RAM sizes 1

[Evan145]

Im not to familiar with hardware, but recently I was asked to look at a friends PC (WinXp Home : 1.3G CPU) that was running slow.

I did the usual empty cache, temp files, defrag etc. I installed Norton Internet Security 2005 and it ground the PC to a halt, apps taking way too long to open etc. Uninstalled Norton again.

In my investigations I noticed the RAM settings in System Properties was 112KB......??? Can this be correct if the units are 64K....and is there any way of determining if it can be adjusted. I remember on the Win98EE there was a config file that specified the amount of RAM to use even if the chips themselves were larger.

Novice here.....any hints on speeding up he PC

Thanks
Evan

 

[littleGREYmen12]

there seems like there is some problem with your ram. you should try to change the page fileing(virtual mem) so that it is aleast a gig. (1024 min/max) depending on how big the harddrive is.

 

[garebo]

If you havent then right click on my computer and what amount of ram does is report there?
You can also google free versions of things like "everest", and use that to check on the amount and quality of the ram.

http://www.lavalys.com/

is where you will find everest.

You could also google cpuid and many others that will give you system info, in your case its the ram mainly, but you will find other info.


Good advice + great people = tek-tips

 

[paparazi]

Evan145
I'll read between the lines here and guess you mean 112 megabytes not K.
I suspect this machine is one of those jokes that were made in the first year after Windows XP was released.

By joke I mean, whoever thought XP would run properly on just 128mb of memory and THATS YOUR PROBLEM!
256mb is considered minimum for XP but 384mb plus recommended (512mb is the sweet spot for most users)

WHY JUST 112mb? well thats because this PC must have onboard/shared graphics that is pinching 16mb from the memory, hence 112mb.
Martin

We like members to GIVE and not just TAKE.
Participate and help others.

 

[Evan145]

Sorry, paparazi, you are correct. I meant 112MB not 112KB...

Yes, its an older machine, the kind sold around Christmas time in the corner superstore amongst the groceries...lol.....

I think I'll get her an extra stick of 128MB RAM and see how it goes.

Thanks paparazi, I wasnt aware that the graphics card pinched some RAM, can still be changed?

Evan

 

[cdogg]

While I agree that 256MB should be the minimum for any system due to XP's "eye-candy" effects over Win2K, the basic amount of 128MB should still be enough to where it's not taking more than 10 seconds for the average app to load. As a matter of fact, there's a PC in my fam that's running XP Pro on an older P-III 450MHz w/128MB PC100 SDRAM. It doesn't take that long for smaller applications to load.

You might also want to consider the possibility that the problem is spyware/adware, since it's an old PC. Go to the FAQ section of this forum for removal tips:
forum760

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein
[tab][navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884