Extremely Slow XP Machine (any tips on making pc fast)?

[DeanP]

N.B: I asked Brink If I could post stuff to do with XP in Chillout Room, he says it's fine. So don't move it or delete it.

My Dad's Machine is a Dell Inspiron 630m, it's nearly 6 years old. (Bought from Dell.co.nz, Year 2005) Runs on XP Home Edition SP3.

Intel Pentium M 750 (1.86GHz) Processor
512MB MB RAM
80GB HDD (1.73GB free)
Windows XP Home Edition SP3

I just want to know how to speed up XP Machines. It takes nearly 20 minutes to boot up. Maybe is it a virus or spyware causing the system to slow down?

I do appreciate if I can get this problem sorted quickly, my dad doesn't like to go to the market or retails to find a new system.

Whenever you go to program (ie. Control Panel), doesn't respond. System does not freeze and there is no BSODs at all. MS Security Essentials report that the system is clean.

 

[Lordbob75]

I recommend backing up all the data and wiping the harddrive then reinstalling the OS.

It's not a perfect fix, but a lot of the issue is just crap thats built up over time.

~Lordbob

 

[DeanP]

I recommend backing up all the data and wiping the harddrive then reinstalling the OS.

It's not a perfect fix, but a lot of the issue is just crap thats built up over time.

~Lordbob

Thanks for the reply, here's some things...

- Have done re-installing OS - does solve the issue, but few days (2 or 3). The system is slow again.
- The hard drive is basically full of his data and work (about 60GB). Sometimes, the system hangs when copying to Western Digital 320GB External HDD.

EDIT: Maybe I should consider upgrade from 512MB to 1GB or 2GB? Just curious, because of incompatibility issues. Maybe someone can recommend one that is compatible with the system and hardware?

 

[Bill2]

DeanP,

I have an XP machine with an identical config, i'll try to recall what all i did on it.

1) In Display settings, turn off too many visual effects. The ones i keep are 'Use drop shadows for icons labels on the desktop', 'Use visual styles on windows and buttons', 'Show shadows under mouse pointer', 'Show translucent selection rectangle' and 'Show shadows under menus'. For the wallpaper, try using a smaller resolution file.

2) I personally dont use Indexing services, hibernation and system restore. But you can take a call on that.

3) In msconfig, turn off everything non-essential- i keep only te AV, password manager and touchpad.

4) Run the AV, CCleaner and defrag regularly- that'll keep the system in top shape.

I noticed there is only 1.73 gb free on the hard drive. I would say a crash is coming so you need to move data off that disk quickly. Really with a 80gb drive there is very little maneouvre space, so consider keeping bulky data on an external drive or upgrading to a bigger drive.

Also, does that drive have a single partition? That mixes up program files with data files and will slow down the computer. Make one additional partition and keep the data on it.

Also, upgrading the ram to 1 gb should give you good results.

 

[DeanP]

DeanP,

I have an XP machine with an identical config, i'll try to recall what all i did on it.

1) In Display settings, turn off too many visual effects. The ones i keep are 'Use drop shadows for icons labels on the desktop', 'Use visual styles on windows and buttons', 'Show shadows under mouse pointer', 'Show translucent selection rectangle' and 'Show shadows under menus'. For the wallpaper, try using a smaller resolution file.

2) I personally dont use Indexing services, hibernation and system restore. But you can take a call on that.

3) In msconfig, turn off everything non-essential- i keep only te AV, password manager and touchpad.

4) Run the AV, CCleaner and defrag regularly- that'll keep the system in top shape.

I noticed there is only 1.73 gb free on the hard drive. I would say a crash is coming so you need to move data off that disk quickly. Really with a 80gb drive there is very little maneouvre space, so consider keeping bulky data on an external drive or upgrading to a bigger drive.

Also, does that drive have a single partition? That mixes up program files with data files and will slow down the computer. Make one additional partition and keep the data on it.

Also, upgrading the ram to 1 gb should give you good results.

Cheers Bill, I'll try those on my dad's laptop and let you know the results.

Also, does that drive have a single partition? That mixes up program files with data files and will slow down the computer. Make one additional partition and keep the data on it.

The System has only got a single partition. I'd prefer putting the data in the HD as well as the hard drive image of the computer into the external HDD.

 

[Lordbob75]

Hell yes upgrade that RAM.

~Lordbob

 

[pacinitaly]

DeanP,

I have an XP machine with an identical config, i'll try to recall what all i did on it.

1) In Display settings, turn off too many visual effects. The ones i keep are 'Use drop shadows for icons labels on the desktop', 'Use visual styles on windows and buttons', 'Show shadows under mouse pointer', 'Show translucent selection rectangle' and 'Show shadows under menus'. For the wallpaper, try using a smaller resolution file.

2) I personally dont use Indexing services, hibernation and system restore. But you can take a call on that.

3) In msconfig, turn off everything non-essential- i keep only te AV, password manager and touchpad.

4) Run the AV, CCleaner and defrag regularly- that'll keep the system in top shape.

I noticed there is only 1.73 gb free on the hard drive. I would say a crash is coming so you need to move data off that disk quickly. Really with a 80gb drive there is very little maneouvre space, so consider keeping bulky data on an external drive or upgrading to a bigger drive.

Also, does that drive have a single partition? That mixes up program files with data files and will slow down the computer. Make one additional partition and keep the data on it.

Also, upgrading the ram to 1 gb should give you good results.

great advice

 

[stevieray]

It looks like your machine can take up to 2 gigs of RAM, and the RAM is about $22 per gig. Dell Inspiron 630M RAM Memory Upgrades

 

[DeanP]

I live in New Zealand, that site ships only to US and Canada. Thanks for trying.