upgrade XP Home to XP Prof

I have a very slow laptop. I am sure that it is very clean. However, I
suspect that over the years the Registry may have suffered a 'bump' or two.
If the reason for the slowness was there, would an upgrade from XP Home to
XP Professional make sure that any problems withe registry and other parts
of the system would be totally solved?

Thank you

JB

No. Most slow computers can be fixed but it's a methodical and time
consuming process. The Registry is way down on the list of reasons
why a computer becomes sluggish.

"Peter" <abc@here.com> wrote in message
news:OC0834P8IHA.2548@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>I have a very slow laptop. I am sure that it is very clean. However, I
>suspect that over the years the Registry may have suffered a 'bump' or two.
>If the reason for the slowness was there, would an upgrade from XP Home to
>XP Professional make sure that any problems withe registry and other parts
>of the system would be totally solved?
>
> Thank you
>
> JB
>

I've tried just about everything. But, if you have the time and patience to
help me...

What about the upgrade?

Thanks

JB



"R. McCarty" <PcEngWork-NoSpam_@mindspring.com> escreveu na mensagem
news:%23rFQu9P8IHA.616@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> No. Most slow computers can be fixed but it's a methodical and time
> consuming process. The Registry is way down on the list of reasons
> why a computer becomes sluggish.
>
> "Peter" <abc@here.com> wrote in message
> news:OC0834P8IHA.2548@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>I have a very slow laptop. I am sure that it is very clean. However, I
>>suspect that over the years the Registry may have suffered a 'bump' or
>>two. If the reason for the slowness was there, would an upgrade from XP
>>Home to XP Professional make sure that any problems withe registry and
>>other parts of the system would be totally solved?
>>
>> Thank you
>>
>> JB
>>
>
>

No. Not in the least bit. In fact, the result would almost certainly be the
opposite.

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
http://grystmill.com

"Peter" <abc@here.com> wrote in message
news:OC0834P8IHA.2548@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>I have a very slow laptop. I am sure that it is very clean. However, I
>suspect that over the years the Registry may have suffered a 'bump' or two.
>If the reason for the slowness was there, would an upgrade from XP Home to
>XP Professional make sure that any problems withe registry and other parts
>of the system would be totally solved?
>
> Thank you
>
> JB
>

"just about everything" is not informative. Just what does that phrase
include, in a much detail as you can manage? What have you suspected, what
utilities have you run, etc.? What applications do you use regularly, and
what applications are running in the background?

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
http://grystmill.com

"Peter" <abc@here.com> wrote in message
news:O9qYbBQ8IHA.3736@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> I've tried just about everything. But, if you have the time and patience
> to help me...
>
> What about the upgrade?
>
> Thanks
>
> JB
>
>
>
> "R. McCarty" <PcEngWork-NoSpam_@mindspring.com> escreveu na mensagem
> news:%23rFQu9P8IHA.616@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>> No. Most slow computers can be fixed but it's a methodical and time
>> consuming process. The Registry is way down on the list of reasons
>> why a computer becomes sluggish.
>>
>> "Peter" <abc@here.com> wrote in message
>> news:OC0834P8IHA.2548@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>>I have a very slow laptop. I am sure that it is very clean. However, I
>>>suspect that over the years the Registry may have suffered a 'bump' or
>>>two. If the reason for the slowness was there, would an upgrade from XP
>>>Home to XP Professional make sure that any problems withe registry and
>>>other parts of the system would be totally solved?
>>>
>>> Thank you
>>>
>>> JB
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

Peter wrote:

> I've tried just about everything. But, if you have the time and patience
> to help me...
>
> What about the upgrade?

It is extremely unlikely that the registry has anything to do with your
computer's slowness. It is also extremely unlikely that applying an
operating system upgrade will fix things. Since I have no idea what "just
about everything" entails, I can't give you a specific troubleshooting
path.

Some things to check:

1. If the drive is in PIO mode instead of DMA. See MVP Hans-Georg Michna's
page here - http://winhlp.com/?q=node/10

2. Make sure there's no problem with the RAM.

3. Boot with a Live Linux CD and see how the system responds. Still slow?
Then it's hardware.

If you want further help, you'll need to provide information about your
computer and what you've done.

Malke
--
MS-MVP
Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic!
FAQ - http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/#FAQ

Upgrade would NOT help.

The general "Tune-Up" items include:
1. Backup your data & verify ( Preferably a full volume Image )
2. Chkdsk C:
3. Defrag C:
4. Review and modify Startups & Watchdog apps
5. Review Event Logs and resolve ALL warnings & errors
6. Uninstall all unnecessary or unused applications
*OEM computers are factory delivered with lots of questionable apps.
7. Update the "Common" applications, such as Sun Java, Adobe Reader
Flash & Shockwave ( if desired ).
8. Purge System Restore
9. Bring XP fully up to date ( Service Packs, Hotfixes )
10. Update all primary device drivers ( Video, Chipset, Sound and NIC )
11. If using McAfee or Norton consider replacement as both inflict severe
performance degradation.

Optional, but beneficial
A. Review System loading with TaskMgr or Performance Monitor


"Peter" <abc@here.com> wrote in message
news:O9qYbBQ8IHA.3736@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> I've tried just about everything. But, if you have the time and patience
> to help me...
>
> What about the upgrade?
>
> Thanks
>
> JB
>
>
>
> "R. McCarty" <PcEngWork-NoSpam_@mindspring.com> escreveu na mensagem
> news:%23rFQu9P8IHA.616@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>> No. Most slow computers can be fixed but it's a methodical and time
>> consuming process. The Registry is way down on the list of reasons
>> why a computer becomes sluggish.
>>
>> "Peter" <abc@here.com> wrote in message
>> news:OC0834P8IHA.2548@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>>I have a very slow laptop. I am sure that it is very clean. However, I
>>>suspect that over the years the Registry may have suffered a 'bump' or
>>>two. If the reason for the slowness was there, would an upgrade from XP
>>>Home to XP Professional make sure that any problems withe registry and
>>>other parts of the system would be totally solved?
>>>
>>> Thank you
>>>
>>> JB
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

I did virus/trojan/spyware checks with various programs (McAfee, Kaspersky,
Trend, Spybot, Ad.aware, and several others) All is clean.
I uninstalled various programs to see if it helped. It did not.
I know McAfee slows things down considerably especially while it looks to
see if updates are needed, during download, and I suspect that it holds onto
memory after that. The same happens (I thgink) with Adobe Reader 8. I am
thinking of uninstalling it and trying to install an old Reader 5.

I have a Toshiba laptop Satellite 1900-303, it has 256 Mb of memory which I
think may be not enough to run XP Home SP3, McAfee, etc.

The biggest suspect at the moment is the question of programs like McAfee
and Adobe not releasing memory after download and use.

Eventually, I may have to install the XP Home that comes with the computer
and start all over again. That would be my fisrt 'failure' in many years
using computers. I have a full XP professional and thought maybe an upgrade
would be a way of cleaning things up if they need cleaning.

Incidentally, I have defragmented the 30 Gb disk which only has 12 Gb in it.

I do feel (I am not sure) that it runs faster in safe Mode. I have gone
through the rigmarole of selective start-ups and unchecked a whole load of
services and programmes from the start-up tabs in Msconfig. The problem may
be slightly better but the computer is still very slow on start-up (could be
due to hanshaking between the laptop, the router and McAfee all fighting
for an IP address). Then, later it gets better until I open a .PDF file or
there is McAfee or ASdobe downloads (I have stopped automatic downloads
now).

Any more ideas?

Thank you for your interest.

JB



"Gary S. Terhune" <none> escreveu na mensagem
news:eXnXjGQ8IHA.2332@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> "just about everything" is not informative. Just what does that phrase
> include, in a much detail as you can manage? What have you suspected, what
> utilities have you run, etc.? What applications do you use regularly, and
> what applications are running in the background?
>
> --
> Gary S. Terhune
> MS-MVP Shell/User
> http://grystmill.com
>
> "Peter" <abc@here.com> wrote in message
> news:O9qYbBQ8IHA.3736@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>> I've tried just about everything. But, if you have the time and patience
>> to help me...
>>
>> What about the upgrade?
>>
>> Thanks
>>
>> JB
>>
>>
>>
>> "R. McCarty" <PcEngWork-NoSpam_@mindspring.com> escreveu na mensagem
>> news:%23rFQu9P8IHA.616@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>>> No. Most slow computers can be fixed but it's a methodical and time
>>> consuming process. The Registry is way down on the list of reasons
>>> why a computer becomes sluggish.
>>>
>>> "Peter" <abc@here.com> wrote in message
>>> news:OC0834P8IHA.2548@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>>>I have a very slow laptop. I am sure that it is very clean. However, I
>>>>suspect that over the years the Registry may have suffered a 'bump' or
>>>>two. If the reason for the slowness was there, would an upgrade from XP
>>>>Home to XP Professional make sure that any problems withe registry and
>>>>other parts of the system would be totally solved?
>>>>
>>>> Thank you
>>>>
>>>> JB
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

Thanks Malke

I gave some details in another message a few minutes ago.

Before I start downloading progs to check PIO/DMA I wonder if it applies to
my system.

How do I check if RAM is ok? In Task Manager I see the 256 Mb go down to
anything between 100 Mb and 15Mb just now with only IE and OE open.
However, as I said elsewhere I had Adobe Reader open earlier and have not
restarted since.

Then I am sorry, but I don't know what a Live Linux CD is...?

Thanks for your interest.

JB



"Malke" <malke@invalid.invalid> escreveu na mensagem
news:%23rB4UHQ8IHA.5596@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> Peter wrote:
>
>> I've tried just about everything. But, if you have the time and patience
>> to help me...
>>
>> What about the upgrade?
>
> It is extremely unlikely that the registry has anything to do with your
> computer's slowness. It is also extremely unlikely that applying an
> operating system upgrade will fix things. Since I have no idea what "just
> about everything" entails, I can't give you a specific troubleshooting
> path.
>
> Some things to check:
>
> 1. If the drive is in PIO mode instead of DMA. See MVP Hans-Georg Michna's
> page here - http://winhlp.com/?q=node/10
>
> 2. Make sure there's no problem with the RAM.
>
> 3. Boot with a Live Linux CD and see how the system responds. Still slow?
> Then it's hardware.
>
> If you want further help, you'll need to provide information about your
> computer and what you've done.
>
> Malke
> --
> MS-MVP
> Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic!
> FAQ - http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/#FAQ
>

Thanks, I have done all that.

System restore was suspended during my virus checks and restarted when I was
sure the system was clean.

I DO have errors which wre discussed in another thread (22 July ' Error
7023'

I have not updated device drivers at the suggestion of Toshiba that reckoned
that the original ones are fine. My suspicion there would be regarding the
graphics driver. The mouse gets stuck often when the computer nearly hangs
(it does not, though) and on those occasions if I close a web page it rolls
down slowly as if it were a curtain. I am worried about updating drivers,
because Toshiba page is not very friendly and if I end up with the wrong
driver...

JB


"R. McCarty" <PcEngWork-NoSpam_@mindspring.com> escreveu na mensagem
news:ueONoKQ8IHA.5596@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> Upgrade would NOT help.
>
> The general "Tune-Up" items include:
> 1. Backup your data & verify ( Preferably a full volume Image )
> 2. Chkdsk C:
> 3. Defrag C:
> 4. Review and modify Startups & Watchdog apps
> 5. Review Event Logs and resolve ALL warnings & errors
> 6. Uninstall all unnecessary or unused applications
> *OEM computers are factory delivered with lots of questionable apps.
> 7. Update the "Common" applications, such as Sun Java, Adobe Reader
> Flash & Shockwave ( if desired ).
> 8. Purge System Restore
> 9. Bring XP fully up to date ( Service Packs, Hotfixes )
> 10. Update all primary device drivers ( Video, Chipset, Sound and NIC )
> 11. If using McAfee or Norton consider replacement as both inflict severe
> performance degradation.
>
> Optional, but beneficial
> A. Review System loading with TaskMgr or Performance Monitor
>
>
> "Peter" <abc@here.com> wrote in message
> news:O9qYbBQ8IHA.3736@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>> I've tried just about everything. But, if you have the time and patience
>> to help me...
>>
>> What about the upgrade?
>>
>> Thanks
>>
>> JB
>>
>>
>>
>> "R. McCarty" <PcEngWork-NoSpam_@mindspring.com> escreveu na mensagem
>> news:%23rFQu9P8IHA.616@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>>> No. Most slow computers can be fixed but it's a methodical and time
>>> consuming process. The Registry is way down on the list of reasons
>>> why a computer becomes sluggish.
>>>
>>> "Peter" <abc@here.com> wrote in message
>>> news:OC0834P8IHA.2548@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>>>I have a very slow laptop. I am sure that it is very clean. However, I
>>>>suspect that over the years the Registry may have suffered a 'bump' or
>>>>two. If the reason for the slowness was there, would an upgrade from XP
>>>>Home to XP Professional make sure that any problems withe registry and
>>>>other parts of the system would be totally solved?
>>>>
>>>> Thank you
>>>>
>>>> JB
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>