Very slow laptop (only256M RAM).

Woofles

Go to this site

http://www.crucial.com/uk/?gclid=CLikyNiYrZgCFU4g3god3SEnmw

let it scan the lappy and it will tell you what memory will fit the laptop, no hassle you get the right memory for the slots. I bought an extra 1gig for my Toshiba just after christmas and it cost £9.19 with free delivery. They are a reputable firm.

XP needs at least 512mb.

esuhl

Is it running out of disk space? Is the swap file too small or fragmented? (PageDefrag can defragment the page file.)

bluboy

Had similar symptoms on an Inspiron 1300 (XP in 256mb). Ran like treacle even after housekeeping.
I ditched the 256mb (fortunately removable) and fitted 2GB (2 x 1) direct from Dell, although a lot cheaper at around £25 (inc del) last April.
Fitting was a doddle and the difference in speed was remarkable.

If its not too old there should be an on-board manual with a guide to upgrading RAM.

tomstickland

I've had a look and the memory expansion slots are there.
I'm going to upgrade the memory and turn off all the bloatware.

GunJack

tom - do check on the crucial scanner, and also download cpuz for a x-ref on what type of RAM you need. The 333 is the speed the RAM operates at, i.e. transfers data in & out. When adding to your existing lappy, you really need to match up the type and speed for it to have the best effect on performance.

Also, I'd run CCleaner and the Windows disk cleanup utility, then download defraggler and give your HDD a real good defrag. And to check your page file size, it's in control panel/system/advanced/performance/advanced/virtual memory, and ensure system managed option is selected and then click Set. You can do all this whilst awaiting delivery of your extra RAM

Millionaire

You def need more memory. A clean reinstall back to how it was when brought will get it running faster but after updating all the important updates and installing the Service packs it will slow down again.

256mb means its going to be paging continuously just to keep the OS going.

Lightest free AV is Avira I have found.

The rest depends on how good the processor is at dealing with the loads in this day and age. Should be OK for basic stuff like browsing internet and music, albeit abit slower.

angelavdavis

My inlaws laptop had the same problems although it was an HP.

I extended RAM to 1Gb from 256 and did a complete rebuild, runs like a dream now. even after loading Avast.

tomstickland

I've finally run the scan.

According to our scan, your system already has the maximum amount of memory installed.

Maximum Memory Capacity: 1280MB
Currently Installed Memory: 256MB
Available Memory Slots: 0
Number of Banks: 1
Dual Channel Support: No
All memory slot(s) may be filled, some of the existing memory may have to be removed in order to upgrade.

I think this means that only one memory slot can be used. That currently has 256M of RAM in it, so I'll replace that with 1GB.

The recommended memory is £44 there, so DELL is cheaper at £30.

GunJack

1GB and it'll run like a dream. My kid's IBM Thinkpads with a 1.4GHz Celeron and 1GB run sweet....

tomstickland

But only if it will take more memory.