taffyboyo

it takes ages to do anything, open documents and files etc,

224mb of ram, is this the problem?
2.13 GHz, amd athlon xp 2600+
hardrive is 55gb, with about 90% free

allways comes up as virtual memory is too low, windows is increasing it etc,

I've deleted tempory internet files and done disc cleanup/ defrag etc

Anyone got any ideas why its so slow , or what I could do to improve?

I have got about 300 pics on my pictures, would this make it run slow?

cheers
Taffy

mike1210

i would defo say your RAM is what's holding your machine back, 256 is bare minimum, 512 is much better and 1024 is even better still.

could be many things though, spyware etc

pictures wouldnt be a problem as your hard drive is 90% free

Mogsi

Run a spyware check, you could have some rogue processes running that are eating up memory/resources...

http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/

taffyboyo

thanks chaps,

activsurf agent, is this a spyware? , seems its allways running,

anyone know how to take it off?

cheers
Taffy

messiah

download & run adaware, that should sort it.

Deffo up the RAM though - I doubt most brand new budget PC's have that little these days - XP is a hungry bugger, you dont want anything less than 512 - I've got 768 and performance still isnt brilliant.

Basically, stick as much in as your motherboard will allow.

Criss

As above comments your RAM is struggling!

Get as much as your MOBO will take, but make sure they are all the same kind or at least speed RAM. like if you have PC3200 DDR400 buy 2 sticks of 256 just incase your mobo doesnt support duel channel ram.

taffyboyo

thanks Mogsi, just ran it, it had definately improved the speed etc,
doesnt take as long to load pages on the internet aswell,

I take it more RAM in needed though , thanks all,

one more thing , how do I get more RAM and how whould I go about fitting it etc, cheapest option if possible

jpor

iTrader: (1)

Go to http://www.crucial.com/uk/

And put in the manufacturer of PC you have. It should then advise on the best RAM to get hold of, and also how much it will max out to.

Criss

What I wouldve said!

Also get the model number and try other online shops as prices will be far cheaper

taffyboyo

does the model number have to be the same,

I found these on ebay http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2-X-512MB-DDR-...QQcmdZViewItem

all the spec is the same as the ct523560 as found on the http://www.crucial.com/uk/ for my pc.
2.5v, pc2700, speed 333, cl-2.5, non ecc, 184-pin,

would these pair just slot in and away you go, 1024 RAM (max for my pc)

is it risky buying second hand computer parts? should I play it safe and get new 512 upgrade for now,

cheers
Taff

Criss

Only the motherboard model number and ram number would have to be the same!

If the laptop model has a different motherboard, the ram may not work, play it safe ;-)

cong

right click on "my computer " and increase the virtual memory to at least 700+ mb

taffyboyo

cheers cong, but how do i do this, xp home pc,
I tried but nothing comes up,

thanks
Taffy

taffyboyo

right, think i sussed it, what would be a good min and max to set it at?

cheers
Taff

mike1210

for now stick it either 768 or 1024, set the max and min to the same size, less chance of fragmentation

cong

yep

Mick

iTrader: (1)

On the topic of adding more RAM - I have found with a couple of boards and mem sticks that it was very dificult getting the mem stick into the slot. My last one 512 MB of Crucial RAM as recommended for my AN7 board I had to apply 'alot' more force that i would have expected to get the thing in. - With another board and mem stick (might be crucial, can't remember ) I actually had to file the little notch in the middle a small amount wider to get it to seat. - worked perfectly once it was in

Mick

taffyboyo

thanks for the reply's will let you know, (or ask more questions when it comes to fitting etc )

cheers
Taffy