slow laptop problems - any solutions?

Ms_MoneyPenny_2

Hi all,

I have a laptop that is about 5 years old a Packard Bell i go 2000 series.

I have been having problems with it being slow, although eventually it works.

This could be with opening word or getting connected to the internet.

I have virus protection and have run all scans and there is nothing coming up there.

I also put some files on to an external hard drive in the hope this would give it some juice.

But the problem contiunes.

Can anyone clarify for me is this just because its old? or can I do something else to help?

It only has about 16gb storage and about 11gb is taken up - would clearing more memory make much difference?

I also tried adding a usb 2.0 port but it really doesn't like that - it just freezes if I try to use it!

any advice as ever gratefully received.

XDA

I would suggest a full re-format of the laptop? Back-up any data you have on the laptop, make a note of any software installed and then just re-format.

That'll delete any viruses/spyware etc and clean it up.

What processor is it - Pentium 3/4? Would also suggest a RAM upgrade - How much RAM do you currently have?

d900

5 years out of a laptop is good going
look at getting a new one your throwing good time and money at a bad problem.


failing that a full reisntall and new ram can boost it back to its glory, personally id say reinstall once a year i do it over the xmas break :P

Marty_J

Have you tried defragmenting your hard drive?

I would suspect your problem is caused by a combination of not enough RAM and not enough hard drive space. If you had more than 11 GB on your 16 GB hard drive until recently, it is likely that the data on it is heavily fragmented, and so your paging file is fragmented too (i.e. not in one piece).

Ultimately, the only cure is more RAM and more free hard drive space (or a new computer), but defragmenting might help a bit.

d900, probably not a good idea to advertise in you signature.

uk220

firstly, these days you can get a high spec for like £399, to speed yours up, increase the ram (random access memory) google it, enter your laptop name and model and it will find the right ram for you, its really cheap nowadays, easy to install also, comes with instructions.

the external hdd is good for extra storage and backup, but will not give you extra juice.

lastly go to control panel and add/remove programs, get rid off anything you no longer use, hope this helps!

d900

http://www.crucial.com/uk/ do a memory scanner to help you know what you have and what you can upgrde to.

Donnie

I suspect that your main problem is a poorly specified machine. If it is really 5 years old or more, it could be the model that comes with a base memory of 128MB(!). Don't tell us that you are running XP.
Seems that you can only add another 256MB. Still on the low side for XP.