JoeyB
Go on, tilt your head!
- Location
- Fareham, Hampshire
Hmm isnt the point of the cleanup to remove the bloatware...not add to it?
Need new computer. Recommendations?
- Thread starter PedalCat
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Hmm isnt the point of the cleanup to remove the bloatware...not add to it?
John the Canuck
..a long way from somewhere called Home..
- Location
- Strathaven, Lanarkshire
i know very little but aren't USB drives quite small..?
a bought an external HDD - 2 actually - and use them for alternate backups as i have lotsa images from my photographic days which are all large
JoeyB
Go on, tilt your head!
- Location
- Fareham, Hampshire
USB keys are generally smaller in storage capacity as they are flash storage. A USB drive usually refers to a 2.5inch hard drive in a caddy with a USB connector, these can be as big as any laptop hard drive so can be more than large enough for backups.
stowie
Legendary Member
I have "fixed" a number of friends' elderly PCs by simply putting in more DRAM. Symptoms of their PCs included very slow running PC (start menu click taking ages to display for instance), the screen refresh itself being very slow, and the PC being completely unresponsive but the hard drive thrashing away all the time.
I think (but am no expert) that even simple web browsing - especially on sites with video - is becoming more and more intensive on memory and even basic tasks then require extensive use of the page file on the hard drive if you are low on memory (DRAM) on the PC. Since hard drives are by far the slowest part of a computer system having to access it a lot simply grinds the PC down to a crawl.
I would have a look at the amount of DRAM in the system, or maybe go to somewhere like www.crucial.com which has an app to read your system and suggest DRAM upgrades. The PC manuals should also state what memory it uses and the maximum density you can have.
I think (but am no expert) that even simple web browsing - especially on sites with video - is becoming more and more intensive on memory and even basic tasks then require extensive use of the page file on the hard drive if you are low on memory (DRAM) on the PC. Since hard drives are by far the slowest part of a computer system having to access it a lot simply grinds the PC down to a crawl.
I would have a look at the amount of DRAM in the system, or maybe go to somewhere like www.crucial.com which has an app to read your system and suggest DRAM upgrades. The PC manuals should also state what memory it uses and the maximum density you can have.
JoeyB
Go on, tilt your head!
- Location
- Fareham, Hampshire
Yup, the latest Operating Systems are needing more and more RAM just to tick over. Thats why the minimum RAM you can get in most PCs is 4GB now.
swee'pea99
Squire
That's definitely true, but the problem is that the older the machine, the more costly new RAM is likely to be. Personally, if I'd done the basic housekeeping I suggested upthread and still wasn't happy, my next step would definitely be to backup anything I actually wanted, download all necessary drivers, use Files & Settings transfer (Programs > Accessories > System tools > Files & Settings transfer wizard), then do a fresh install of Windows. If you've spent eight years collecting clutter, you'll be amazed what a difference that would make.
stowie
Legendary Member
Yes, it can become too pricey to upgrade RAM. I haven't looked recently, but DRAM prices fluctuate hugely, and on one machine I managed to get 2GB for around £25. Older stuff is more difficult and costly to upgrade. I agree with you that a complete re-install is a good thing to do from time to time to clear out all those things slowing down the PC - I am always amazed at how much "background" stuff ends up running on a PC.
Leaway2
Lycrist
- Location
- Manchester (Sale)
You can pick up refurbished laptops at www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/
I bought one of them with "slight cosmetic damage" but I can't find any damage.
I bought one of them with "slight cosmetic damage" but I can't find any damage.
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swee'pea99
Squire
If you know what you're doing, and are careful and patient, you can of course get some real bargains off ebay. I got, eg, a Thinkpad T43 in pretty much mint condition for a smidge over £50, delivered. Great little machine - bulletproof, and a lovely keyboard.
FFJ
Active Member
Yep, found them good too
OP
OP
PedalCat
I like sandwiches
Tried this today and WOW! It has made a startling difference. Already had Defraggler, haven't tried Spybot yet (but I have Malwarebytes which I suspect is similar). But I'm blown away by ASC. Free and utterly superb. I just hope the effects last. Thanks v much for the recommendation.
swee'pea99
Squire
Excellent! Glad it helped. I run it once a week or so. (Malwarebytes is indeed very like spybot...if you have that, you're sorted for that brand of nasties.)
stowie
Legendary Member
Out of interest, do you use ASC with Win 7? I have always been told that these defragging / registry clean up tools are not needed after XP as the OS will manage this itself. I notice it comes with a driver update detection program which would be very useful, but I am always wary about these and normally manage drivers manually. Would be interested to know if people find these applications useful wit win7 and don't have issues when using them.
swee'pea99
Squire
Interesting. The answer is yes. I have it installed on my laptop, which runs Win7, but TBH only out of habit. I didn't know Win7 wasn't supposed to need it...I just installed it as a matter of course, having used it on my XP computers for years. Whether the laptop would be equally happy without it I really don't know. It at least claims to do more than just defrag/clean up registry...
...but how much of that is smoke 'n mirrors I really don't know.
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