Memory and Drives ... an impromptu primer

Problems with XP SP2 - Windows XP Service Pack 2
I downloaded XP SP2 - Windows XP Service Pack 2 which took FOREVER, almost an entire day to download and install...and then it virtually shut down my computer. (I have 512 RAM and 80 GB) I had a major decrease in memory, as well as the inability to log on to the internet. I had to unistall, and then it still didn't help, still seemed to confuse and corrupt the files, so I went back and did a System Restore, to 2 days prior to installing. So what are we supposed to do if Windows says I need to update my computer but it virtually paralyzes its function??

Paralyzed in Portland

Dunno if this is your problem or not, but during the install, no other apps should be running ... especially security/privacy software. For folks with a dialup connection, perhaps the best bet is to order the update CD ... its is totally free, not even a shipping charge, and should arrive 3 to 6 weeks following your online order at Microsoft's website. When it arrives, disconnect from the 'net, clear all your caches, defrag, then reboot, shutdown everything except Explorer.exe, and run the installatiion from disc.

Hmmm - I have dial-up - and, other than it taking days to load (the download kept stopping, though) it has been fine.

Except the memory loss I griped about already.

Ok - well, all I know is, when I go to de-fragment, I get this analysis.

Volume C File System NTFS Capacity 18.64 GB Free space 9.62 GB


% Free Space 51%



Before downloading the thing I had 61% free space - already well down - and I have already installed extra memory!!

It is the Flight Simulator which takes up a lot of space.

Yeah, Flight Sim is a spacehog, for sure. The RAM you added doesn't have a thing to do with drive space ... its in use only while an app actually is running. Your hard drive ... what Defrag/Disc Useage deals with, is entirely a different critter. More RAM is always a good idea, there's never enough, no matter how much you've got or how much your machine will accommodate. 4 Gigs of PC 1600 RAMBUS is prolly close to enough, but that's all this machine will take, so if its not, I'm screwed

Couple things you might consider - offload Flightsim and play it from disk when you wish, as opposed to having it resident on your drive. Just cleaning out any saved-but-no-longer-wanted game sessions might help a bit too. External hard drives are relatively cheap, and no hassle at all to install, and any "Permanent Personal Files" ... media, spreadsheets not in progress, photos, letters and that sorta stuff can always - and preferably - be offloaded either to writable media or to an external drive. There's prolly a buncha stuff on your drive you haven't accessed for a long time and likely never will, or at most, will access only infrequently. You'd be amazed how much junk winds up on a drive. Do some digital housekeeping, and you might be surprised at the improvement you see.

I had thought of the option of deleting, and only installing when I wanna use it - but I had thought that sort of activity tends to result in a gradual accumulation of junky stuff, and slow damage to the system?????

I know when I installed it, that defrag had monstrous amounts of red stuff to chew up...

You don't have to "Install" it to run it ... it'll run from disc. 'Least, I'm pretty sure it will; mine does. I don't keep any games on any of my machines ... all are played from disc. If you've got a good highspeed read CD or DVD drive you'll be just fine with "outboard" games.

It makes you install the first three disks, by the way - there are four. You then need the fourth disk in the drive to be able to play.

Also - Monger helped me find better drivers than were installed in my computer, so the game goes better - does anything bad happen to them if I uninstall and reinstall each time I play?

Regular - and frequent - defraggin' is good housekeepin'. I do it more or less weekly, or accompanying any major change of hardware or software.

Ah - cross posting, but with good effect. See the dilemma now?

Oh - I defrag regularly - ALL the red was from installing the game.


Mebbe we should open a new thread for this? It don't belong in this one???

Install/Uninstall of the game itself shouldn't bother your driver cache a bit. If you hafta install the 1st 3, hell, just leave 'em installed ... less boither than goin' back-and-forth. Get yourself an 80 or 120 Gig external drive, and get busy movin' stuff. Does your machine have either FireWire or USB2?

How on earth do I do that?

And what is an USB???

Sorry ... forgot you were technologically challenged ... excuse me ... uhhhhh ... "Special"

Firewire and USB are ways to connect stuff to 'puters. I'm sure your machine has USB, but USB 2.0 is newer, so you may not have that. USB 2.0 is much faster than USB. Firewire, another way of connecting stuff, is similarly fast, but not as common as USB or USB 2.0. If there's a teenager handy, have it glance at your machine and tell ya whatchya got.

An external drive is a snap ... just buy it, hook its power to the wall plug, and connect it, via USB or Firewire as appropriate, to your machine. No tools required, and no software to install; most of 'em are "Plug and Play".

Lol - hmmm - I have a tame twenty-something - so I will use him.

By the way - can one increase one's computer's CPU strength? Or is that what I would be doing?

Usually can be done ... not at all what you're doin' here, however. That's moderate-to-major surgery, though .... I don't recomend it for the ungeeky.

Oh - I have NO intention of doing these things for myself!!!

My brain has all it can manage - without trying to be a geek - I am always studying stuff that interests me (at present a major and very complex new therapy for traumatised kids - based on all the most recent neurological and developmental research) - and work and life take up the rest - specially when I am pretty much running the show cos me boss has cancer and stuff....

Hmmm - I seem to be feeling a little defensive re not being a geek, at present.

Mebbe Craven's "luddite users like dlowan" got to me - though I say it myself all the time!

Lol - I really AM quite a competent person, generally, you know!

May all geeks be smegged!!

Rise up, ye ungeekly, we are not animals, we are human beings!!!

Of burroshitto . . . you just disconnect the power, open up the box, pop that sucker out an' pop 'nother one in. This box right here is running on a power supply which was not designed for it and which does not fit the interior chassis . . . well, at least it didn't till i tapped out them pins on the right hand side an' . . . you know . . .