David said:
I have a presario 2200 with 256 MB RAM. My computer is running
extremely slow, I only have 21.46 MB of RAM available. How can I
improve the speed of my computer?
Several points:
1. Some people may suggest that 256MB isn't enough to run Windows XP with
adequate speed. However they are not necessarily correct. This is *not* a
one-size-fits-all situation. You get good performance if the amount of RAM
you have keeps you from using the page file, and that depends on what apps
you run. Most people running a typical range of business applications find
that somewhere around 256-384MB works well, others need 512MB. Almost anyone
will see poor performance with less than 256MB. Some people, particularly
those doing things like editing large photographic images, can see a
performance boost by adding even more than 512MB--sometimes much more.
So your 256MB may or may not be just fine. I personally doubt whether that's
your problem.
2. You say "only" 21.46 MB of RAM available, implying that it would be
better if you had more available. That is definitely *not* correct. As a
general rule, you should not have *any* available RAM, or very little.
Available RAM is wasted RAM. You paid for all of it and shouldn't want to
see any of it wasted. Windows works hard to keep all your RAM working for
you all the time, for example using it for cache if your apps don't need it,
then taking it back again if your apps need it later. This is *good*, not
bad.
3 You've provided almost no information to help diagnose your problem, but
these days, perhaps the most common cause of poor performance is spyware or
other malware infestation. You need to regularly run at least two good
anti-spyware applications and keep them up-to-date for adequate protection.
Do you do this? Which do you run?
