Speeding up XP

[JoeSpareBedroom]

I'm running XP SP2 with a 1.6 ghz Semprom processor, 1/2 gig of RAM and a 19
gb hard disk with 4 gig of free space. Gets pretty slow at times. If you
were going to throw money at some part of the system first, would it be more
RAM, or bigger HD? I know they're both cheap, but money's a bit tight and
flipping a coin is not giving me the clear answer I want. Most of the work I
do for my job does NOT involve huge files. Rather, the machine gets creepy
when I have 4-5 apps running. I could be wrong, but I don't think registry
clutter is the issue. I don't constantly install & uninstall experimental
software like some people. I defrag monthly, and the computer is scanned
nightly for viruses (AVG) and other nasties (ZoneAlarm).

 

[R. McCarty]

An upgrade won't help. The Sempron is a lower-end processor.
They have internal hardware limitations (Cache size) that would
prevent other upgrades from being cost effective. Your money is
better spent moving to a new system. Anything you upgrade won't
deliver any major benefits.

 

[BillW50]

In JoeSpareBedroom typed on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 08:33:23 -0400:

I'm running XP SP2 with a 1.6 ghz Semprom processor, 1/2 gig of RAM
and a 19 gb hard disk with 4 gig of free space. Gets pretty slow at
times. If you were going to throw money at some part of the system
first, would it be more RAM, or bigger HD? I know they're both cheap,
but money's a bit tight and flipping a coin is not giving me the
clear answer I want. Most of the work I do for my job does NOT
involve huge files. Rather, the machine gets creepy when I have 4-5
apps running. I could be wrong, but I don't think registry clutter is
the issue. I don't constantly install & uninstall experimental
software like some people. I defrag monthly, and the computer is
scanned nightly for viruses (AVG) and other nasties (ZoneAlarm).

Upgrading 512kb is the first thing I would do, at least 1GB. 2GB might
be overkill and a maybe a waste of money. Later if that hard drive is a
4200rpm model, a 5400rpm should beef up the speed a tad bit. But not as
much as memory would.

And let's talk about AVG. There was a time when it was very good. But it
has gotten slower and slower with every newer version. And it is very
slow during a schedule scan. Avast is much better and doesn't slow down
the system at all.

ZoneAlarm? Another oldie and good for its time. I don't know much about
the newer versions and I would question if you even need anything more
than the Windows built in one.

 

[Tim Slattery]

I'm running XP SP2 with a 1.6 ghz Semprom processor, 1/2 gig of RAM and a 19
gb hard disk with 4 gig of free space. Gets pretty slow at times. If you
were going to throw money at some part of the system first, would it be more
RAM, or bigger HD?

I'd buy more RAM.

I know they're both cheap, but money's a bit tight and
flipping a coin is not giving me the clear answer I want. Most of the work I
do for my job does NOT involve huge files. Rather, the machine gets creepy
when I have 4-5 apps running.

That's a giveaway. You don't have enough RAM to have the important
parts of all the apps as well as the important parts of the OS
available in RAM all the time. Probably when you're running this many
apps, your disk access LED is going all the time. And if you checked
page file activity at this time (Task Manager, Performance tab), you'd
see lots of activity as bits of memory are constantly swapped in and
out. Buy more RAM.

 

[JoeSpareBedroom]

In JoeSpareBedroom typed on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 08:33:23 -0400:

Upgrading 512kb is the first thing I would do, at least 1GB. 2GB might
be overkill and a maybe a waste of money. Later if that hard drive is a
4200rpm model, a 5400rpm should beef up the speed a tad bit. But not as
much as memory would.

And let's talk about AVG. There was a time when it was very good. But it
has gotten slower and slower with every newer version. And it is very
slow during a schedule scan. Avast is much better and doesn't slow down
the system at all.

Here's something I've noticed and should've mentioned earlier, although I
don't think it's part of the bigger issue: When I open Excel or Word files,
they come up on the screen quickly, but with some of them (not always large
files), as soon as I move the cursor or type even a slight change, there's a
pause of 10-20 seconds with lots of HD activity. This happens even if Excel
or Word are the only app running just after the machine's been started. I've
wondered if AVG was at fault, but that doesn't make sense, since it should
be scanning files before they're opened and on the screen.

ZoneAlarm? Another oldie and good for its time. I don't know much about
the newer versions and I would question if you even need anything more
than the Windows built in one.

ZoneAlarm's spyware scan is pretty quick - just 2-3 minutes for my hard
disk, so it doesn't really get in the way. I prefer a firewall which checks
for outgoing nonsense, which the Windows firewall does not, as far as I
know.

 

[db]

I wouldn't put too much money
in the computer because in the
long run it will be better to buy
a more up to date model.

however, if you did buy and add
more hard drive, it would help
the performance and you could
always install that drive in a new
computer, if and when you get
one.

in regards to the memory, go
cheap and buy another 1/2
gig ram.

unfortunately, if and when you
do get a better computer, the ram
will likely be incompatiable and
you couldn't reuse the new chip.

--
db·´¯`·...¸><)))º>
DatabaseBen, Retired Professional
- Systems Analyst
- Database Developer
- Accountancy
- Veteran of the Armed Forces
- @Hotmail.com

"share the nirvana mann" - dbZen

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Help! My computer is slow!
http://miekiemoes.blogspot.com/2008/02/help-my-computer-is-slow.html

 

[Paul]

In JoeSpareBedroom typed on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 08:33:23 -0400:
Upgrading 512kb is the first thing I would do, at least 1GB. 2GB might
be overkill and a maybe a waste of money. Later if that hard drive is a
4200rpm model, a 5400rpm should beef up the speed a tad bit. But not as
much as memory would.

And let's talk about AVG. There was a time when it was very good. But it
has gotten slower and slower with every newer version. And it is very
slow during a schedule scan. Avast is much better and doesn't slow down
the system at all.

Here's something I've noticed and should've mentioned earlier, although I
don't think it's part of the bigger issue: When I open Excel or Word files,
they come up on the screen quickly, but with some of them (not always large
files), as soon as I move the cursor or type even a slight change, there's a
pause of 10-20 seconds with lots of HD activity. This happens even if Excel
or Word are the only app running just after the machine's been started. I've
wondered if AVG was at fault, but that doesn't make sense, since it should
be scanning files before they're opened and on the screen.

ZoneAlarm? Another oldie and good for its time. I don't know much about
the newer versions and I would question if you even need anything more
than the Windows built in one.

ZoneAlarm's spyware scan is pretty quick - just 2-3 minutes for my hard
disk, so it doesn't really get in the way. I prefer a firewall which checks
for outgoing nonsense, which the Windows firewall does not, as far as I
know.

Open the Task Manager and check which processes are using RAM.
It sounds like before running Excel or Word, the system already
has major RAM consumption. Find out what ate the RAM. Leave the
Task Manager open while you start Excel. See what processes
might be busy at the same time as Excel.

Paul

 

[Unknown]

You didn't say you run disk cleanup. Did or have you run disk cleanup? More
RAM will help.

 

[JoeSpareBedroom]

Ran it last week. That cleaned up about 1/2 gig of disk space. I blast out
Firefox's cache twice a week for no particular reason, and rarely use IE, so
there don't seem to be many MS-related temp files. But I do the cleanup
anyway.

 

[N. Miller]

I'm running XP SP2 with a 1.6 ghz Semprom processor, 1/2 gig of RAM and a 19
gb hard disk with 4 gig of free space. Gets pretty slow at times. If you
were going to throw money at some part of the system first, would it be more
RAM, or bigger HD? I know they're both cheap, but money's a bit tight and
flipping a coin is not giving me the clear answer I want. Most of the work I
do for my job does NOT involve huge files. Rather, the machine gets creepy
when I have 4-5 apps running. I could be wrong, but I don't think registry
clutter is the issue. I don't constantly install & uninstall experimental
software like some people. I defrag monthly, and the computer is scanned
nightly for viruses (AVG) and other nasties (ZoneAlarm).

I'd go with more RAM, and dump AVG for Avast, or Avira. That will buy some
performance. But, in the long run, a newer computer with a faster processor,
and larger cache will probably give you a more significant performance
boost.

Registry clutter is definitely not the issue. I installed an upgrade version
of Windows XP Home Edition (SP2 out of the box) on a computer with a 700 MHz
Celeron processor and 256 MB of RAM. Clean install (not overlaying the
original Windows ME) on an NTFS partition. It was slow from the get-go on
that fresh install.

 

[Kelly]

I would select Disk Cleanup over Defrag any day with XP NTFS.

--

All the Best,
Kelly (MS-MVP/DTS&XP)

Taskbar Repair Tool Plus!
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/taskbarplus!.htm

 

[Twayne]

An upgrade won't help. The Sempron is a lower-end processor.
They have internal hardware limitations (Cache size) that would
prevent other upgrades from being cost effective. Your money is
better spent moving to a new system. Anything you upgrade won't
deliver any major benefits.

A Gig or RAM will help as it will alleviate some of the substantial
pagefile usage.
A larger hard drive will help as it is currently an almost full
bottlenece for that system. An 80 Gig drive is VERY cheap right now!

 

[BillW50]

In Twayne typed on Sat, 19 Sep 2009 10:45:19 -0400:

... An 80 Gig drive is VERY cheap right now!

I don't know what you call cheap, but even 2.5 inch 160GB hard drives
can be found in the $50 to $60 range.

 

[R. McCarty]

Maybe, but it's been my experience that you end up with a PC
that has Unbalanced hardware. Instead of installing a new PATA
drive, a new PC (Motherboard) would employ SATA. A newer
processor & chipset provides better overall speed. These days I
recommend system replacement more than individual upgrades.
Reason being you upgrade one thing and then other hardware will
become the slowest piece pushing you to even more upgrades or
part replacements. When you're done upgrading you could have a
new system for an equal or slightly higher cost. A new system will
have a fairly long life cycle. The only upcoming technology change
that might be worth waiting for is the new USB 3.0 switchover that
will appear in late 2009 or early 2010.

 

[BillW50]

In R. McCarty typed on Sat, 19 Sep 2009 10:56:14 -0400:

Maybe, but it's been my experience that you end up with a PC
that has Unbalanced hardware. Instead of installing a new PATA
drive, a new PC (Motherboard) would employ SATA. A newer
processor & chipset provides better overall speed. These days I
recommend system replacement more than individual upgrades.
Reason being you upgrade one thing and then other hardware will
become the slowest piece pushing you to even more upgrades or
part replacements. When you're done upgrading you could have a
new system for an equal or slightly higher cost. A new system will
have a fairly long life cycle. The only upcoming technology change
that might be worth waiting for is the new USB 3.0 switchover that
will appear in late 2009 or early 2010.

It depends. I usually upgrade a new computer as soon as I get them
anyway (more RAM and larger hard drives usually). So you have to add
this cost too. Plus being a big fan of Windows XP and a disliker of
Vista and Windows 7, I rather have PATA drives instead of SATA drives.
As Windows XP doesn't natively support SATA drives anyway. So I'm not
interested in any. I can boot in 50 seconds so that is fast enough for
me. <grin>

 

[JoeSpareBedroom]

A Gig or RAM will help as it will alleviate some of the substantial
pagefile usage.
A larger hard drive will help as it is currently an almost full bottlenece
for that system. An 80 Gig drive is VERY cheap right now!

If I'm reading Task Manager's performance numbers correctly, more RAM should
be the priority. Physical memory: 458224K. The "available" figure is
dropping as low as 45K at times and I only have 3 of my usual 6 apps running
so far this morning. No wonder there's disk thrashing.

 

[BillW50]

In JoeSpareBedroom typed on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 08:27:08 -0400:

If I'm reading Task Manager's performance numbers correctly, more RAM
should be the priority. Physical memory: 458224K. The "available"
figure is dropping as low as 45K at times and I only have 3 of my
usual 6 apps running so far this morning. No wonder there's disk
thrashing.

Yup, I noticed if the free RAM stays 150kb or higher, XP runs very fast.
Once it drops lower than this, XP runs very slowly.

 

[Twayne]

If I'm reading Task Manager's performance numbers correctly, more RAM
should be the priority. Physical memory: 458224K. The "available"
figure is dropping as low as 45K at times and I only have 3 of my
usual 6 apps running so far this morning. No wonder there's disk
thrashing.

That's sensible, especially since you have so little disk space to let a
pagefile live in; the machine must get really slow at times. But it's
not a permanent solution unless you can move a lot of your personal data
off the drive and onto DVDs/CDs to free up a little space. It really
needs both the RAM and a hard drive added to the mix. A lot of things
eat away at disk space so you'll be receiving low space warnings fairly
soon unless you can clear out some data.

HTH,

Twayne`

 

[JoeSpareBedroom]

That's sensible, especially since you have so little disk space to let a
pagefile live in; the machine must get really slow at times. But it's not
a permanent solution unless you can move a lot of your personal data off
the drive and onto DVDs/CDs to free up a little space. It really needs
both the RAM and a hard drive added to the mix. A lot of things eat away
at disk space so you'll be receiving low space warnings fairly soon unless
you can clear out some data.

HTH,

Twayne`

It's really a matter of which upgrade to do this week and which to do in a
month. Memory's first. And I can move all my music to an external hard drive
for a little while. That'll give me back 4-5 gb.