Suggestions for a Hopeless Cause

[Hawks]

Mmkay. So at school, in the computer repair class, I have a Compaq DeskPro En something. Purchased by the school with Win98 some time ago. Anyway, these are the computers we're currently working on in Computer Repair. My question is, my comp is so freaking slow, what can I do (besides put more RAM in it) to make it faster? Currently it has WinXP, SP3 and up to date with updates. It has AVG 2011 Free (which is eating my RAM, I know) and CCleaner/Defragger, Firefox 3.6, and Gimp 2.6. I've run CCleaner at least three times, plus the registry fixer and cleaned that up as best I can. I am going to defrag it when I get the chance; it's got a 20GB HD and is only using like 4Gb of it, but is 33% fragmented according to Defragger.

 

Do you have any more suggestions to make it run faster (besides the obvious that I've tried already? or getting rid of AVG?)

 

Also, is there a free AV more effective (and possibly less taxing) than AVG atm?

[Danqazmlp]

I can't answer the rest, but I would try Microsoft security essentials instead of AVG.

[jasignhagj]

Try chrome instead for internet, It runs better on old computers. Other than that, and a different AV, there isn't much you can do software-wise.

[indy500fan]

I can't answer the rest, but I would try Microsoft security essentials instead of AVG.

 

I'd actually like to know if MSE is less of a resource hog than AVG. I will still use MSE anyways, but I am curious. Right now my MSE is using 73mb of RAM. (64bit Win 7)

[Hawks]

Does MSE downloadable from Microsoft's website?

[indy500fan]

Does MSE downloadable from Microsoft's website?

 

Yep. Just search for Microsoft Security Essentials and a link to it on Microsoft's website will be first.

[Laura]

It's interesting that MSE is mentioned, as in certain benchmarks, it comes in dead last as far as idle RAM usage is concerned. However, AVG was not tested.

 

This benchmark is a little more dated, but it also performs memory tests. It too suggests that MSE uses more RAM under idle and peak conditions - even more than AVG.

[indy500fan]

It's interesting that MSE is mentioned, as in certain benchmarks, it comes in dead last as far as idle RAM usage is concerned. However, AVG was not tested.

 

This benchmark is a little more dated, but it also performs memory tests. It too suggests that MSE uses more RAM under idle and peak conditions - even more than AVG.

 

Those are good links, thanks. I was curious how MSE rated vs other ones. I am going to continue to use it and install it on every computer I work on solely because it never bugs you to buy it.

[jasignhagj]

Turn off resident shield, and avg idles at around 5mb.

[Sy_Accursed]

AVG is one of the least resource hogging AV out there tbf. So if your system is being eaten up by that you're not gonna do much better unless you do up the ram.

 

That is of course if you discount the AVs that take like 0 resources, but only manage this because they are utterly useless.

[Hawks]

Today I defragged the HD and put another stick of RAM in (I've got a whole 383 MB now w00t!) and it's running a lot faster. Firefox is still a memory hog when it's running, but Internet Exploder is fail and I don't really care for Chrome.

[Will H]

Today I defragged the HD and put another stick of RAM in (I've got a whole 383 MB now w00t!) and it's running a lot faster. Firefox is still a memory hog when it's running, but Internet Exploder is fail and I don't really care for Chrome.

 

May I ask why? In these kinds of situations, a feature-light browser helps. Not that you have to use Chrome or anything, it's just that I'm wondering what's wrong with it.

[Hawks]

I don't feel like trying a new browser when I already have one I like; I don't really have the option [normally] to use any other one than FF or IE; and for some reason I feel anti-Google 'web browser' even though I'm pro-Google Docs, Mail, Blogger, Translator, and Search (plus YouTube). So it's not any particular reason, more like I don't want to venture into those waters.

[Will H]

I don't feel like trying a new browser when I already have one I like; I don't really have the option [normally] to use any other one than FF or IE; and for some reason I feel anti-Google 'web browser' even though I'm pro-Google Docs, Mail, Blogger, Translator, and Search (plus YouTube). So it's not any particular reason, more like I don't want to venture into those waters.

 

That's a perfectly good reason. No point in sacrificing what you want the computer to do (in this case running a browser that you know and trust), otherwise it's pointless.

Have you tried running msconfig and turning off some of the programs in 'startup'? I find it makes more sense if programs start up when you explicitly click on the shortcut or icon or whatever instead of starting as the system turns on. For example, I don't see why I'd want iTunes and Adobe Reader running when I have no intention of reading any PDFs or listening to music instantly, so I'll turn those off. Be careful though, it's best to leave anything located in C:\Windows alone, but a lot of things in C:\Program Files are fair game*. Once you apply and restart, it should be fine.

*Note: Don't turn off your antivirus, don't turn off drivers or anything to do with hardware that is connected to the computer at startup (such as the trackpad on a laptop), and don't turn off anything that you're not sure about. If you come into any problems, you can just revert them back again in msconfig.

[Hawks]

Actually ran a little program called Autoruns and turns out the only ones I could turn off that were of absolutely no use were Windows Messenger and some Adobe auto start up. I'll run msconfig though and see what it tells me.

[Doomster]

If you can rustle up a spare few GB hard drive from another relic, may be worth trying that (on secondary master) for the swapfile, or even a memory card in an IDE adapter, as a cheap SSD (yes, the heavy write load will eventually kill a flash swapdrive)

http://www.dansdata.com/flashswap.htm

 

NB. You cannot use a USB pendrive for system swap, as it isn't "alive" early enough, though you could possibly use it for specific programs scrach use.