View Full Version : Miss Janet's Computer needs a performance boost
gargamel
04-26-2006, 10:10
Everbody who has used Miss Janet's computer in the past has for sure noticed that it lacks performance. One part of the problem was a corruption of the registry (solved by Wolfpa) but there is still one big problem left: the memory space is only 256 mb. Unfortunatelly there are only two RAM slots built in otherwise it would have been possible to take out memory of some not longer used computers and add it to this one. Buying new memory would be an option but why spend a lot of money if there are so many unused computers sitting in closets and basements.
Do you have an older computer you not longer use?
Great!
Why don't you take out the memory and donate it to speed up Miss J's machine? I think not only Janet but every hiker who uses this computer would highly appreciate your donation.
If it's a PC-100 or PC-133 module with at least 256 mb send it to:
Janet Hensley
220 North Elms Av.
Erwin, TN
37650
Maybe Janet will put up a little sign that reads: "The speed of this computer is provided by [insert your name]" :D
Everbody who has used Miss Janet's computer in the past has for sure noticed that it lacks performance. One part of the problem was a corruption of the registry (solved by Wolfpa) but there is still one big problem left: the memory space is only 256 mb. Unfortunatelly there are only two RAM slots built in otherwise it would have been possible to take out memory of some not longer used computers and add it to this one. Buying new memory would be an option but why spend a lot of money if there are so many unused computers sitting in closets and basements.
Do you have an older computer you not longer use?
Great!
Why don't you take out the memory and donate it to speed up Miss J's machine? I think not only Janet but every hiker who uses this computer would highly appreciate your donation.
If it's a PC-100 or PC-133 module with at least 256 mb send it to:
Janet Hensley
220 North Elms Av.
Erwin, TN
37650
Maybe Janet will put up a little sign that reads: "The speed of this computer is provided by [insert your name]" :DMiss J,I was having a major problem at Budget Inn with so many using my public computers.I know with the number of guest that you have it must be the same.My solution was I
had the freeze system downloaded in my computers and I don't allow the computer to store anything.Call me and I'll get an e-mail address for you to
get exact details.I don't care how much the computer is causing,turn it off
and everything goes back to normal.This year this has worked perfect for me.With this system you don't need a strong computer.This is what most
commercial computers have in internet cafes,libraries and such.PS you have a great Day German Butler,Ron Haven
tiamalle
04-26-2006, 12:40
Sorry,
someone else was logged in on this computer and I sent a massage under
big oz.anyway that was me Miss J,Ron Haven the Mayor of Franklin,NC
hikerjohnd
04-26-2006, 12:52
Could Miss Janet use a whole new PC? Just curious...
Could Miss Janet use a whole new PC? Just curious...probably so, and if u could afford to do it, then give her one that will be of high volume use..........
I sent her a good laptop two weeks ago that should be in her possession. No need to worry, her computer problems should be resolved... It's good that you are all concerned about her though!
I sent her a good laptop two weeks ago that should be in her possession. No need to worry, her computer problems should be resolved... It's good that you are all concerned about her though!
Wow, thanks!!
That was way nice of you!!!!!!
Doctari.
gargamel
04-28-2006, 11:36
I sent her a good laptop two weeks ago that should be in her possession. No need to worry, her computer problems should be resolved... It's good that you are all concerned about her though!
I know that and she is very happy you sent it to her but she intends to use it for herself. I was talking about the "public" computer in the kitchen that is used by everyone and setting up your laptop for public use probably wouldn't do any good for it (just think about people sitting there with their coffee mugs or beer cans)
My solution was I had the freeze system downloaded in my computers and I don't allow the computer to store anything.
Setting up some sort of profile that allows only certain things to do for "normal" users is exactly was Wolfpa and I suggested. But for whatever reason Janet doesn't like the idea to give hikers only restricted access.
You may have a good day too, Ron :)
Could Miss Janet use a whole new PC? Just curious...
I'm pretty sure she would appreciate that very much.
I would think it she set it's scheduled tasks for disk clean-up and disk defrag it would help. Adding Spybot and Adaware would probably help too.
Trail Dog
04-28-2006, 12:36
hey someone tell miss J i got a one gig PIII with a gig of Ram and a 60 GB hard drive that i am upgrading out of. We could take her other hard drive and throw it in for more room, i recall ordering her a larger hard drive when i was there two years ago although someone else was to put it in. I believe i have a 17 inch CRT that i dont need. I will wipe the drive and put in an OS with all the software she would need.
I could bring the 17 inch monitor down to trail days but i will need the old computer till i get around to building my new box. That i can just mail.
I would think it she set it's scheduled tasks for disk clean-up and disk defrag it would help. Adding Spybot and Adaware would probably help too.
She does those things, ad nauseum actually. They don't help that much. The hardware itself is slow. Seems like this thread will take care of it though.
max patch
04-28-2006, 16:34
I heard that neo was checking out pics of hillary and it scared the computer to death.
Don't know if thats true or not.
Pacific Tortuga
04-28-2006, 16:44
I heard that neo was checking out pics of hillary and it scared the computer to death.
Don't know if thats true or not.
Humor,right? just do not know if I would use post '666' ,if one believes in cosmic justice. ;)
I am a computer tech and what we do for people that bring there computers in with lots of spyware, malware, viruses and etc is reinstall the OS and restore everything they had on there and make an image of the hard drive with Norton Ghost so that if it starts acting bad, all the user has to do is backup their files and use Ghost to restore to the image file we made for them that restores the computer like new. Very easy and really quick. If you think this is a good idea, I can help you out with images or whatever you need. :D Dube
Does anyone know the specs of the computers that she currently has down there? Everyone says they stink and are slow, but I need a reference point here cause I have another computer I can give her that is pretty fast, but I need to compare it to what she currently has. Thanks in advance to whomever can answer this!!
She does those things, ad nauseum actually. They don't help that much. The hardware itself is slow. Seems like this thread will take care of it though.
How slow?
I'm on dial-up and have a 6 year old computer that's slow. Any thing that's as fast as this is OK with me. You wanna see slow try the library computer in Rawlins, WY!
titanium_hiker
04-29-2006, 03:46
has she looked at linux? (a operating system) that runs fast, is not susceptible to viruses and spyware. It runs great on older, slower systems. Ubuntu, maybe.
http://www.linuxquestions.org is a good reference site. my moniker over there is titanium_geek.
titanium_hiker
has she looked at linux? (a operating system) that runs fast, is not susceptible to viruses and spyware. It runs great on older, slower systems. Ubuntu, maybe.
http://www.linuxquestions.org is a good reference site. my moniker over there is titanium_geek.
titanium_hiker
Hey Titanium_Geek! I saw you on the Linuxquestions forum And briefly pondered whether or not It could be the same person. Then I passed it on as coincidence and that Thiker and Tgeek couldn't be one in the same.
:rolleyes:
I started experimenting with Linux last week and Have tried Fedora Core 5, Ubuntu, SlackWare and installed an dual boot XP/SuSe system today. If they (Janet's) were to switch to Linux I think SuSe would be best because seems more easily configurable in the install and updates than any of the others. I mean, it is Novell's system and I think it is Novell's way of getting back at Micro$oft after Gates ripped off their system and basically put them out of buisness. I think SuSe is ready for the masses with Ubuntu a close second. Go SuSe.
That said, I am wiping my disk again and going back to Slackware as we speak. I guess I am a Slacker. :D
Austexs... aka "Menace_to_sobriety" on the LQ forum. :jump
Lone Wolf
04-29-2006, 07:00
Sounds like hikers need to quit using her computer and use the ones at the library. Hers is overused and hogged by hikers.
gargamel
04-29-2006, 08:55
Does anyone know the specs of the computers that she currently has down there? Everyone says they stink and are slow, but I need a reference point here cause I have another computer I can give her that is pretty fast, but I need to compare it to what she currently has. Thanks in advance to whomever can answer this!!
See attached jpeg
HTH
Twofiddy
04-29-2006, 11:13
I'll pitch in $50 to get it started.
Lets order her a new Pentium 4 $399 Dell.
Anyone else game??
Hikersupply.com will collect the funds and buy and pay for her computer.
Let me know if you guys want to help??
Trail Dog
04-29-2006, 11:23
well someone can just get a jar and write on it
"Computer Collection Jar: If you use this computer help pay for a new one"
place it by the computer and watch it fill up.
Hikers hate change anyway.
Grandma Dixie
04-29-2006, 11:54
I have an extra stick of 512 that she could have. I'd have to look at the clock speed first though. It may not work. But. If miss janet wants to buy new parts, she should try neweg.com. they have really good prices on there.
I'll pitch in $50 to get it started.
Lets order her a new Pentium 4 $399 Dell.
Anyone else game??
Hikersupply.com will collect the funds and buy and pay for her computer.
Let me know if you guys want to help??
Ooh ooh ooh!
I vote for this one!!
AND, keep the old one for backup, etc.
467 MHz & 256 Kb ram running XP PRO. Definitely time for a forklift upgrade. Don't know Miss Janet, wish I did, hope she is still around when I get to section (or preferably thru) the southern part of the trail. Put me down for donating a computer when I meet her.
Skidsteer
04-29-2006, 20:31
I'll pitch in $50 to get it started.
Lets order her a new Pentium 4 $399 Dell.
Anyone else game??
Hikersupply.com will collect the funds and buy and pay for her computer.
Let me know if you guys want to help??
I'd like to help. But perhaps first we can wait to hear from Miss Janet herself if she needs or wants a new computer. Seems like common courtesy. :)
Guys, you are wasting your time looking at a $399 computer. That price range doesn't have a decent warranty on it, and that's what you need with a computer these days. I priced out an entry level machine with a good warranty and a flat panel monitor, 512 MB RAM, 2.5 GHz Celeron and a 4-year warranty for $668 which does not include tax or shipping. You are looking at about $750 total for a decent machine that will last.
Anything more than a $399 to $499 machine is a waste for the purpose of AT hikers stopping for a browse/journal/email at Miss Janet's. Warranties mean diddly. There are probably enough geeks stopping by that problems could be resolved easier than hanging on the phone for an hour or so, then trying to decipher a foreign accent reading from a script.
Pacific Tortuga
04-30-2006, 13:55
Guys, you are wasting your time looking at a $399 computer. That price range doesn't have a decent warranty on it, and that's what you need with a computer these days. I priced out an entry level machine with a good warranty and a flat panel monitor, 512 MB RAM, 2.5 GHz Celeron and a 4-year warranty for $668 which does not include tax or shipping. You are looking at about $750 total for a decent machine that will last.
That would be 30 of us at WB to kick in $25.00 each, 40 at $20.00 and so on. I'm sure we can hold off buying that 'great gear deal' or a case of ,this could hurt, Sierra Nevada's. To know her personally or not you know the gift would get passed on to many,many more.Wait and see what we can muster up before making a system choice,but count me in on any game plan.
Sounds like hikers need to quit using her computer and use the ones at the library. Hers is overused and hogged by hikers.
The trail's being taken over by geeks, spoiled ones at that. Can you hear me now? ;)
titanium_hiker
04-30-2006, 19:03
Hey Titanium_Geek! I saw you on the Linuxquestions forum And briefly pondered whether or not It could be the same person. Then I passed it on as coincidence and that Thiker and Tgeek couldn't be one in the same.
:rolleyes:
...
That said, I am wiping my disk again and going back to Slackware as we speak. I guess I am a Slacker. :D
Austexs... aka "Menace_to_sobriety" on the LQ forum. :jump
argh! the internet is getting that little bit smaller! (heheh)
slackware is cool. it's my linux distro of choice.
titanium_hiker/geek
gargamel
04-30-2006, 20:43
I'm sorry, but why has it all to be that complicated? All that's needed is two 256 mb (or 512 mb) memory cards to replace the old 128 mb ones. And there are plenty of old computers sitting in closets and basements. Changing the 2 cards takes 2 minutes. Debating about what new computer is needed and what brand, performance, etc. it has to have takes until TEOTWAWKI.
Debating about what new computer is needed and what brand, performance, etc. it has to have takes until TEOTWAWKI.
...but I don't mind.
hammock engineer
05-01-2006, 00:27
argh! the internet is getting that little bit smaller! (heheh)
slackware is cool. it's my linux distro of choice.
titanium_hiker/geek
Linux says it all, fellow computer geek.
Regardless of what you might think about Linux being easy to use, it is not yet ready for mainstream desktop users. I've been using Linux since college and I can personally attest to the fact that it would be nice if it was ready, but it's not. I mentioned in an earlier post that if you guys are willing to be patient, I will have access to an Athlon 2400+ system with 1 GB of RAM that I can send her way. I can get it for $100. If that's what you want to go with, you can pitch in for it and the probably 20 - 30 bucks it will cost for shipping. I'll let you all decide about that.
titanium_hiker
05-01-2006, 18:14
we could argue about linux being ready for the desktop, (it can be) but I don't think that's appropriate for this forum.
Two sticks of RAM - good idea, cheap, easy to ship, but need to get the right RAM for her computer
A new computer- probably the better longer lasting option. Now you just need to work out which generous offer you will take.
Oh- and the others that don't end up at Miss Janet's- perhaps consider donating them to a computer recycling place, so that an underprivileged person can get the use of them. :) (or find a suitable underprivileged person...)
titanium_hiker
Regardless of what you might think about Linux being easy to use, it is not yet ready for mainstream desktop users. I've been using Linux since college and I can personally attest to the fact that it would be nice if it was ready, but it's not. I mentioned in an earlier post that if you guys are willing to be patient, I will have access to an Athlon 2400+ system with 1 GB of RAM that I can send her way. I can get it for $100. If that's what you want to go with, you can pitch in for it and the probably 20 - 30 bucks it will cost for shipping. I'll let you all decide about that.
In terms of diffuculty, Linux is at the point now that MS was when they came out with windows. Back then, we actually had to install drivers and make configuration changes to get things to work right but we didn't give up. We made it work.
So... unfortunately, you are right that in this plug and play society, today's "mainstream desktop users" just wouldn't care to put forth the effort. They are comfy in conformity and are just too lazy to step outside the box. That's a shame.
When M$ rolls out Vista, I think we will see many more willing to step outside the box and Linux will be ready for them. That will be a good thing.
I don't think RAM is a good solution in this case, as apparently that's what's been going on in the past to "upgrade" her computer. You can only do so much to an old dog of a computer. I had a 500 MHz machine when I went into college 7 years ago. I can understand how hikers would be impatient waiting for such a machine to get their tasks accomplished these days like image editing. Investigating a new or "newer" computer solution I think is our best option here.
I can understand how hikers would be impatient waiting for such a machine to get their tasks accomplished these days like image editing. Investigating a new or "newer" computer solution I think is our best option here.
I can imagine how hikers would get impatient waiting to get off a few emails while someone is "image editing" their last 100 photos, updating their journal/website, and downloading some new tunes.
what it sounds like to me is that a possibly better approach would be a wireless network of laptops where a hiker could rent a laptop for as long as s/he wants and yet not interfer with another hiker's network activities using a different laptop
If money is collected for a new computer I suggest whoever is in charge of purchasing moniter slickdeals.net for Dell coupons and deals. You can get a very functional system on their with everything you need (and at least a one year warranty) for around $350 after all the deals they have.
Also, I don't know about Linux as an OS. Most people know Windows and don't know what to do when something is slightly different. Even converting family members to Firefox (IE alternative browser) has been a long process as they're so used to the Windows default browser.
generoll
05-04-2006, 18:24
Linux is a lot more stable and really, if all she needs is a computer for people to check their email or post on TJ and such, then who needs any Windows programs.
I have a desktop computer that I can give to Miss Janet, it will just cost me $100 to buy it from my company. Anyone want to help me out with the cost? I can have it to her before Traildays in all liklihood.
Does anyone even know if Miss Janet wants a new or upgraded computer for hikers? One that does much more than email, could cause more in-house problems than it's worth.
YMMV
I will ask her sometime in the next couple of days when I call down there.
After a talk with Miss Janet the other day, we came to the conclusion that she could use the computer that I have. I put it in the mail via UPS yesterday, so it is on the way to her house. Thanks for everyone who offered their insight into the situation. I hope that this machine works for her and keeps the hikers happy :-)
gargamel
05-27-2006, 07:06
That's good news Jollies. Thanx a lot for your efforts. If you need help with shipping costs please send me a PM.