how well will xp run on this machine?

Ram000 · 05-23-2004, 02:55 AM

i'm trying to fix up a spare laptop i picked up for dirt cheap, and i'd like to run xp, simply cause of the loading time and other features. the specs are as follows:
pent iii 600 mhz
10 gig hd
128 ram

how much hd space does xp take, and is 128 mb of ram enough? would you do it? thanks.

Bodgy · 05-23-2004, 03:19 AM

im using xp on my girlfriends 266mhz pent II with 64mb and 3gb right now so it will definately run on your laptop.

thats not to say that it runs well but she likes it cos it looks pretty. id rather 98 on it but anyway.

xp takes almost 2gb i think. 98 can be cut down to like 300mb or something, less if you wanna lose iinternet explorer, i get 45second cold starts with 98 on my car pc (as below) which i okay.

Scouse Monkey · 05-23-2004, 03:48 AM

XP will run ok as long as you don't fill it with rubbish. Also you will want to turn off the fancy looking interface and possibly turn off a lot of services you don't need. Also get lean anti-virus software as this can munch into your power. There is lots of info on the web about leaning out XP. My full fat XP-Pro (fancy interface, nothing much turned off and fuly windows updated) takes about 1.6Gb at the moment but you can get it down a bit. The one thing i would do is get more RAM if you can. 256 would make a big improvment to it and just basically keep it clean, make sure you only install stuff you need (especially codecs and stuff) and keep your temp files under control - I know how frustrating running Windows XP on a PIII is as i run an 866 with 640mb RAM which is amazing and can handle XP with a dozen or so excel spreadsheets, outlook, Paintshop Pro, Fireworks, Media Player and my 30,000 word research project thesis whilst watching a DVD on the second screen (of 3!) without any problems for over 2 weeks so I know your PC will handle everyday XP ok if you look after it. (I have a friend with 2Gb P4 PCs from a manufacurer I hate and that goes slower than mine with half that much running! But for playing Army Ops my PC is a bit poo!)

Just try it out! If you have never used XP, when you will you wont want to go back!

Ram000 · 05-23-2004, 12:32 PM

thanks for the replay, gents. i use xp on my desktop, and i definately prefer it over 2000 or below. the only reason i'm hesitent is because i don't want the performance of the laptop to suffer. unfortunately, from what i've found so far, the most ram this laptop can take is 128 mb, which is ridiculous. but, the only programs i'm going to be runnig on it are mediacar, winamp, windvd, the core media player, and some navigation software. what do you say, should i still be alright? thanks again.

Scouse Monkey · 05-23-2004, 05:20 PM

Can't really help on the navigation or media car usage as i am still in the planning stages myself. Can't really imagine too much of a problem, best to try and keep things that are running to a minimum, eg basic AV or disabled AV on your normal everyday profile etc etc. Have you tried the Crucial Memory upgrade program. that will tell you what sodimms you laptop can take. I can run 256 on a PII Toughbook so i find it strange that you can't run more than 128 on a 600 laptop.

Kermee · 05-23-2004, 08:50 PM

Best thing you can do is upgrade the memory. It's amazing how a relatively slow CPU and XP can be made to perform much better when you have plenty of memory. I have a Dell P3-500 running XP with 512MB of RAM and it does very nicely.

Walleye · 05-23-2004, 08:54 PM

i get a cold start in 30 seconds on mine with XP. i havent gotten around to optomizing it yet...there's a lot to be said for a faster hard drive, faster processor, and more memory.

Ram000 · 05-23-2004, 09:30 PM

well, i'm installing as we speak. i'll definately check on more ram... i don't believe that i can't upgrade, so i'm gonna dig and dig. thanks for the help, everyone =).

kandyman676 · 05-23-2004, 10:26 PM

same thing with my PIII 700mhz laptop. it was at 128mb, and was slow as all hell on Win XP...but once getting it to 384MB (256MB+128MB) for about $75, it was worth it.

Ram000 · 05-24-2004, 02:03 AM

yeah. i found out i can upgrade to a 256 stick, and plus the 64 that's perminantly on there, i'll have 320, so that should do well enough. btw, that's a nice upgrade, kandyman--both the pc and the car. is that a new 2-door accord? those are nice. thanks again, all.

craigyb · 05-24-2004, 05:30 AM

I run a PIII 866mhz, 256mb ram and a laptop HD, so nearly a laptop in specs etc.

It's slow to boot and clunky, but it runs media car ok with sat nav and mp3's playing.

I mean I used to run auto route 2002 and winamp on a P133 laptop with 40 MB ram and a 4G laptop drive and girder for the IR interface, but that was win98.

Craig

kandyman676 · 05-25-2004, 07:33 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by Ram000

btw, that's a nice upgrade, kandyman--both the pc and the car. is that a new 2-door accord? those are nice. thanks again, all.

actually, its a 2001 Honda Civic EX. I couldn't afford the accord at the time :-( I needed something reliable, was not a gas sucker, but was not a total econ car, so I got that. :-)