The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.

So my mom bought a computer from Wal-mart

Minerva_SCMinerva_SC Registered User regular
edited July 2007 in Games and Technology
It's got Vista on it, and I know nothing about it. It seems okay but I'm concerned that it's got a bunch of wal mart and Compact crap on it and it seems slow. Should it speed up after a day or so of normal use or is it slow because it's got a bunch of Wal-mart ads or something on it. Is there a program I can download to get rid of things like that? :|

"If a cherry pie filled cape is wrong, I don't want to be right.
I'm dead serious."
Minerva_SC on
«13

Posts

  • CrossfireCrossfire __BANNED USERS regular
    edited July 2007
    Computers don't "speed" up over time. They get slower, with use.


    So basically reformat.

    Crossfire on
  • wunderbarwunderbar What Have I Done? Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    google for "PC Decrapifier"

    If she bought it from walmart it's probably a budget machine with low specs and lots of crapware. I'd go over and clean out all the crap for her

    wunderbar on
    XBL: thewunderbar PSN: thewunderbar NNID: thewunderbar Steam: wunderbar87 Twitter: wunderbar
  • freshmasterfreshfreshmasterfresh Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I would download the drivers from the actual component manufacturers start from scratch.

    My grandma bought a Dell and an HP recently and they were filled with a bunch of useless crap. Reinstalling an operating system is easy once you've done it 80 times.

    freshmasterfresh on
    happysig.png
  • evilmrhenryevilmrhenry Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    BTW, most low-end computers skimp on RAM. You will likely see a significant improvement in performance if you spend a bit more on RAM. How much did it come with?

    evilmrhenry on
  • nexuscrawlernexuscrawler Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    It prorbably also has the god awful Basic version of Vista

    nexuscrawler on
  • Minerva_SCMinerva_SC Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    It came with 512 RAM. I downloaded that pc decrapifier, it only got rid of 3 things or so. I dunno, it's not really that bad, it's just it has random stalling when it shouldn't, atleast for a new computer. Like I would right click on the desktop to bring up the menu and it would take 2 seconds before it comes up, when on my 4 year old comp it's instant. I dunno, I might just end up installing xp on it. I've heard Vista's sorta buggy.

    edit: and yeah, it's Vista home basic. : |

    Minerva_SC on
    "If a cherry pie filled cape is wrong, I don't want to be right.
    I'm dead serious."
  • SpoitSpoit *twitch twitch* Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Crossfire wrote: »
    Computers don't "speed" up over time. They get slower, with use.


    So basically reformat.

    Actually, Vista has that whole 'adapting to the programs you use' thing so it does get faster after a week or two

    Spoit on
    steam_sig.png
  • PheezerPheezer Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited July 2007
    512 MB of RAM is pretty much insufficient for Vista. It's good for WinXP, though. You could install WinXP instead and it'd be really quick and responsive, if you had a license. Does the Vista license double for XP? I thought I heard it did.

    Upgrade the RAM if you want it to not suck. Unless you know how to do this yourself, you should probably pay someone to do it as it's not your computer to fuck up by making a mistake. This will likely be somewhat more expensive than it could be were you to do it yourself, but may be worth the added expense.

    Or you could just "downgrade" to XP which will run just fine.

    Pheezer on
    IT'S GOT ME REACHING IN MY POCKET IT'S GOT ME FORKING OVER CASH
    CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
  • evilmrhenryevilmrhenry Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Minerva_SC wrote: »
    It came with 512 RAM. I downloaded that pc decrapifier, it only got rid of 3 things or so. I dunno, it's not really that bad, it's just it has random stalling when it shouldn't, atleast for a new computer. Like I would right click on the desktop to bring up the menu and it would take 2 seconds before it comes up, when on my 4 year old comp it's instant. I dunno, I might just end up installing xp on it. I've heard Vista's sorta buggy.

    edit: and yeah, it's Vista home basic. : |

    512 is the minimum requirement for Vista, 1GB is recommended. Also, when there are pauses, is the hard-drive working? If so, that's a sign of the computer running out of memory, which can be fixed with more RAM.

    (Also, it can be fixed with WinXP, but that may be more expensive....)

    evilmrhenry on
  • Zilla360Zilla360 21st Century. |She/Her| Trans* Woman In Aviators Firing A Bazooka. ⚛️Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Format it and install Windows XP SP2, also try getting into the BIOS and reducing the amount of RAM shared with the crappy built-in Intel/SiS video card these supermarket computers always have.

    Zilla360 on
  • stranger678stranger678 Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I love my Vista install, but on 512 Ram, you would be a lot better off going with an XP install.

    stranger678 on
    PASig.jpg
  • atkbobatkbob Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I think the correct suggestion is to return the computer and buy something that you/she actually wants/needs.

    atkbob on
    atkbobsig4kp5me8zl.png
  • PatboyXPatboyX Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Minerva_SC wrote: »
    It came with 512 RAM. I downloaded that pc decrapifier, it only got rid of 3 things or so. I dunno, it's not really that bad, it's just it has random stalling when it shouldn't, atleast for a new computer. Like I would right click on the desktop to bring up the menu and it would take 2 seconds before it comes up, when on my 4 year old comp it's instant. I dunno, I might just end up installing xp on it. I've heard Vista's sorta buggy.

    edit: and yeah, it's Vista home basic. : |

    512 is the minimum requirement for Vista, 1GB is recommended. Also, when there are pauses, is the hard-drive working? If so, that's a sign of the computer running out of memory, which can be fixed with more RAM.

    (Also, it can be fixed with WinXP, but that may be more expensive....)

    Yeah, I never buy into the minimum requirements, especially in RAM for an OS.

    PatboyX on
    "lenny bruce is not afraid..."
    brush1rt1.jpg
  • DaedalusDaedalus Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Buying an extra half gig (or even whole gig) of memory is probably cheaper (and better) than buying a WinXP license.

    Daedalus on
  • stranger678stranger678 Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    True...I just take for granted that people have a couple copies of XP lying around.

    stranger678 on
    PASig.jpg
  • FreddyDFreddyD Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Buying an extra half gig (or even whole gig) of memory is probably cheaper (and better) than buying a WinXP license.
    I hear that Readyboost works pretty well for people with only 512MB of RAM. You could just buy a supported USB flash drive and use it as memory.

    FreddyD on
  • CrossfireCrossfire __BANNED USERS regular
    edited July 2007
    Spoit wrote: »
    Crossfire wrote: »
    Computers don't "speed" up over time. They get slower, with use.


    So basically reformat.

    Actually, Vista has that whole 'adapting to the programs you use' thing so it does get faster after a week or two

    X P L A I N

    Crossfire on
  • stranger678stranger678 Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Vista does pre-fetching (dumping data to unused ram....I think) for commonly used apps, so after a few weeks of training there is a slight improvement in application load time.

    stranger678 on
    PASig.jpg
  • tbloxhamtbloxham Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    And it does some kind of hard drive indexing for faster searching when you first get it, once its done with that it speeds up.

    However with only 512 ram it will never speed up, Vista pretty much requires a gig unless all you want to do is look at the Vista backdrop.

    tbloxham on
    "That is cool" - Abraham Lincoln
  • GoatmonGoatmon Companion of Kess Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Do yourself a favor and find a copy of XP. Vista is demon spawn.

    Goatmon on
    Switch Friend Code: SW-6680-6709-4204


  • stranger678stranger678 Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Goatmon wrote: »
    Do yourself a favor and find a copy of XP. Vista is demon spawn.

    What problems have you had? Other then Diablo II refusing to play, I am loving Vista, I have had one machine that's had it since launch, and another that is about three months old and both of them run great and I dig the new stuff. What's your beef?

    stranger678 on
    PASig.jpg
  • Randall_FlaggRandall_Flagg Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I love my Vista install, but on 512 Ram, you would be a lot better off going with a Linux install.

    am I right

    Randall_Flagg on
  • GoatmonGoatmon Companion of Kess Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Goatmon wrote: »
    Do yourself a favor and find a copy of XP. Vista is demon spawn.

    What problems have you had? Other then Diablo II refusing to play, I am loving Vista, I have had one machine that's had it since launch, and another that is about three months old and both of them run great and I dig the new stuff. What's your beef?

    All right, I'll explain.

    For running Vista without any lag, you need 2 gigs, unlike XP which run perfectly file on half that. It lags even when I'm only web browsing and, say, listening to music. It takes far too long to load MP3 and video files, and when playing music it tends to start skipping at the end of every song, as though just handling the process of running music is somehow strenuous.

    It also gives you a lot of trouble with certain software installations. I was forced to install Daemon tools onto my external because Vista refused to let it install correctly onto the primary hard drive.

    If that isn't considered annoying enough, there's more...

    Vista also makes it a pain in the ass to upgrade, as it gives you a ton of trouble trying to install drivers that aren't recognized by Microsoft. Your internet is down? Hope you don't plan on installing any old games to help pass the time because apparently, if vista cannot check online to confirm that the game you're installing is safe, it won't let you run the damned thing.

    That's all I feel like going into, for now.

    Goatmon on
    Switch Friend Code: SW-6680-6709-4204


  • stranger678stranger678 Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I love my Vista install, but on 512 Ram, you would be a lot better off going with a Linux install.

    am I right

    Actually, yeah. I should have thought of that, totally free, and you can add functionality and make it a WHOLE lot speedier.

    Good call imp of satan.

    stranger678 on
    PASig.jpg
  • Randall_FlaggRandall_Flagg Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Minerva_SC wrote: »
    It's got Vista on it, and I know nothing about it. It seems okay but I'm concerned that it's got a bunch of wal mart and Compact crap on it and it seems slow. Should it speed up after a day or so of normal use or is it slow because it's got a bunch of Wal-mart ads or something on it. Is there a program I can download to get rid of things like that? :|

    dude agrees with me
    that's cool

    so
    what you need to do
    is go here
    then click download
    then do what it says

    Randall_Flagg on
  • PheezerPheezer Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited July 2007
    Don't install Linux it's an operating system for hackers and you don't want the FBI busting down your mom's door and taking her computer away

    Pheezer on
    IT'S GOT ME REACHING IN MY POCKET IT'S GOT ME FORKING OVER CASH
    CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
  • stranger678stranger678 Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    DrDizaster wrote: »
    Don't install Linux it's an operating system for hackers and you don't want the FBI busting down your mom's door and taking her computer away

    Your sarcasm is subtle, so subtle that I don't get it.


    Either that or you are REALLY out of touch with reality.

    stranger678 on
    PASig.jpg
  • PheezerPheezer Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited July 2007
    DrDizaster wrote: »
    Don't install Linux it's an operating system for hackers and you don't want the FBI busting down your mom's door and taking her computer away

    Your sarcasm is subtle, so subtle that I don't get it.


    Either that or you are REALLY out of touch with reality.

    What are you talking about?

    It happened to a guy I used to work with

    Pheezer on
    IT'S GOT ME REACHING IN MY POCKET IT'S GOT ME FORKING OVER CASH
    CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
  • stranger678stranger678 Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Was it the Linux, or the pictures of naked children?

    stranger678 on
    PASig.jpg
  • PheezerPheezer Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited July 2007
    It was definitely because he was doing something with Linux. They know hackers use it so they watch people who use Linux.

    Pheezer on
    IT'S GOT ME REACHING IN MY POCKET IT'S GOT ME FORKING OVER CASH
    CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
  • stranger678stranger678 Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    Damn it...you got me I'll bite.

    Linux is perfectly legal, and no more useful to hackers then any other system. Not to mention the fact that any hacker worth his salt could easily hide what operating system he is using from someone else. So the FBI would have no plausible way of "tracking" it's users.

    So I reiterate, was he maybe using linux to download pictures of naked children?

    stranger678 on
    PASig.jpg
  • CrossfireCrossfire __BANNED USERS regular
    edited July 2007
    DrDizaster wrote: »
    It was definitely because he was doing something with Linux. They know hackers use it so they watch people who use Linux.

    Don't listen to this (t)fool. A linux based OS is a perfectly good choice. Get Ubuntu, your mother won't know the difference.

    Crossfire on
  • PheezerPheezer Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited July 2007
    Crossfire wrote: »
    DrDizaster wrote: »
    It was definitely because he was doing something with Linux. They know hackers use it so they watch people who use Linux.

    Don't listen to this (t)fool. A linux based OS is a perfectly good choice. Get Ubuntu, your mother won't know the difference.

    yeah maybe if she's like a comp sci major or something. Linux is pretty much impossible to install on a Dell or whatever anyhow so good luck

    Pheezer on
    IT'S GOT ME REACHING IN MY POCKET IT'S GOT ME FORKING OVER CASH
    CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
  • PheezerPheezer Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited July 2007
    Damn it...you got me I'll bite.

    Linux is perfectly legal, and no more useful to hackers then any other system. Not to mention the fact that any hacker worth his salt could easily hide what operating system he is using from someone else. So the FBI would have no plausible way of "tracking" it's users.

    So I reiterate, was he maybe using linux to download pictures of naked children?

    They don't need to track your operating system if they just watch who DOWNLOADS it

    Pheezer on
    IT'S GOT ME REACHING IN MY POCKET IT'S GOT ME FORKING OVER CASH
    CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
  • urahonkyurahonky Cynical Old Man Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    It was definitely because he was doing something with Linux. They know hackers use it so they watch people who use Linux.

    I dunno. He makes a compelling argument.

    urahonky on
  • CrossfireCrossfire __BANNED USERS regular
    edited July 2007
    DrDizaster wrote: »
    Crossfire wrote: »
    DrDizaster wrote: »
    It was definitely because he was doing something with Linux. They know hackers use it so they watch people who use Linux.

    Don't listen to this (t)fool. A linux based OS is a perfectly good choice. Get Ubuntu, your mother won't know the difference.

    yeah maybe if she's like a comp sci major or something. Linux is pretty much impossible to install on a Dell or whatever anyhow so good luck

    Uh, ridiculous. That was spoken by a man who has never installed Linux.

    In fact, DELL SELLS computers with Ubuntu built in. For Home users. Like the OP's MOM.

    Crossfire on
  • stranger678stranger678 Registered User regular
    edited July 2007
    I was just reading his post history, and he seems like a smart dude, so I think this is some elaborate line of BS built for the purpose of griefing easily exciteable linux fans.

    Or he gives the illusion of being smart and is in fact, a total short bus rider. Either way.

    stranger678 on
    PASig.jpg
  • PheezerPheezer Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited July 2007
    Goddamnit. I was really hoping I'd get more than just one of you.

    Pheezer on
    IT'S GOT ME REACHING IN MY POCKET IT'S GOT ME FORKING OVER CASH
    CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
  • CrossfireCrossfire __BANNED USERS regular
    edited July 2007
    I was just reading his post history, and he seems like a smart dude, so I think this is some elaborate line of BS built for the purpose of griefing easily exciteable linux fans.

    Or he gives the illusion of being smart and is in fact, a total short bus rider. Either way.

    I don't know I've seen some stupid shit in his post history though.

    Think he's just a typical troll.

    Crossfire on
Sign In or Register to comment.