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Windows XP

Hunts121

Hunts121

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 21, 2005
216
1
Massachusetts
Hey its the same guy who had the DSL question yesterday, my grandparents also bought a copy of Windows XP (I know I know this is a mac forum), but before they open it I want to make sure they are gonna enjoy the experience (well as much as windows can be). It runs fine on my windows pc (listed in sig) but theirs is less powerful here are the specs. As I said I know its a mac forum but you guys always seem to have the answers.

Pentium II @ 450MHz
512MB RAM
20 GB HD
nVidia TNT2 Ultra w/ 32MB RAM
 
It should run fine, proccessor is a bit weak but if its just for surfing the web it should be fine, all I would do is an another 128 or 256 chip of ram to make it a bit snappier.
 
Windows XP will run fine on that machine. Probably not lightning fast and I wouldn't recommend multitasking larger applications on that machine. But for browsing the internet, email and doing a word document once in awhile it will be alright.

I use a ibm thinkpad 600 (ancient machine) with 196MB RAM,PII running at 266mhz(I think!) and windows xp runs on it.
 
The full XP experience is going to be pretty week on that computer. Here are my 3 solutions:

1. Find a copy of 98 and put that on it.
2. Find a copy of 2000 and put that on it.
3. Install XP, then turn off all extra stuff like themes, effects, etc.

Option 2 would be my 1st choise.
 
alexstein said:
Windows XP will run fine on that machine. Probably not lightning fast and I wouldn't recommend multitasking larger applications on that machine. But for browsing the internet, email and doing a word document once in awhile it will be alright.

I use a ibm thinkpad 600 (ancient machine) with 196MB RAM,PII running at 266mhz(I think!) and windows xp runs on it.
Click to expand...


yeah thats all they plan on doing, web browsing and such, maybe an occasional DVD (they have a decoder card so shouldn't be any performance issues). The only apps they really use are Mozilla Thunderbird and Firefox, Word and as I said PowerDVD now and then.
 
grapes911 said:
The full XP experience is going to be pretty week on that computer. Here are my 3 solutions:

1. Find a copy of 98 and put that on it.
2. Find a copy of 2000 and put that on it.
3. Install XP, then turn off all extra stuff like themes, effects, etc.

Option 2 would be my 1st choise.
Click to expand...


They have Windows 98 SE on it now. My aunt convinced them they needed Windows XP, I told them it was probably not a good idea...they bought it anyways. I have the CD so if it sucks I can put 98SE back on and have them ebay the copy of windows all while sayin "I told ya so" haha
 
grapes911 said:
The full XP experience is going to be pretty week on that computer. Here are my 3 solutions:

1. Find a copy of 98 and put that on it.
2. Find a copy of 2000 and put that on it.
3. Install XP, then turn off all extra stuff like themes, effects, etc.

Option 2 would be my 1st choise.
Click to expand...
Well, since they already have bought XP, I guess option 3 is the only one at the moment.

To try to improve the experience (won't be great) the first thing you should do is turn of unnecessary services (see: link)

Then as grapes911 said, turn off themes and effects by modifying the settings for performance (Control Panel/Performance and Maintenance/Adjust visual effects -> Adjust for best performance)
 
Thanks i figured it'd be fine but I don't want them bitchin' that their computer sucks because of me putting on Windows XP (even though I wasnt the one who told them they should lol). Yeah i figured I'd have to disable the eye candy and whatnot, but I appreciate the suggestions :) thanks again
 
Hunts121 said:
They have Windows 98 SE on it now. My aunt convinced them they needed Windows XP, I told them it was probably not a good idea...they bought it anyways. I have the CD so if it sucks I can put 98SE back on and have them ebay the copy of windows all while sayin "I told ya so" haha
Click to expand...

The sad thing is, you can can get a new bottom line pc for about 300-400 bucks, and they probably spent 200 bucks on thier copy of XP.

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They had XP home for $199.99.

Maybe have them take it back, and get a new computer??
 
Roger1 said:
The sad thing is, you can can get a new bottom line pc for about 300-400 bucks, and they probably spent 200 bucks on thier copy of XP.

They had XP home for $199.99.

Maybe have them take it back, and get a new computer??
Click to expand...


I didn't even think about that. If you parents spend that much money on XP there is no second thought! Return it and put that money towards a new or better PC. (That would make a great christmas gift!)

Anyhow let us know what you ended up doing.
 
XP WILL run... but not snappy and speedy - and on a first install, it will be slow... but after the computers all set up it will be faster...

Just dont try to play games on it, or download a lot of stuff or run anything remotely like PhotoShop...
 
Roger1 said:
The sad thing is, you can can get a new bottom line pc for about 300-400 bucks, and they probably spent 200 bucks on thier copy of XP.

BEST BUY
Compare Now
eMachines - 3100+ Desktop T3104
AMD Sempron™ processor 3100+; DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive; 100GB hard drive; 256MB PC3200 DDR SDRAM; 8-in-1 media manager
Save up to $40 on Router, UPS & Speakers
Three Software Titles for $49.98 Offer
Up to 15% off accessories - find out how

Our Price: $389.99
Save more! Up to:
$50 mail-in rebates


They had XP home for $199.99.

Maybe have them take it back, and get a new computer??
Click to expand...

haha believe me I explained this to them, but my aunt gave them that computer (the same one who told them to get XP) so they said they'd feel guilty about chucking it :rolleyes:
 
dotdotdot said:
XP WILL run... but not snappy and speedy - and on a first install, it will be slow... but after the computers all set up it will be faster...

Just dont try to play games on it, or download a lot of stuff or run anything remotely like PhotoShop...
Click to expand...

haha they won't be playing games and I doubt they have ever heard of photoshop, they just use it for internet so they really only use firefox and thunderbird. Sometimes they watch a DVD but thats about it. This isn't my computer, the two I own are in my sig. The windows one soon to be replaced (I'm building my own).;)
 
I'm sure XP will run fine on the computer as long as it doesn't get bogged down with malware. The thing I did for my mom when she bought an XP laptop was showing her how to run adaware and the like. Sure, it sucks, but if they don't do it Windows will slow down to a crawl, which won't be fun on an old computer.
 
Roger1 said:
They had XP home for $199.99.
Click to expand...
XP Home upgrade retails for anywhere from $89-$99.

I bought a license at Target for $89 about the same time I bought my iBook.

I orginally bought it to run on a similarly speced Toshiba laptop (~400 MHz, 640 M RAM, crappy video). I installed a 7200 RPM drive too, but the performance was still less than desirable. Though I think part of that is the hardware's real issues with all IDE drives, including the CD-ROM.

Anyhow I now have it running on a PIII 750 MHz, 512 MB desktop and the performance is adequate.

For the same $ ($389 before rebate) as the Best Buy offer, they could also just as well buy a refurb Mac mini from Apple.

B
 
I still surf the net with my trusty old Pentium 150Mhz PC with 24MB of RAM and Windows 98 SE. As long as I run adaware, spybot S&D and 2 other programs weekly, I am ok. If I leave the PC running all night connected to the internet, the next morning, it runs a bit sluggish.

I need to upgrade my PC to 128MB of RAM to run XP but I can't find my type of RAM anywhere. I think your machine will run fine.
 
Hunts121 said:
They have Windows 98 SE on it now. My aunt convinced them they needed Windows XP, I told them it was probably not a good idea...they bought it anyways. I have the CD so if it sucks I can put 98SE back on and have them ebay the copy of windows all while sayin "I told ya so" haha
Click to expand...

There is no comparison between 98 and XP. It will run fine for their purposes (internet, email, etc). XP is much easier to work with and is a more stable OS than 98. I'm not even sure if Microsoft is still supporting 98 (not crucial either way). XP is a proven OS that is constantly being updated. They'll want to make sure and think about virus software and spyware protection if they are novice users. You generally get viruses because you 1. visit the wrong types of sites (I don't think they'll be in this class of users) or 2. open e-mail attachments from people they don't know or from those they do that still contain some type of virus. Oh, and don't forget Sony:) Keep them away from ripping/playing any Sony discs for a while. I wouldn't recommend much of that on their system anyway. If they are as impatient as my grandparents, they will want to avoid these activities. Otherwise, they will have a relatively trouble free experience.

You can get a free subscription of virus protection from Computer Associates and the Spyware protection is also free from Microsoft. If for some reason you think they will need a firewall other than that which comes with XP sp2, you can also get a basic firewall for free (try www.zonealarm.com).

In the end, I'd say it is worth it to go ahead and install the OS even if it is near minimum in terms of performance. From a user standpoint they will be much happier.
 
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