Is it XP or is it the machine?

[Serious_Practitioner]

Hi, all -

I use a Dell Dimension XPS 450 which I bought in 1999. It came with Windows
98. From the beginning, this machine has been a bastard child. It would lock
up for no good reason, I'd routinely get "blue screen" messages, software
was very slow to load...the list of problems would differ day-to-day, but
there was always something. And it's been a while since I used W98, so I
don't even remember them all.

Earlier this year, I began upgrading the machine. First, I added memory -
went from 128 MB to 384 MB; the memory modules came from Dell. After that, I
installed Windows XP Pro. I did it as a new installation, in the hopes that
I could wipe out any and all vestiges of the previous problems. I backed up
the drive and used the install option that should have wiped the drive clean
and started from scratch. It didn't work - it did an upgrade install
instead. I tried it again - this time it supposedly reformatted the drive
and did a complete install. I did NOT move any program files from the backup
to the reformatted drive. I have only moved data files. I have never moved
any of the old program files. All the installs since then have been from the
CD's that the software came on.

Now, after the OS change, the new memory and a bunch of fixes and patches,
the performance is worse than it was before!

1. Programs are still slow to open, and sometimes don't open at all.
2. Every time I use MS Outlook Express, I eventually get an error
message that says that OE has to close because of an
unexpected error. That locks up the machine. This has happened every
day, without fail, that I have tried to use OE. It seems
to only happen once per day, no matter how many times I open and
close OE. Each time it happens, if I'm online, I send the
error report to the great sinkhole at Microsoft.
3. Sometimes, during boot-up (twice this morning), the process goes far
enough to display the desktop background, but not the
icons. The only cure is to use the Reset button and reboot -
Ctrl-Alt-Delete does bring up an option to shut the machine down,
but it doesn't work.
4. Frequently (about half the time) when I shut down normally, the
routine hangs, leaving a blue screen for anywhere from five to
thirty minutes.
5. While using either Outlook or Outlook Express, a second instance of
the dial-up program for my ISP is started. This will happen
ten to fifteen minutes into the use of the Outlook or OE software,
and only happens while I am online.

And there's probably more; that's just a sample of the last couple of days.

I've used Symantec System Tools 2002 repeatedly. System Tools will say that
it fixed numbers of registry errors and shortcut errors, and if I run it the
next day, there are more errors of the same type, even though no software
has been loaded or moved in the intervening period.

This is making me absolutely crazy. Has anyone had similar problems, and can
anyone point me at any solutions? Or should I just go out and get another
machine, move the data files as needed, and go on with my life?

Thank you for your help and for the shoulder to dry on.


Steve E.

 

[Tony Talmage]

Memory is one thing, but what is your CPU? Being a 4 year-old machine, I'm
assuming the CPU is under WinXP's required specs. If this is the case, it
very well could be the source of the lag you're seeing and possibly some of
the errors. I'm sure you could do a wipe/format/wipe as I am wont to do,
but I don't think it will fix all the problems you're seeing with XP.

--
Tony Talmage
Web Developer
Graphic Education Corporation
http://www.graphiced.com
(888) 354-6600

 

[Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]]

Did you check with Dell to make sure this PC would support WinXP? Get all
the right drivers from them?

 

[anonymous]

Is it worth all that hassle? Go out and get new computer.
And don't do any research....buy the first one you see.

-----Original Message-----
Hi, all -

I use a Dell Dimension XPS 450 which I bought in 1999. It came with Windows
98. From the beginning, this machine has been a bastard child. It would lock
up for no good reason, I'd routinely get "blue screen" messages, software
was very slow to load...the list of problems would differ day-to-day, but
there was always something. And it's been a while since I used W98, so I
don't even remember them all.

Earlier this year, I began upgrading the machine. First, I added memory -
went from 128 MB to 384 MB; the memory modules came from Dell. After that, I
installed Windows XP Pro. I did it as a new

installation, in the hopes that

 

[R. C. White]

Hi, Steve.

Have you checked with the Usenet newsgroup alt.sys.pc-clone.dell? Lots of
experienced Dell users there. They can probably tell you what kind of
performance you can expect from WinXP on that model computer with that much
RAM.

RC

 

[Serious_Practitioner]

Thank you, Tony. The processor is a Pentium 450 mHz, which, I believe fits
within the requirements for XP.

 

[Serious_Practitioner]

Sad to say, Dell has not been much help with this machine, ever. I have two
other Dells myself, as well as several others scattered throughout my
family. None of them has given me, or us, the same kind of trouble that this
machine has, and Dell's response to this machine has been, at best,
lukewarm.

FWIW, earlier this year, I wanted to get laptops for a customer from Dell,
but Dell wouldn't or couldn't answer one simple question about
configuration. I think Dell and I are about done...maybe I'll try to see if
they have any pointers on the current problem.

Thank you.


Steve E.



"Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]"

 

[Serious_Practitioner]

Thank you...I'll do that.


Steve E.

Hi, Steve.

Have you checked with the Usenet newsgroup alt.sys.pc-clone.dell? Lots of
experienced Dell users there. They can probably tell you what kind of
performance you can expect from WinXP on that model computer with that much
RAM.

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP

that,

 

[Serious_Practitioner]

Thank you for your help.


Steve E.

 

[Barry Guyer]

Thank you...I'll do that.


Steve E.

Just for your info, my old XPS R450 would not run WinXP.

 

[Papa]

A 450 MHZ CPU is a marginal performer for XP. If your system will allow it,
buy a faster CPU.

 

[Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP Windows Shell/User\)]

First, be sure your antivirus software has the latest definitions and run a
virus scan.

If your system is clear of viruses, open Control Panel, open Administrative
Tools, open Event Viewer, look for errors corresponding to the crash, double
click the error, the information contained within may give a clue as to the
source of the problem.

Assuming you have an XP CD and not a recovery CD, place the XP CD in the
drive, when the setup screen appears, select "Check System Compatibility,"
the report it generates may point to problem hardware or software on your
system. If you do not have an XP CD, you can download this application
known as the Upgrade Advisor from the following site:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/upgrading/advisor.asp
Note: If you have access to a broadband connection it might be best to
download using that as this is a rather large download.

Check for the latest drivers for your hardware, especially your graphics
card and soundcard and all peripherals connected to your system. No not use
Windows Update for this, go to the device manufacturer's web sites and if
you install updated drivers, ignore the message about drivers being unsigned
by Microsoft.

 

[Serious_Practitioner]

Hi, all -

I want to thank you for all of the help and advice that you have offered.
However, the machine is dead. I checked my mail this morning, the machine
froze and I couldn't reboot. Evidently the boot sector has been
damaged...none of the utilities I have used detected this as a problem or a
potential problem.

So, it's off to the store...


Again, thank you all very much.


Steve E.

 

[Michael Hawes]

Hi, all -

I want to thank you for all of the help and advice that you have offered.
However, the machine is dead. I checked my mail this morning, the machine
froze and I couldn't reboot. Evidently the boot sector has been
damaged...none of the utilities I have used detected this as a problem or a
potential problem.

So, it's off to the store...

Hi was about to send a suggestion to try drive manufacturers diagnostic
on the HD.

MIke.

 

[Serious_Practitioner]

Thank you...I am looking for a local data recovery service to get the data,
and I'm having a cousin of mine shop for a machine...he knows what I do and
is best situated to help with specs for a new machine.


Steve E.

 

[R. C. White]

Hi, Steve.

Data recovery services are often quite expensive. When the file system on
one of my drives got so badly fouled up last summer that even chkdsk
couldn't run, I used R-Studio ($80 download from www.r-tt.com) to recover
it. (I have no connection with the company or product except as a happy
customer.)

RC

 

[Serious_Practitioner]

Thank you...they are costly, but I got lucky. Extremely lucky. It turns out
that the drive didn't fail, thank God, but some other gadget did. My guy was
able to read the drive with no problem, and in a day to two, I'll have all
the data back on CD.

And I'm throwing the machine out as soon as I can get the other drive out of
it. It now seems that every problem I've had with this machine has been
related to a defect that came from the factory. Oh, well. Live and learn.


Steve E.