

If you’re using XP, Revo Uninstaller (http://www.revouninstaller.com/revo_uninstaller_free_download.html) shows the installation date.

Use Windows own search or the free and fabulous Everything (http://www.voidtools.com/) and search for lang. That will turn up language folders labeled lang, language, languages, etc. Open each folder and select English (or your native language), or files ending in en, enu, enus, English.ini, English.lng, English.txt, or similar files that are US English. and then select Edit (up top), Invert selection, then press the delete key. Do not delete any files that are clearly not language files.

Skip system folders, files related to audio, video, Internet connections, or files and folders you’re not sure of. Some programs with dozens of languages but not English can usually have the entire folder deleted. In some cases deleting language files may save only a few KB, but in quite a few others you can delete several MB. Multiply that by the number of programs and utilities you have and it could total far more than you expect.

I’ve been using this for years. Can change fonts. font colors, format, etc. Built in calendar. Works with all versions of Windows.

http://www.rcis.co.za/dale/tclockex/

I had a similar problem–twice, about 6 months apart. I don’t know how I was able to find this piece of advice, but it restored my computer to its old self.

Excerpt from http://frazzleddad.blogspot.com/2006/03/lousy-performance-high-hardware.html

Turns out ATA/IDE controllers will often revert back to PIO mode instead of Ultra-DMA. (MS KB article on the problem: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;817472.)

Check the problem by examining the controller’s Primary and Secondary IDE settings:
To re-enable the typical, or faster, transfer mode for an affected device:
1. In Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then click Computer Management.
2. Click System Tools, and then click Device Manager.
3. Expand the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers node.
4. Double-click the controller for which you want to restore the typical DMA transfer mode. IF the Current Transfer Mode is PIO, then
5. Click the Driver tab.
6. Click Uninstall.
7. When the process completes, restart your computer. When Windows restarts, the hard disk controller is re-enumerated and the transfer mode is reset to the default value for each device that is connected to the controller.

You can easily delete IconCache.db (and other files) with PureRa.
Get it from http://raproducts.org/wordpress/software

One more thing that may save you MBs of space.

Most (but not all) programs that have multiple languages can run with just one language file. Search for folders and sub-folders named lang. That will find folders named lang and languages.

Look in the folders and delete all languages that are not your native language. (Make sure you know what program you’re dealing with.) Delete them to the recycle bin, and try the program. If it works fine, then empty the recycle bin.

Start with your freeware programs first, since they’re easier to reinstall if necessary.

Of course a RAM upgrade will help. The issue is that it was faster than it is now with the same amount of RAM.

Run Wise Registry Cleaner.
http://www.wisecleaner.com/wiseregistrycleanerfree.html

Per Fred: “Delete old $NtUninstall{xxx}$ files from XP’s C:Windows folder; these files can occupy a shocking amount of space! You need these files only when a Windows Update fails and you (or the OS) have to roll back your system. If your system is working fine, $NtUninstall files serve no purpose.” Or see below.

Use CCleaner.
Under Options, Select Settings. Check C Drive and also select Wipe MFT Free Space.
On the cleaner tab, in addition to whatever you’d like to check, check Wipe Free Space in the Advanced section. (to free up even more space, check Hoftfix Uninstallers, which does what Fred’s tip above does.)
I have no idea why this should make any difference, but it seems to speed up things on my Dell laptop.

If you defragged with Windows Defragmenter, try Auslogics Diskdefrag, either the portable or regular install version.
http://www.auslogics.com/en/software/disk-defrag/#portable

“Once you understand the two-step, ascend-descend nature of Windows’ icon-sorting options and the either-or nature of manual versus automatic sorts, you’ll be able to set up — and keep! — your Desktop just the way you want.”

Except that Windows likes to change the desktop icon layout positions without warning after operating system updates, screen resolution changes, or new applications are installed. Or sometimes after DST changes, or just because Windows feels like it.

Icon Restore is a simple solution.

http://www.online-tech-tips.com/computer-tips/how-to-save-your-desktop-icon-layout-in-windows-xp/

http://users.rcn.com/taylotr/icon_restore.html

Edit: I seemed to have duplicated the info that was in E Pericoloso Sporgersi post above. Sorry.

Didn’t work.

Talking about registry cleaners is liking talking about abortion. And the same answer applies: if you are against abortion, don’t have one. If you don’t like registry cleaners, don’t use them.

So much hostility here.

There’s a filter here that turns “Holy cr*p!” into “Holy junk!” Do we not know that CCleaner stands for (or stood for) CrapCleaner?

Thanks, Jock. A perfect example of Ockham’s Razor:

Ockham’s insistence on the use of parsimony (we might call it minimalism) in thought resulted in some later writer’s invention of the term, Ockham’s Razor. Among his statements (translated from his Latin) are: “Plurality is not to be assumed without necessity” and “What can be done with fewer [assumptions] is done in vain with more.” One consequence of this methodology is the idea that the simplest or most obvious explanation of several competing ones is the one that should be preferred until it is proven wrong.

Wise Registry Cleaner: http://www.wisecleaner.com/wiseregistrycleanerfree.html

Auslogics Registry Cleaner: http://www.auslogics.com/en/software/registry-cleaner/download/

Both are free, and I run them in addition to CCleaner. No problems on XP SP3. YMMV. Each one finds stuff the others do not.