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Should I upgrade the amount of memory or the processor? 1
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Mithrandir01
MIS
Usually it's better to upgrade the memory before the processor. It's the simplist and cheapest way to increase performance. Also, have you defragmented your HD recently? A fragmented HD can cause things to run slowly too. Finally, how much stuff is running in your System Tray (right side of your Start bar)? If there are a lot of stuff running in the background and you don't have a lot of memory then things will run slowly.
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If you're on windows 98, the easiest way to a) check what's running at start up & b) disable unrequired ones, is through MSCONFIG.
This is a little program you run by clicking 'Start', then 'run'. Then type in the box MSCONFIG & press Enter.
You will then see a dialog box with a line of tabs, the last of which is 'Start Up Items'. Click this & you'll see a long list of items that Windows runs when it first starts up (handily it includes a lot of things you won't see in the usual Startup folder). Next to each one is a check box; untick one & you stop it from being run. Then hit apply, restart & see what difference it's made.
Most things listed there are non-essential, but the great thing about this program is that if you disable something you find you do need or causes error messages because it isn't there, just run msconfig again & put the tick back.
Another thing that slows Win98 machines down drastically is the horrible 'feature' called Active Desktop. Make sure this isn't running by Right-clicking on the desktop. The little menu that pops up should have 'Active Desktop' as the first option. If it has a tick next to it, left-click it to turn it off. To be honest, I'd try this before anything else as it's enabled by default.
You may see your background wallpaper disappear (if it was a JPEG format file), but if Active Desktop was enabled, you'll notice a massive difference. To prove it, enable it again, then open my computer & drag the window around the screen; Note how badly it ghosts. Now disable Active Desktop & try dragging the window around again...
This is a little program you run by clicking 'Start', then 'run'. Then type in the box MSCONFIG & press Enter.
You will then see a dialog box with a line of tabs, the last of which is 'Start Up Items'. Click this & you'll see a long list of items that Windows runs when it first starts up (handily it includes a lot of things you won't see in the usual Startup folder). Next to each one is a check box; untick one & you stop it from being run. Then hit apply, restart & see what difference it's made.
Most things listed there are non-essential, but the great thing about this program is that if you disable something you find you do need or causes error messages because it isn't there, just run msconfig again & put the tick back.
Another thing that slows Win98 machines down drastically is the horrible 'feature' called Active Desktop. Make sure this isn't running by Right-clicking on the desktop. The little menu that pops up should have 'Active Desktop' as the first option. If it has a tick next to it, left-click it to turn it off. To be honest, I'd try this before anything else as it's enabled by default.
You may see your background wallpaper disappear (if it was a JPEG format file), but if Active Desktop was enabled, you'll notice a massive difference. To prove it, enable it again, then open my computer & drag the window around the screen; Note how badly it ghosts. Now disable Active Desktop & try dragging the window around again...
It is possible your slow booting computer will not be helped by changing the processor. Sometimes this can be caused by having items that are in the windows registry that the computer can not find or similar problems.
However, I recommend using a processor of at least 1 gig. If your motherboard can upgrade to 1.0 thru a 1.4 gig processor, the Tulatin Core Celeron in this range is pretty fast and comes with a 256k cache. For PIII motherboards, the Tulatin Core Celerons make a good buy.
I would recommend either 128, 256, 384 megs of PC133 RAM.
There is a tough choice here. Upgrade a PIII or go to a P4 or possibly an AMD processor. I have one computer that is an Athlon XP 1.2 Gig and one that is an Intel Celeron 1.2 Gig and they both are just as good.
P4 and AMD XP processors are both about up to 2.8/3.0 Gig speed. The high end always costs too much for the processor. I would not spend over $200.00 for a processor unless you just want the best and are willing to pay for it.
Some P4 have a 400 bus and some have a 533 bus, and some have a 256 L2 Cache and some have a 512k L2 Cache. In this instance go for a model with the 512k Cache for better performance. Shop around and compare prices.
If you do not like my post feel free to point out your opinion or my errors.
However, I recommend using a processor of at least 1 gig. If your motherboard can upgrade to 1.0 thru a 1.4 gig processor, the Tulatin Core Celeron in this range is pretty fast and comes with a 256k cache. For PIII motherboards, the Tulatin Core Celerons make a good buy.
I would recommend either 128, 256, 384 megs of PC133 RAM.
There is a tough choice here. Upgrade a PIII or go to a P4 or possibly an AMD processor. I have one computer that is an Athlon XP 1.2 Gig and one that is an Intel Celeron 1.2 Gig and they both are just as good.
P4 and AMD XP processors are both about up to 2.8/3.0 Gig speed. The high end always costs too much for the processor. I would not spend over $200.00 for a processor unless you just want the best and are willing to pay for it.
Some P4 have a 400 bus and some have a 533 bus, and some have a 256 L2 Cache and some have a 512k L2 Cache. In this instance go for a model with the 512k Cache for better performance. Shop around and compare prices.
If you do not like my post feel free to point out your opinion or my errors.
Just a quick mention of operating systems. Win98 (apart from often not being reliable) often seriously degrades performancewise over time (one reason many people regularly reinstall). Might be worth thinking about 2k or XP (and more RAM) for more consistent performance (and better reliability) over time.
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