How can I make my Dad's computer faster?

[Sharon]

I bought my Dad a computer a few years ago and i'm noticing now how slow it is. Here is the exact computer: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6883114083

I'm using Advanced System Care and CCLEANER to remove the malware. We also use Avast Antivirus.

Is there something I can do hardware-wise to help? He just checks emails, gets on facebook, and plays fb games. So he doesn't need too much but it's still annoyingly slow.

 

[pandaa]

Step 1: http://www.malwarebytes.org/

Step 2: Start, run, msconfig.exe. Go to the startup tab, uncheck anything you don't want to run on startup.

Step 3: Control Panel, Add or Remove Programs, remove the unwanted ones.

That should get you started. 🙂

 

[froggyboy604]

You can add more RAM to make it faster. 4GB of RAM should make your computer faster. Using a SSD Drive to install Windows to will make programs, and Windows start and run faster. A $50 USD 64GB SSD drive is good enough for tasks like e-mail, web browsing, Facebook games, and installing a few PC games. Adding a inexpensive dedicated PCI-Express video card like Nvidia GT610 1GB would make watching video, and playing 3D flash facebook games run better.

Changing to the Classic theme in Windows 7 will make Windows faster as well since the classic theme use less RAM, CPU Cycles, and video card processing power.

[youtube]GHnWy1ZfmXE[/youtube]

Windows 7 also has a feature called Readyboost where you can use USB 2.0 flash drive to add more Memory to your PC to improve startup times, and performance for programs, and Windows.

 

[Eddie Keyton]

Your 1st issue is the Intel Celeron processor. They aren't very good, and, they're old processors. I would download a program called CCleaner. periform.com i believe is the website. Get the free version. It's great. Install some sort of anti virus on it as well such as AVG or kaspersky.

 

[Jake]

Your 1st issue is the Intel Celeron processor. They aren't very good, and, they're old processors. I would download a program called CCleaner. periform.com i believe is the website. Get the free version. It's great. Install some sort of anti virus on it as well such as AVG or kaspersky.

http://piriform.com/

ftfy

 

[Gamer Outpost]

Adding RAM most likely won't give you better performance, unless you like to play games on it.

Here's a few tips that may or may not work:
1) Open up the PC and clean out all the dust
2) Change theme to Windows Classic (as mentioned above)
3) Defrag the hard drive
4) Uninstall all unwanted programs using Control Panel (mentioned above)
5) Make sure to minimize the amount of start up programs (applications that start when the computer is turned on)
6) Use better software. Google Chrome is a good alternative to Firefox and Internet Explorer.
7) Use a smaller screen resolution, such as 1280x720.
8) Only run one or two applications at once.
9) Check the recycle bin, and empty it.
10) Open up the task manager (right click the taskbar at the bottom) and select any unwanted processes. Then click "End Process". This will free up a good bit of RAM.

Here are a few riskier/pricier things that you could do:
1) Overclock the CPU by a bit, like 0.2 GHz
2) Replace or Upgrade the RAM to DDR3 (if your motherboard supports it). DDR3 will speed things up a bit. 4GB should do the trick. You don't necessarily need to get more RAM, since 3GB is more than enough for non-gamers. If you do buy RAM, get faster RAM. They usually come in 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB sets. Get the 4GB set.
3) Upgrade your CPU, make sure the new CPU is the same socket type as the one you have
4) Upgrade your hard drive to a 7200 RPM HDD, or an SSD.
5) Buy a new USB Wireless N Network adapter. This will speed up the internet speeds, which is crucial for someone who uses Facebook/Email a lot. If your PC uses a wired connection, ignore this.
6) Get a new router, if you already use one. Routers will get slower over time (after 3-4 years max).
7) Install Ubuntu Linux. It's noticeably faster than Windows, and since your Dad usually just uses the web browser, it could end up being a great move. The best part is it's FREE.
8) Sell the individual parts (or the whole computer itself) at a yard sale or on eBay. Then use the money earned to get a new PC. You can probably get a good 50-75 bucks for that PC easy. With that cash, you can get a better, brand new desktop for around $250.

I used to have a really bad PC (1GB RAM, 1.6GHz Intel Pentium), and I got it to run better by doing a lot of those same tips. I hope they work for you. If money isn't an object, I'd suggest selling it and buying a new one.

Tips brought to you by GamerOcean.com 😛

 

[froggyboy604]

Upgrading to Windows 8.1 may help. My 2008 computer with 1GB of RAM, and a dual core CPU which previously ran Windows Vista Home Premium 32bit, and upgraded to 7 Home Premium 32bit in 2010 feels faster after I upgraded to Windows 8.1 Pro 32bit in 2013.

I notice Windows Explorer crashes a lot less in Windows 8.1 Pro compared to Vista, and 7. I also now can watch HD flash videos on YouTube without running out of RAM, and the CPU running at 100% . Windows 8.1 Pro also starts up a little faster than 7 and Vista.

The Modern Touchscreen user interface may take a little time to get used to, but the speed improvements of Windows 8.1 on an older computer could be worth it.

 

[LiquidServe]

Give it Redbull. It gives you wings! 😛

Besides that you might wanna upgrade to SSD storage and also as I see the processor there is quite old, you might wanna upgrade it but make sure the new one supports your motherboard.
I would recommend a complete upgrade but I think you should wait for ddr4 ram releasing soon so you can get ddr3 one at low cost as I don't think your dad would require a lot of power from his computer unless he does coding air graphics or movie editing.

 

[froggyboy604]

Have you thought about switching to a lightweight Linux based operating system like Lubuntu or Puppy Linux?

Linux works pretty good for checking emails, facebook, and plays fb games which are based on Flash, Java, and HTML5 which is what your dad mostly does according to your post.

Installing Lubuntu 13.10 which uses the LXDE desktop environment which is faster than Unity and Gnome in Ubuntu, or Puppy Linux would greatly increase the speed of your computer without the need to upgrade to more RAM, upgrade a CPU, or buy a SSD. Linux generally runs faster than Windows on older computers, and is now even used on Faster computers like the Steam Machines which are Gaming PCs which use Steam OS which is a Linux Operating System made for TV gaming with a controller for playing Steam PC games compatible with Linux.

 

[TGFOW Hokage]

My suggestion is reformat the PC using Windows XP or Linux-based OS(like mint, DamnSmallLinux or lubuntu) because they're lightweight but you need a little adjustment for using Linux-based OS.

Be sure to backup important files first before formatting. Most likely to solve the problem of the PC 🙂

 

[froggyboy604]

Windows XP, Lubuntu, Puppy Linux, and DSL Linux can be installed on a cheaper SSD drive in the 20GB size which can be bought for under $40, and you can continue using the hard drive which is already on your computer to store files.

The SSD would not be as fast as newer SSD drives, but it would open files and programs faster than most mechanical hard drives.

 

[Delirious]

I know he doesn't play a lot of games but a cheap graphics card upgrade could help out a lot. Especially for the facebook games. I would suggest purchasing these

• Newer Motherboard
• Dual Core or above processor
• DDR3 RAM
• Graphics card

They don't have to be top of the line. Spend around 50-60 each part. Until you feel it is fast enough. Just remember that all the parts go in tandem with each other. As in. If you get a new mobo you will need a new processor and most likely new ram as well. If you need any help you can give me a budget and I can find the best deal for you. I wouldn't gain anything from it but the satisfaction of helping you out.

 

[froggyboy604]

I know he doesn't play a lot of games but a cheap graphics card upgrade could help out a lot. Especially for the facebook games. I would suggest purchasing these

• Newer Motherboard
• Dual Core or above processor
• DDR3 RAM
• Graphics card

They don't have to be top of the line. Spend around 50-60 each part. Until you feel it is fast enough. Just remember that all the parts go in tandem with each other. As in. If you get a new mobo you will need a new processor and most likely new ram as well. If you need any help you can give me a budget and I can find the best deal for you. I wouldn't gain anything from it but the satisfaction of helping you out.

You may also want to upgrade to a 500W power supply, and bigger case since upgrading so many parts can increase your power usage, and generate more heat. A lot of older computers from eMachine, Dell, and HP only come with 250W power supply which can only handle small upgrades, and the case may not be big enough for all the parts, or have good cooling, so your parts like CPU and video card does not overheat.

 

[Delirious]

froggyboy604 I didn't even consider that. I am always used to having 500-1000w PSUs. Not only that some graphics cards need an extra plug from the PSU to operate at 100%

 

[Webmaster24]

What you could do is reformat it with Windows 7 or 8, so you can have a clean start, but before you should split your hard drive into 3 parts minimum, so you will have more speed.

Edit:

Intel Celeron is not a fast processor, I think that is what makes it slow

 

[Pawacorn]

The computer may be overheating. It doesn't seem like the computer comes with an 80mm or 92mm case fan installed, so you should add one for the exhaust. When computers run too hot they can get slow. I would never build a computer without an exhaust fan.

 

[SEO]

Hop on another device and use the same internet as your father's. Many people make the mistake of thinking their computer is slow when it is the internet connection.

Everything you talked about in your first post uses the internet. It's possible that the internet he has is just slow, or he's too far away from the router. If he's using an ethernet cable, it's still possible that the internet he's paying for each month is simply not worth it.

Check it out.

 

[froggyboy604]

Using the latest version of Firefox instead of using Internet Explorer or Google Chrome may also speed up web browsing because both IE, and Chrome sometimes uses a lot of RAM when many tabs are open.

 

[Sharon]

Gosh, thank you all so much for wonderful feedback! Will definitely take a look and see what is the most cost effective way to move forward =)

 

[Gamer Outpost]

Gosh, thank you all so much for wonderful feedback! Will definitely take a look and see what is the most cost effective way to move forward =)

No problem. We're here to help. :great: