Will reinstalling Windows XP Home help make my computer faster?

Question

I have a dell. Not sure of the model but it is soooo slow. It's really making me upset. I was wondering if I use the Operating System Reinstillation CD Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition for Dell-if it would help it get faster and just make the computer overall better.

Yes-I have done Disk Cleanups so don't ask lol. And I've done alot of System Restores too. And I have gone through everything on my computer and deleted anything not needed. And I havent even used up half of my memory so it isnt that.

Please help!

Ok-I have all of my stuff that I want to keep (files, pictures ect.).

What about my internet service?? I have the disk I use to get it. I also have my order id. Would I just put the cd in and would there be something for people who already have a account?

I have my Operating System CD,
Drivers and Utilities CD, Application CD, and a Color Monitor User Documentation CD.

Is that all I need to do this?

Also-I saw my computer has 32mb ram on it Dx. Ugh-I just need a new computer lol.

That was the Adapter RAM-sorry. I dunno if theres a difference lol.

Answer 1

yes it will remove virus, spam, and all the stuff u don't need.

Answer 2

I have a nice link for you so that you can successfully reinstall your OS (operating system). No matter how hard we try we can't fully keep spam and other baddies off our machines. As was already brought up Ram is important. But this heavily depends on what your doing with your computer. Want to know how much RAM you have ? Click Start>all programs> accessories> system tools>system Information. I have a 4 year old dell dimension 2400. It came with 256 mb of RAM. I noticed that when certain programs I like to run updated that it really put my RAM to the maximum. "FREE RAM PRO" look that up on google. Its a program that will free up your RAM much faster than windows can alone. IF you have 512 mb then you shouldn't be in that bad of shape and wiping your machine clean with a reinstall would be most successful.
I would like to inform you about using system restore. What this does is renames all your files and puts your system back to an earlier state. Now does this mean that you get rid of the stuff that made you chose to use system restore? NOPE it does not it simple buries it by calling it something else. The more you restore your system like that the more you clog it up basically. I turn mine off completely. But thats a personal choice.
I suggest this
1. save to disk everything you wish to keep... Meaning burn your music to a CD
Save all personal files and folders to a CD also (this being your my pictures folder and your "my documents" ect..)
1a. how to put this stuff onto a disk....... right click on your my pictures folder. Notice I said "RIGHT click" look at the drop down menu and you'll see send to... send this folder to your drive letter for your cd burner (hope you have one or you can't do this)
2. Once all your stuff is saved then make sure you have all your reinstall disc's. you'll need your operating system and you drivers and utilities disc's. you will need the disk for your modem if you use one. Make sure you have these because without the drivers your sound wont work nor will any of your cd dvd drives ect.. IF you don't have your drivers then go to the dell website and look for driver downloads and it will ask for your machine type and then you can download the drivers before you start the reinstall process.
3 Double check you have all your stuff you need then print out the information from the link I am going to leave here. This is an excellent step by step for reinstalling windows. Theres even a phone number for if you get stuck on a step.
http://helpdesk.its.uiowa.edu/windows/instructions/reformat.htm
I hope this helps you
good luck

Answer 3

It can. The system can become clogged up with all sorts of registry hogs, spyware, viruses, trojans, all nicely hidden. I've even had a PC that became a spam zombie and the ISP called to tell us to kill it. The user never knew.

So if you don't have anything you need file wise, give it a shot. Its a good learning experience. And be sure to have the license number ready from Microsoft, as it is needed. If you've already got a slug of a laptop, with hardly any memory, slow processor, and a old sick hard drive, you might not get much of an improvement.

Are you able to tell us how much ramm and the processor speed?

Answer 4

Rather than downloading a spyware cleaner, antivirus, etc ,etc. try using Windows OneCare Live. It has all those tools in one. Its not free to keep, but you can use it free for 90 days.

http://www.windowsonecare.com/

Also, depending on how long you have owned your computer, how much you use it, and what you use it for, you may simply need and memory upgrade. XP Home requires a bare-minimum of 256 MB RAM to run. When you use other software, there is not much memory left to share between Windows and the software. For the average user, 512 MB RAM will make the system run much quicker.

Answer 5

Disk cleaning is only the beginning. You need to get a registry cleaner, defragmentation software, and optimizer software. However, the best thing you can do is upgrade the RAM in it. XP needs a minimum of 512 mb of RAM and 1 gb is even better.

If you are willing to reinstall XP, then it will give you a short-term fix. However, that comes with a lot of labor by reinstalling all your applications and data.

Answer 6

One thing that is so easy to do and can really help speed up your computer is to clean the tower. Dust builds up on the cooling fan and makes your computer hot. Heat can really slow down your computer. Buy a can of compressed air , make sure to turn your computer off, take off the back and spray. Vacuum up all the dust that you can. Also you can try System Mechanic, which is expensive to but but I think you can download a free trial. My computer was soooooooooooooo slow to start up and using that cut the startup time in half. Good luck.

Answer 7

Yeah it'll make it better, if you do it correctly...Just Format the drive so every single thing can be erased...so backup your files first...I recentley reinstalled my uncles XP on his dell laptop too and it was pretty easy...but when I used his XP disc it just loaded up the Operating System not all the programs that came with the system...I had to download the Screen resolution setter and all that myself...so good luck to you..

Answer 8

1 hello, if you have dsl you may need to re-install from the cd-rom, whenever you load an OS or basically any new program onto your pc ALWAYS disconnect the printer and all peripherals as a precaution 2 go to control panel, find "sound and audio devices" and be sure to check the advanced tab also, check to make sure that the volume is not too low or that the mute button is not in effect if this does not work get your installation cd-roms and find the one with your audio drivers on it simply reload the drivers (find the one appropriate for your system)for WIN XP you may just need to do a repair from your installation cd

Answer 9

Yes it would help you. But also consider a memory upgrade. A lot of times computers run a lot of application and do not have enough memory to run everything as it should so that makes them go really slow.

Answer 10

Yes because it will get rid of all your old stuff and you can start over. It can also correct things just before they start going bad. Even though you have gone through your computer and deleted things you don't need there is still junk on it.

Answer 11

If you have backed up any files you are worried about losing, thing I would totally recommend re-installing your operating system...this will definitely make your computer run faster...as it deletes any old files...the more full your computer gets, the slower it will run.