MVP help please???

[Guest]

I posted this in XP Help and Support yesterday and realized maybe I should
have posted here first......
I need some direction please: I've waded through all other related posts &
Microsoft.com KB but I'm just not quite getting what I need. I can not
access any newly created or old (limited) user profiles and about a 1 in 10
chance of loading any newly created (administrator) profile. The original
administrators profile works perfectly. The new account, if they load at
all, can't apply windows themes or allow MSIE cache to be set properly
amongst other things. This degraded suddenly over a couple of days time.
Virus scans are up to date and clean. Windows Defender up to date and clean.
All disk maintenance is clean, including a deep test of the HD. Corrupt
registry? Is there anyway to check/fix this without a re-install?
I'm running XP Pro (optomized for best performance) on a Compaq 500Mhz
Celeron processor with only 64MB RAM but this is the first really strange
problem I've ever encountered. Otherwise my OS always runs fine. Thank.

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

Although 64 MB of RAM is supported, Windows XP may limit
performance and some features of the operating system. I believe if you
install another 64 MB of RAM, your problem would be resolved.
Personally, I would recommend installing at least 256 MB of RAM.
However, 512 MB of RAM would be ideal.

Install as much RAM as your motherboard will support.
Visit www.crucial.com for RAM advice.

System requirements for Windows XP operating systems
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/314865/en-us

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows - Shell/User
Microsoft Community Newsgroups
news://msnews.microsoft.com/

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:

| I posted this in XP Help and Support yesterday and realized maybe I should
| have posted here first......
| I need some direction please: I've waded through all other related posts &
| Microsoft.com KB but I'm just not quite getting what I need. I can not
| access any newly created or old (limited) user profiles and about a 1 in 10
| chance of loading any newly created (administrator) profile. The original
| administrators profile works perfectly. The new account, if they load at
| all, can't apply windows themes or allow MSIE cache to be set properly
| amongst other things. This degraded suddenly over a couple of days time.
| Virus scans are up to date and clean. Windows Defender up to date and clean.
| All disk maintenance is clean, including a deep test of the HD. Corrupt
| registry? Is there anyway to check/fix this without a re-install?
| I'm running XP Pro (optomized for best performance) on a Compaq 500Mhz
| Celeron processor with only 64MB RAM but this is the first really strange
| problem I've ever encountered. Otherwise my OS always runs fine. Thank.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I posted this in XP Help and Support yesterday and realized maybe I
should have posted here first......

Help and Support is a newsgroup with an absolutely terrrible name that
frequently confuses people. It not for general WIndows XP help and support,
but specifically for help with the Windows XP Help and Support *feature."

I need some direction please: I've waded through all other related
posts & Microsoft.com KB but I'm just not quite getting what I need.
I can not access any newly created or old (limited) user profiles and
about a 1 in 10 chance of loading any newly created (administrator)
profile. The original administrators profile works perfectly. The
new account, if they load at all, can't apply windows themes or allow
MSIE cache to be set properly amongst other things. This degraded
suddenly over a couple of days time. Virus scans are up to date and
clean. Windows Defender up to date and clean. All disk maintenance
is clean, including a deep test of the HD. Corrupt registry? Is
there anyway to check/fix this without a re-install?
I'm running XP Pro (optomized for best performance) on a Compaq 500Mhz
Celeron processor with only 64MB RAM but this is the first really

I don't know the answer to your specific question, but you should realize
that 64MB, although it meets what Microsoft calls minimum requirement, is
really inadequate for WIndows XP.

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.

 

[Ron Martell]

I'm running XP Pro (optomized for best performance) on a Compaq 500Mhz
Celeron processor with only 64MB RAM but this is the first really strange
problem I've ever encountered. Otherwise my OS always runs fine. Thank.

Add another 256 mb of RAM and you will think somebody installed a
rocket inside your Compaq.

The absolutely worst performance I ever saw on a computer was a Compaq
with a slightly faster CPU than yours and with only 64 mb of RAM. It
took over 5 minutes to boot up and you could almost go for a coffee
break in the time it took to launch an application program.

I added 256 mb of RAM and the customer thought they had a whole new
computer.

Good luck

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."

 

[Guest]

THANKS TO ALL WHO RESPONDED SO QUICKLY! I've never had any problems like
this before and, yeah, I should put in more RAM but I've been lazy about it.
Anyway it (WinXP Pro) continued to degrade quickly so Saturday night I
cleared the HD, repartitioned, formatted and did a clean install (incl. SP2
from CD) and I'm getting the updates later today. Works fine -- just like
new. Some kind of registry crash I guess. Checked the HD before, during and
after with mfgr's software and it's ok. I guess I'll never know! Thanks
again to all.