AuthorCancerForTwo wrote:
> I use video in presentations and it is jerky when it plays. This
> started suddenly about six months ago for no apparent reason.
>
> I am running XP sp2, 512mb on a Lattitude D610
>
> I used the Performance tool in XP and everytime the video jerked
> the paging rate was all the way to the top of the scale. I have
> found that replaying the video eliminates the jerking, so that
> would indicate a lower paging rate because much of the video is
> already buffered.
>
> AHA, thought I... more memory will solve the problem, so I bought
> 2GB on sale, put it in, and it behaves EXACTLY the same way.
>
> With plenty of memory and all the default media player settings,
> why am I still paging so much?

I believe you need to thoroughly clean the system.

- Uninstall unused software from Add or Remove Programs control panel.

- Update the software packages you do utilize from their corresponding
software manufacturer's support web pages.

- Update the hardware drivers for your motherboard chipset, sound card,
video card and network card from each corresponding hardware manufacturer's
support web pages. If you have a Dell/HP/IBM/etc - should be one-stop
shopping.

- Run a full CHKDSK on your hard disk drive(s) and/or partitions (all of
them). If it requires a reboot to do so - reboot.

- Ensure Windows XP is up-to-date with all the latest critical updates and
even Optional *software* updates. Do not download the optional hardware
updates however. (http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ <- custom scan.)

- Ensure you are virus/trojan/worm free by updating your antivirus software
and performing a complete scan on your computer. This may not 100% ensure
it - but you may be surprised at what you find.

- Ensure you are spyware/adware/malware free by utilizing SuperAntiSpyware
and Spybot Search and Destroy. This may not 100% ensure it - but you may be
surprised at what you find.

- Try to free up 15+% of your system drive (usually C by utilizing some of
the following advice:

If you are comfortable with the stability of your system, you can delete the
uninstall files for the patches that Windows XP has installed...
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/spack.htm

You can run Disk Cleanup - built into Windows XP - to erase all but your
latest restore point and cleanup even more "loose files"..

How to use Disk Cleanup
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310312

You can turn off hibernation if it is on and you don't use it..

When you hibernate your computer, Windows saves the contents of the system's
memory to the hiberfil.sys file. As a result, the size of the hiberfil.sys
file will always equal the amount of physical memory in your system. If you
don't use the hibernate feature and want to recapture the space that Windows
uses for the hiberfil.sys file, perform the following steps:

- Start the Control Panel Power Options applet (go to Start, Settings,
Control Panel, and click Power Options).
- Select the Hibernate tab, clear the "Enable hibernation" check box, then
click OK; although you might think otherwise, selecting Never under the
"System hibernates" option on the Power Schemes tab doesn't delete the
hiberfil.sys file.
- Windows will remove the "System hibernates" option from the Power Schemes
tab and delete the hiberfil.sys file.

You can control how much space your System Restore can use...

1. Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
2. Click the System Restore tab.
3. Highlight one of your drives (or C: if you only have one) and click on
the "Settings" button.
4. Change the percentage of disk space you wish to allow.. I suggest moving
the slider until you have just about 1GB (1024MB or close to that...)
5. Click OK.. Then Click OK again.

You can control how much space your Temporary Internet Files can utilize...

Empty your Temporary Internet Files and shrink the size it stores to a
size between 64MB and 128MB..

- Open ONE copy of Internet Explorer.
- Select TOOLS -> Internet Options.
- Under the General tab in the "Temporary Internet Files" section, do the
following:
- Click on "Delete Cookies" (click OK)
- Click on "Settings" and change the "Amount of disk space to use:" to
something between 64MB and 128MB. (It may be MUCH larger right
now.)
- Click OK.
- Click on "Delete Files" and select to "Delete all offline contents"
(the checkbox) and click OK. (If you had a LOT, this could take 2-10
minutes or more.)
- Once it is done, click OK, close Internet Explorer, re-open Internet
Explorer.

You can use an application that scans your system for log files and
temporary files and use that to get rid of those:

Ccleaner (Free!)
http://www.ccleaner.com/

Other ways to locate space to free up..
(Visual tools help greatly - speed up the process.)

SequoiaView
http://www.win.tue.nl/sequoiaview/

JDiskReport
http://www.jgoodies.com/freeware/jdiskreport/index.html

- After you have freed up 15% or more space (or just used the advice above
to clear out space that you don't actually need to have taken up) -
defragment your System drive (usually C and all other partitions on your
computer.

After you have done all that - your system should be running relatively well
and be clear of clutter. Then one could hope to troubleshoot more easily
any problem that remains.

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html