skip to main content

Question about my Laptop

13 years ago

I have a Dell Laptop with Vista Home Edition (3.00 of ram) and two Dell Desktops XP Home Edition with (2.00 ram each)...I have a Wireless router and Cable hookup. This is my question....why is it sometimes my Laptop is slower then my two Desktops that are located in an upstairs bedroom..My laptop is in my Breezeway downstairs...The router is upstairs with the Desktops. Why would my laptop be slower then my Desktops....only sometimes?

I clean,defrag, scan...often...remove cookies etc.on all the computers. I have Microsoft Essentials for security on all three computers....If you need more info ...please let me know. Thank you so very much for any input you may have. Marie

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

ravencajun Zone 8b TX
13 years ago
you mention you have Vista but did not say what service pack have you done your service pack updates and all other windows updates on Vista because on that OS the service packs were very important and helped improve performance.
bpgreen
13 years ago
Are the desktops connected wirelessly or are they connected by a wire?
Related Discussions
New Win8 laptop; questions about video streaming/downloading
Q
Comments (1)
Just curious does the hotel tell you that when you check in? We mostly stay at red roof a lot and I watch Netflix on my tablet or laptop all the time at their hotel with wifi and other hotels and never ran across that situation. Netflix is streaming only so you can't download from them to watch off line. Someone else will help you with downloading as I stream all my movies while traveling and staying in hotels. Mary
...See More
Another ? about my dying laptop
Q
Comments (7)
I did this recently and it's not too bad. I had a laptop with a black screen. My wife has the same model, and she had a problem with sticky keys (I think a spilled soda may have been involved, but I didn't want her to feel bad, so I didn't ask). I found the same model with a bad motherboard on ebay. I was able to get a spare power cord and battery, display, keyboard and memory chip for less than the cost of any one of those items would normally be. Replacing it wasn't too bad. I basically had to take out a few screws, lay it flat and remove the display from the base, then put it back together. Replacing the keyboard was almost the same. I think I googled the model number and "replace display" to find some pictures of how to get it all disconnected.
...See More
Need help for my husband about his laptop with Vista
Q
Comments (11)
There's nothing wrong with Vista and I think you should look a little deeper for your problem. I went with my girlfriend last week and she purchased a Toshiba Satellite laptop with Vista Home Basic Edition, 2GB RAM, 200GB Hard drive. First thing I did was remove Norton 360 through control panal/uninstall and then install AVG Anti-Virus. She wanted Photoshop installed, no problem. Next was Microsoft Office 2007, started installing and bam computer shuts down completely. I think heat, you know that they are always warm on the bottom, but no as long as there is a little clearance on the bottom for air, they'll run for hours and days on end. Decided to uninstall the trial of the preinstalled Student Microsoft Office thinking there was a conflict with the Pro version I was trying to install, went to control panel/uninstall and tried to remove the student version, bam again computer shuts down completely. Did a search on the internet for vista shuts down and the best info I could find was that it's programs running in the background causing conflicts. I remembered the Norton Removal Tool and downloaded, ran and removed all traces. Went to msconfig and took a look at the programs running at startup and thus running in the background, installed CCleaner ccsetup209_slim.exe, my preferred tool (Tools/Startup) for disabling startup and unnecessary programs from running in the background. After that Microsoft Office installed perfect and the machine has never shutdown again. Next time I have the laptop, all the bundled software is coming off, who needs it. So what I'm saying is that there is a conflict with a program that's running in the background and whatever you're doing at the time the machine shuts down. Duel boot is fine, you'll need an XP disk, $100 or less. Make a separate partition to install it on. Really very simple, less than an hour if you know what your doing. With a duel boot, you're given the choice or either booting into XP or Vista or set one as the default. I have both, doesn't matter which I use, both perform equally. First thing I'd do is remove all the bundled software that came with the machine that you don't need, especially Norton that comes preinstalled with the Toshiba Satellite and get a good Anti-Virus program. You should also have Vista Service Pack 1 installed by now.
...See More
Wi-Fi Internet access for laptop on the road - question
Q
Comments (1)
I don't know if McDonalds is an open network or not, but if it is you should be able to connect automatically. If you don't get a connections, again if open, McD may have some log-on requirement, most do, something to say you agree to be on an open, no security, network Seems I sometimes have to click: Start -> connect to -> Show all connections -> Click on the "Wireless" Icon and ask to "see all networks". This may be enough to get you connected, if necessary at all.
...See More
Cricketm
Original Author
13 years ago
I have Service Pack 2 for my Vista Home Edition..and always update when necessary...My Desktops and Laptop are connected wirelessly..Linsky Wireless router and always have EXCELLENT connection... Also...I use I.E 8.0 for all three computers.
mike_kaiser_gw
13 years ago
First off, you need to define "slow". Memory is just one of the many factors that influence a computer's performance.

Frequent defragging, clearing browsing history, caches, and cookies will have little effect on performance on a day-to-day basis.

Frankly, things that happen "sometimes" are very difficult to troubleshoot, especially in an online forum because there are so many variables.
Cricketm
Original Author
13 years ago
When I say "Slow"....when I click to open my Home Page it opens immediately,...but sometimes it takes a while ....not all the time....I notice it happens certain times of the day. The reason I am asking...I think it is the cable connection even though it says excellent connection. When I run upstairs to my desktop and open my home page it opens immediately....soooo.....the problem is with the Laptop.

Frankly, I am only curious...no big thing.....Posters at the Computer Forum always come up with a reason......Thank you!
mike_kaiser_gw
13 years ago
There's a number of components that influence how fast a page opens on your computer but they are sufficiently variable that at any given moment a page may open more slowly than the next or last moment in time. The things you can control are the performance of your computer, the speed of your local network, and the speed at which you connect to the Internet.

Computer performance has a huge number of variable, from physical hardware, operating system, memory, what's running in the back ground, what software you're using, etc. If you want to compare the performance of two computers you really need to use some kind of benchmarking software.

Wired connections are almost always faster than wireless connections. "Excellent" signal strength doesn't necessarily mean the fastest throughput. Lots of thing influence the performance of wireless networks, including those the networks of your neighbors.

Obviously you can pay your ISP for a faster connection but those are theoretical maximums and real world performance will be less and highly variable.
Cricketm
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you...you explained it so well.....I think I got my answer from your post.

Related Stories

LIFE The Beautiful Thing About Dad's Chair

By Mitchell Parker

My father had his own spot in the house. His father had his own spot. Now I have mine

GREEN BUILDING Let’s Clear Up Some Confusion About Solar Panels

By Mariana Pickering (Emu Building Science)

Different panel types do different things. If you want solar energy for your home, get the basics here first

Easy Green: 6 Must-Answer Questions Before You Buy

By Laura Gaskill

Thinking about buying ecofriendly furniture? For a truly environmentally conscious home, ask yourself these questions first

WORKING WITH PROS 10 Questions to Ask Potential Contractors

By Ventana Construction LLC

Ensure the right fit by interviewing general contractors about topics that go beyond the basics

MOST POPULAR 8 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Meeting With Your Designer

By Kelli Kaufer Designs

Thinking in advance about how you use your space will get your first design consultation off to its best start

ORGANIZING Pre-Storage Checklist: 10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Store

By Laura Gaskill

Wait, stop. Do you really need to keep that item you’re about to put into storage?

REMODELING GUIDES 9 Hard Questions to Ask When Shopping for Stone

By Ventana Construction LLC

Learn all about stone sizes, cracks, color issues and more so problems don't chip away at your design happiness later

GREEN BUILDING Considering Concrete Floors? 3 Green-Minded Questions to Ask

By Melanie Loftus

Learn what’s in your concrete and about sustainability to make a healthy choice for your home and the earth

EXTERIORS Curb Appeal Feeling a Little Off? Some Questions to Consider

By Becky Harris

Color, scale, proportion, trim ... 14 things to think about if your exterior is bugging you

REMODELING GUIDES Considering a Fixer-Upper? 15 Questions to Ask First

By Sarah Phipps Design

Learn about the hidden costs and treasures of older homes to avoid budget surprises and accidentally tossing valuable features

Sponsored

Jc's and Sons Affordable Home Improvements

Zanesville's Most Skilled & Knowledgeable Home Improvement Specialists

More Discussions

Can I stop my modem from gathering and sharing our data?

12

UPS needed - which ones?

9

sound missing on Dell

3

Problems with Outlook 2013

0

Upgrading Windows 11 from Home to Pro

2