(Stay away from Compaq's, i have enough broken ones to fill a landfill:))
I've heard that about Compaq's machines!
Thanks to everybody on the pointers. I have added ram already as Holly and CTWardell recommend and I do think it is more useable now. I may give it more time. I can probably live with XP a little longer. Besides the price of the Asus machine in the link would pay for a round trip ticket to Rocklin for OPEW!
There are certainly a lot of good choices of hardware out there, but without a good OS they all pretty much fall short.
My most recent addition was a little Toshiba Netbook with Windows7 Starter. For several months, I have just plodded along in W7 without complaint. But recently I had a hung update; then troubles with Wifi log ons. So I do what I have done for several years now. I installed an Ubuntu dual boot along side the Windows OS (have done so with XP, Vista, and now W7).
In all cases, using Ubuntu Linux brought the performance speed up to a level where I wasn't waiting around to get things done or being diverted into a maze of help screens to resolve the same problem over and over again (Yes, I have had these problems with W7).
So I hate to see you waste your money on buying a new computer and expecting the hardware to carry the day when it is the OS system that is bogging down.
Option1:
Upgrade you computer to 2GB.
Re-install windowsXP from scratch, not a factory restore with it's included crapware.
Don't install macafee or any other ripoff virus program that slows down your computer.
install free MS security essentials, may have to turn off real-time protection if you feel it's slowing you down.
@Loopy, @tony - I've decided to not buy a new machine for many of the reasons listed here. The one I have will continue to suffice. It is running better with more RAM. I may even defragment the drive and or reinstall XP at some point.
I am going to put the $600 instead towards flying to Rocklin for UPEW!!
here's my 2 cents coming from my 8 year old Dell Inspiron 1100, P4 (yep, single core folks), 684MB RAM, USB WiFi, and 100GB HDD as my daily use personal laptop.
1) I use Process Explorer all the time to hunt down rogue CPU eaters. It is excellent tool and I have no clue why Microsoft doesn't have that as the default "task manager".
2) I reload from my Dell restore CD every few years and get to enjoy a sub 1 minute boot time for about 2 years before XP, antivirus, etc, updates start bogging things down.
3) I frequently have Firefox, Propeller Tool, Excel, DipTrace, Acrobat Reader, and eBay Turbo Lister up the same time and the little bit of sluggishness is easily acceptable. The main cause is eBay turbo lister.
4) I use AVG for my antivirus and the latest version requires tweaks to keep it from rearing it's ugly head. I do not allow it to update itself because it sits it the background and kills my cpu and net bandwidth. I manually do AVG updates and MS updates once a week.
5) When I do run intense programs (Cypress PSoC Express, Dreamweaver/Fireworks, or my Canon T1i software suite) I usually only run those programs.
6) Outlook is a resource hog, so I get into it and out. If I wasn't so lazy, I would migrate all my email away from outlook.
7) My hard drive is partitioned, and most of my programs are installed onto the second partition. I also use the second partition for most of my temporary file locations, Firefox download folders, etc. This allows me to keep my C drive cleaner and defragged so that my swap file isn't scattered across the drive or inefficient due to limited space. (I always make sure that I have a 5GB chunk of free space on my 30GB C drive) My D drive is 65GB and is also where I store all of my documents and project files.
I am spoiled at work and have a kill-all laptop so I never have to worry about programs that hog anything. I also have dual displays on my desk so my workspace is much larger than this laptop. I don't have admin rights on it, so I am limited as to what programs I can load on it, but I have everything on it that I need (full office 2010 suite, visio, DipTrace, Propeller Tool, Stamp Editor, Adobe CS3 suite, etc). On the weekends, I'll use it for DipTrace and Propeller Tool sometimes because it's so much better than my Dell.
I am happy you are willing to consider a dual boot in Ubuntu Linux. For me, there is a real sense of relief in having two OSes as I can compare performance and find that most of my net surfing is far more pleasant in Firefox within Ubuntu Linux.
Another dividend is that Linux doesn't require several tactics that Windows must have - defragment, registry cleaners, Windows Defender scans and virus management (scan and updates) are not required. I find that no only is my time used more productively; I am happier with my computer management and happier not spending money on maintence software that keeps me in a constant state of paranoia.
I suppose that ther are some tricks - like adding memory to an XP machine - that are important. But my XP snail paced machine with 512meg DRAM including some shared video runs quite nicely in Linux. Why bother adding the DRAM to an old workhorse when Linux has a Swap partition that compensates for such issues?
Asus is very nice hardware and a good portion of what people are buying as branded hardware in the USA has an Asus motherboard under the hood as OEM. My old XP machine is an ASUS and I was extremely happy with their EEEpc. But the truth is that once you have a dual boot, you can strip down XP to run better.
At the end of the day, I am completely convinced that the commerical retail operating systems are not managed as good as Linux for the fundamental of computing. Linux's evolution out of Unix makes it a very rational generic solution and Open Office makes it complete as a home desktop for people on a tight budget. I still open and completely dust the inside of the old Asus XP/Ubuntu and it has been running fine for 7 or 8 years with two hard disks. There is nothing wrong with it - unless you really want to get something computer intensive done in XP.
Let me add ACER and HP to the list to avoid. My Acer motherboard died the day after Christmas, and would have been 2 years old in April. The HP G56 I replaced it with had the hard disk fail less than 2 months later. Every previous laptop had been used for at least 4 years, and was still working when it had to be replaced due to software/OS limitations.
@erco - I love Charleston, SC - great place! I've spent a lot of time in LA - went frog gigging and gator stompin' a few times down there. Oh wait you mean Los Angeles - I was referring to Lower Alabama.
I'm on the very verge of committing to UPEW. I really would like to go.
I am happy you are willing to consider a dual boot in Ubuntu Linux. For me, there is a real sense of relief in having two OSes as I can compare performance and find that most of my net surfing is far more pleasant in Firefox within Ubuntu Linux.
Another dividend is that Linux doesn't require several tactics that Windows must have - defragment, registry cleaners, Windows Defender scans and virus management (scan and updates) are not required. I find that no only is my time used more productively; I am happier with my computer management and happier not spending money on maintence software that keeps me in a constant state of paranoia.
I suppose that ther are some tricks - like adding memory to an XP machine - that are important. But my XP snail paced machine with 512meg DRAM including some shared video runs quite nicely in Linux. Why bother adding the DRAM to an old workhorse when Linux has a Swap partition that compensates for such issues?
Asus is very nice hardware and a good portion of what people are buying as branded hardware in the USA has an Asus motherboard under the hood as OEM. My old XP machine is an ASUS and I was extremely happy with their EEEpc. But the truth is that once you have a dual boot, you can strip down XP to run better.
At the end of the day, I am completely convinced that the commerical retail operating systems are not managed as good as Linux for the fundamental of computing. Linux's evolution out of Unix makes it a very rational generic solution and Open Office makes it complete as a home desktop for people on a tight budget. I still open and completely dust the inside of the old Asus XP/Ubuntu and it has been running fine for 7 or 8 years with two hard disks. There is nothing wrong with it - unless you really want to get something computer intensive done in XP.
I've decided to just do without Windows totally. If I were to be an avid gamer and really needed a Windows computer to play, dual boot would be my thing, but since I'm not I find myself content to just stick to Ubuntu for the bulk of my work. I've even learned over the time I've used it how to make it look similar enough to Win7 to make a windows fan content with using it. I also find myself setting up my installs as somewhat of a cross between the regular Ubuntu features and a Windows Vista menu with a XP-like (but better) taskbar. It's one of the things I like about it, that it is so customisable.
After using Linux on a desktop computer of mine for just a short time, I found that when I got my nice new laptop as a graduation gift from my parents that I couldn't stand the win7 install on it and I was greatly relieved when I finally switched it over. I kept the install DVD for win7 for a while just in case, but eventually I just sold that for $60 and bought myself more computer-related items.
For some software I've found a virtual machine is needed, but even then it doesn't take too many resources. If you install win xp as a virtual machine you can share a folder with the computer for transferring items, and very little resources are needed for the virtual machine because you can just get rid of all the security features on it and have no startup items and run it on as low as 1/4 gig of ram.
But, of course, that's just my opinion. If you're content with windows then by all means stick with it, but good luck to you either way!
I keep the Windows XP, Vista, ans W-7 because I have the extra space and there are some legacy apps that I may need on a rainy day. I just don't think one can be a Linux purist in the real world, but I am certainly a Linux enthusiast as computers and software are explained much better by public domain users.
BTW, the newer Ubuntu is using Grub 2 to install the dual boot feature. I initially had to wrestle and tweak Grub 1 to get my first dual boot to work. But both the Vista and W-7 dual boots are much easier (though there still are some interesting obstacles that the Windows side of the industry tries to present to prevent easy installation). There is always the additional hazard that all your specialize function keys will not work on a laptop or netbook in a dual boot on the Linux side. So keeping the Windows to toggle your Wifi on and off is handy. With a regular desktop, Ubuntu Linux can easily adapt to keyboard and screen, but some scanners and special printer/fax devices are not supported. Windows will support just about anybody - it is how they keep their market share.
If anybody is having trouble with a dual boot or fears getting started, PM me. I am not going to get heavy into nuts n' bolts without a clear task ahead of me.
Hi Paul, one option is keep your computer (back up the data) and hose it. Reinstall the OS and applications, and it will probably seem like it runs 100 times faster. Add a TeraByte USB drive for storage and you're good to go. Your CPU has plenty of power for multitasking. For greater browsing speed, don't use IE. If you don't have the original system disks and images or if the computer more than a couple years old, then perhaps go with the new computer.
Comments
Thanks to everybody on the pointers. I have added ram already as Holly and CTWardell recommend and I do think it is more useable now. I may give it more time. I can probably live with XP a little longer. Besides the price of the Asus machine in the link would pay for a round trip ticket to Rocklin for OPEW!
Paul
My most recent addition was a little Toshiba Netbook with Windows7 Starter. For several months, I have just plodded along in W7 without complaint. But recently I had a hung update; then troubles with Wifi log ons. So I do what I have done for several years now. I installed an Ubuntu dual boot along side the Windows OS (have done so with XP, Vista, and now W7).
In all cases, using Ubuntu Linux brought the performance speed up to a level where I wasn't waiting around to get things done or being diverted into a maze of help screens to resolve the same problem over and over again (Yes, I have had these problems with W7).
So I hate to see you waste your money on buying a new computer and expecting the hardware to carry the day when it is the OS system that is bogging down.
Upgrade you computer to 2GB.
Re-install windowsXP from scratch, not a factory restore with it's included crapware.
Don't install macafee or any other ripoff virus program that slows down your computer.
install free MS security essentials, may have to turn off real-time protection if you feel it's slowing you down.
Option2:
buy a cheap $300 computer from a officestore.
http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/901446/Compaq-Presario-CQ5700F-Desktop-Computer-With/
-or-
Dell Small Business Dell Vostro 230 Mini Tower + 22 inch LCD at $675.00 - $276.00 Instant off = $399. Free shipping.
Option3: order you own parts from newegg and build you own computer.
http://www.headlinedeals.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=newegg&search_area=1
I am going to put the $600 instead towards flying to Rocklin for UPEW!!
Paul
I think that is an excellent outcome to your problem.
1) I use Process Explorer all the time to hunt down rogue CPU eaters. It is excellent tool and I have no clue why Microsoft doesn't have that as the default "task manager".
2) I reload from my Dell restore CD every few years and get to enjoy a sub 1 minute boot time for about 2 years before XP, antivirus, etc, updates start bogging things down.
3) I frequently have Firefox, Propeller Tool, Excel, DipTrace, Acrobat Reader, and eBay Turbo Lister up the same time and the little bit of sluggishness is easily acceptable. The main cause is eBay turbo lister.
4) I use AVG for my antivirus and the latest version requires tweaks to keep it from rearing it's ugly head. I do not allow it to update itself because it sits it the background and kills my cpu and net bandwidth. I manually do AVG updates and MS updates once a week.
5) When I do run intense programs (Cypress PSoC Express, Dreamweaver/Fireworks, or my Canon T1i software suite) I usually only run those programs.
6) Outlook is a resource hog, so I get into it and out. If I wasn't so lazy, I would migrate all my email away from outlook.
7) My hard drive is partitioned, and most of my programs are installed onto the second partition. I also use the second partition for most of my temporary file locations, Firefox download folders, etc. This allows me to keep my C drive cleaner and defragged so that my swap file isn't scattered across the drive or inefficient due to limited space. (I always make sure that I have a 5GB chunk of free space on my 30GB C drive) My D drive is 65GB and is also where I store all of my documents and project files.
I am spoiled at work and have a kill-all laptop so I never have to worry about programs that hog anything. I also have dual displays on my desk so my workspace is much larger than this laptop. I don't have admin rights on it, so I am limited as to what programs I can load on it, but I have everything on it that I need (full office 2010 suite, visio, DipTrace, Propeller Tool, Stamp Editor, Adobe CS3 suite, etc). On the weekends, I'll use it for DipTrace and Propeller Tool sometimes because it's so much better than my Dell.
Another dividend is that Linux doesn't require several tactics that Windows must have - defragment, registry cleaners, Windows Defender scans and virus management (scan and updates) are not required. I find that no only is my time used more productively; I am happier with my computer management and happier not spending money on maintence software that keeps me in a constant state of paranoia.
I suppose that ther are some tricks - like adding memory to an XP machine - that are important. But my XP snail paced machine with 512meg DRAM including some shared video runs quite nicely in Linux. Why bother adding the DRAM to an old workhorse when Linux has a Swap partition that compensates for such issues?
Asus is very nice hardware and a good portion of what people are buying as branded hardware in the USA has an Asus motherboard under the hood as OEM. My old XP machine is an ASUS and I was extremely happy with their EEEpc. But the truth is that once you have a dual boot, you can strip down XP to run better.
At the end of the day, I am completely convinced that the commerical retail operating systems are not managed as good as Linux for the fundamental of computing. Linux's evolution out of Unix makes it a very rational generic solution and Open Office makes it complete as a home desktop for people on a tight budget. I still open and completely dust the inside of the old Asus XP/Ubuntu and it has been running fine for 7 or 8 years with two hard disks. There is nothing wrong with it - unless you really want to get something computer intensive done in XP.
BTW, I see you're in SC. That's a fur piece down the road from Rocklin! I'm in LA now, but originally from Charleston SC.
I'm on the very verge of committing to UPEW. I really would like to go.
Paul
Process Explorer
Thanks for sharing this program with us
I've decided to just do without Windows totally. If I were to be an avid gamer and really needed a Windows computer to play, dual boot would be my thing, but since I'm not I find myself content to just stick to Ubuntu for the bulk of my work. I've even learned over the time I've used it how to make it look similar enough to Win7 to make a windows fan content with using it. I also find myself setting up my installs as somewhat of a cross between the regular Ubuntu features and a Windows Vista menu with a XP-like (but better) taskbar. It's one of the things I like about it, that it is so customisable.
After using Linux on a desktop computer of mine for just a short time, I found that when I got my nice new laptop as a graduation gift from my parents that I couldn't stand the win7 install on it and I was greatly relieved when I finally switched it over. I kept the install DVD for win7 for a while just in case, but eventually I just sold that for $60 and bought myself more computer-related items.
For some software I've found a virtual machine is needed, but even then it doesn't take too many resources. If you install win xp as a virtual machine you can share a folder with the computer for transferring items, and very little resources are needed for the virtual machine because you can just get rid of all the security features on it and have no startup items and run it on as low as 1/4 gig of ram.
But, of course, that's just my opinion. If you're content with windows then by all means stick with it, but good luck to you either way!
BTW, the newer Ubuntu is using Grub 2 to install the dual boot feature. I initially had to wrestle and tweak Grub 1 to get my first dual boot to work. But both the Vista and W-7 dual boots are much easier (though there still are some interesting obstacles that the Windows side of the industry tries to present to prevent easy installation). There is always the additional hazard that all your specialize function keys will not work on a laptop or netbook in a dual boot on the Linux side. So keeping the Windows to toggle your Wifi on and off is handy. With a regular desktop, Ubuntu Linux can easily adapt to keyboard and screen, but some scanners and special printer/fax devices are not supported. Windows will support just about anybody - it is how they keep their market share.
If anybody is having trouble with a dual boot or fears getting started, PM me. I am not going to get heavy into nuts n' bolts without a clear task ahead of me.