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Computer Question...

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout' started by no_answer, Mar 8, 2009.

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  1. no_answer

    no_answer Member

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    I bought a laptop from Best Buy in December and they offer something for $60 that is supposed to make your computer run faster. Has anyone got it? What the heck do they do? Is it worth it? I'm used to my ninja mac, but since I got this HP I feel like i'm in the stone age as far as speed goes. I could take a nap with how long it takes to just turn on. :(
     
  2. arkoe

    arkoe (ง'̀-'́)ง

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    If it's still a pretty new computer which you said it is, checking the startup processes as well as the items in the startup folder and removing whatever you don't need.

    If it's a new computer I'm assuming it's Vista... which I don't know much about. For XP the startup folder is one of the folders in Start. To get to the startup processes in XP, go to Run, type msconfig, and then go to the tab that says Startup. If you don't recognize the process, google it to see what it is and if you really want/need it starting with the computer.

    If you can't find this stuff in Vista, someone here I'm sure can tell you where it is.
     
  3. Drexlerfan22

    Drexlerfan22 Member

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    Yeah, msconfig works the same in Vista as it does XP.

    no_answer... I'd start with that. Make sure there isn't stuff running in the background that doesn't need to be running. Otherwise, it could be a hardware problem... faulty memory and the like.

    Can you confirm what the OS is? What's the hard drive's spin speed? How much RAM you got?
     
  4. no_answer

    no_answer Member

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    It's Vista. I don't know what hard drive spin speed is, but here's a link that maybe can tell you.

    As far as programs that start up with my computer, my brother already went through that stuff for me and got rid of some stuff and it's still slow.

    I bought the warranty from Best Buy for a few hundred dollars, so should I just take it to them?
     
  5. Pizza_Da_Hut

    Pizza_Da_Hut I put on pants for this?

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    All BBY does is uninstall all trial software and basically clean up the system processes. I'd say it's not really worth it.. After 3 years of telling people they NEED it I feel badly about it now.
     
  6. Drexlerfan22

    Drexlerfan22 Member

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    Hmm... well, 5400rpm, so you're on the low end of hard drive access speed, that's a huge part of start-up speed. A 7200 would speed things along... you're not breaking the bank on the processor, either.

    Still though... how slow are we talking here? Wanna try starting up in safe mode and seeing how that goes? Then at least we'd have a better idea of whether it's primarily hardware- or software-related.

    And it's always has speed issues? This didn't just start happening recently?
     
  7. Uprising

    Uprising Member

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    my guess would be it's vista. You're not exactly on the high end for parts. (HD rpm...etc)
     
  8. no_answer

    no_answer Member

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    safe mode= much faster

    It has always been slow. My husband's cousin bought the same computer and his is slow also. I guess I just bought a POS computer.
     
  9. SwoLy-D

    SwoLy-D Member

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    :D LOL...

    YOUR MOM

    :p LOL! YOUR MOM!

    PC purchase FAIL, madam. [​IMG]
     
  10. Drexlerfan22

    Drexlerfan22 Member

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    It's not that your specs are terrible... they're just not very good for Vista. Vista gets hounded maybe a tad more than it deserves to, because ultimately it's not that bad of an OS.

    But what is 100% true is that it's a mammoth as far as using system resources. Your system would do just fine with XP I'm sure. Vista's just got too much going on for anything but a really high-end machine, which yours isn't.

    You could try disabling the Aero interface and going to the Windows Classic look in Appearance Settings. That might speed things up a bit.
     
  11. no_answer

    no_answer Member

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    :rolleyes:
    You know who's going to be taking off all the trial software from my computer? You, tomorrow? :D

    Do you think I should buy XP? I'm sure I can get it at a student discount price from school, but is it worth it? I hate this computer so much I seriously want to throw it away sometimes. I have a mac too that runs super fast, so this computer can be just a lesson learned.
     
  12. Royals Ego

    Royals Ego Member

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  13. SwoLy-D

    SwoLy-D Member

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    WTF. Seriously, XP!?!?!?? The PC is built for VISTA, but you will be buying an OS that was released 7 years ago? ARE YOU EFFIN' SERIOUS?!?!?! :eek:

    Yeah, I just bought an BRAVIA LCD 65" HDTV... man, those VHS movies are going to look GREAT! :rolleyes:
     
  14. Royals Ego

    Royals Ego Member

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    HEY HEY HEY, how dare you speak to the love of my life in that manner

    no_answer, please come over to my apartment and i'll fix your computer issues in no time

    ps. wear something sexy
     
  15. Drexlerfan22

    Drexlerfan22 Member

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    Depending on the price you can get it for, it may not be a bad option. Your specs are more than adequate for running XP. I ran XP relatively smoothly for 5 years with an inferior processor, 1/8th the memory you have, and the same hard drive speed. Just make sure device drivers are available before you make the jump...

    Or if you're patient enough, I hear Windows 7 is essentially a less system-intensive Vista.

    But no matter what you do, it doesn't sound like Vista is gonna run fast on any hardware you own.
     
  16. huypham

    huypham Member

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    Not exactly the same SwoLy. I run WinXP on my desktop and laptop still because I prefer the O/S compared to Vista. It's less bloated and more robust for me.
     
  17. SwoLy-D

    SwoLy-D Member

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    ^ I agree, sir, but the OP said: "My PC is slow". She didn't say "I effin' hate VISTA!" Do you see what I mean?!? :eek:
     
  18. no_answer

    no_answer Member

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    Yeah, i'll just wait it out unless I can get XP for under $50, thanks for the advice. :)
     
  19. rockbox

    rockbox Around before clutchcity.com

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    download ccleaner and see what is running during startup. You maybe surprised what you see. Also check what antivirus you are running. I've seen some that have slowed machines down to a crawl.
     
  20. Drexlerfan22

    Drexlerfan22 Member

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    Since Vista is the reason it's slow, that's what she MEANT to say. She just didn't know it at the time.

    [​IMG]
     

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