Minimum XP RAM Requirements?

OK, I found most of my answers at this thread.

http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=71908

I'm working on my Mom's old machine. I had replaced the motherboard about 3 years ago, worked on it again about a year ago (where I realized I hadn't strapped the FSB). At this point she had passed away, so it was mosly just trying to get the machine working correctly.

Within the last year it slowed down tremendously, to the point of unusability. I went into safe mode, where the speed was restored, and started removing programs (some were the stuff it was bundled with), but also the virus scanners and spyware scanners. When I went back into normal mode it was slow again, so I went back to safe mode.

I noticed it had 96Meg showing in the system properties, replaced the 2700 DDR 128Meg RAM with a 512Meg 2100Meg RAM, and everything worked! I then remembered that the video was built into the motherboard, which accounts for the missing memory (512Meg shows up as 448Meg).

The computer shows some slight instability from the slower memory, but the speed problems are solved. While I was in there I added a couple more fans, and am going to install speedfan to monitor the temperatures.

Question: What do you thing that changed to slow it down so much? My niece (who lives with my parents, Dad now) had installed several Nancy Drews on the machine, and it has weatherbug installed (when is adware wanted? When it provides a service that is wanted) throughout the life of this machine.

I'll ask my Dad if he want's to buy the faster (correct) RAM for this machine, or just live with it being slightly glitchy (to pay or not to pay, that is the question). So far it is faster than I ever remember it being.

BTW, this was a cheap Walmart special they bought over my objection, with me screeming (figuratively) that I won't repair it! Now I'm going to recommend they put a decent video card in it, my definition of decent being something starting at a Radeon 8500.

 

I would say the slowdown was due to the small amount of RAM and the usual clutter most people put on their computer over time. My desktop boots with 20 processes running. My Dad's has around 60. Well, his computer is extremely sluggish to me, almost to the point of not being usable. But he is pretty happy with it. Sometimes I think he believes the programs uninstall themselves if they don't have an icon on the taskbar...

If you are going to add much to that computer, make sure you check out the PSU. A lot of the Walmart type computers have a PSU that will run the machine as it was sold. If you add much, it can't handle it.

I never personally understood the fascination with Weatherbug. I just look out the window, but a lot of people HAVE to have it on their computer.

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Oddly enough, it was a 450W unit. Way overkill. I don't know what the temps were previously, but between 4 fans (including cpu) this sucker is pretty cool, temperature wise.

I've been seeing vast speedups in other comptuers just with addition of RAM, maybe you could add more for your dad.

 

450W! I would have guessed 350 or less, so looks like you are set on power. As far as my Dad's computer, I put in 2x512 of OCZ RAM in it a while back. Can't remember if it has 2 or 4 memory slots. He needs to upgrade from the old socket A...

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Not hard to understand, my mom was mostly bedbound. She could get up, but it hurt. Computers added years to her life, kept her calm and mentally alert. I mentioned weatherbug to my dad, but I wasn't about to touch it, it was her machine after all.

Now the dang thing is tenured!