szuberi

We are using a HP 511n computer (Intel Celeron 1.3ghz) at home which i believe is now over four years old. It came with 256MB SDRam which upgraded a year ago to 512MB and there is no more capacity to increase it any further.

There is nothing wrong with its functioning but it does crash and freeze sometimes when a number of programs are running. I recently installed the Norton 2007 complete system and now it takes ages for XP to load....

Is there a quick fix to this slow performance or is it time to get a new system?

Somebody suggested that back it all up and reformat the drive and install everythng atain...sounds like a pain and may be temporary.

Any suggestions?

kwikb16a2

get rid of norton.....its garbage and kills system perfomance, do a fresh format and see if that helps

imported_loudsubz

for anti-vir get nod32

imported_Crazed

do a format, use AVG free Antivirus (uses very little system resources), also remember to clear your temp files and defrag your hard drive monthly. and stay away from the new Internet explorer 7, use the old one or the new firefox (both are easy on older systems) if you have any questions lemme know

imported_Crazed

ya nod32 is really good I use it, but who wants to buy it for an older system

imported_loudsubz

Who buys anymore?

imported_Crazed

lol i know i know, but as a computer programmer i dont advocate the other means, even though i use them sometimes.

imported_loudsubz

Yes its bad to steal anything. This is a warning

imported_viper_2_4

people who aren't thieves?

imported_viper_2_4

agreed... norton is crap...

AVG its very good (and its free)...

szuberi

thanks guys but the post is not about norton being good or bad honestly....it works great on my laptop which is brand new.

so you guys really believe that a hard drive re-format is the best option? for that...i guess i will need a starter XP disc? i remember it came with the computer.....hhmmm

i recetnly did the defrag and it did cleaned up some space.

and lol...just before i typed this message...the system froze again....i had to open the task manager (by going c+a+d) and then it started breathing again...

by the way....im using an OEM copy of windows.

imported_Crazed

check for spyware, and and click start, then run and type msconfig and click the startup tab, any program that you recognize that you do not need to be started when you start windows uncheck it. It seems as if you have a problem with running out of available ram, and your computer is using the page file more, hence the freezes when it uses the hard drive to act as ram.

szuberi

ok thanks justin...will try this now and let u know...thanks man

imported_Crazed

no prob best i can do without sitting in your chair and checking it out, hope it helps

RDub99

iTrader: (1)

more memory may help a little bit.. but personally I'd upgrade that ish! you can save money by assembling your own system and get better parts for your money

imported_JoonyaSI

norton is imfamous for boggin down resources .. its a fact .. fresh format with a new anti virus and ur good

imported_Bruce Fee

-control panel - admin tools - event viewer - check for error logs (event ID numbers - search on google for answers)

-could be hardware - HDD dying, power supply outputting bad voltage, video card crapping out.

i wouldn't bother upgrading, for $300 you can get a basic upgradable computer that will be better than the current one by all aspects (most likely)

the time and effort put into troubleshooting a 4 year old computer probably isn't worth it if it's going to be a lot of work.

you can always try, but a reformat will not fix your problem if it is with the hardware.

if anything, you can pick up a 300GB hdd for like $100, format and install winXP on that.. you'll be able to copy all your data from your old HDD if you don't want to spend hours backing up movies, songs, ****, save games, etc.

i put a value on my time, so keep that in mind in regards to my suggestions, i don't believe in look for coupons to save ten cents, and sometimes i can't be bothered to return a shopping cart for $0.25.

good luck. feel free to PM me if you need more help.

whatever you do, don't install 12 different spyware apps.... you should be good enough using the microsoft one by itself.

imported_loudsubz

So you dont have any downloaded mp3s, have never cracked or gotten a serial number for a program, run Windows XP Legit .. riiight

imported_viper_2_4

I got a serial number once a few years ago, I don't have the app anymore...

all my other content is legit (including music)...

imported_viper_2_4