Ready to throw Laptop Into Wall

[thejoz]

Hello again CTH;

I have a Dell Inspiron 1501 that I bought brand-new in January 2007. It is to the point where the process of "asking my computer to do something" can often cause it to run really slow, freeze, or it will hang and tell me it's "Busy" doing something...but it really isn't, cause I haven't asked it to do anything else.

As evidenced in this thread, I've bought an external hard drive recently to try and free up some disk space on my internal HD...and have consequently had problems with MS Office 03 now. So there's that...

I've actually also visited the "Slow Computer?" thread...and I followed these steps. However, I'm not convinced that the steps I took (this was probably a month or so ago...) actually took effect. Whenever I open Task Manager, I still see a whole ton of background processes that seem to just suck up a whole bunch of junk...Yeah...

I don't ask this computer to do a whole lot; Browse the Web with occasional Flash or videos (like YouTube), run the Office programs from time to time, and run a music composition program to write music. I don't ask it to do all these things at once, I don't ask it to do PC gaming or WarCraft or whatever...I just want it to be able to surf the web, run Excel, and write music without acting like I am asking it to do 5,000 things at once.

Case in point, while writing this thread, my computer has thrice stopped and hung for about 30 seconds...for no apparent reason. Just had to wait for it to decide to work so I could continue typing! Facebook Chat, also, pretty much freezes my computer for a minute or two anytime someone sends me an IM on it...and sites that are not even Flash or graphics heavy are now taking a while to load, and I am on a Cable connection, so speed isn't an issue...

This computer only came with 512 MB of RAM, and I suspect that's probably a large part of my problem, but 1) I am not sure if I can upgrade it 2) that costs money that I don't really have right now as I am currently between jobs and 3) I don't know if that's the "only" problem.

I really need to know if there's anything I can do right now basically that will allow my computer to run like a halfway decent machine.

As stated before, I'm on XP, SP3, and according to Control Panel, running AMD Turion Mobile 64, 797 Mhz, on 448 (?!) MB of RAM...hmm.

My internet froze twice more while trying to type this and go back and forth between Control Panel and this window, so I am at my wit's end!

Please advise with anything I can do to help this thing perform better. It's getting very, very difficult to use.

PS; I've never, ever been able to complete a Defrag on this thing...because it overheats every time I try to do it, and after 10 minutes or so, it shuts down without completing it. Just a final tidbit.

Thank you!

[craisin]

If your hard drive is too full it will be slow
you may need a good registry cleaner too

[thejoz]

I am in fact trying to clear my internal hard drive (which is only 52-ish GB) onto the new external I got (which is 500 GB), however the process is not going that fast yet, as:

1) I have been a little lazy
2) I tried moving some stuff before and it messed things up (see the first thread I linked to)
3) See point 1
4) Even if I move all the stuff I want to move without problem, I'm not sure how free the HD would be, so.

As far as a Registry Cleaner, I'd need to know more; I am not familiar with such programs.

[craisin]

Originally Posted by thejoz

I am in fact trying to clear my internal hard drive (which is only 52-ish GB) onto the new external I got (which is 500 GB), however the process is not going that fast yet, as:

1) I have been a little lazy
2) I tried moving some stuff before and it messed things up (see the first thread I linked to)
3) See point 1
4) Even if I move all the stuff I want to move without problem, I'm not sure how free the HD would be, so.

As far as a Registry Cleaner, I'd need to know more; I am not familiar with such programs.

Yes well registry cleaners need to be approached with caution.
I use Crap Cleaner to get rid of leftover bits of Programs I use it in default mode or as it installs
But I dont use Windows much.
Moving your files you need to shift small files first to create free space to be able to shift bigger files

[Murf]

Dell Inspiron 1501 originally came with: I assume its a laptop?

512MB memory upgrading possible to 2GB
Internal video will share up to 128MB of this memory depending on the amount of physical memory in the system.

I'm on XP, SP3, and according to Control Panel, running AMD Turion Mobile 64, 797 Mhz, on 448 (?!) MB of RAM.

Your video is sharing 64mb of the physical memory. Therefore Windows only has 448MB memory available.

That laptop has 2 slots for memory and can use a 256MB/512MB or 1GB memory stick in each slot. Memory today is very reasonable and lets say you have a 512MB stick you can add another 512MB stick for around $15.00, for around $30 you can add the full 2GB. This will improve performance significantly. It uses PC2-5300 SODIMM.


You probably have a 60GB internal hard drive; Windows will not report the full capacity as it see's drives differently then the BIOS.

To properly defragg a hard drive windows wants at least 10-15% free.

[thejoz]

Murf, this is what I'm looking for then? I need two 1 GB sticks of RAM to put into this thing and it'll work much better?

If that's really all I need to do then so be it! It seems real cheap online, or I can get it at local stores (it would appear) for about the price you quoted me.

Seems like a way better option than spending $150-200 on a refurbished laptop/netbook that I would only really use the Internet on anyway.

Thanks for your help so far!

[Murf]

Yes,

You need to look at what is installed.

HERE, page 93 shows your memory.

Lets say you have 1 stick of 512MB, you could keep it and add one stick of 1GB which would give you a total of 1.5GB. Or you could discard and put 2-1GB sticks in for a total of 2GB.

If you have 2 sticks of 256MB, I would discard both and replace with the 1GB memory. Check the existing memory label it should read PC2-5300.

Now as for the hard drive, which is small for todays standards, but you do need to free up some space on it. One of the reasons it will not defrag. Remove all programs you no longer use. (using Control Panel Add/Remove Programs). Moving to external drive is a good idea, which you are doing.

Please go to Start | Run and type in:

msconfig (hit<enter>)

Now high lite MSCONFIG it will open then go to the Start-Up Tab

You will see a list of programs that start with Windows, these are shortcuts, not the actually program. If you uncheck one it will not start with Windows.

Please post which ones have check marks next to them and we can advise which one you can uncheck. These programs run in the background and can hog resources.

Also which Anti-Virus software do you use?

[thejoz]

Murf,

I looked at the memory that's actually installed in my machine, and I just want to make sure that I know what I'm getting before I decide to go buy something.

The Dell manual you linked me to, reads the following on page 132:

Memory module connector - two SODIMM connectors
Memory module capacities - 256 MB, 512 MB, 1 GB
Memory type - 1.8-V SODIMM DDR-2
Minimum memory - 256 MB
Maximum memory - 2 GB

You said I should look for something that says PC2-5300. One such product I was looking at is the following.

However, when I looked at the RAM stick in this machine, I read the following information:

512MB 2Rx16 PC2-4200S-444-12
"B-DIMM DDR2 ONLY"

Here is an eBay result for what's in my laptop.

So, basically, I guess, I need to know...can I buy something like the result I got on Google? Or...is there a reason I'd need to buy...another Hynix model like what I already have?

Google tells me I can get the first type of memory at stores around here, or should be able to anyway...but I don't know about the second.

I will return answers to your questions about the other aspects perhaps tomorrow, but this is something I'd like to know before I go and buy anything. Thanks!

[MaDef]

So, basically, I guess, I need to know...can I buy something like the result I got on Google? Or...is there a reason I'd need to buy...another Hynix model like what I already have?

The spec sheet for that laptop states that the pc can only handle 256mb, 512mb, and 1gig memory sticks. (the 2gig module is a waste since the laptop will only see 1gig of it). You can however put 2 x 1gig memory modules in for a total of 2gigs.

The difference between pc2-4200 and pc2-5300 is the speed of the ram.
pc2-4200 runs at 533mhz
pc2-5300 runs at 667mhz

You have a couple of options here:
1. Add another Hynix 512MB PC2-4200 module for a total of 1gig.
2. Install 2gigs (2 x1gig modules) of pc2-4200 or pc2-5300 ram. for a total of 2gigs.

Newegg carries the 2gig memory kits for about 30.00.
Newegg laptop memory

[Murf]

MaDef is right, I would get 2-1GB Memory modules to replace the 512MB you have, with todays pricing. I would also use PC2-5300, as it is a little faster.

Newegg is a very reputable company. I see they have

2-1GB sticks of gSkill (which is quality memory) for $24.99 w/free shipping.

If you go to:

http://www.crucial.com

Plug in your specs, it tells you the type of memory it takes.

[thejoz]

MaDef and Murf, thank you for your advice on the memory! While I feel decent enough in my computer knowledge in a few areas, I certainly don't feel like I have a great grasp of everything...which is why I come here! I've placed a Newegg order for the gSkill memory, and I am crossing my fingers that with the 2-day shipping it will be here before the holiday weekend!!

A couple of reviews on this memory came from people who talked about having an "older" laptop or a "low to mid-range" laptop with XP on it, and they said that this memory was very good for the purposes of upgrading performance...one in particular mentioned Dell computers by name, so I am eagerly optimistic that this will make my machine run much better now. I will obviously report back results for all to see!

Now, on to my Startup; Programs that are currently checked are the following:

*SynTPEnh - This is the Synaptics pointing device (IE the touchpad)
*WLTRAY
*avastUI - My anti-virus program, Avast!
*iTuneshelper - Self explanatory, and I think the Slow PC thread said this will keep coming back
*dumprep 0 -k (?)
*ctfmon

That's it, that's all that's checked there.

In the "Services" tab however, a TON of stuff is running...and that's where I wonder what I can get rid of there? I can post back that list too if that's a route we can take.

Thanks!

[MaDef]

WLTRAY is Dells wireless network utility, so you should probably keep it.
iTuneshelper You might look into an alternative to using Itunes. (just do a google search for Itunes alternative).
dumprep 0 -k This is Microsofts reporting tool (that little pop-up that asks if you want to send a report to microsoft when a program stops responding). You can turn if off unless you actually send those errors to Microsoft.

To turn it off:
Right click on “My Computer,” choose “Properties” from that menu.
Click on “Advanced tab,”
Click the “Error Reporting” button.
Check the “Disable error reporting” box.

ctfmon Is microsoft's Alternative User Input program for MS Office. (speech recognition, handwriting recognition, etc.)

On the services tab click the box to hide "Microsoft services" and see what's left. (those will be specific to the laptop or programs you've installed).

For the Microsoft services, I'd suggest using BlackVipers services guide to turn off unneeded XP services.

[Murf]

*SynTPEnh - This is the Synaptics pointing device (IE the touchpad) - Leave it

*WLTRAY (Dells Wireless configuration options) Leave it

*avastUI - My anti-virus program, Avast! Leave It

*iTuneshelper - Self explanatory, and I think the Slow PC thread said this will keep coming back
If this task is currently running, and you have iTunes open, leave it alone. That said, this task, usually installed as a startup, does not actually need to be installed as a startup since iTunes starts it up anyway when it needs it. I recommend therefore that you disable ITUNESHELPER on the Startups tab and let iTunes start it up whenever it needs to, particularly since it has a history of occasionally conflicting with other software and it uses nearly 6Mb of memory

*dumprep 0 -k (?)
Used in connection with memory dumps - you can disable these by - right clicking on My Computer, selecting Properties and then the Advanced tab. Click on the Settings button in 'Startup and Recovery'. In the bottom pane - under 'Write debugging information' - click on the down arrow and then select 'None' - OK your way out. More information can also be found here.

This program is not required to start automatically as you can run it when you need to. It is advised that you disable this program so that it does not take up necessary resources.

*ctfmon Ctfmon.exe monitors the active windows and provides text input service support for speech recognition, handwriting recognition, keyboard, translation, and other alternative user input technologies
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/282599 You running Office?

[thejoz]

Gentlemen,

I received my RAM today. I want to get to work on replacing it, but I would like to know how much damage I would do to my computer if I do not remove the hard drive and optical drive before I replace the memory...

I can understand taking the battery out, okay, that makes sense...but what problems would I encounter if I don't take out the drives and instead just replace the RAM sticks themselves?

I don't have any anti-static protection for the hard drive, plus, if the HD or optical drives crap out on me cause I'm an idiot and break them or something...I really don't need / can't afford to replace those too. Might as well have just bought a new or refurbished inexpensive netbook at that rate.

If there's a "real" reason why I might incur irreversible damage, then please advise me on that. If it's basically just Dell covering their ass or something, well, this computer is long since out of warranty or whatever, so.

Please and thank you.

[MaDef]

You shouldn't need to disconnect anything other than peripheral devices (ie; usb drives, mice, etc) and the battery.

The main issue is static electricity, that can be overcome by simply touching the metal part of the case before you remove the ram. (Laptops are mostly plastic, but most have a metal skeleton where screws attach)