I just did a clean reinstall of Windows XP because my laptop was running real slow?

Question

It's mad fast now. What should I do so that it always runs like new and it doesn't get slow like before? What common programs should I avoid from now on? I think it got slow because I had all these Myspace IM, Limewire, Firefox, AVG, Divx Player, and a lot of other crap. Should I keep everything at a minimum? Like keep using IE 6 instead of IE 7? I think that's probably why at first when I do a clean install it runs fast but as soon as I start upgrading to newer versions of stuff it starts to get slow. I have an almost 4 year old Dell Inspiron 1150 by the way and I only have 768 megs of ram. Could that be it? Because my friend has 2 gigs of ram and her PC always runs fast

Answer 1

Every new program or upgrade contains more features therefore uses more disk space and RAM.

XP should run fine for you with 768mb RAM provided you don't overload memory at startup. My Dell is almost 4 years old and I think it is pretty fast - but I try to maintain it. Here's what I do:

1. Set wallpaper and screensavers to blank or none — they run continuously in the background and use memory.
-----right-click on the desktop, select Properties
-----click the screensaver tab, on the left where it says "screensaver," select none.
-----click the desktop tab, for background, select none
2. Review your start menu – remove anything you don’t need on a daily basis — load games, etc. on an as-needed basis.
-----click Start, Settings, Taskbar and Start Menu
-----click the Start Menu tab
-----select a program you do not want to load at Startup, then click remove.
-----Caution -- do not touch anything you are not sure of or you will mess up your computer royally.
3. From Internet Explorer, click Tools, Internet Options: delete cookies, delete files (offline), and clear history. (You can also set days to store history to 0.)
----- These actions will clear your computer’s cache. (For a description of cache, go to http://help.yahoo.com/l/ph/yahoo/mail/access/access-27210.html )
4. Run Disk Cleanup, Scandisk, Defrag at least every two weeks (the more frequently they are run, the less time they take).
-----These can be found in Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools.
5. Periodically, click Start, Programs, Run — then type ipconfig renew
(that’s ipconfig space renew).
6. Optional: Speed vs Goodies — in the Control Panel, System, Advanced, Performance, Settings — you can have visual effects or let Windows select the best options. I am using “Best Performance.” Your choice.
These things should increase speed and free up memory as much as possible.

Answer 2

Yes. You could use more RAM, but your PC will always bog down over time t some degree. Just be sure to back up your pertinent data and consider a archiving program such as Acronis. For optimal performance, reinstalling is a necessary evil.

Answer 3

You have answer in your question. But anyhow its the trend which keeps changed and we along with it. I would recommend to change your laptop or not to update your software with the new ones available. The new one are tested for the present standards and you have 4 year back's laptop.

Think wisely to shell out money for new laptop or to be satisfied with the lower version of software's. The choice is yours.

With regards

eBRo