Evening Guys/Girls, I am looking to maybe upgrade my laptop. I am at the basic level when it comes to knowing about the Processors, Memory, and Video. Here is a little bit of Information: Manufacturer: Toshiba Model: Satellite M55 Processor: Intel Pentium M processor 1.86 GHz (Gigahertz If I am not mistaken) Speed: 1860 MHz (Megahertz If I am not mistaken) Memory: 1015 MB (Megabytes) RAM Video: Mobile Intel 915GM/GMS, 910 GMS Express That is the information given. Any ideas on how I could make this faster? Many programs seem to become unresponsive constanty. I have thought about installing Window's 7, but I don't quite understand how this could make my laptop any faster. Would installing a new and improved processor help it? I really like reading some of the things about computers on the forums, and your input would be great. Thanks, William (TrueTalent)

Sorry no one has replied to this yet. Somehow I missed it. Windows 7 is supposed to have a more efficient kernel base that allows it to run faster on the same machine in comparison. I'm currently stuck with Vista for reasons beyond my control so I've never used 7 and I can't say if it's faster or not. You could try reinstalling your OS. Over time Windows seems to get less and less efficient as the registry gets more cluttered. There are also programs out there (such as CCleaner) that try to remove unnecessary files and clean your registry to make your computer faster. As far as hardware upgrades, on a laptop the best you can do is upgrade RAM. Anything else is too costly and difficult to upgrade; you're better off just buying a new laptop if you want a faster processor or graphics card.

Windows 7 is pretty nice, just gonna say...

Ahhh, I read a post from either you or Nathan about reinstalling the OS. I might have to ask my father all this. Don't want to mess up a perfectly usable laptop because I think I know what I am doing. Thanks for the information though. Eh, I never did like Vista. Windows 7 is a little confusing after using XP for the longest time. Once again, Thanks again, -William (TrueTalent)

On that note, if your family has any older computers that are just sitting around and you want to learn about computers, hook one of the old boxes up and play around with it. Reinstall windows, dual boot linux, etc. -- pick a task and google (or ask us to get you on the right track) till you find the answer. I'm only just now taking the first formal computer classes of my life (minus some basic html classes), yet I still learn more just by experimenting myself.

Unfortuantly I do not have any old computers lieing around. Althought that does sound like a good idea! Maybe I could pick up a broken one from somewhere, like a yardsale, or a thriftshop. Thanks for the idea! -William (TrueTalent)

[b]TrueTalent wrote:[/b] [quote]Unfortuantly I do not have any old computers lieing around. Althought that does sound like a good idea! Maybe I could pick up a broken one from somewhere, like a yardsale, or a thriftshop. Thanks for the idea! -William (TrueTalent)[/quote] A while back I posted an ad on craigslist for old computers that people aren't using any more. A few people gave me free ones, while most asked somewhere around $10-20 for it. Either way, it's pretty likely you could do something similar to pick up an old computer for super cheap and have a blast messing around with hardware, OS's, maybe some coding, and different software.

[b]serfofChrist92 wrote:[/b] [quote]You could try reinstalling your OS. Over time Windows seems to get less and less efficient as the registry gets more cluttered. There are also programs out there (such as CCleaner) that try to remove unnecessary files and clean your registry to make your computer faster. As far as hardware upgrades, on a laptop the best you can do is upgrade RAM. Anything else is too costly and difficult to upgrade; you're better off just buying a new laptop if you want a faster processor or graphics card.[/quote] This is some great advice. Windows, unlike Linux, clogs down the OS with bloated system files and cluttered registry. Because of this, It's highly recommended that every six months, you completely wipe the OS and reinstall it. If your computer came with Windows Recovery discs (most new computers do) you can just insert these and follow the prompts after you've wiped the OS. Like Ben said, the only cost-effective thing to upgrade is the RAM, and it's only efficient to run 3GB of RAM if you're not running a 64-bit version of Windows, if I recall. You [i]could[/i] upgrade the HDD, but depending on the issue, it may not help a whole lot...and it can get pricey for 2.5" HDDs. Aside from this, there are minor things you can do which can help. Clear out your cookies, temporary internet files, and temp files. Uninstall programs you haven't used in a few months. If you are using McAffee or Norton's, I'd recommend uninstalling them and using AVG or Avast! instead (if you choose to do this, you may want to research how to completely remove those antivirus programs as they get really deep into your system and bloat it up so you have to do more than just hit "Remove Program"). Reduce the amount of programs that start up with your computer (Start > Run > msconfig > Startup, then uncheck just about everything). All of these things can help revitalize your computer without revamping the OS. :)

I have AVG and the old Anti-Virus software is on here. So I might just take off McAfee. There are a TON of Rosetta Stone files that makes my scan FOREVER. I will just delete those too.. Thanks for the Advice. I will see if I can check Craigslist for some stuff.

[b]TrueTalent wrote:[/b] [quote]I have AVG and the old Anti-Virus software is on here. So I might just take off McAfee. There are a TON of Rosetta Stone files that makes my scan FOREVER. I will just delete those too.. Thanks for the Advice. I will see if I can check Craigslist for some stuff.[/quote] Yeah, try to never have two antivirus programs on the same computer, as they generally work against each other.