Smoothness

[wisestom]

 :-?  :-?  :-?


Ok, i have been asking my brother about this one and anyone i know, and they are either really vague about answering it, or they have no idea, so here it goes, i'll try to explain well.

What makes ( like a certain type of memory or something like that ) and/or help makes the PC ( windows XP just in case it might help ) run smoothly and efficiently?! Like my bro's computer is totaly opposite of my moms. my moms is laggy, takes forever to start up, can't store much ( not space in Gigs, but more like not able to handle/support large files because of low something or other ) and just a pain, and super slow. My bro's is fast, smooth, hardly ever freezes if ever at all, can support huge files ( like large Macromedia Flash projects, and test them smoothly and efficiently), instantly can go to one window to another with ease, and totaly can run 1.5 gig games really smoothly. I wanna know how to do that, please help!  

[Dusty]

How do the specs of the pc's differ :-?  Does your bro's have faster processor, more Ram, more disk space etc :-?

What processes/applications are being started on one but not the other :-?  

In other words are you comparing the speed of a pre-WWII airliner with a modern jet fighter :-?

[wisestom]

well which one of those ( ram disk space etc. ) will make the computer faster and smoother. that's what i wanna know.  BUT to answer your question(s), my bro's computer has more disk space, that's all I know, i haven't got any specs. on them though.

[Dusty]

RAM is always a good place to start but it all depends on what is happening on the systems.  If the hardware is identical but one pc is starting a lot more applications then those applications are using RAM and more RAM would be a good idea or a better one would be not to start so many applications at startup.  If the hard disk is smaller or contains lots of files, especially photos and/or videos and/or music and the swap file is struggling for space then a bigger, or second hard drive might smooth things out.    If the slower pc has an old processor and the faster one has a super gigaHertz model then a change of processors/mobo might be the solution.

You have to compare like with like and without knowing the specs of both pc's it's hard to suggest a solution.  One of the pc's I run uses Win.98 with a P.166 processor & 48mb of Ram, another Win.XP Pro, P4 1.6 processor & 512mb Ram.  Their performances cannot be compared.  Try comparing the performance of a Ford Model T with the latest Ferrari.  As a start you could try running anvirus scan, disk cleanup and disk defrag.

Good luck

[wisestom]

     

( I have windows, if that helps )

thanks! moms computer does have alotta photo's and stuff, is there another way so that i can store my photos/music/videos, with the same security as a computer? And it does start a bunch of apps, but how do i get the apps not to start at startup, and only when i want them to? And what about stuff from hidden virus's that anchor them selves into ur computer so that it is nearly impossible ( if not, then impossible itself ) to get rid of them? ( important 'cause i noticed they start alot of hidden apps all the sudden next time i turn on the comp, which gets annoying after a little bit )

Oh and how do i get another hardrive?! like link it to the original one? ( and if so, how? ( can answer seperately later if too many questions ))

Sorry if too many questions.   :-?

[Dusty]

Sorry Wisetom but I get the impression that your level of knowledge just isn't high enough for you to solve the problems on your own.  Is there anyone else, perhaps your brother, who can assist you with this :-?

The first thing to be done is for a full anti-virus anti-adware anti-trojan search & destroy mission to be launched.  You will find instructions here.

You must ensure that a Firewall and anti-virus software is installed before connecting to the internet and that they are updated and kept up-to-date.

That is Step number 1.  When you are convinced that your system is malware free post again in this same thread and we will go from there.

Good luck

[GX1_Man]

Storing important stuff on a hard drive is not too safe. All hard drives die eventually. A CD or DVD burner seems a much better option.

www.howstuffworks.com

[wisestom]

 

ok thanks a bunch guys, i will post again as soon as I am done scanning, forgot 'bout the search and destroy option

[wisestom]

i figured out that sadly my bros has tons more disk space/ram/AND a faster prosesor ( spelled that wrong ). And my moms is just too slow, barely any kind of space taken up will slow it down, even if i clear the whole thing. I talked to my bro, i understand alot more. I think i'll just get one for myself, a fast one. Thanks all for helping, now i know what to look for when i want a fast computer, and how to clean ( make it faster again ) when it gets slow : ). Thanks.
any other additional info will help if you have any, but inevitably my moms computer is one big giant slow slug. It will always feel as if i am walking in heavy syrup.

[Dusty]

Wisetom - thanks for coming back with your comments and resolution.  Not too many posters come back to finalise a thread.

We will continue to be of assistance, if we can, when you get your jet propelled system.

Cheers