This rig needs "special" help......

HawgsHead · Mar 25, 2006, 03:57 AM

It's an HP.My "family computer"450MHz Intel Celeron Proc.-256mb strip of RAM{no,not DDR}4500RPM Hard Drive.....and.......the topper of all the toppers......4 WHOLE MB of GFX allocation.Is there anmything that can be done too this......,snail......shall we say,So it can be called a computer?

swimtech · Mar 25, 2006, 04:56 AM

What OS is it running?

HawgsHead · Mar 25, 2006, 05:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swimtech

What OS is it running?

XP Home

Necrosis · Mar 25, 2006, 06:10 AM

Nothing man...I'm surprised that thing is in the same house with your PC.

swimtech · Mar 25, 2006, 06:38 PM

Ah, XP - that machine is just plain having a hard time with the overhead of running XP - a CPU and memory upgrade might actually be possible and worthwhile. What is the model number of your HP, and serial number? Shoot, I'm running a Compaq that has the same level of technology that the machine you're asking about has - might actually make a useful second unit for lots of things - but not gaming without a nice video card upgrade...

There's a real good chance that you could find and apply a bios update, then hunt around for a processor and another 256M of ram, and that machine would be very usable - and quite likely for less than 50.00 or so (used prices) for both pieces of hardware.

Judas · Mar 25, 2006, 10:03 PM

XP Pro Sp2 will run better then XP home, Windows ME, Windows 98, windows 95 on that machine

In the bios there should be an option for setting the allocation from 4 to 16mb (16mb is most likely the maximum).

Also, 256mb minus 16 is 240mb of ram....

If that computer has a 15gb hardrive or larger, set the first partition to 10gb and the 2nd (last) to 5gb and after installing xp on it, forcefully set the swap file to that location to improve overall swap file preformance. (imo, 1024 or 1536 initial and 4096 max)..

If i can get windows XP Pro SP2 loaded onto a 1.1gb HD, 90mhz 486DX intel pentium (non MMX) 72mb of ram and an intergrated 512kb s3 video and have it still run smooth enough to browse the internet and play around on msn (and have it boot up fully loaded within 45 seconds)... that machine should fly!

Minimum requirements for windows XP Pro SP2 is:

50mhz (tried installing to 33mhz... wouldn't let me lol, not without using the /nvm command)
64mb of ram
1038mb of hardrive space AFTER partitioning

that's it... meet those requirements and you can run it.

HawgsHead · Mar 25, 2006, 11:17 PM

I have SP2 installed as well as all the updates.How do I go about uping the video RAM from 4MB to wide open?And the HD is 40GB.But man it takes FOREVER,and I mean FOREVER to come up.And I dont load all that bullshit on start-up....I know what MS Config is for.And by the way,what do I click on to get into the BIOS on this thing?

swimtech · Mar 26, 2006, 03:06 AM

If you go to HP's site with the model of your unit, there should be a guide there of some sort that tells you how to get into the system setup (bios) - on my Compaq it is F10 or F12 (I forget which...) while the Compaq logo is on the screen.

Mar 25, 2006, 03:57 AM	#1
HawgsHead Rest In Peace Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Danville Virginia.The United States of America"In the God of Abraham,Isaac and Jacob We Trust" Posts: 2,012 Rep Power: 0	This rig needs "special" help...... It's an HP.My "family computer"450MHz Intel Celeron Proc.-256mb strip of RAM{no,not DDR}4500RPM Hard Drive.....and.......the topper of all the toppers......4 WHOLE MB of GFX allocation.Is there anmything that can be done too this......,snail......shall we say,So it can be called a computer? __________________ Rig specs to the left in the boxes....X-Box 360 w/Hitachi 42" HDTV....If Darwins theory of evolution is true then why are monkeys still monkeys?It takes much more faith to believe in Darwin's theory over the Genesis account of creation.

Mar 25, 2006, 04:56 AM	#2
swimtech HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: North Carolina Posts: 4,040 Rep Power: 122 System Specs	What OS is it running? __________________ It's not so much getting your way that matters or not - what matters is how you go about getting it.

Mar 25, 2006, 06:38 PM	#5
swimtech HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: North Carolina Posts: 4,040 Rep Power: 122 System Specs	Ah, XP - that machine is just plain having a hard time with the overhead of running XP - a CPU and memory upgrade might actually be possible and worthwhile. What is the model number of your HP, and serial number? Shoot, I'm running a Compaq that has the same level of technology that the machine you're asking about has - might actually make a useful second unit for lots of things - but not gaming without a nice video card upgrade... There's a real good chance that you could find and apply a bios update, then hunt around for a processor and another 256M of ram, and that machine would be very usable - and quite likely for less than 50.00 or so (used prices) for both pieces of hardware. __________________ It's not so much getting your way that matters or not - what matters is how you go about getting it.

Mar 25, 2006, 11:17 PM	Thread Starter #7
HawgsHead Rest In Peace Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Danville Virginia.The United States of America"In the God of Abraham,Isaac and Jacob We Trust" Posts: 2,012 Rep Power: 0	I have SP2 installed as well as all the updates.How do I go about uping the video RAM from 4MB to wide open?And the HD is 40GB.But man it takes FOREVER,and I mean FOREVER to come up.And I dont load all that bullshit on start-up....I know what MS Config is for.And by the way,what do I click on to get into the BIOS on this thing? __________________ Rig specs to the left in the boxes....X-Box 360 w/Hitachi 42" HDTV....If Darwins theory of evolution is true then why are monkeys still monkeys?It takes much more faith to believe in Darwin's theory over the Genesis account of creation. Last edited by HawgsHead; Mar 25, 2006 at 11:37 PM.

Mar 26, 2006, 03:06 AM	#8
swimtech HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: North Carolina Posts: 4,040 Rep Power: 122 System Specs	If you go to HP's site with the model of your unit, there should be a guide there of some sort that tells you how to get into the system setup (bios) - on my Compaq it is F10 or F12 (I forget which...) while the Compaq logo is on the screen. __________________ It's not so much getting your way that matters or not - what matters is how you go about getting it.

Mar 25, 2006, 06:10 AM	#4
Necrosis HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Ohio Posts: 8,838 Rep Power: 129 System Specs	Nothing man...I'm surprised that thing is in the same house with your PC.