Little help with a Dell Inspiron 5100...

[kmak]

Hi guys, I'm new to the forums, but not to the site, and I wasn't sure if I should post this here or in the notebook thread, but it seemed to fit in here more...

anways..

Several months ago, I ordered a Dell Inspiron 5100 as a desktop replacement. The system has been fine so far, but a few weeks ago, I finally got tired of the extra dell software and did a clean reformat as well as upgrade to Windows XP Professional. Since then, I have noticed that the performance of the system has decreased by a noticable amount.

The first thing I noticed was that windows took a bit longer to boot up, though I think that was normal with the Pro version. However, everything else also has quite a bit of lag time.. I'll click start and the start menu will show up 2 seconds later, Adobe Photoshop now takes forever to start up. AIM takes a while to load up, and even Microsoft Word 2000 starts up slower. I've also noticed about a ~30fps drop in all of the games that I play (Half Life/Counterstrike, Warcraft III, and Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2)

I'm using the same drivers as before (There was a folder named 'DRIVERS' on my hard drive, I saved that before I reformated), Windows is a clean copy, so I don't have a lot of background programs running, and I've done a hard drive defrag using Norton Systemworks 2002, none of those seemed to work. Does anyone have an idea as to what's going on?

My specs are: (Dell Inspiron 5100)
Pentium 4: 2.4Ghz
256MB Ram
40GB Hard drive (not sure about speed, though I doubt it's a 7200)
ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 (32MB)
CDRW/DVD-ROM combo drive
Windows XP Home Edition (Upgraded to Windows XP Pro)

Running Service Pack 1 and All other Critical Windows updates, as well as DirectX 9.0 and Windows Media Player 9

Also, I'm planning to upgrade the Ram to 512mb within the next few months, does anyone know how hard this is to do on a laptop, or point me to a nice guide?

and finally, I've noticed that the system tends to overheat quite a bit, can anyone recommend some cooling solutions? I'm looking at a laptop cooler from www.3dcool.com, but I'm not sure at how effective that would be.

I'm sorry for all the "newbie" questions; this is the first time I've ever worked with a laptop.

Thanks for any help.

 

[HappyPuppy]

For the memory upgrade, turn the laptop over and remove the door that's closest to the center. You will see the two SODIMM sockets. Very easy.

If it's overheating that could be what's causing the slowdown. Look into the fan air intake on the back of the computer, to the left of the I/O ports. If it' plugged with dirt blow it out, preferably through the fan exhaust on either the left side or bottom of the unit.

While you are using the system, do you ever hear the fan cycle on and off? If not, the fan may be defective. If you are still under warranty DELL will replace it.

 

[KGB]

Is this what you're experiencing?

EDIT: BTW, welcome to the forums.

 

[kmak]

KGBMAN:
Thanks for the website, that may be what it is, although I think I've had that update while I was still on XP Home edition, I'm a little rushed right now, I'll take a closer look at it tonight. Thanks once again.

Happypuppy:
I can basically buy SODIMMs at most computer stores? or do I have to order them? The fan does cycle on and off a lot, sometimes to the point of annoyance. I do check it almost every other day to make sure it's not clogged. It's just that the entire case gets really hot to the point where it's no longer comfortable to type on it anymore. I know Dell does step down processor speed in order to prevent overheating, however, I don't believe that is the main cause of my preformance loss... but just in case, is there a program where I can monitor my CPU speed in real time? Thanks for the tips.

Thank you for your replies.

 

[HappyPuppy]

Here's a Utility that will allow you to increase your fan speed. Unfortunately, on your particular model, it will not display the CPU temp.

Have you tried installing Motherboard Monitor for CPU temps?

You can buy the memory at a computer store if they will guarantee you that it is compatible with your unit. Maybe take your computer in with you and install it right there to make sure it works properly. Personally, I would compare prices at the DELL or Crucial websites and buy there. With either of them you will be sure you are getting a compatible memory module.

 

[kmak]

*bump*
ok, sorry, was busy for the past few days

anyways, I haven't had time to deal with the memory yet.. but i'll be sure to check out compusa or fry's sometime, if they don't have anything, i think i'll just order it off of the dell website.

I installed and ran 3dmark2001 SE (build 330) today, and well, I got a score of around 1900, most people with configurations similar to mine are posting scores in the 3000 range... not sure what's up anymore.