Windows 10 problems

[Carruthers]

A few days ago my W10 PC started to ask for a password during boot up.
It said that I had used the wrong one and would I kindly use the correct one, or words to that effect.

I have two Hotmail accounts set up and it is obviously trying to use the wrong one.
I've never had to go through this process before, presumably having set up the system at some point to avoid the chore of signing on.

To add further arse ache (sorry) I find that Windows has slowed to the speed of an arthritic snail on crutches.
Firefox, my default browser, takes forever to appear and both IE and Edge aren't much better.

Anyone else experiencing similar woes?

PS Using my superannuated iPad to post this.

[Gravdigr]

I ran from Win10 like it was a pregnant girlfriend. I got nothing.

[Carruthers]

Originally Posted by Gravdigr

I ran from Win10 like it was a pregnant girlfriend. I got nothing.

What system do you use, Grav?

I started with a bare bones PC, added drives (various), graphics card and installed Windows 7.

I accepted the offer of a free upgrade to Win 10 plus every update since and I really don't want to have to re-install the OS.

Forking out chunks of cash for a new machine is an equally unwelcome prospect.

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by Carruthers

What system do you use, Grav?

I'm a Win7, man, my good sir. Very few problems. And nothing serious.

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by Gravdigr

I ran from Win10 like it was a pregnant girlfriend. I got nothing.

At least I said I was going to be no help, instead of intentionally obfuscating things with painfully wordy non-answers.

[bbro]

I haven't been asked for a password, but I almost never shut my machine down. I just put it to sleep when I am done using it.

My performance is so laughable I am trying to find a replacement hard drive for my old Windows 7 computer so I can switch back. My CPU and one other stat on the Task Manager window are almost constantly at or close to 100% and I cannot find the reason why. Nothing shows as using that much, so I'm sure it's more of Windows hiding shit. As infuriating as not having access to everything on my machine because I don't have permissions.

[xoxoxoBruce]

This thread pointed out some things that can be eliminated.

[Carruthers]

Thanks for the link, Bruce. Plenty of food for thought there.

I'd take the Linux route but I do Internet banking and need Windows to do that.

Bah!

[Carruthers]

One of the the most obvious problems, in the current batch, was the propensity of Firefox to crash when I tried to open another tab.

Since my last post, I've uninstalled and re-installed FF and there is a definite performance improvement. It's much faster and doesn't crash. So far.

Prior to that I had a look at task manager and nothing untoward was spotted so I don't really know what was going on.

I'm going to sign off in a minute or two, make a cup of tea for us both, then boot up again. That will be the acid test.

[Undertoad]

Do you use Windows Defender?

Y'all should install and run Malwarebytes just in case.

[Carruthers]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

Do you use Windows Defender?

Y'all should install and run Malwarebytes just in case.

Yes, Windows Defender is enabled and I also have Malwarebytes although a scan is probably overdue.

Re-starting hasn't stirred up anything nasty (as yet!) and FF browsing seems to be back to normal speed and flexibility.

Watch and pray!


ETA Just done a Malwarebytes scan and no threats were found.

[sexobon]

I think it slows down while automatically updating itself. When that happens, I'll cut the process short by restarting. Whatever downloaded updates there are up to that point will be installed and then it runs faster again. I'll often run Disk Cleanup right after restarting to get rid of the Windows Update installation files and other no longer needed stuff that bogs it down. I'll sometimes do a disk defragmentation right after the cleanup.

Make sure Allow downloads from other PCs is turned off so you're not letting Microsoft use your computer to update others over the internet.: Settings>Update & Security>Windows Update>Advanced Options>Delivery Optimization>Allow downloads from other PCs>Off

[Carruthers]

Originally Posted by sexobon

I think it slows down while automatically updating itself. When that happens, I'll cut the process short by restarting. Whatever downloaded updates there are up to that point will be installed and then it runs faster again. I'll often run Disk Cleanup right after restarting to get rid of the Windows Update installation files and other no longer needed stuff that bogs it down. I'll sometimes do a disk defragmentation right after the cleanup.

Make sure Allow downloads from other PCs is turned off so you're not letting Microsoft use your computer to update others over the internet.: Settings>Update & Security>Windows Update>Advanced Options>Delivery Optimization>Allow downloads from other PCs>Off

Thank you for your observations. I think that you have hit the nail on the head.
When I switched off last night, I had the option of installing updates before shut down.
No doubt the operation will complete when it boots up.
I've never known the OS to slow down as much as it did yesterday!

On my iPad, bleary eyed at 0525.

[Carruthers]

Just to round it off...

Updates were installed at boot up this AM and things seem to be OK.
Initially, it seemed a bit sluggish but Firefox is behaving itself and speed is pretty good.
As stated, I've never known it to slow down to the extent it did yesterday when updates were being downloaded/installed.
TBH, it didn't occur to me that that might have been the problem.
I really did think that the machine might have been on its last legs and, as I manage banking, credit card etc online, I was a bit worried.

Thanks to all who have commented and helped.

[tw]

A list of "it could be"s is very long. Blaming any one or a few things is only wild speculation. Required are facts to define a defect long before trying to fix it.

Start with Process Explorer from SystemInternals (now a Microsoft company). UT once described it as Task Manager on steroids.

Look for bottlenecks. CPU is only one. IO faults are another. Memory faults are a third. Nothing here fixes anything. It only directs us to a suspect.

The View option will be necessary to display those relevant columns.

Also download TCP View from the same source. Amazing how many other servers are connected (maybe even 50) when viewing some web sites. Some of those connections remain. In some cases, I literally had to reboot the entire machine to eliminate some connections.

The maybe three Cellar connection will be listed as members.linode.com

Windows 10 is faster than 7. If yours is not, then something is running in that computer (creating bottlenecks) or you have plenty of connections to your machine that you do not know about.

Worse offender is software, successfully downloaded by malware, that puts your desktop into a Window on another computer somewhere else in the world. So Autoruns is downloaded. Those are all programs that startup on reboot. Windows boots fast. But that long list of programs, installed by you, printer drivers, Office, Adobe, or malware, must execute on each reboot. In that list might be a program that is displaying your desktop elsewhere in the world.

Just some ideas on how to start to find a defect. In some cases, the solution is simple. In others, assistance is required to convert that suspect list to actual perpetrators.