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Will Windows XP run smooth with only 128MB?
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DVD Profiler Unlimited Registrantscottiew
Registered: March 13, 2007
Posts: 81
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I know i need to upgrade and can't afford a new pc right now. i have the old, old Me and want to upgrade, but i have gotten conflicting reports as to if XP will run fast with only 128MB or RAM.

i know requirements are only 128MB.

are software packages even returnable if it doesn't work out?

thanks for any and all help.
DVD Profiler Unlimited Registrantgraymadder
Registered: March 13, 2007
United States Posts: 103
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I wouldn't run XP with only 128mb. 256 would be the minimum. Depending on your hardware config, XP will run ok with 256. Ideal would be 512mb, and you would see a great improvement on speed and load times.

As far as returns go... most companines don't like to return software. But I haven't tried to return software in a long time.

Also be cautious of upgrading from ME to XP. If you can do a fresh install, that way you won't inherit all the crap from your ME install: i.e. a clean registry, etc. Typically upgrading OS's is usually frowned upon, except for with Vista. Vista acutally performs  a fresh install regardless if you upgrade or not.
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantJonM
Registered 28 Dec 2000
Registered: March 13, 2007
United Kingdom Posts: 343
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XP isn't great with only 128mb. As Graymadder says, the rest of the hardware would make a big difference; with a decent processor, hard drive, good graphics card and sound card, you'd get away with 128mb. But from what you suggest, this is an old PC, so I'd say it's a none starter.

On the other hand, have you considered more memory? If you can get hold of more to put in, or even replace, a PC designed for Windows ME will easily run XP.

If you do forge ahead, take the advice about a clean install very seriously. Then go into My Computer properties, advanced, performance. Uncheck everything! Oh and don't use desktop wallpaper. Do all that, you'll have an XP system that runs quite well and looks like Windows 98. At which point, you may think why bother? 
Jon
"When Mister Safety Catch Is Not On, Mister Crossbow Is Not Your Friend."

DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantRossRoy
Registered: March 13, 2007
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Quoting JonM:
Quote:
don't use desktop wallpaper.


Heresy!!   

While it does help on low memory system performance wise, how could I live with a flat colored desktop?? 

scottiew, as the other said, I wouldn't run XP with less than 256Mb. And about returning the software, well you could always borrow a friends copy (if possible) and install that, just makie sure to not activate. That would give you 30 days to try it out.

You could always go the immoral way.. It's rather easy finding everything needed to do it on the net these days.. 
DVD Profiler Unlimited Registrantnuoyaxin
prev. known as ya_shin
Registered: March 13, 2007
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Memory is cheap.

If your machine isn't too old to actually get memory for it, then just buy some memory. In general a good advice, memory can always spice up performance... (Although, IIRC, I once read somewhere, that there actually is something like "too much memory...)
Achim [諾亞信; Ya-Shin//Nuo], a German in Taiwan.
Registered: May 29, 2000 (at InterVocative)
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributorsnarbo
Registered: March 13, 2007
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Quoting ya_shin:
Quote:
Memory is cheap.

If your machine isn't too old to actually get memory for it, then just buy some memory. In general a good advice, memory can always spice up performance... (Although, IIRC, I once read somewhere, that there actually is something like "too much memory...)


Your right about the too much memory for every 1 byte of RAM you will need 1 byte of hard drive space for the swap file.
But appart from that like the other user's have said to run XP in less than 256 will be hard. But I too would go for the clean install.

Steve
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributorwhispering
On ne passe pas!
Registered: March 13, 2007
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Quoting ya_shin:
Quote:
Memory is cheap.


Everytime the company where i work, throws out old computers, i usually take them. I have a good chunk of old motherboards, memory chips, HDD's, processors etc.

Id say getting new memory for an old PC should be usually free. Just need to ask, cause most people think their garbage and no use to anyone anymore.
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantRifter
Reg. Jan 27, 2002
Registered: March 13, 2007
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If you're going to go to XP, make sure you go with the XP Pro version, NOT the Home version. 

Also, you really need at least a gig of RAM to run XP with anything approaching efficiency, especially if your CPU is older (say a low end Pentium 3 or AMD equivalent).

Another alternative is to install Windows 2000 Pro instead.  You should be able to find lots of copies of that for next to nothing.  It will run easily in 512m RAM, and will run everything your average XP  unit runs.

I run W2k on my AMD64 box that I use for video editing and DVD authoring, because it has less overhead, and runs much faster than XP.  It's also more stable.  I've bumped the RAM up to a gig, but only because of the DVD burning.  The extra ram increased processing speed by about 30% (it can now run all the overhead junk, and still has enough to run full tilt on the authoring stuff, with a large chunk left over.)
John

"Extremism in the defense of Liberty is no vice!" Senator Barry Goldwater, 1964
Make America Great Again!
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile RegistrantStar ContributorTelecine
Regd: January 22, 2001
Registered: March 14, 2007
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Australia Posts: 820
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XP will run ok. It won't be especially fast but it will run and it will be better than ME which must be the the most bug ridden and unstable version of Windows OS ever released. More memory would help and as others have said, it should be cheap.
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile RegistrantStar ContributorBad Father
Registered: July 23, 2001
Registered: March 13, 2007
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Scottie,

If you can't afford a new system right now, just upgrade your RAM to 512MB if you can.  I use XP Home and it runs just fine on my old Dell Dimension 4100, PIII.  Of course I've made a few upgrades on this old system through the years:  Increased RAM from 256MB to 512MB, upgraded the power supply to 350W so I could install a new 256MB nVidia GeForce 6200 4xAGP card, added additional drives such as DVD burner and CD-RW.  It's taken a lickn' but keeps on tickn' .
My WebGenDVD online Collection
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantPeter von Frosta
Registered: March 14, 2007
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I'd go for Windows 2000.
DVD Profiler Unlimited Registrantxyrano
41215.reg 70320.urk
Registered: March 13, 2007
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Quoting scottiew:
Quote:
I know i need to upgrade and can't afford a new pc right now. i have the old, old Me and want to upgrade, but i have gotten conflicting reports as to if XP will run fast with only 128MB or RAM.

i know requirements are only 128MB.

are software packages even returnable if it doesn't work out?

thanks for any and all help.

Yes, I can imagine. I guess it all depends on how much you can spend and what you want to do with your PC. For instance; do you use it for simple tasks only, like; surfing, profiling... or do you intend to use it for more memory required applications/tasks like; DVD burning (like rifter described), maybe you plan to render graphical art work, audio editing or play games.
Without knowing that, I'd recommend: XP Pro (w/SP2)/~1Ghz/512Mb) 512 just to be on the safe side 
for burn/graphics/games/more I'd add another 512Mb memory stick. CPU speed not to be forgotten.
DVD Profiler Unlimited Registrantscottiew
Registered: March 13, 2007
Posts: 81
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thanks for the replies.

i actually only use for internet surfing and the occasional word and excel stuff. really, nothing more. i wouldn't know how to install memory and would hesitate to even attempt.

i have a machine with 60gig hard drives and runs really well with Me, but as you said i have had problems with it as of late. it is a 7 yr old Sony Vaio.

what exactly does a clean install mean?
DVD Profiler Unlimited Registrantnuoyaxin
prev. known as ya_shin
Registered: March 13, 2007
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Quoting scottiew:
Quote:
what exactly does a clean install mean?

It means you don't install the new operating "over" the existing one, but backup all your personal data and then format the hard drive before installing the new OS.
Achim [諾亞信; Ya-Shin//Nuo], a German in Taiwan.
Registered: May 29, 2000 (at InterVocative)
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantJonM
Registered 28 Dec 2000
Registered: March 13, 2007
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Continuing from what Achim said, if you were to boot your PC with a Windows XP CD in the drive, you should eventually see a message saying that "Windows has found a previous installation". The next choice is to upgrade that version, or format the drive for a fresh installation.

The latter option is what we would call clean, but so clean you would have absolutely none of your data or applications, or viruses(!), that you have now. 

Is this a laptop then that we are discussing? Being so portable, it would be easier for you to take it into your local computer shop and ask them the cost of upgrading the memory. They will check the sort you need, offer you the various options and costs. They may have to order it because of the age, but once they have the memory, it should take no more than five minutes to plug in. Memory, especially in laptops, is the easiest upgrade and usually requires no software configuration.
Jon
"When Mister Safety Catch Is Not On, Mister Crossbow Is Not Your Friend."

 Last edited: by JonM
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile RegistrantStar ContributorVoltaire53
Missed again!
Registered: March 13, 2007
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FWIW I've been running XP on 128Mb for 3 years with no problems, appart from a bit of a slow boot-up (which is probably more due to Norton than XP anyway). If you don't want to run high-spec games it's not really a problem
It is dangerous to be right in matters where established men are wrong
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