Comments on: Why computers are so slow http://spamhuntress.com/2005/10/27/why-computers-are-so-slow/ Just another WordPress weblog Sat, 17 May 2008 02:28:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.7 by: walter kamps http://spamhuntress.com/2005/10/27/why-computers-are-so-slow/#comment-16472 Sun, 11 Jun 2006 20:51:39 +0000 http://spamhuntress.com/2005/10/27/why-computers-are-so-slow/#comment-16472 Hi tuxedo Jack, I have a panasonic toughbook II 366 with WIN 95 and 198 MB RAM Can you give me advice how to upgrade to WIN 98 or WP. Thanx Hi tuxedo Jack,
I have a panasonic toughbook II 366 with WIN 95 and 198 MB RAM
Can you give me advice how to upgrade to WIN 98 or WP.
Thanx

]]> by: Tuxedo Jack http://spamhuntress.com/2005/10/27/why-computers-are-so-slow/#comment-1742 Tue, 08 Nov 2005 17:23:37 +0000 http://spamhuntress.com/2005/10/27/why-computers-are-so-slow/#comment-1742 Actually, I've gotten a Panasonic Toughbook with a Pentium II (300MHz, Deschutes core) and 192MB of RAM to run XP nicely - and all my network administration and spyware disassembly tools, too (i.e. PE Explorer, Trillian, Firefox, Outlook 2000, Winamp, NetStumbler, NetworkView, DreamWeaver/Fireworks, VNC, Sam Spade, et cetera) - and they all run at a pretty dang good clip. The first thing to do is to turn off the Luna interface. Right-click My Computer and choose Properties. Click the Advanced tab and the Settings button under the Performance section. Set it to "Adjust Windows for Best Performance," but scroll down in the box under it and check the box marked "Use drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop." Hit Apply, then OK, then close the System Control Panel. That's a BIG tweak and you'll notice a massive performance gain. If you're so lucky as to have access to the XP tweaks from a Best Buy Geek Squad geek, get and run them, or get the MRI CD of theirs off any popular BitTorrent tracker. The registry tweaks are godly, but the rest of their stuff is junk. Really, though, that's just the start of it. I've been meaning to write a guide about how to do this for months, but it's slipped my mind. Actually, I’ve gotten a Panasonic Toughbook with a Pentium II (300MHz, Deschutes core) and 192MB of RAM to run XP nicely - and all my network administration and spyware disassembly tools, too (i.e. PE Explorer, Trillian, Firefox, Outlook 2000, Winamp, NetStumbler, NetworkView, DreamWeaver/Fireworks, VNC, Sam Spade, et cetera) - and they all run at a pretty dang good clip.

The first thing to do is to turn off the Luna interface. Right-click My Computer and choose Properties. Click the Advanced tab and the Settings button under the Performance section. Set it to “Adjust Windows for Best Performance,” but scroll down in the box under it and check the box marked “Use drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop.” Hit Apply, then OK, then close the System Control Panel. That’s a BIG tweak and you’ll notice a massive performance gain.

If you’re so lucky as to have access to the XP tweaks from a Best Buy Geek Squad geek, get and run them, or get the MRI CD of theirs off any popular BitTorrent tracker. The registry tweaks are godly, but the rest of their stuff is junk.

Really, though, that’s just the start of it. I’ve been meaning to write a guide about how to do this for months, but it’s slipped my mind.

]]> by: Joe http://spamhuntress.com/2005/10/27/why-computers-are-so-slow/#comment-1676 Fri, 28 Oct 2005 17:46:01 +0000 http://spamhuntress.com/2005/10/27/why-computers-are-so-slow/#comment-1676 Icons start acting funny because Windows is set to only handle so many. After running for a while the icon cache gets full and odd things result. Using TweakUI (I think) you can raise that limit. But it takes more memory. Icons start acting funny because Windows is set to only handle so many. After running for a while the icon cache gets full and odd things result. Using TweakUI (I think) you can raise that limit. But it takes more memory.

]]> by: Administrator http://spamhuntress.com/2005/10/27/why-computers-are-so-slow/#comment-1675 Fri, 28 Oct 2005 15:47:14 +0000 http://spamhuntress.com/2005/10/27/why-computers-are-so-slow/#comment-1675 Oh, and I forgot: Disk fragmentation. It gets worse the older the computer gets. That can slow it down too. Oh, and I forgot: Disk fragmentation. It gets worse the older the computer gets. That can slow it down too.

]]> by: Administrator http://spamhuntress.com/2005/10/27/why-computers-are-so-slow/#comment-1674 Fri, 28 Oct 2005 13:18:07 +0000 http://spamhuntress.com/2005/10/27/why-computers-are-so-slow/#comment-1674 And have you ever noticed that with an old Windows install, the icons start acting funny after the computer's been on for a while? I take that as a sign a reinstall is way overdue... And have you ever noticed that with an old Windows install, the icons start acting funny after the computer’s been on for a while? I take that as a sign a reinstall is way overdue…

]]> by: Marco http://spamhuntress.com/2005/10/27/why-computers-are-so-slow/#comment-1673 Fri, 28 Oct 2005 12:40:11 +0000 http://spamhuntress.com/2005/10/27/why-computers-are-so-slow/#comment-1673 Any modern OS needs lots of RAM. You can run Linux on trailing edge hardware fine but don't even think about running a full-blown KDE or Gnome installation. It's just as bad as with Windows. The only thing that IS worse with Windows (any version) is the fact that Windows installations 'deteriorate'. It's like there's 'OS rot' going on or something. After a fresh install things usually run very smooth but this doesn't last for long. After using the system for several months it starts slowing down until you've reached the point where a reinstall is the only option left. This doesn't happen on Macs or PC's with Linux or FreeBSD installed. I remember installing OS X on my G4 466Mhz and selling the machine 2 years later with the original install still running. All I ever did was running updates. The system was never reformatted and/or reinstalled from scratch and it left my house running at exactly the same speed as when I took it out of the box first. Makes you wonder.... Any modern OS needs lots of RAM. You can run Linux on trailing edge hardware fine but don’t even think about running a full-blown KDE or Gnome installation. It’s just as bad as with Windows.

The only thing that IS worse with Windows (any version) is the fact that Windows installations ‘deteriorate’. It’s like there’s ‘OS rot’ going on or something. After a fresh install things usually run very smooth but this doesn’t last for long. After using the system for several months it starts slowing down until you’ve reached the point where a reinstall is the only option left.

This doesn’t happen on Macs or PC’s with Linux or FreeBSD installed. I remember installing OS X on my G4 466Mhz and selling the machine 2 years later with the original install still running. All I ever did was running updates. The system was never reformatted and/or reinstalled from scratch and it left my house running at exactly the same speed as when I took it out of the box first.

Makes you wonder….

]]> by: Brian http://spamhuntress.com/2005/10/27/why-computers-are-so-slow/#comment-1671 Fri, 28 Oct 2005 01:48:38 +0000 http://spamhuntress.com/2005/10/27/why-computers-are-so-slow/#comment-1671 Don't fprget alll the security patches and updates, too. I have a machine which, when new, ran Win98SE like lightning. But now, it crawls after just the security patches.... Don’t fprget alll the security patches and updates, too.

I have a machine which, when new, ran Win98SE like lightning. But now, it crawls after just the security patches….

]]> by: Joe http://spamhuntress.com/2005/10/27/why-computers-are-so-slow/#comment-1670 Thu, 27 Oct 2005 23:06:55 +0000 http://spamhuntress.com/2005/10/27/why-computers-are-so-slow/#comment-1670 No matter how fast your computer is it can really slow it down with all the programs that think they need to be running in your tray all the time. AOL loads a lot of stuff like that and they don't even all show in the tray. Lots of printer drivers like to do that too for a printer status monitor or something. Microsoft Office also likes to load parts of itself all the time too. And then you probably have your IM client. Recently I have tried to improve a computer with all of those problems. It was horribly slow. All of these programs loading at startup made booting take forever. And all of these programs trying to speed things up for you by having parts of them in memory are only slowing everything down. If the icons in your system tray are getting close to reaching the Start menu you have way too many unnecessary programs running. No matter how fast your computer is it can really slow it down with all the programs that think they need to be running in your tray all the time. AOL loads a lot of stuff like that and they don’t even all show in the tray. Lots of printer drivers like to do that too for a printer status monitor or something. Microsoft Office also likes to load parts of itself all the time too. And then you probably have your IM client.

Recently I have tried to improve a computer with all of those problems. It was horribly slow. All of these programs loading at startup made booting take forever. And all of these programs trying to speed things up for you by having parts of them in memory are only slowing everything down.

If the icons in your system tray are getting close to reaching the Start menu you have way too many unnecessary programs running.

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