How to speed up Dell PII 266?

[PSUlion01]

Looking to make this old PII 266 a little quicker... it takes minutes for MS word to open up and the computer has (has always had) what seems to be a bottleneck with the I/O system. Hard drive is always reading and writing, taking it's sweet old time.

Just wondering if getting a new 7200rpm drive would help things along. Would like to build a new system, but I just dropped $1500 on a new laptop, so I'd like to get some upgrades that I can eventually transfer to the new system (hope to build in the winter). Seems like the hard drive is the only thing I can swap without needing too much else. Any thoughts on how to clean the machine up a bit? Might just wipe the drive...that always does the trick for a short time...

Thx
Mike

 

[Sheriff]

HD not a bad idea but how much RAM doe the Rig have?

 

[santaclaus]

put a fan in it. That will make it a b1t zippier.

 

[MDE]

Clear all the temporary internet files, uninstall old programs, run a registry cleaner, defrag, adding RAM, format could all help it out a bit. What version of Windows is on there?

 

[miri]

Do you have the original factory restore CD's? How long since you formatted the HD if ever? Backup important files and reformat and reinstall your OS. And try to have at least 128MB of ram. What version of windows?

 

[mindwreck]

clean install with more ram

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

If you're in the US, just look in the Sunday Flyers for some place giving a 128mb or 256mb stick of SDRAM for a couple bucks and put that it. Get a new HD. Although, later you may want to opt for a Raptor 10,000 RPM drive which is SATA and not PATA. If you plan on staying with a 7200RPM drive, you'll be happy with one that has an 8mb cache.

 

[tRaptor]

Format, Reinstall.

or

Rip out the mobo, drop a new one in with a Athlon 1700...

 

[BG4533]

64MB of PC100 for only $5 Link. Throw in however many of those will fit if you dont have a lot of memory already. A 7200RPM HD would help a lot too, I remember first throwing one in my 350 PII years ago and it being a huge difference. The 8mb cache will help a bit too. You also may be able to pick up a P2 400 or 450 for a couple of bucks in the FS/FT forum.

 

[PSUlion01]

Thanks for all the replies... here's a quick rundown of the specs:

PII 266 w/ MMX
6.4gig HD (don't know the speed)
192mb RAM (i think...max is 384 I believe)
WinXP Pro
Formatted drive maybe a year ago.

basically i want to upgrade but do so in a manner that I can add components to a new system later this year. don't want to get a mobo now because i've been told it's a pain to add into my existing dell case/power supply.

how much would a 10,000 rpm drive run, and can i plug it into the existing setup.

any tips as to what's the best way to go when building my new system in about 6 months? go with a P4 or wait for P5?

Thx
Mike

 

[BG4533]

A WD Raptor SATA drive costs about $140, but you would also need a SATA controller card as well. The Raptors currently only come in 36GB drives and most people run them with large 7200RPM drives for more storage. I would suggest just going out and buying a reasonable 7200RPM drive as it will be the most economical now. As for the RAM, you have a decent amount, but if you have more slots I would consider throwing a bit more in.

 

[RReed]

You could always upgrade for CPU cheaply. I have a forum with a bunch of PII CPU's in it.

 

[RanDum72]

The RAM at 192mb is decent. Upgrading it to 256 or 384mb may help but make sure the memory you buy off a local store is compatible (high density memory is not compatible here). A hard drive upgrade would also help. Heck, anything will help here. If your mobo is a BX chipset, you can probably upgrade the CPU by doing a Slot T (by Upgradeware) and Tually Celeron upgrade.

 

[oldfart]

192 Meg is pretty minimal for WinXP. Be sure the WinXP performance mode is set to "Adjust for best performance", not "appearance". Use MSConfig and keep all extra startup junk disabled. ISome more ram, an ATA100 PCI IDE controller card and a 7200 RPM HD would help. You may be able to upgrade the CPU to a Celeron 533 (not 533A) with a Slocket.

 

[AndyHui]

It would most likely be a 440LX chipset based motherboard, not a 440BX.

Add some more RAM, get a PCI ATA Controller and a new 7200RPM hard drive.

 

[spclwpns]

It may be possible to 'tweak' the little booger........ Little Linkage I think this should work, but who knows. At least a little tape will come off, nothing to loose here but time

 

[redbeard1]

WinXP Pro

Search the For Sale forums for a P2-333, that board should at least support that. Load win98, or if you want more stabilty, win2k. The XPerience is a bit much for that old hardware. A new fast hard drive and more ram will make some differences, but not enough in my view. I don't like XP on anything less than a gig cpu.