What are the BEST ways to make a slow-ass computer run faster?

Sitting on a '98 Dell here. It's already horrible to begin with, but now i'm facing 12 fps @ 900 lines. Unacceptable.

So what are some good ways to make it a little bit faster?

Two options:

1 Get a mac or win7.

2 Deal with it.

buy some bigger capacity ram.
http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=147&name=Desktop-Memory
make sure you get the right type that fits your computer

Well, I suggest you get a new computer. But here's some simple things you can do:
-Remove excess files/empty the recycle bin/uninstall old stuff (you can use disk cleanup to do this)
-De-frag the hardrive
-Turn graphics/settings to low

That should help.

Stallie wrote:Two options:

1 Get a mac or win7.

2 Deal with it.

Changing OS won't fix lag.

IGLima wrote:Well, I suggest you get a new computer. But here's some simple things you can do:
-Remove excess files/empty the recycle bin/uninstall old stuff (you can use disk cleanup to do this)
-De-frag the hardrive
-Turn graphics/settings to low

That should help.

Thanks.

Run line rider with high priority.

get some ram
defrag the hardrive
remove no longer needed problems

Spoiler:

well my internet ran slowly so we complained to SKY company and all out sky was going throught telly so it was making it slow and he fixed it and now its fast happy life

prevent all unnecessary programs from running when you start the computer.

I suggest using CCleaner for this.

Delete all temporary internet files
Run Disk Cleanup
Uninstall programs you don't use
Defrag
...That's all I got

Get this.
http://www.tweaknow.com/powerPack.php
It does a lot. For example it can uninstall programs, it has the functions of ccleaner/disk cleanup, it can show you what takes the most space on your disk in every folder, clean your registry, etc.
But buying a new chip of ram is more efficient.

Protip: before you use an automated cleaner, back up any temporary files you want to keep. (localhost hint hint) I suppose you'd want to know that beforehand, instead of learning from experience...like me.

^Yeah I already know. I lost Nocturnal 2 to Ccleaner awhile back. ;_;

Thanks for the help everyone. Obviously getting a new pc isn't an option, but I'm going to back some stuff up and give Ccleaner another chance.

also i just installed Adobe CS3 Master Collection a few days ago. That probably isn't going to help much.

Give it some legs

seriously you guys are no help whatsoever

KillinTime2792 wrote:Give it some legs

seriously you guys are no help whatsoever

And feet.

If you have had the computer for some time, which you most likely have, there are thousands of both smaller and larger fractions of former, or whole unused, software lying around and slow down your computer. The very simplest, but also hardest, way to get rid of the leftover crap is to reinstall your OS. If you feel comfortable with that, I strongly suggest doing it. If you almost feel comfortable with it, I still strongly suggest doing it, but you should read up your knowledge a lot beforehand. Then you will know things like you should back up your activation before formatting, different partition setups, having a Windows install ROM is legal, and can legally be downloaded from the Internet (at specific sites), etc. If you want help, let me know, and I'll try help you out

Other than this bulletproof tip, Lifehacker is your friend This is targeted towards slow boot-ups, but has very much affect on the post-boot performance as well. And a quicker boot is no bad thing either

Btw, Microsoft Security Essentials eliminate the need for expensive memory-hogs like Norton Internet Security, MacAfee, Norman etc.

Good luck.

you could always go to http://downloadmoreram.com


actually I prefer it if you don't

Found out not too long ago that we're getting a new family laptop for xmas, so I'm getting this comp for myself. I'm going to delete all of the other accounts off of this one and get some new hardware and see if I can upgrade this to Win7. Does anybody know how to check if this system is compatible, or what I need to get to make it compatible for an upgrade?

buy an sSD

If you want to make LR go faster but not the whole comp, you can just set the process that's running LR to a higher priority.

a1c4s8 wrote:

Stallie wrote:Two options:

1 Get a mac or win7.

2 Deal with it.

Changing OS won't fix lag.

In fact it'll multiply your problem. The graphics of win 7 would **** your computer in the ass

Brandon971 wrote:

a1c4s8 wrote:

Stallie wrote:Two options:

1 Get a mac or win7.

2 Deal with it.

Changing OS won't fix lag.

In fact it'll multiply your problem. The graphics of win 7 would **** your computer in the ass

You can set the display theme to Windows Basic and everything works fine.

a1c4s8 wrote:If you want to make LR go faster but not the whole comp, you can just set the process that's running LR to a higher priority.

Yea, I tried that and it raises lr up about 4 fps, but it makes itunes lag. It does help if i listen to an mp3 player instead of itunes though.

And thanks Ktk, I'll look into it.

~boo wrote:

a1c4s8 wrote:If you want to make LR go faster but not the whole comp, you can just set the process that's running LR to a higher priority.

Yea, I tried that and it raises lr up about 4 fps, but it makes itunes lag. It does help if i listen to an mp3 player instead of itunes though.

And thanks Ktk, I'll look into it.

paying for an ssd, your better off with a new computer