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Arcane Wizard
`semi-hippie`
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Joined: 02 Jun 2003
Posts: 8993
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 Posted: 04 Jan 2007 02:47:15 am Post subject: |
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NETWiz wrote: XP 256 MB[post="94185"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post] 128 with all the fancy GUI stuff turned off, then? |
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elfprince13
Retired
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Joined: 11 Apr 2005
Posts: 3500
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| Posted: 04 Jan 2007 03:04:51 am Post subject: |
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Quote: Heck, I think Microsoft has re-programmed XP almost entirely since its first release. It is as good as it gets for Windows Desktop right now.
they have...look at the files replaced when you install SP1 or SP2.....
Quote: I'm basically in the same boat as you. My Dad has an ancient computer: Pentium 3, 128 MB RAM, that is really not fit for running XP, but he uses XP anyway. Meanwhile I have an even older computer: Pentium 2, 192 MB RAM, with Windows 98 SE. Our primary computer is an iMac G5 with 1GB RAM. To compile programs, I have to use the old Pentium 2, which has IE 5 and no internet. My parents won't let me load a different OS onto it, and I don't think I could, anyway. I use TILP 6.81, which is very unstable with my SilverLink, because TILP2 is even more unstable with the SilverLink. I have to reconfigure TILP each time I use it, too. I found a site that has a download for IE 6; could you tell me if it seems safe to you and/or scan it with your antivirus software for me? Preferring Mac, I don't know much about malicious sites and viruses, and since my computer has no antivirus whatsoever, I am afraid to run this file.
IE 6 was available on the M$ website last I checked. if its not there, go to www.avast.com and get Avast! AV, its free, lightweight in terms of ram use, and has a huge virus database which is updated almost dayly. then scan the file you want to download. you should probably get some AV anyway.
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@aw: set it to classic mode, if you aren't gaming or doing anything to intensive its quite usable.
to all you old computer low mem folks, you have to bring out your inner scrounger. Schools are a good place to start looking for more memory/hard drives/etc. for a grand total of $110 ($75 of which was my new wifi card) I have acquired countless 2GB hard drives, 2 19GB hard drives, and a 30 and 40 gb hard drive. a pentium 2 (my server), and 2 pentium 3s (ones in a laptop, ones a desktop), 896MB of RAM (not counting all the unused 64MB chips I have), nice computer speakers, 2 dvd drives, a cd drive, a cd burner, a wireless card, and a wireless usb dongle. get out there and scrounge. None of my 3 machines are hard core gaming rigs or video editing workstations, but they are all working fine, and great for programming, watching movies, and the occasional lightweight game. so trust me, its worth your while to bury your dignity and go looking for parts.
Last edited by Guest on 04 Jan 2007 03:16:41 am; edited 1 time in total |
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NETWizz
Byte by bit
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Joined: 20 May 2003
Posts: 2369
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| Posted: 04 Jan 2007 03:27:17 am Post subject: |
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I will admit that most IT departments have a crap load of memory.
Today, I scrounged up about 90 SDRAM 100 ( PC 800) sticks about 128 MB each on average. I am turning the box into our office tomorrow, so do not even ask for any SDRAM.
P.S, I actually went to one of the lower performing schools and added 19 sticks of SD RAM around in their slowest student computers. That is over 2 GB of SD RAM.
What school district? Did you buy that stuff at a surplus sale or something? |
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elfprince13
Retired
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Joined: 11 Apr 2005
Posts: 3500
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| Posted: 04 Jan 2007 08:42:12 am Post subject: |
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NETWiz wrote: I will admit that most IT departments have a crap load of memory.
Today, I scrounged up about 90 SDRAM 100 ( PC 800) sticks about 128 MB each on average. I am turning the box into our office tomorrow, so do not even ask for any SDRAM.
P.S, I actually went to one of the lower performing schools and added 19 sticks of SD RAM around in their slowest student computers. That is over 2 GB of SD RAM.
What school district? Did you buy that stuff at a surplus sale or something?
A school district in central vermont....not even a particularly well of school either, but just by making friends with the IT department over the years I can get any random cables I need to borrow, essentially till I graduate. we also have about 30 computers disposed of each year that I can look take. The 2 larger hard drives, my color printer and speakers, one of my dvd drives, and my cd burner I got for $35 at a yard sale because the computer they were in was a p2 with windows 98...its now running ubuntu desktop with various server applications on 96MB of ram. My wireless card I payed $75 for at radioshack, my USB wireless adapter I got for free from someone who didnt want it anymore. My p3 desktop with 256MB of RAM I got as a permanent loaner from the a college professor I know who only uses Macs. The p3 laptop with 512MB of RAM I got for free with windows 2000 and a lot of malware from someone who was upgrading the laptops at their work. |
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Arcane Wizard
`semi-hippie`
Super Elite (Last Title)
Joined: 02 Jun 2003
Posts: 8993
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| Posted: 04 Jan 2007 10:43:55 am Post subject: |
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elfprince13 wrote: Quote: Heck, I think Microsoft has re-programmed XP almost entirely since its first release. It is as good as it gets for Windows Desktop right now.
they have...look at the files replaced when you install SP1 or SP2.....
Quote: @aw: set it to classic mode, if you aren't gaming or doing anything to intensive its quite usable. Yeah, it made things work well on my P3. Even used XP themes (silver ftw). SP1 though, not SP2. |
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elfprince13
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Joined: 11 Apr 2005
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| Posted: 04 Jan 2007 03:41:21 pm Post subject: |
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Arcane Wizard wrote: elfprince13 wrote: Quote: Heck, I think Microsoft has re-programmed XP almost entirely since its first release. It is as good as it gets for Windows Desktop right now.
they have...look at the files replaced when you install SP1 or SP2.....
it doesn't mean that anything changed at all, however in the cases of the XP service packs there were in fact some significant changes/rewrites. there's a reason M$ doesn't provide new security updates for pre SP2 users anymore... |
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Recursive Acronym
Advanced Member
Joined: 11 Dec 2006
Posts: 499
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| Posted: 04 Jan 2007 04:50:42 pm Post subject: |
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Arcane Wizard wrote: NETWiz wrote: XP 256 MB[post="94185"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post] 128 with all the fancy GUI stuff turned off, then?
[post="94222"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]
Yeah, he had the normal GUI, but then one day I decided that he needed the Windows Classic GUI for more speed, so I changed it for him. It is still pretty slow, at least compared to the Mac. |
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NETWizz
Byte by bit
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Joined: 20 May 2003
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| Posted: 04 Jan 2007 07:58:12 pm Post subject: |
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| The Mac doesn't count because they make the product and OS and support it. It is a packaged deal. |
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Recursive Acronym
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Joined: 11 Dec 2006
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| Posted: 04 Jan 2007 09:31:27 pm Post subject: |
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NETWiz wrote: The Mac doesn't count because they make the product and OS and support it. It is a packaged deal.
[post="94282"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]
I don't know exactly what you are getting at, but what I meant is that, when I open a browser (Firefox) on the Mac, there is a short delay, and then a window pops up almost instantly, and shortly loads my homepage. When I open a browser (IE 6) on the XP computer, there is a very slightly longer delay, then the outline of the window is drawn, shortly followed by the window being filled in with white in in the center, shortly followed by the history bar being drawn, and then it soon loads my homepage. Plus, Firefox takes a while to open, at least compared to Safari.
Last edited by Guest on 04 Jan 2007 09:32:09 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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NETWizz
Byte by bit
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Joined: 20 May 2003
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| Posted: 05 Jan 2007 01:06:17 am Post subject: |
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| You must have a slow computer. |
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benryves
Active Member
Joined: 23 Feb 2006
Posts: 564
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| Posted: 05 Jan 2007 06:20:28 am Post subject: |
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I believe that MacOS handles compositing in hardware - that is, all the windows render to an off-screen buffer that is then composited by the video hardware. Windows does it in software, and each window has to respond to a paint message to get anything on the display - as you drag windows around they constantly need repainting.
The Windows method works nicely on systems with little memory as you don't need a large buffer for each window, but those days are long gone.  Vista handles compositing in hardware, which is probably one of the places where people report Vista feeling faster than XP.
That said, the only time I have the classic "white" window is when a program hangs and doesn't respond to the WM_PAINT message in a timely fashion, resulting in Windows painting it white, and never in normal use. |
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NETWizz
Byte by bit
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Joined: 20 May 2003
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| Posted: 05 Jan 2007 10:15:49 pm Post subject: |
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He was not talking about composting of Windows. He was talking about IE loading slowly. His problem was not due to composting though. I am sure if he grabbed IE and moved it around, it would do just fine and not go totally white inside.
As for Windows, it does some of its rendering with DirectX. Take for instance, if you do not install a video driver or disable DirectX and drag a window around it will render slowly even on a fast computer.
Once you have Direct X9c (right now on XP SP2), it draws the Windows faster. I am not exactly sure how this is all done, but it works well enough |
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Computer Tech Support => Technology & Calculator Open Topic
