Re: Old computer with little memory...bigger page file help?
- From: "Ken Blake, MVP" <kblake@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2007 16:20:25 -0700
On Tue, 11 Sep 2007 23:08:02 -0700, Andrew E. <eckrichco@xxxxxxx>
wrote:
Windows 98 runs on FAT32 file system
No, not correct. Windows 98 runs on any and all combinations of FAT32,
FAT16, and FAT12.
,xp runs with NTFS
Also not correct. Windows XP runs on all combinations of the file
system above (FAT32, FAT16, and FAT12) as well as NTFS.
,convert the OS.
To do so,open cmd,type:CONVERT C: /FS:NTFS
Very poor advice. Doing as you suggest is highly likely to create
512-byte clusters instead of the default 4K ones, which will make his
performance worse, not better. To avoid the result of 512-bytes
clusters, before converting, read http://www.aumha.org/a/ntfscvt.htm
Moreover, it is highly unlikely that changing from FAT32 to NTFS will
solve his problems.
After run disk clean up &
defrag..As for memory,set the old hd as a storage hd,& set with a page file
in
system properties,set both to "let windows manage" click set 2X,close
out,maybe
format 1st in NTFS.
Also,one can upgrade from 98 to xp,however a clean install
of xp is a better way (boot to xp cd),one needs both retail cds.
Unlike with older Windows versions, an upgrade installation to XP
replaces almost everything and usually works very well. Since it's
much easier than a clean installation, it's almost always worth at
least trying. Worst case, if problems develop, you can always
reinstall cleanly.
However, in his case, he apparently did a Windows 98 installation
immediately followed by a Windows XP upgrade, which for all practical
purposes is the same as a clean installation of XP.
"xiowan" wrote:
Hi all:
Iwas given an old (98SE) Compaq pc and am fixing it up with some parts I
had around to give to a handicapped resident in my apartment complex. I have
upgraded to with XP Home and increased the memory to the maximum the board
will handle...384 MBs.
I see from what you say below that you have onboard video, so that
your 384MB is really only 320MB. Depending on what apps you run, that
may or may not be adequate for Windows XP. But realize that even if
your apps aren't very demanding, 256-384MB is at the very bottom of
the range that is acceptable for XP.
The AMD processor operates at 400 Mhz
That is also at the bottom end of the range of acceptable speeds. You
can run XP with a 400MHz CPU and 320MB of RAM, but performance will
always be marginal at best. Some people can tolerate the poor
performance you will get with such a machine; others can not.
and I added an
old pci controller card which allowed me to install a used 120 GB IDE drive
to replace the 10 GB drive. After re-installing Win98SE and upgrading to XP
Home
Just for the future, note that you didn't need to do that. The
requirement to use an upgrade version is to *own* a previous
qualifying version's installation CD, not to have it installed. When
setup doesn't find a previous qualifying version installed, it will
prompt you to insert its CD as proof of ownership. Just insert the
previous version's CD, and follow the prompts. Everything proceeds
quite normally and quite legitimately.
the pc works ok but is subject to long delays when installing Windows
update downloads or other large downloads. It sometimes freezes during
intensive cpu use. It will access the internet, play music, send & receive
emails ok but before I give it to the handicapped man I wondered if it would
help to increase the size of the page file since the memory is small and the
onboard video & audio take away 64 MBs. I really have no idea if it would
make the pc more responsive and how to do that but if it would help I would
appreciate any input you might offer.
Changing the page file settings won't improve anything; I would just
stick with the defaults. In all probability this machine's performance
issues are because it's inherently an old low-powered machine, and,
short of doing major hardware upgrades (which would probably not be
cost-effective) there's little that can be done to improve it.
One remaining point: Malware infestation is an increasingly common
problem these days, and is often the cause of poor performance. If
this machine has been connected to the internet it has been subject to
getting infected. What software protection do you use (firewall,
anti-spyware, and anti-spyware), and have you kept them up to date?
--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP Windows - Shell/User
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