sorry forum i have xp question

[corkerman]

dug up wifes old sony vaio laptop (1999) I had a copy of xp lying around so I installed it system has 8 gig hard drive 128 ram all is working well but it keeps telling me that virtual memory is low. How do I increase that ???. Sorry about the XP question.any help would be a godsend at this point.

 

[Mychael]

Virtual memory is a feature whereby the operating system can utilise hard drive space and real memory to create virtual memory.. More clear descriptions can be found if you do a search on the internet about Virtual memory.
As your HDD is so small and perhaps already has a lot of the space used up on it there wont be a lot you can do to improve things.

 

[corkerman]

I thank you for your knowledge and timely response.I will look into this more.Thanks again.

 

[Mychael]

Your welcome. There are more clever ppl around then I and I'm sure they'll give you more suggestions if they can.

 

[TrainableMan]

8GB is now a very common RAM size yet that is all you have on the HD? Mychael is right, the HD is likely almost full, no space for virtual mem. That is one of those laptops whose only value is as an internet browser if it isn't limited to dial-up.

 

[catilley1092]

I'd say try to find a 20GB or so hard drive that will fit, then you'll have some breathing room. Many of those older laptops would hold that much. XP will run comfortably on that, with all updates, it takes 11GB.

A 256MB RAM chip would help, too.

The only OS that I know of that will run on 8GB, fully updated, is Win 2K. You really need to be able to update the OS fully, for your protection & security.

Cat

Cat

 

[TrainableMan]

Actually you will probably pay a premium for out of production parts for little to no use value. I would not upgrade, I would use it for target practice.

 

[Mychael]

There is thruth to that. I upgraded an older laptop with more ram and a bigger HDD. The upgrade was a success but as I had to locate the older DDR ram and ide HDD it cost more.

 

[catilley1092]

Same here. That's why I won't spend another dime on this notebook that I have. A friend is supposed to send me a 2GB RAM stick for it, it's only running 512MB now, and cannot multi-task at all.

Cat

 

[corkerman]

thanks all .I just set up my first wireless network and i figured she could use it out on the patio to surf the web or check email.sofar it's still going.I couldn't update my avg virus without the memory.I dumped avg and went with mse .working ok sofar.

 

[clifford_cooley]

Hi corkerman

Which model do you have out of curiosity?

 

[TrainableMan]

If you go to control panel .... add or remove programs ... click 3rd icon down "add or remove windows components"

Strip it down to just the bare essentials to free up as much HD as possible and then just surf away.

But I wouldn't invest in any upgrades.

 

[corkerman]

hi clifford, It's a pcg-f480 sony vaio notebook.

 

[clifford_cooley]

Sony VAIO Notebook - User Guide - PCG-F420/PCG-F480/PCG-F490

After scanning through the Users Guide, I could give you a few options but as the others have stated it would not be worth it.

If you find that an upgrade would be needed, you might consider a cheap Netbook for such occasions as you mentioned.

ASUS Eee PC 1005HA-EU2X-BK Netbook - Intel Atom N270 1.60GHz, 1GB DDR2, 160GB HDD, 10.1" WSVGA, Windows XP Home, 3-Cell, Black
current pricing is $239

 

[catilley1092]

Regardless of anything, stay away from eBay, if you're looking for "something better". I learned that the hard way, usually, unless the item is new, in the sealed factory container, you're mostly getting junk. Especially with purchasing computers, be it a netbook, notebook or desktop. Many of these items are basically ready for the trash can when they arrive at your door.

And welcome to the forum, corkerman! Sorry, I forgot my manners! I feel that you can learn a lot here with Windows 7, and meet some new friends along the way.

Check out the tutorials, and the Free Software Database, there's lots of handy, useful items there, at no cost to you.

Best of Luck,
Cat

 

[TrainableMan]

I read an article, 10 things you should never buy used, and the first one on the list is a laptop because you never know if it has been dropped. Used items on eBay are like used items anywhere else; you are taking a chance on buying somebody else's problems. I would say ask questions and check the sellers reputation. Be an informed shopper. Buying on impulse has usually left me regretting it but if I plan it out and know my maximum price I am usually pleased with the results.