I have a 64bit intel quad core processor
4gb ram
1gb geforce

And everything seems so slow on Vista32. I don't like Windows7, XP is too old, and Vista64 would involve wiping out my computer. But google maps, you tube, etc is bogged down.

Is there anything else I can add or clear out on my computer that would make it faster?

8/21/2010 3:29:11 PM

8/21/2010 3:30:34 PM

what's not to like about win7?

seriously, without being able to pinpoint your slowness to specific apps that might be installed, i'd put the blame on vista

8/21/2010 3:43:03 PM

^ I honestly think it's more of a user issue than a Windows Vista issue. I used Vista 32 bit and 64bit on my current 4+ year old computer. It had only 2 GB of RAM at the time and a 256 mb 7900 GT and just a dual core AMD X2 4200+ @ 2.2 Ghz. Some of that has been upgraded over time (2 GB to 6 GB of RAM and a 8800GTS 512 mb), but Vista was never slow for me.

Yeah, Windows 7 is faster, but I found Vista faster than XP, and XP wasn't slow either.

If the OP is finding Vista 32 bit to be slow with a quad core 64-bit processor and 4 gigs of RAM, it's probably due to something that he has done himself to fuck up the OS. And considering that he can't specify the type of CPU he has or the type of video card he has (other than just the brand name), I find that it is likely that he's probably not good with computers.

You would be amazed at the number of shit people who don't know anything about computers will click on and install. They will click links in e-mails without thinking first. If an Internet pop-up tells them to install something, they will install it.


homeslice11, I suggest you remove all of the programs and installed items that you don't need or recognize. If you see something, and you don't know what it is, get rid of it.

If after doing that and restarting your computer, it is still slow. I suggest you type in the search box on the start menu "msconfig." A box will come up and you will select the "startup" tab. From there, you can uncheck things you don't need to start up with the computer. If you see something and you don't know what it is, I suggest you go to http://www.google.com and search for it. If you don't NEED it to start when the computer starts (which, you only need anti-virus software or anything labeled "Microsoft Windows Operating System"), then you typically will not need it to start with the computer.

And if you have something like an HP, Lenovo, or some other pre-built computer (one you bought from a manufacturer), odds are, they installed a lot of shit on your computer that you simply don't need or even want.

[Edited on August 21, 2010 at 4:08 PM. Reason : .]

8/21/2010 4:08:03 PM

don't be a pussy

wipe out the hard drive and do a clean installation of win7 x64

8/21/2010 6:32:58 PM

you could run a 64bit OS. In addition to utilizing your 64bit processor (if you're using apps available in 64bit versions), you'll be able to add more ram. 32bit is only going to support somewhere just above 3GB of ram (even though you have 4gb).

vista 64/win7 64 bit will support 8GB+

What kind of ram are you using?

what browser are you using?
What programs are you running in addition to the browser?

and why the hell do you like Vista32 and not like Win7?

8/21/2010 6:35:21 PM

The OS will always report less available RAM than there is, because some of it is reserved for the hardware; for example my laptop has 2GB of RAM and when I press WinKey+Break it says "1.96GB"

Anyway you may also consider your ad-blocking strategy (less content downloaded means faster browsing); I have written a guide about how to do this in just about any browser or operating system: http://jansal.net/adblock.shtml
Google Chrome runs very quickly and if you install the IE Tab extension you won't ever need to launch IE itself again, and it recently gained the ability to actually block content, so now Chrome AdBlock is just as powerful as AdBlock Plus on Firefox.

8/21/2010 6:40:55 PM

You named google maps and youtube... make sure your video drivers are installed correctly. If, for some reason, your PC is running on generic drivers, those types of applications will run slow.

Both are also browser specific, so give more information.

8/21/2010 7:07:09 PM

^^ right, but there is an actual limit as well. If you had 4GB in there, it wouldn't be 3.96. It would be around 3.5GB I believe. but the important thing there is that 32bit OSs max out at 4GB (less when you're talking practical). So even if you had 8GB, it wouldn't recognize more than 4. Going to a 64bit Windows OS allows for at least double the memory (and some allow for more than any of us will ever probably need for personal use).

That being said, this shouldn't really be an issue for him.

It shouldn't be a browser or ad issue. Unless he's using some no-name browser. i use FF, chrome and IE interchangeably and I occasionally use Opera. I have up to >25 pages, many streaming video, open at once. Sometimes multiple browsers going at a time, with no problems. I'm running on 2.2Ghz AMD 64 X2 dual core, 4gb of 800mhz ddr2 on xp pro. In addition to the browser(s) I almost always have a media player open and other apps. your machine nor your browser should be getting "bogged" down if you're browsing like the average person.

It could definitely be a driver issue. What video card do you have? I have an older geforce (at least old in video card terms), doesn't run well with the newer nvidia drivers for some reason. Rolling back a few versions makes everything work like a charm though.

Have you tried using different browsers to see if it's specific to your current browser?

Or maybe there's stuff running in the background eating up resources. Have you checked to see what is running?

[Edited on August 21, 2010 at 8:11 PM. Reason : .]

8/21/2010 8:09:09 PM

also, you can readyboost with flash memory.

8/21/2010 8:27:11 PM

save some type of hardware failure, this is most certainly user error. reformat with W7 x64. only install what you need, quit clicking on shit and picking up viruses/malware/spyware/adware, etc

[Edited on August 21, 2010 at 10:51 PM. Reason : .]

8/21/2010 10:50:36 PM

Quote :

"don't be a pussy wipe out the hard drive and do a clean installation of win7 x64"

8/22/2010 12:37:40 PM

Quote :

"I don't like Windows7"

Nobody prefers Windows Vista over Windows 7 ... and by nobody, I mean ... NO-body. Install Windows 7; get over your fear of change.

8/22/2010 2:45:26 PM

I'm seriously thinking about doing just this with a computer I have been tasked with refurbishing, because whenever it connects to a wireless router it can't get through to the Internets, and I know it's not the hardware because when I put an Ubuntu LiveCD it's fine (but the people I'm refurbishing it for require some Windows-only software so I can't just install Linux and say "problem solved").

8/22/2010 3:59:04 PM

Quote :

"save some type of hardware failure, this is most certainly user error. reformat with W7 x64. only install what you need, quit clicking on shit and picking up viruses/malware/spyware/adware, etc "

or http://www.returnilvirtualsystem.com/ - I put the free edition on our Win7 machines that are public. Love it so far.

8/22/2010 5:49:58 PM

whoa wait, did he says he prefers Vista over Windows 7?

8/22/2010 7:30:40 PM

^^^k I found the problem, it's the excessively-strong firewall component of Norton 360

8/22/2010 8:09:59 PM

Quote :

"seriously, without being able to pinpoint your slowness to specific apps that might be installed, i'd put the blame on vista"

[Edited on August 26, 2010 at 1:35 PM. Reason : Vista is horrid............. Win 7 is a gigantic improvement]

8/26/2010 1:34:50 PM

Quote :

"wipe out the hard drive and do a clean installation of win7 x64"

that.


vista is trash. 7 is not.


i'm sure someone who knows what they're doing could make your computer run better...but it may be easier for you to just upgrade to the superior operating system and be done with it.

8/26/2010 2:13:06 PM

Quote :

"wipe out the hard drive and do a clean installation of win7 x64"

8/26/2010 2:23:14 PM

New computer? Always felt sluggish? Or did you recently change hardware?

For Christmas I got 4GB of RAM and Windows 7. I had previously dual-booted Windows 7 beta on my computer with 2GB of RAM and Windows 7 was kicking XPs ass. As soon as I put the new RAM in and installed Windows 7 fresh single boot, the machine slowed to a crawl. Discovered the issue wasn't in the RAM itself but out-dated bios on the motherboard.

So do get 7, it kicks fucking ass, but don't rule out hardware problems either.

8/26/2010 2:41:58 PM

http://www.doublemyspeed.com/

no, seriously, just format and install Windows 7 64-bit

8/26/2010 3:03:32 PM