Flash Drives?

[KYLECODY]

Need to speed up my desktop computer. Have 2 slots that can hold 1 GB each, currently have 1 1 GB chip. If I just plug a flash or zip drive in my USB port does this really increase memory by 2-4GBs? Seems a lot cheaper than buying another chip? Thanks.

 

[OSU Beavers]

If you are running Vista, then a ReadyBoost capable USB flash drive or a secure digital (SD) memory card can add to your system memory.

If you run WinXP and only have 2 RAM slots, then get a 4Gb (2 x 2Gb) RAM replacement kit for less than $80.

Posting the Specs of your computer will help narrow down what you need.

 

[KYLECODY]

Hp Pavillion 1101, 2 slots..It said the max was 2 GB total. I run XP home, would a flash work on this or should I just get another memory stick? Thx.

 

[OSU Beavers]

Hp Pavillion a1101? Oh damn that's old. No a flash drive will not help. You can add this to the second slot to speed things up, but a Pentium 4 with 2Gb max and no AGP or PCI-e video card slot is not going to last much longer.

Let's get you a new system before they stop selling Windows XP in three weeks! You can transfer your data to the new computer and install your appraisal software over it to keep the same settings. Do you need a new monitor with it and how much are you willing to spend?

 

[KYLECODY]

Come on now it cant be obsolete, its 3 years old. Im under the theory that conection is going to dictate speed/productivity more than the latest greatest feature.....what can I do with a new puter that I cant do with mine? I dont play games, surf the net that much faster? Type REports that much faster? Dont needa monitro, actually am buying a laptop this week and trying to speed up the desktop.

 

[David Beasley]

Come on now it cant be obsolete, its 3 years old.

That's just it, computers in general adhere to Moore's Law, which states that computer tech "doubles" (in speed, efficiency, etc) every 18 months. By that count, it is well outdated.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore's_law

 

[Annelle]

Kyle, Kyle, Kyle, If I were you, I would try and find another GB and insert it in the slot. That is your short term solution. There are a number of ways to tweak your computer to have it run faster. Is it loading a instant messenger? What appraisal software are you using? There is one in particular that notoriously slows down your computer.

 

[Riick]

OP said, it works OK for him, but would like a little more speed.
Processor IS a bit slow HP says it's a Celeron 340 -- 2.93 GHz
[[ have read that Celerons are actually Pentiums that did not make the grade,
but were salvageable/salable with a lead to internal memory cut. ]]

I might just buy another 1MB stick of PC2700 (or faster) memory, pop it in and see if performance increases enough to be worthwhile for the $35 investment - USB memory stick trick works only with Vista.

However, you could Ebay it and get a new machine !!
Recent sale of one of these at Ebay for about $200 will help cut the price of a new machine to the bone: LINK (sold) LINK (for sale)

Looks like a decent new machine with XP Pro can be bought for about $435 LINK
....though Hard Drive a little small at 160GB

 

[Charles Knutson]

Hi Kyle --

My current computer is a 5 year old Compaq Presario, Celeron processor, 640mb Ram, 40gb HD -- when it started hanging up and involuntarily rebooting last winter, I thought about adding another HD, or doing other tweaks to improve the performance.

I finally realized it was better to put the money into a machine that could last another 5 years, than patching up the old system. On Friday, I ordered a Dell with more than enough power and memory to last me for a long time.

http://appraisersforum.com/showthread.php?t=139819

The basic deal is an Inspiron 530, with a quad core prossessor 500gb HD and 3gb of Ram for $499. Upgrading to XP Pro adds $20. Since XP will not be offered after 6/18/08, the time to buy a new XP machine is now.

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&oc=DDDADGX&s=dhs&dgc=CJ&cid=24471

Of course, I understand the constraints of being poor and cheap -- it was hard to make the decision, but it was the right choice for me.

 

[Ruben Ramon]

You should make sure your computer is clean, do a good virus scan and scan for spyware/malware. Also, check to see what programs start when Windows boots, all those programs running in the background can slow your computer considerably. Your machine IS outdated, but should still work fine for what you say you use it for. I made a new machine last year, and its only cause my battery backup failed, and my motherboard fried. That lasted for 4 years, and still suited my needs. Also, open up your case, buy a can of air, and spray it clean.

Just keep it clean.