Can't find why laptop HP 6720s is terribly slow?

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Peki

Can't find why laptop HP 6720s is terribly slow?

Post by Peki »

My HP6720s laptop:
Bios F.0D
Core2Duo procesor
Motherboard N/A info
Integrated graphic card
3Gb RAM 667 MHz
Ssd Kingston 120Gb

Dear friends :D

I have tried instalation of Linux Mint 19 Cinnamon v2 64-bit as well as Linux Mint 19 XFCE 64-bit.

Computer booting is very slow (5-10 mins). Standard apps are also slow and lagging and freezing...


Obviously, I should change the above-mentioned Mint version with older releases...

Which Linux mint is appropriate for my laptop 15, 16, 17, 18...?

I supposed it should be 32bit version?

What bios version should be used?

And what customisations are recommended?

Thanks in advance. I am delighted with linux as well as being part of this wonderful community :wink:

Kind regards,
Peki
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 4 times in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
Hoser Rob
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Posts: 11806
Joined: Sat Dec 15, 2012 8:57 am

Re: HP 6720s laptop - which mint version should be installed?

Post by Hoser Rob »

That laptop originally came out in 2007. Unfortunately, in Mint 19, as well as other recent distros, support for old hardware has rapidly gone downhill. This is happening at the Linux kernel level, it's not Mint per se.

Mint pre 17 is not supported any more, and Mint 17.x support ends in 2019. So I'd recommend 18.3 Xfce. I wouldn't try Cinnamon on a 2007 model.

64 bit is fine ... support for 32 bit app software is also dropping like flies.
For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong - H. L. Mencken
Peki

Re: HP 6720s laptop - which mint version should be installed?

Post by Peki »

tnx, 18.3 maybe ok I will try. Any other recommendations friend?
Peki

Re: HP 6720s laptop - which mint version should be installed?

Post by Peki »

Thank you, advices are useful dear friends :wink:

I will try 1) Mint 19 v2 XFCE 64 bit
2) LDME 3 with MATE desktop 64 bit

If any customisation is recommended, it is warmly welcomed.

I will post my test results, hope somebody would found it helpful.

Cheers 🤗😀😎
vansloneker

Re: HP 6720s laptop - which mint version should be installed?

Post by vansloneker »

I've also got a HP/Compaq 6720S, but with a Celeron instead of a Core2Duo CPU. I also have a bunch of other similar laptops from other brands.
On the 6720S I've run Lubuntu 14 LXDE from a SSD for a period of time. It was not very fast but did the job. I also have experience running Mint 17.3 XFCE on it. Again, not very fast but it works. At the moment the laptop is assigned an other job but still runs super smooth. All the similar laptops I have run Mint 18.3 XFCE reasonable. Not superfast, but definitely not as slow you describe.

I am pretty sure your laptop with the Core2Duo cpu should be able to run Mint 18.3 XFCE, and better than my Celeron did.
I assume, there has to be another issue causing your system to run so bad.
If you boot from USB, does it run ok?

Like mine, your 6720S has 3GB of RAM. This means, two modules of different sizes are used. There is a small possibility the two do not like each other. Try removing one then the other see how it runs. The max supported memory by the way is 4GB.

Is your SSD in good shape? You could check it with Kingston SSD Manager which unfortunately is available only for Windows operating systems.

Check the BIOS settings. From HP you can download an extensive maintenance and service guide with all BIOS settings described.
In short, check that BIOS DMA data transfers are enabled, SATA native mode is enabled and dual core CPU is enabled.

Is the cooling okay? If it runs hot, this may affect performance.
Peki

Re: HP 6720s laptop - which mint version should be installed?

Post by Peki »

Thanks Friend :D

USB booting mint 19 v2 64bit xfce is reasonable 5 min, which is ok.

Memory is ok, checked by bios self-testing.

Kingston ssd is healthy, checked after booting installed win 7 few months ago.

DMA transfer, sata mode and dual core are enabled within bios.

Fun is working properly.

All in all, it is better and faster than 19 mint v2 64bit.
cinamon.

However, on hp site I cannot find any bios version for linux, only windows 7, 10... My current version is F.0D, created for windows usage...

Can you advise me better bios version? Which site has bios available for downloading as well as bios flashing instructions?

I see people there are so nice and friendly!
Many thanks!

Cheers :wink:
vansloneker

Re: HP 6720s laptop - which mint version should be installed?

Post by vansloneker »

1 minute and 15 seconds to boot the Mint 18.3XFCE64 ISO 'burned' to USB (which is actually a M2 card in an adapter) from the boot manager to the desktop.
So your system is 4 times slower. Mint 18 or 19 shouldn't make much of a difference. There is definitely something wrong with your system.

My bios version is F.07 (dating 2007) and seem to be older than yours. However in your first post you reported bios F.05, in your last post F.0D.
The bios is OS independent, however tools for flashing the bios generally are Windows/DOS based only.
There seem to be 6720S's with ATi video cards and with Intel video cards as there are different bioses listed for those.
I do not recommend flashing the bios as there is always a risk of a 'bad flash' which may leave your system in an unusable state and you already seem to have the last version.

Since booting from USB also is slow on your system, a bad hard disk can be likely ruled out as the cause, which is good news.
It is always possible to install the disk on another system, then move it back into the laptop. However that does not solve your slow laptop problem.

You tested memory with diagnostics, but did you physically remove either of the modules and booted the system? Perhaps have some other modules to test with?
One other thing you can try is clean the fan and the cooling from any dust.

We went through all the obvious, and did not find a cause for the bad performance of the laptop.
What is the history of it? Did you run perhaps Windows something on it previous to your Linux project? Did you experience slow performance before? Could that be the reason you wanted to install Linux? Can you remember moments in the lifetime of the laptop where it ran satisfactory and where it became apparently slow?

Judging from the cpu according to the maintenance and serviceguide your system likely has the GME965 mainboard installed while mine will have the GLE960.
You won't have by coincidence a Brazilian model as that supports only 2GB RAM?

By the way the maintenance and serviceguide is here
Hoser Rob
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Re: HP 6720s laptop - which mint version should be installed?

Post by Hoser Rob »

Peki wrote: Mon Sep 17, 2018 5:26 am ... I will try 1) Mint 19 v2 XFCE 64 bit
2) LDME 3 with MATE desktop 64 bit...
LMDE is good for older hardware because it's Debian based rather than Ubuntu based and Debian is somewhat lighter.

However, LMDE user support isn't as good because there are much fewer users. ANd Debian isn't nearly as beginner friendly. It's also much more restrictive ... no ppas allowed eg. It's a beginner myth that in Linux you can do whatever you want anyway, but it's even more true for Debian.
For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong - H. L. Mencken
Peki

Re: HP 6720s laptop - which mint version should be installed?

Post by Peki »

I had heavy malware problems with win 7 and win 10.

Dban and bcwipe formatted my kingston ssd to completely sanitize. Afterwards, I instal mint 19 connamon then xfce :)

Ssd was virus scaned with other linux computer from friend.

Fan works no dust, laptop was 3 times in service for cleaning after buying.

Memory is not checked physically, only bios scan.

Maybe bios is problem? Or Brasilian motherboard and memory incompatibility? Or Linux version? ....

Later I will check motherboard type... which program to use for specs checkin linux?

Tnx a lot!!!
User avatar
BG405
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Location: England

Re: HP 6720s laptop - which mint version should be installed?

Post by BG405 »

If it boots at all with 3GB, it won't be one of the models restricted to 2GB otherwise it likely wouldn't even show the BIOS screen. This is usually the case with incompatible memory configurations.

It's usually recommended to obtain the system specs this way:
  • Open a Terminal and copy & paste the command inxi -Fxz
  • Highlight (select) all the text, then copy & paste the output here, between [code] & [/code] (you can use the [</>] button at the top of the reply window).
Welcome to the Forum, by the way! :D
Dell Inspiron 1525 - LM17.3 CE 64-------------------Lenovo T440 - Manjaro KDE with Mint VMs
Toshiba NB250 - Manjaro KDE------------------------Acer Aspire One D255E - LM21.3 Xfce
Acer Aspire E11 ES1-111M - LM18.2 KDE 64 ----Two ROMS don't make a WRITE
Peki

Re: HP 6720s laptop - which mint version should be installed?

Post by Peki »

[</>]

Code: Select all

System:    Host: pekiiiiii Kernel: 4.15.0-34-generic x86_64
           bits: 64 gcc: 7.3.0
           Desktop: Xfce 4.12.3 (Gtk 2.24.31) Distro: Linux Mint 19 Tara
Machine:   Device: laptop System: Hewlett-Packard product: HP Compaq 6720s v: F.0D serial: N/A
           Mobo: Hewlett-Packard model: 30D8 v: KBC Version 83.0E serial: N/A
           BIOS: Hewlett-Packard v: 68MDU Ver. F.0D date: 11/04/2008
Battery    C23B: charge: 0.0 Wh 0.0% condition: 9.4/9.4 Wh (100%)
           model: Hewlett-Packard Primary status: N/A
           hidpp__0: charge: N/A condition: NA/NA Wh
           model: Logitech Wireless Mouse status: Discharging
CPU:       Dual core Intel Pentium Dual T2310 (-MCP-) 
           arch: Conroe rev.13 cache: 1024 KB
           flags: (lm nx sse sse2 sse3 ssse3) bmips: 5852
           clock speeds: max: 1467 MHz 1: 1055 MHz 2: 989 MHz
Graphics:  Card: Intel Mobile GM965/GL960 Integrated Graphics Controller (primary)
           bus-ID: 00:02.0
           Display Server: x11 (X.Org 1.19.6 )
           drivers: modesetting (unloaded: fbdev,vesa)
           Resolution: 1280x800@59.98hz
           OpenGL: renderer: Mesa DRI Intel 965GM
           version: 2.1 Mesa 18.0.5 Direct Render: Yes
Audio:     Card Intel 82801H (ICH8 Family) HD Audio Controller
           driver: snd_hda_intel bus-ID: 00:1b.0
           Sound: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture v: k4.15.0-34-generic
Network:   Card: Intel 82562GT 10/100 Network Connection
           driver: e1000e v: 3.2.6-k port: 4020 bus-ID: 00:19.0
           IF: enp0s25 state: up speed: 100 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter>
Drives:    HDD Total Size: 120.0GB (10.4% used)
           ID-1: /dev/sda model: KINGSTON_SH103S3 size: 120.0GB
Partition: ID-1: / size: 110G used: 12G (12%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda1
RAID:      No RAID devices: /proc/mdstat, md_mod kernel module present
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 47.0C mobo: 29.1C
           Fan Speeds (in rpm): cpu: N/A
Info:      Processes: 158 Uptime: 1:00 Memory: 744.8/2993.5MB
           Init: systemd runlevel: 5 Gcc sys: 7.3.0
           Client: Shell (bash 4.4.191) inxi: 2.3.56 
[code]

Here are all available data, hope it will help you giving me useful advices how to improve speed, stability and also reliability of Mint 19 XFCE version or LDME as reserve option

. Thanks wonderful people. I love Mint 19 :) D) CHEERS!
Peki

Re: HP 6720s laptop - which mint version should be installed?

Post by Peki »

Dear Precious Friends,

You give a lot helping me to improve Linux 19 v2 XFCE 64bit as well as HP 6720 settings.

It is now better and I hope it will improve. LDME is always available as reserved option. :roll:

So you think I should not to change F.0D bios at all? It is freshest version currently for win pcs
on hp official site.

Maybe I caught some bios virus that affects pc with slowing down booting and causing unknown
issues...

Third party bios version maybe solution, which site you can recommend me as sorce of
better, reliable and stable bios version?

All the best and cheers! :D
vansloneker

Re: HP 6720s laptop - which mint version should be installed?

Post by vansloneker »

To me it seems unlikely the bios is affected by a virus infection as the bios is a specific piece of code developed for just that computer that also needs to be programmed into the system. For the same reason probably no 3rd party bios will exist for that laptop. Custom bioses for particular popular devices do exist though.
I can't tell if your bios got corrupted anyway, I have never have experienced it myself though.
You better first test the memory by physically removing one module then the other and boot to see if it makes a difference.

The bios install options HP offer all include using Windows one way or another. It is possible to create a bootable CD or USB with FreeDos to boot the laptop from and from there to update the bios. However you need a Windows system to extract and run the provided *.exe download.
The safest would be to perform bios update from within Windows but this involves running a working Windows installation on the system.
If you are inexperienced performing bios updates you better not try it at all.
I have never experienced a situation where a bios update was the solution, or the only solution, or improved a system speed that significant.

From where have you got the idea the bios could be the cause of your troubles?

Is this laptop your only computer?
Peki

Re: HP 6720s laptop - which mint version should be installed?

Post by Peki »

Ok Friend, it maybe not bios issue, but ram memory itself.

Therefore, I need professional service technician to extact one by one
memory modules (1Gb+2Gb) and try booting mint 19 XFCE or LDME or whatsoever version
with LIVE USB/CD with each memory module separately?

O I can do it myself with memory and LIVE USB/CD booting? Is it difficult to extract memory module?
And how to do it?

Many thanks :D
vansloneker

Re: HP 6720s laptop - which mint version should be installed?

Post by vansloneker »

I don't know if it is the memory, it is a condition you need to test to be able to rule it out. It would be great if it is the cause of the problems, because that is an issue we can deal with.
Removing the memory is described in the maintenance and serviceguide on page 45 which is here. Either open it or rightclick the link and choose save link as. That way you will be able to read in the manual any time.

Unless you're a complete fool, and I suppose you're not, you should be able to remove and replace the memory yourself. Read the manual first.

Disconnect power and battery, close the lid, put laptop upside down. The memory modules are under a little cover, see the image in the manual. Unscrew the cover, remove it. Carefully move the little metal pieces at the sides of the top module away from the module. It will be released and come a bit upwards. Take it at the sides, do not touch the chips or any part on the circuit boards and take it out, put it in a save place protected from static electricity. Close the cover, connect power and power on. You are left with either 1 or 2GB of RAM, but if the removed module was defective, your system will boot quicker than in 5 minutes.

After testing, power off, follow the same procedure to remove the other module. Now put in the first module in the same way you put out the modules in the place where module 2 was. Gently slide it in the slot, gently push it down until the metal tabs click it in position. The module fits one way only, no force is needed to put it in.

Boot again with the second module and notice if there is a difference. Should you conclude it is faster with one module leave that one in and tell us. If there is no difference at all, both could be bad, or both could be good and the problem is somewhere else.
Peki

Re: HP 6720s laptop - which mint version should be installed?

Post by Peki »

Friend Many Thanks! :mrgreen:

I should remove module 1 (position 1) and test booting for module 2 (position 2).

Then, putting modul 1 in position 1 (the same position before removal). Afterwards I should remove module 2 and test booting for module 1 (position 1).

That is all I should do physically with memory slots?

And only parameter I should check is booting time?

Greetings :)
vansloneker

Re: HP 6720s laptop - which mint version should be installed?

Post by vansloneker »

It shouldn't really matter where you put the modules though probably the lower slot is slot 1. Usually the first or single module is put in slot 1.

Well check boot time and do some things, like opening a browser and surf ... well ... any site. Just to get the impression if there is a difference or not.
Peki

Re: HP 6720s laptop - which mint version should be installed?

Post by Peki »

OK I will try hoping soon :wink:
Peki

Re: HP 6720s laptop - which mint version should be installed?

Post by Peki »

Hi,

I tried memory removal.

Before test:
Slot 1 Samsung DDR2 1Gb
Slot 2 Kingston DDR2 2Gb
Boot time about 5 min

Test 1:
Slot 1 - 1G
Slot 2 - empty
Boot time about 5 min

Test 2:
Slot 1 - empty
Slot 2 -2 Gb
NO BOOT
Black screen only

Test 3:
Slot 1 - 2 Gb
Slot 2 - empty
NO BOOT
Black screen only

Test 4:
Slot 1 - empty
Slot 2 - 1 Gb
Boot time about 5 min

Test 5:
Slot 1 - 2 Gb
Slot 2 - 1 Gb
NO BOOT!!!
Black screen only

Test 6 (repeted module positions before test 1)
Slot 1 - 1 Gb
Slot 2 - 2 Gb
NO BOOT!!!
Black screen only

Test 7 (repeated Test 1):
Slot 1 - 1 Gb
Slot 2 - empty!!!
Boot time about 5 min

Test 1, 2, 3... 7 were performed subsequently.

Kingston DDR2 2 Gb is not working now as well as it blocks booting.

Booting is now possible with only 1G Samsung DDR2 (2 Gb Kingston DDR 2 out), I do not understand current situation.

I think web browsing is much faster with only 1 Gb in slot 1, so maybe 2Gb memory slowed down 1 Gb slot performance?

I am proud of taking action with hardware :)

Please Friends help me what to do next... 🤓
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