What can be done to speed up Vista on an old machine?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Chris
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Chris

What can be done to speed up Vista on an old machine?
Is there the equivalent of XP's "Adjust for best performance"?

6 years old
Duron 700 MHz
448 RAM
20 GB HDD
Motherboard K7T Pro (MS-6330)
 
Download and install the upgrade avisor, but I think your PC is below spec
for the RCI which is Vista Ultimate. My installation is just over 16gb!
 
Click on the advanced tab in system properties, there is a performance
settings button.
 
It seems you have a similar problem to my notebook, upgrading the processor
is hard and can be messy (unlike RAM etc...)

I suggest as above and defragging...
 
switch to Windows Classic Mode, diasable *all* Eyecandy and use the old
Startmenu.

Disable Offline folder and Shadows Copy - Disable Previews and Thumbnailing

that should do it the most. Will look like a strange Windows 98 Machine,
but has all *new* stuff available.

And do not say it is impossible to run Vista at this Machine. Look here and
say *what the hell* :


http://www.winhistory.de/more/betas/vistarc1200_1.gif

I have a copy on IBM ThinkPad 600E 400 MhZ / 320 Ram and it is working after
heavy fine-tuning.

The official "minimum" is 800 MhZ and 512 Rams, where Ram matters more than
CPU.

the high CPU-Power is only needed for all the media-stuff, not really for
the OS.

and because so high, that nobody can say "oh it is sooo slow." marketing -
thats all.

SBJ
 
Even though that pic doesnt show how many processes have been cancelled, the
CPU rate looks quite good (according to task manager icon) and yet its
pretty impressive.
 
x-no-archive: yes

Chris said:
What can be done to speed up Vista on an old machine?
Is there the equivalent of XP's "Adjust for best performance"?

6 years old
Duron 700 MHz
448 RAM
20 GB HDD
Motherboard K7T Pro (MS-6330)
Click to expand...

From what I've heard, you only need a faster CPU, much more RAM, a bigger
HD, a faster MB, and you'll be fine.
 
x-no-archive: yes

Pete said:
x-no-archive: yes



From what I've heard, you only need a faster CPU, much more RAM, a bigger
HD, a faster MB, and you'll be fine.
Click to expand...
Ooops, I forgot, you'll need a high performance Video Card. :-)
 
Not to be a smart***, but, get a new machine.

I'm serious -- even if you're on a tight budget, it's not hard to find a
computer (with monitor -- sometimes even LCD) for just a few hundred bucks.
It won't be top-of-the-line, of course -- but still a big improvement.

If you don't want to go that route, and are tech-savvy, start upgrading your
machine in steps. That's what I did. My machine is a home-brew, and rather
than sit on the hardware and allow it to become outdated, I've started
upgrading a component 2-3 times a year. I aim for "middle of the road"
performance. Watch the sales, take a look at eBay (don't be afraid to buy
used -- but make sure the feedback is VERY good), Craigslist, and even your
local "forsale" newsgroup. Heck -- you can even sell your old components
back using the same resources, and make some of the money back -- keeping
the cost even lower. If you have Fry's nearby, they offer CPU/motherboard
combos almost weekly. It's not hard to find a pretty good CPU/EDS
motherboard (not the best but still an upgrade) for around $100. RAM is
cheap these days -- especially for a desktop, and so are hard drives. I saw
a 200 gig HD just recently for $59!

If you don't want to deal with rebates (and who does?), keep your eyes open.
Deals can be had w/o rebates -- they're just less common. Still -- all the
prices I listed above were OTD prices -- no rebates involved.
 
If you don't want to go that route, and are tech-savvy, start upgrading
your machine in steps.
Click to expand...

There's only so many upgrades you can put into a machine that old. It comes
to a point where it's not worth sinking money into anymore. I think the
OP's machine falls into that category.

Thing is, even if you upgrade all the components to all the latest and
greatest that a motherboard this old will support, you're still gonna end up
with a crappy underperforming machine unsuitable for Vista.

OTOH, if you're also suggesting to replace the motherboard as well, then my
next question is what, exactly, are you trying to salvage out of that box?
The power supply and floppy drive??
 
*If* you're on a budget, keeping the old chassis (and maybe p/so --
depending on wattage/condition) can save you anywhere from $30 - $150. I was
offering that as an idea... just in case.

You might remember that my *first* suggestion was a new computer altogether.
 
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