can I buy something that will speed up a getting slower computer

[atlantisbird]

Hi all,
This is my first post and as I do not like computers a lot it is not easy for me to understand whether I need memory or a new computer. The "thing" is only used for emails and the occasional search on internet along with a few letters and invoices.
There seems to be 60 gig left on the hard drive from an original 2002 80 gig
when I bought it and I believe that it may have 540 memory when it was new.
Do you require the full spec in order to advise.
I have tried Spybot and Reg cleaner and AVG is permantly on along with anything that was on when we got the machine but it seems to be getting slower so I went through the Defrag and the disc clean but with no positive results can you help with advice.
Please I am not a techie and will I have to send the "thing away to Mesh or can I take it to a Mesh Shop in Yorkshire for them to look at it??
I am going to put this in the favorites star with the hope I can find the replies, if any, easyier.
Thank you for looking.
Kind regards
Atlantisbird

[atlantisbird]

Hello all,
Found details of original spec of slowing pc Order no:
atx midi 300W PSU
Athlon DDR 333MHZ XP 2100+ CPU(266MHZ)
512MB(2x256MB) PC2100 DDR Memory (266MHZ)
80GB Ulta Fast (7200RPM) Hard Drive with 2MB Buffer
This was bought in Sept/October 2002.

My question was as the PC is getting much slower after putting in AVG,Spybot,Register Clean, Defrag and clean discs on the "thing" it is still slow
so do I need an upgrade of memory. There is still over 60GB of space left as we do not use the PC for many things apart from email,invoices,letters and the odd look at searches for things we need to find out. It gets used for about 10-30 minutes per day normally with the lesser time more often.
Kind regards
Atlantisbird

[DJT298]

Given the age of your pc it is possible components are starting to wear which is having a detrimental effect on performance. It is also probable that over the years a lot of fragments of old programs and documents have been left behind and is also slowing the system. Anti-Spyware and Anti-Virus scanners will only have an effect if a rogue program is accessing the system. Disk defragment also has limited success as the difference a fragmented drive makes in everyday computing is so small as to be unoticable.

You would need the model of your motherboard to check the maximum amount of memory it supports. I would also recommend a format and re-install to provide a clean operating system. Just be sure to download and burn to disc all drivers required first and also back up any applications and documents you want to keep.

[atlantisbird]

Thank you for the reply and I can see the probable cause could be what you
suggest. I was hoping for a remedy to the malaise but I would like to know how "me" at 61 and a hopeless non techie can overcome and save all the information already on the pc. My wife an I are going to get a laptop as soon as the new windows comes out in September and hopefully we will be able to have some sort of application which will make it easy to save what we need.
I know I will have to sit down and work through what you suggest.
The motherboard is Athlon DDR 333MHZ Motherboard (+onboard sound AMD Athlon XP 2100+ CPU (266MHZ)
Kindest regards
Atlantisbird

[atlantisbird]

Thank you DJT 298,
I believe that you may be right. It sounds so easy to just copy everthing and
put it back to when we first got the "thing" but I have just recently joined BT Broadband with the hub and I am looking at how to transfer the data onto The Vault. I have some time in the next week before I get busy again and I will find a way in which I can do this.
The motherboard:
Athlon DDR 333MHZ (+Onboard Sound AMD Athlon XP 2100+ CPU(266MHZ)
512MB(2x256MB) PC2100DDR Memory (266MHZ)
Is it possible to put all the data on a memory stick and is this any easier for a
novice??
Thank you
Atlantisbird

[MidnightDraven]

depending on how large the data of course.
a 2gb/4gb pen drive (usb stick) is the easiest way.
plug in, copy files.
simple.

[DJT298]

HI atlantisbird

You have several options open to you; Firstly if you are considering upgrading to a new laptop with Windows 7 you may be interested to know that Microsoft have recently announced they will be offering free upgrades from Vista for computers purchased now. You would have to check this with Mesh but if they are offering that deal it would mean you could buy a new computer now then when the new operating system is launched you will recieve an upgrade disc. This is then installed as you would a normal disc based program and will install the new operating system whilst leaving your documents and settings untouched. If you wanted to go this route then transfering your documents from your current computer to the new one is a simple matter of buying an "Easy Transfer Cable", connecting the two computers then following the supplied wizard to complete the transfer. This is a very simple process.

Other options include removable media such as an USB stick or an external hard drive. The thing to consider with either of these options is how much space you require. Large capacity flash drives (USB Sticks) are still very expensive but the process of transfering data to them is a simple drag and drop affair. External hard drives have reduced quite a bit recently and can also be a simple case of connecting by USB then dragging and dropping files into the drive.

A third option is to install an additional hard drive. You can then transfer all your files from your existing drive to the new one, format the existing drive then re-install the operating system. This will then become the main bbot drive and you can use the second drive as the storage drive. This has an additional advantage in that should either the original drive fail or you contract a virus your data is safe.

[atlantisbird]

Thank you,
MidnightDraven and DJT 298,
That is worth thinking about in both of the answers, I have some thinking to do regarding either USB stick or bringing our buying spree earlier.
Kindest regards
Atlantisbird feeling better already thank you.

[larrybn]

Get more memory and reinstall your OS, most def.