Computer advice?

[LeftyFingerPop]

I have a relatively new desktop, bought new. Vista O/S...the first time I have used Vista.

Running AVG and Firefox.

The damn thing is slower than hell...I mean go and get a cup of coffee if you try to open an application type of slow.

The thing only has 1GB of RAM. When I first bought it, I tried to upgrade to 2.5 GB, but the store sold me a bad memory stick, so I just returned the stick and said the hell with it.

Windows mail, the internet, and Excel takes forever to open.

Is increasing the RAM going to solve my problem?

Thanks in advance.

[hobbit709]

1. Increasing RAM will definitely help

Replacing Vista with XP or Ubuntu will help even more.

[bridgit]

2. ^_^

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=242

[av8rdave]

3. I'm not an expert but I play one on DU

My understanding is that Vista is pretty much a resource hog. I would think that more RAM would be the quickest, easiest and least expensive way to speed things up.

[mix]

5. Vista is so weird too.

I hate it, things change without asking...and it's ugly.

[av8rdave]

11. I had a laptop with Vista for a short time...I never did get along well with it

Much prefer Mac OSX.

[NJmaverick]

4. Well it will most certainly help

try to upgrade the memory up to 4 gigs. You should see a drastic improvement. 1 gig is simply not enough (especially if you are sharing it as video memory, as many systems do).

[HopeHoops]

6. AVG? WTF is that?

Mine came with 1 GB, Vista home pro. It never really had performance problems until I had a lot of apps running - which I generally do - so I upgraded to 2 GB and it is fine.

Here's a good way to find out. Hit CTRL-ALT-DEL and select Start Task Manager. When it comes up, hit the button that says "Show processes from all users". A pop-up asks for permission, so give it. Hit the "Processes" tab (second from the left) and click on CPU so it ranks them by what is eating the most time. Between the name on the left and the Description field, you may get a clue.

One possibility: The video plug-in for Firefox rarely causes any problems, but I have noticed that after running a YouTube (again, VERY rare), the process meter will hang around 70%, yet nothing is going on. If you close all the Firefox windows and immediately launch it again, the meter drops to the normal 3-5% range for an idle machine.

If you haven't set up the sidebar, you should. Go to Start->Accessories->Windows Sidebar. Set it up to launch automatically on boot. I keep the clock, calendar, weather, and process meter running. I like the process meter that looks like a spedometer/tachometer set from a muscle car. The needles do a very good job of describing what is going on with the processor and memory.

[hobbit709]

9. AVG is damn good antivirus program

It's free and runs circles around the bloatware of Norton

[HopeHoops]

13. This isn't just a RAM issue.

Vista runs fine on 1GB if you are only using a few applications, and Firefox isn't a memory hog. When I was on 1GB with just Thunderbird and Firefox open, the memory rarely popped above 55%. The excuse I had for upgrading to 2GB was Adobe's video editor and that runs fine with 2GB.

There's a rogue process here.

[RoyGBiv]

12. Belay that ...

Assuming the issue here is partly a lack of memory (and I believe from the description that more memory will definitely help) setting up the sidebar is only going to make the problem worse. Little bits like that are one of the things with Vista that make it such a resource hog. Indeed, one of the potential "solutions" to a lack of memory is shutting all that stuff off entirely.

The "video plug-in" you're talking about is Adobe's Flash. It has some flaws, to put it mildly. One of those is that it occasionally will not shut down properly. You stop playing a video, for instance, but the video is still "playing" in memory, eating CPU cycles and memory. A typical situation is you start playing something then navigate away from the page where the video was embedded. You start playing a different video. Now you've got two videos eating resources, only one of which you actually see. This process can repeat until it effectively shuts down your machine.

[LeftyFingerPop]

7. Thanks everyone...going to buy qty (2) 2GB sticks. n/t

[SacredCow]

8. More RAM....

1 gig is woefully inadequate for Vista, from what I've seen. Get at LEAST another gig (4 would be better).

I use www.crucial.com for all of my RAM needs.

[Wapsie B]

10. I needed to put in another 1 gb of RAM before it would perform well.

Otherwise it was sluggish as hell. 2gb should be the minimum to run Vista and that's for someone who just a basic user, no heavy-duty video or graphics/Photoshop stuff.

[Call Me Wesley]

14. Buy a MAC?

;)

Yes, it's probably a memory issue. Vista is quite the resource hog and will eat up your 1 GB just to run itself. Get 4 or even 8 GB of RAM. :hi:

[LeftyFingerPop]

15. ***UPDATE for those who replied***

I upgraded today from 1GB to 4GB RAM.

Holy cow....what a difference.

My machine is lightening fast now.

Thanks to all who responded.

[BuelahWitch]

16. Does that mean you and Taterguy will be on webcam now?

Do I need to increase my DSL? :hi: