Why is my computer so slow?

S

SunshineCat

New Member
I have an old computer running Windows Vista Home Basic with Intel Pentium(R) D CPU 2.80GHz (which is dual core) and 1GB of RAM. It runs very slow, after booting it lags like crazy even with a few Chrome tabs.

I recently reinstalled Vista and have only a few programs installed and files stored. I've turned off all those visual effects in settings.

Is the processor the problem, or is it just because it's old (meaning there is nothing I can do)?

Edit: I won't be able to get on my computer until next week so I can run tests and such then.
 
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So this is a fresh install of windows within the last few days? The problem being even the basic version of vista doesn't run well with only 1gb of ram. Can you upgrade the ram at all?
 
johnb35 said:
So this is a fresh install of windows within the last few days? The problem being even the basic version of vista doesn't run well with only 1gb of ram. Can you upgrade the ram at all?
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Not in the last few days, it was a few months ago. I'll see if I can upgrade the RAM soon (I don't have access to the computer this week)
 
Can you use Windows 7 or 8 instead? Vista was never the fastest.

It could be because of the RAM, since 1GB is a tiny amount for Vista, but if it is slow generally it could be because of a bad hard drive or possibly it's getting a bit hot. Is your hard drive making weird noises and what is your CPU temperature?
 
One gig of memory is never enough for anything. What you're seeing is more drive activity which is serving as memory for your system. Your PC may be old but it's not a reason, the reason is the software's getting more sophisticated and demands more memory.

Vista OS is pretty bad about caching everything on the ram so you have little left to play with. Getting more memory is a big improvement for performance.

Download and run Speccy. Post the summary so we can see what your system is. Also to see how much memory your motherboard will support and since your OS is most likely 32 bit you don't need more than 4 gigs if your mobo will support that much.
 
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Twiki said:
One gig of memory is never enough for anything. What you're seeing is more drive activity which is serving as memory for your system. Your PC may be old but it's not a reason, the reason is the software's getting more sophisticated and demands more memory.

Vista OS is pretty bad about caching everything on the ram so you have little left to play with. Getting more memory is a big improvement for performance.

Download and run Speccy. Post the summary so we can see what your system is. Also to see how much memory your motherboard will support and since your OS is most likely 32 bit you don't need more than 4 gigs if your mobo will support that much.
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Operating System
Windows Vista Home Basic 32-bit SP2
CPU
Intel Pentium D 915
Presler 65nm Technology
RAM
1.00GB DDR2
Motherboard
Dell Inc. 0WG864 (Microprocessor)
Graphics
DELL E207WFP (1680x1050@60Hz)
Intel G965 Express Chipset Family (Dell)
Intel G965 Express Chipset Family (Dell)
Hard Drives
149GB Hitachi HDS721616PLA380 (SATA) 40 °C
Optical Drives
PHILIPS DVD+-RW DVD8881
Audio
SigmaTel High Definition Audio CODEC

Thank you!
 
Yea you need more RAM. Since you've got a 32-bit OS, there's no point going beyond 3GB of RAM.

Your hard drive could be another bottleneck, it may be quite slow. I don't know how much space you need, but a 64GB or 128GB SSD might be ideal for you. You should certainly notice the performance boost (you'll have to remove your hard drive, install the SSD and then install Vista onto the SSD).
 
spirit said:
Yea you need more RAM. Since you've got a 32-bit OS, there's no point going beyond 3GB of RAM.

Your hard drive could be another bottleneck, it may be quite slow. I don't know how much space you need, but a 64GB or 128GB SSD might be ideal for you. You should certainly notice the performance boost (you'll have to remove your hard drive, install the SSD and then install Vista onto the SSD).
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What do you think is worth it considering I'm only going to be using this computer for another year (after which I'll get a laptop and move elsewhere for university)? No point buying anything too expensive for a year's use. 2GB RAM? I don't need much space for the hard drive, I do most work on the internet.
 
Since you are running Vista you definately need more ram, 4gb would be ideal. 2 x 2gb sticks will run about $60 USD. However, what is the make and model of your computer? Most vista home basic systems max out at 2gb.
 
His OS is only 32-bit so he really shouldn't bother with more than 3GB and I would not recommend you go and buy a 64-bit version of Vista now that it has been replaced by 7 which in turn has been replaced by 8 - both of which run far better than Vista anyway.

If you're not that fussed and not going to be using this PC a lot longer, then I wouldn't spend money if you don't have to. Have you tried reinstalling the OS? I can't promise it will make your PC run at lightning speed but it may improve performance a bit if you start from scratch again.
 
But with Vista he may see a bit of a difference between 3and 4gb. And since the price difference between 3 and 4 isn't that great then might as well get 4 gb. And usually machines with vista basic only have 2 memory slots. Would need a dual channel kit so get 4gb kit. But like I said before, depending on make and model the machine may only support up to 2gb. I worked on one a few years back that only had 2 slots and a 2gb limit. It was stupid.
 
I had such a mobo, only two gigs max on memory. In fact I still have it and why I asked for the info from Speccy. Seeing that it's DDR2 it's not really worth upgrading. Most other components are pretty outdated and aged too. I wouldn't put money into it.

Since I needed memory upgrade myself from the mobo with 2 gigs max I just built another system for $200 (CPU, PSU, mobo, memory and case) and reused my drive and DVD-RW. It was a Celeron G540 and 4 gigs memory but it ran pretty darn good. I never liked Celerons before but this one got some balls.
 
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SunshineCat said:
Thank you everyone for your advice. I think I'll hold out another year until I go to uni to get a decent machine.
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1. Get yourself the largest fastest USB drive you own or can buy (8GB is plenty) and enable ready-boost. This feature is designed to act as proxy RAM, where the USB 2.0 interface is many times faster than HDD access for random writes and page file access. Essentially in lay-man's terms it uses USB stick as RAM (not technically correct). Your use-case is what Ready Boost was designed for.

Ready Boost instructions here. Minimum 256MB USB stick (requires a minimum speed), but really, try any and everything you have. Dedicate the USB stick to the Ready Boost function and leave it in the machine.

2. Defragment your hard drive. A new Windows install will be very much fragmented. Use Auslogic Defragmenter here. A new Windows installation will also thrash the HDD (slowing it down) whilst indexing, so ensure that has completed. Leave the machine on over night and defrag again in the morning.

3. In the start button search field type: msconfig

In the Services Tab, enable the 'Hide Microsoft Services' radio button at the bottom and deselect anything that isn't critical to your machine operating (i.e. NOT graphics drivers). Disable any adobe, apple, flash, and so on. This stuff slows down your computer and uses RAM unnecessarily. The service(s) will start if and when you need them.

In the same MSCONFIG applet, go to the Startup tab and uncheck anything that you absolutely don't need to start as soon as windows start.

4. Right click on Computer and select Properties. Click on Advanced system settings in the left pane and select performance 'settings'. Select the 'Adjust for best performance' option. Then select the Advanced Tab and under Virtual Memory, select Change, and ensure the page file is custom size fixed on initial and maximum size for the recommended amount (prevents further defragmentation).

5. Restart your computer. You should see a significant improvement.

6. Once you have done all that, go here and make sure you have all the latest chipset driver.

7. Restart your machine once more.
 
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