rss
Options They need your help All unanswered messages
Search : in
By : Relevance Date Username
Statut : Not resolved

Would upgrading RAM speed XP up?

praveenpr4, on Thursday June 19, 2008 01:06:26 PM
Hello,


I've found this older Toshiba Satellite Pro 6000 Series and done a clean XP Pro install on it. But for about five minutes after the desktop appears it is so SLOOOOOW. It takes upwards of 10 to 15 seconds (usually a lot longer) to register the mouse/keyboard input, so if I click on start I could be sitting there for 20 seconds waiting for it to open. For a full five minutes after the desktop appears the hard drive activity light is a constant solid green, but eventually it stops loading whatever it is loading and allows me to get normal use out of it.
I don't have anything major installed on it yet either, just firefox. I mean, I'm only guess it is the RAM causing the slow start up, I presume it is the lack of ram anyway (it has only 111 available to XP - from a 128mb module. The rest must be being used by the on-board 16mb graphics system).

I tried defragging too by the way, thinking maybe the clean install left a lot of fragmentation behind, but windows defrag did sweet FA, twice. Seriously. It lied to me too, the analysis said the fragmentation would be practically zero but after a twenty minute defrag the analyses report looked identical to the one before.

Anyway I can get one or a couple of 512mb modules that would fit in this computer to the best of my knowledge but they're 144pin SODIMM's and damn are they expensive... So Obviously I don't want to go dumping expensive ram in this then find out the problem wasn't related to ram at all.

Any suggestions? I'd appreciate the help.
Configuration: Windows XP
Internet Explorer 6.0
Reply to praveenpr4  Report this message to moderators Go to last message

1


  • This message seems useful, vote!
  • Report this message to moderators
jacikechina, on Thursday June 19, 2008 03:25:27 PM
Hello


It looks like you only have 111 MB of RAM (probalby 128 MB minus whatever the onboard video card uses). Windows XP really should have a minimum of 256 MB to run OK, and 512 MB to run well. In your case, more RAM will definitely help the cause!
   
Reply to jacikechina

2


  • This message seems useful, vote!
  • Report this message to moderators
pcpaladin, on Thursday June 19, 2008 11:21:58 PM
Here's a formula that has worked for me since the mid 90s.

32 mb of RAM for every 100 mhz processor speed
320 mb of RAM for every 1 ghz processor speed

Example: If you have a processor speed of 3.8 ghz then you need 1216 mb of RAM or in practical terms,
1 gigabyte stick and a 256 mb stick

Surprisingly, this formula has never failed, even with the great video games we have today.

BTW, Windows XP must have a minimum of 256 mb to even realize it's running

Good Luck!
   
Reply to pcpaladin

3


  • This message seems useful, vote!
  • Report this message to moderators
 alphaman1101, on Saturday October 4, 2008 05:53:12 PM
Ive got an old box setup as well. (which im using at the moment) its running 128 MB ram and its doing fine. a little bit slow compared to my moms 2.1 ghz system but it does exverything it does except for windows movie maker and media player. i use winamp for that.
   
Reply to alphaman1101
Ask your question Reply
Windows XP update refuse to installWindows XP update refuse to install It may happen that updates to your system might refuse to install due to error in file system 32. System32 is an important tool for windows OS. However this file is very vulnerable to Trojan, malware... en.kioskea.net/faq/sujet-429-windows-xp-update-refuse-to-install
Vista start-up timeHello, I've just got a new (Packard Bell) PC and it has Vista Home Premium. When I turn on the PC, it takes between 3 and 4 minutes for Vista to become fully loaded. Is this normal ? If not what can I do to speed things up please ? Thanks en.kioskea.net/forum/affich-8255-vista-start-up-time
Windows - Tips and Tricks - Optimisation When menus in Windows (in the Start menu) load, they take some time to fully appear. To speed them up: Open the Registry, then go toHKEY_CURRENT_USER/Control Panel/Desktop and create a string of characters called MenuShowDelay. You can use this to... en.kioskea.net/win/winastop.php3
No Windows Update with Windows XP SP3After installing Windows XP Service Pack 3, Windows Update won't work. Windows XP Service Pack 3 installs a new version of Windows Update, but it forgets to register it. try the following: Log on as an administrator, and run cmd.exe, and... en.kioskea.net/faq/sujet-255-no-windows-update-with-windows-xp-sp3
Determining how much ram memory and virtual memory you requireDetermining how much Ram memory and virtual memory you require WINDOWS XP WINDOWS XP Presentations WINDOWS XP Multemedia Applications WINDOWS VISTA WINDOWS VISTA Office and Business purposes WINDOWS VISTA Multimedia... en.kioskea.net/faq/sujet-359-determining-how-much-ram-memory-and-virtual-memory-you-require
How to speed up a slow PCHow to speed up a slow PC Problem 1: Not enough RAM How to know if your computer has enough RAM Problem 2: Temporary files have built up on your hard disk How to delete Temporary Files Problem 3: Your computer has been infected Problem 4:... en.kioskea.net/faq/sujet-291-how-to-speed-up-a-slow-pc
Computer randomly turning onHello, My family computer ( Athlon 1700+,Asus A7N8X-X motherboard, 1GB DDR RAM, Running XP Pro) recently started behaving very strangely. After completely shutting it down (ie, not standby or hibernating), it randomly turns on again by itself. Come... en.kioskea.net/forum/affich-4973-computer-randomly-turning-on
Unable to install microsft updatesHello, I am unable to install microsoft updates, the error message says "The website has encountered a problem and cannot display the page you are trying to view" when i click on "latest updates available" option. I ma using Windows XP Professional.... en.kioskea.net/forum/affich-9901-unable-to-install-microsft-updates
Windows wont start after failed updateHello, I recently installed an update to my vista computer and of course it required a restart to complete it, so i restarted the computer but while it was starting up and putting the final touches on its update(where it says please do not shut down... en.kioskea.net/forum/affich-19482-windows-wont-start-after-failed-update
Computer - Random access memory There are generally two broad categories of random access memory: DRAM memories (Dynamic Random Access Module), which are inexpensive. They are used essentially for the computer's main memory SRAM memories (Static Random Access Module), which are... en.kioskea.net/pc/ram.php3
Processes - mstask - mstask.exe mstask.exe (mstask stands for Microsoft Task Scheduler) is a Windows NT/2000/XP generic process which sets the specific times when certain tasks will automatically be run (backups, opening applications, updates, etc). The process mstask is not in any... en.kioskea.net/processus/mstask-exe.php3