Don't say "download"

[RogueWarrior1957]

Well, this computer finally threw a big enough shiite-fit to make me go and reformat the hard-drive today. I have spent the past 6-8 hours downloading updates, messengers, and web-security systems.

But the payoff is that it runs like a stripe-acid ape now. If you're on dial-up (that's what's available here unless you're rich enough to buy a satellite system) Windows XP is painfully slow. I have another computer that runs XP, but you could watch the grass grow while it grunts and struggles to download a webpage. This was one of the last of the Windows Millennium models and really screams on dial-up. One of the problems I had before reformatting was freezing up on webpages, and freezing on shut-down. Arrrgh!

At 1.5GHz and 256MB DDR SDRAM there was no excuse for it. I think I had some bad stuff in the registry, and everything I tried to do to fix it didn't work. No viruses though! I backed up my files, and saved all my stuff I had in "My Documents." The back-ups for the program files didn't work though...for some reason I think I copied "shortcuts." Long as they're on the original computer and you click on them, they appear to have your stuff in them. But when you copy them and try to reuse them, all you get is a blank page. I lost all my addresses and archived emails, but had enough forethought to print out a copy of my addresses a couple of weeks ago when it started acting up really bad. So all I have to do is manually put everyone back in the address book.

Thought I could hide from some old gal-pals when I came back on-line, but the buddy lists were saved on the websites that support the Messengers.

Oh well, all's well that ends well!

-RW-

 

[Elkhunter]

Been there done that many a time. I haven't had to do that is quite a while now. I saved my address book and all I had to do was a right click on what was saved and Add to Address Book.

 

[Seldom Ever]

Generally I just e-mail my favorites folder and my address book to myself right before I reformat,then when I'm ready for it I go check my e-mail.As far as any programs go,I just save them to CD.

 

[scottymack]

I just throw then thing away and start over

 

[AZHUNTERR]

i have the same problmes an i found out my memory is at 100% so i will have to reformat my computer first an see if that works

 

[RogueWarrior1957]

I went to town earlier today and looked for a memory upgrade for mine. Seems that with all the firewall and AV stuff running in the background 256MB of DDR SDRAM is marginal. The thing really kicks but other than running on the edge with the memory thing. I didn't find the upgrade in town, but found a whole Gigabyte memory upgrade on the 'net for a paltry $160. That should make things smoke!

And yeah, I would just replace it, but I'm having a hard time convincing myself that I would be any better off. I'm not much more impressed with Windows XP than I am with Millennium. And all the new ones have XP. Believe me, though it may not screw up as often as the earlier systems, it does screw up...and royally when it does!

As I said elsewhere, my favorite oxymoron: MicroSoft Works

 

[ELKCHSR]

I have a brand new puter sitting on my desk and it takes so long for any thing to come up on it. I have had it for two months now and still can't even get the stupid thing on line, yes I have talked to the teks, yes I have sent it in to the shop clear down in San Diego to be worked on and still slow as all get out. This is the top of the line puter that Sony puts out. They even sent me a new chip to put in myself, this made it so that I can't even dial out on it. Now they have sent me a new box to send it back to the company again...I think shortly, I will be asking for a refund and go to the tekno geak shop just a block and a half away and get some thing they have....

 

[Elkhunter]

Russ, call the phone company and complain about the slow speed. They can come and clean out the lines. They did this for Michele and her speed doubled. Tell them your phone line has static.

BTW, welcome back bud.

 

[RogueWarrior1957]

Well, my 1.024GB memory came in today. Took about 15 minutes to install (took longer to remove the fan shrouds and ribbon cables that were in the way). Absolute change in the personality of this thing! Though I lost a lot of archived notes from different people in the process of reformatting, the overall result was worth all the aggravation of the chore. The additional memory was the icing on the cake. This was the most expensive and highest performance HP ever made back when I bought it...now three years later, it is still able to keep up with the upper middle class computers.

I still say that Windows XP is slower than Millennium. The two systems handle tasks and files in a completely different manner. One of Millennium's major fatal faults is that it loads stuff so fast that sometimes it skips steps leading to malfuntions and the dreaded "blue screen of death." XP handles things like a little old granny woman and seems to examine each step before executing it. Stable system, but slow as molasses! Team that with marginal quality dial-up service, and you have the epitome of frustration. That's why I was interested in getting the bugs ironed out of this HP...I'm going to let my sister have the XP one to replace the old W-95 one that I had first. Being that they load about the same rate, she won't think it's slow at all.

-RW-

 

[IHLA_Chairman]

Downgrade XP to Windows 2000 Pro and you will see huge increases in performance and reliability. Millenium was the worst OS Micro$haft ever put out and XP is so bloated with crap that makes it slow. Talk to the shop down the street and tell them you want to downgrade, they can get you the license and media kit to do it.