I usually do it once every 2 weeks out of guilt.
OK, Mac-heads, sell me
- Thread starter seigezunt
- Start date
Excellent.
Nod32 is one of the better a/v's on the market and has a small footprint.
Alternatively, if you want, you can completely replace it with Avira or Microsoft Security Essentialls that are completely free and offer on-par if not better protection (plus their footprint on the system is comparable if not smaller).
2 GB of RAM is ok for the average individual, but you are using Adobe software that hungers for it to begin with ... therefore I wouldn't be surprised if you are experiencing slowdowns.
Regarding re-installation ...
Well, it's quite simple really.
All you need is a bootable CD/DVD with a desired OS for example (let's say, Windows 7) and just set the BIOS to boot the CD/DVD first on the list.
Then once you get to the OS install screen, sellect the C drive as the install destination (but also make sure to Format the partition in question [as NTFS] beforehand ... it will show as an option in the installations screen).
If you want to reinstall XP for example, then make sure it has SP2 and SP3 with most of the latest updates slipstreamed on it (otherwise you will spend an eternety downloading/installing them off windows updates).
with Win 7, worrying about updates is not really necessary because it doesn't have that many (yes, it's THAT good).
In any event ... you might also want to consider beefing up/upgrading your existing laptop a bit which will increase it's life-span and productivity.
The cheapest option would likely be the RAM.
Upgrading it to 3 or 4GB for example (provided the motherboard supports it) would be the first step (since RAM is cheap_.
Followed potentially by the CPU (again if the mobo supports something new).
For all of this I'd need to know your existing computer specs and if an upgrade for the cpu is possible/worth doing.
The slowdowns you mentioned are also likely related to the slow HDD inside your computer.
Depending on your finances, RAM, CPU and HDD are relatively cheap components to upgrade (all of which can be done on a laptop, provided the motherboard supports more RAM and a new CPU).
HDD is not that big of a deal really, since laptops usually come with 5400rpm ones, and new gen. drives of the same rpm will actually be faster in comparison to older ones because of more layers.
Finally ... if you want a bit more info about all of this, go to www.notebookreview.com (an excellent website for laptops).
But it keeps getting beaten by that damn GDI32 virus.
I'm running Windows XP SP3 on a Dell Vostro 1500, Intel Core 2 Duo cpu T7250 @ 2.00 Ghz
Every antivirus will have a low point.
And besides, I said it was one of the 'better' a/v-s on the market ... not 'the' best.
And btw, seigezunt ... if you want a comparable antivirus with antispyware for which you don't have to pay a thing (aka free software), look into Microsoft Security Essentials.
I switched to that because it beats the ones you have to pay for, offers highly effective antivirus and antyspyware (high detection rates), and keeps a minimum footprint on the system.
Not bad.
You know ... your system is already decent.
You can easily get away with upgrades to your RAM, CPU (if you want to) and HDD if you want to bring your laptop up to speed (along with a clean Win 7 64bit install).
As far as I can tell, your computer can support up to 4GB RAM (PC5300 at 667MHz) - DDR2.
One thing occured to me that could be related to the slowdowns you experienced.
When was the last time you cleaned out the air vents on the laptop?
The simplest thing would be to temporarily unscrew the lower panel (while the laptop is unpowered and battery removed) and vacuum the area (the cpu fan area especially since dust builds up there a lot).
Also ... while you are there, you could probably unscrew the cpu fan as well, put it to the side (not unpluging the wires that connect it to the mobo) and clean out the dust that built up at the base of the airvent - I found A LOT of it there in numerous systems).
I recommend cleaning out the air vents once every 6 months, up to a year (depending on how dusty the area you live in is).
Your chipset is PM965 (Montevina Platform) from what I can tell in the specs (you can double check with a free program called CPU-Z), so the FSB should be operating at 800Mhz.
That means you can get a T series CPU operating at 800Mhz FSB ... such as T9300 (bear in mind that it also comes in 1066Mhz FSB versions ... so you will have to make sure the CPU's FSB is at 800Mhz).
One thing to keep in mind though would be that the T9300 is made in a smaller manuf. process (about half as small) and operates on 2.5Ghz (on each core) which also translates into practically identical, or much lower heat emission than what you have now on maximum load, but it's also a bit costly as a result (close to $250 on ebay if I'm not mistaken).
Though I suppose you can look into some other T series cpu's that are faster in comparison to yur current one.
Truth be told though, for what you do, I think the current cpu (T7250) is juicy enough (and it's also 64bit, so you can safely install Win 7 x64).
As for the HDD ... right now (if the online specs are accurate) you have a 160Gb Seagate Momentus.
I would recommend you go out and buy a Hitachi hdd for your laptop (2.5" one of course).
A Hitachi Travelstar 500GB at 5400rpm (which has more layers and translates into more speed compared to other 5400rpm drives) would cost around $60.
Or ... you can get a Hitachi Travelstar 320GB at 7200rpm for around $80 (these prices are from newegg btw).
So focusing on the RAM (4Gb) and a better HDD would be something worth looking into if you want to bring your computer up to specs a bit (and a 64bit OS) ... and cleaning up the dust inside the laptop.
I think you would spend in total around $140 to $160 for those 2 upgrades (RAM and HDD).
One final thing ... you can also undervolt your current cpu to consume less power under maximum load which would translate into even lower temperatures (and no, this would not bring down the performance since we are talking about finding the lowest stable voltage at which your cpu can run at 2.0GHz) and extend it's lifespan even further.
I did the same with my cpu and gpu ... managed to bring down maximum temperatures by about 15 to 20 degrees Celsius - plus I overclocked the gpu under lower voltages by about 25% overall and still get same low temps with increased performance in games and 3d Studio Max).
I know, it's a lot to take in at one time. I'm just giving you options on what to do with your present system that would likely save you the overall hassle of spending a lot of money on a new system, especially if the present one is far more than salvageable.
What you decide to do is your call though.
P.S. I don't know how much you know about computers overall, so I apologize if some of the detailed info was 'baby talk'.
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As I said, first off, remove the accumulated dust from the laptop.
That's step one.
For step 2, look into upgrading your RAM to 4GB and replacing the HDD to a higher capaciti/faster one such as Hitachi (it's one of the more reliable ones on the market in terms of quality/performance ratio.
Step 3, x64 OS (in order to use all 4GB of RAM)
Tip: Avoid XP x64 because driver support is abysmal and MS only updated it to SP2.
So, Vista or Win 7 (go with Win 7 because it's much more optimized/streamlined and plain better than Vista) in x64 is the way to go (make sure that your Adobe Software is installed as x64 as well - which should increase productivity for one thing, and might also experience a performance boost because it's x64).
Seriously, your laptop is a pretty good one and you can further extend it's usefulness by doing these steps at a minimum cost.
I don't have anything against Macs, but do not be lulled into a false sense of security thinking that they don't come with their own faults.
Besides, it's unnecesarry given what you have at the moment.
Make the switch (if necessary) once your hardware becomes outdated enough for your needs (after say around 3 to 4 years from initial purchase).
Windows 7 will run one way or the other (it's hardware requirements are comparable to XP for one thing, as is it's speed).
The T7250 is a 64bit capable cpu (all C2D are 64bit capable) and an x64 OS will work as a result (and by extension, Win 7 x64).
Your laptop also supports up to 4GB RAM maximum (DDR2 - PC 5300).
I recommended Win 7 in x64 edition because it's the latest OS, and Adobe applications would love a 64bit environment which can see and use ALL 4GB effectively (in a x86 OS, it would likely see/use 3.5GB out of 4).
With a Hitachi HDD (5400rpm or 7200rpm), you will reduce boot times and program opening ... plus with cleaning out the dust.