Question can I put Windows sp3 on this computer?

[jimdagys]

I have a Compaq Presario 2100 Windows Home xp sp1 version 2001, 1.52Ghz processor, 448MB memory. I want to upgrade browsers because many websites don't work, but when I try to upgrade, it says I need sp2 or higher. My question is: if I get a new xp sp3 install disk, can I install this on this old computer?

[MOVIEGEEK]

Yes SP3 will work and it's a free download, I'm surprised your PC hasn't been hacked running SP1 and IE6.

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=24

Tip: save the file on a thumb drive or CD for later use.

[MOVIEGEEK]

You might want to read this thread to make XP more secure:

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/356857-XP-is-it-still-viable-for-online-browsing

[lingyi]

+1 on the suggestion on installing SP3. However, be aware that with your CPU speed and low RAM, things will slow down quite a bit.


If you're not running any Windows specific programs on this PC and only looking for use this PC for browsing, give a Linux distro a try. I've played around with Zorin-OS on a few older laptops and it''s the nearest thing to Windows I've come across.

[El Heggunte]

+1 on the suggestion on installing SP3. However, be aware that with your CPU speed and low RAM, things will slow down quite a bit.

Indeed, 448MB of RAM is not good enough for XP w/ SP3, BUT a CPU @ 1.5GHz should be more-than-sufficient.

If you're not running any Windows specific programs on this PC and only looking for use this PC for browsing, give a Linux distro a try. I've played around with Zorin-OS on a few older laptops and it''s the nearest thing to Windows I've come across.

HA! The setup files of XP fit on one CD, but the ISO file for Zorin OS is 1.4GB big.
Worse, Zorin is based on Ubuntu
Do you really believe his ancient computer will be able to make your recommendation run faster than XP?

[burnman99]

Yes it will. http://www.zorin-os.com/faq.html And you can always test the live DVD first. I run
Ubuntu Studio, but Zorin works quite well out of the box.

[El Heggunte]

Well, let's let jimdagys have the last word, since it's HIS computer, not mine nor yours.

BTW, FAQs not always are accurate, and often are biased and misleading.

[deadrats]

Worse, Zorin is based on Ubuntu
Do you really believe his ancient computer will be able to make your recommendation run faster than XP?

you know i tend to be very anti-linux but in this case i would have to agree, with only 448mb ram sp3 will slow that thing down big time; a linux distro will run faster by virtue of having a newer kernel and if the OP were to google around a bit and figure out how to recompile the kernel statically with only the drivers needed for his hardware and optimized and built with the latest compiler (this is easily done using automated scripts), then yes it will run way faster.

i would even recommend pc-bsd over either linux or xp as it would run like stink on a monkey.

[El Heggunte]

you know i tend to be very anti-linux but in this case i would have to agree, with only 448mb ram sp3 will slow that thing down big time; a linux distro will run faster by virtue of having a newer kernel

So sure I've read elsewhere (and actually done some tests as well) that the recent kernels are not exactly friendly to ancient hardware...

And BTW, what distro? There are so many of them...

and if the OP were to google around a bit and figure out how to recompile the kernel statically with only the drivers needed for his hardware and optimized and built with the latest compiler (this is easily done using automated scripts), then yes it will run way faster.

OK, now let's see if jimdagys will ever feel like building a custom lightweight distro for his ancient machine......

[lingyi]

I've run Zorin OS on a couple of Asus EEE netbooks @650mhz and 512 RAM. I won't say that they ran well, but usable compared to the super lite versions of XP SP2 install (couldn't get SP3 small enough to fit on the 4GB SSD).

[DarrellS]

You need 512MB of RAM just to run the XP OS. I can't believe that Compac was allowed to sell a PC like that. I guess at $1 per MB back in 2001, they were going to put in as little as they could get away with.


EDIT: That leads to my next question. Why haven't you upgraded the RAM?

[El Heggunte]

You need 512MB of RAM just to run the XP OS.

Actually, it depends If you disable (or set to "manual") all the unnecessary services, and also turn off all the eye-candy, the OS itself consumes only something between 200 and 250 MB of RAM

EDIT: That leads to my next question. Why haven't you upgraded the RAM?

Excellent question BTW, assuming he intends to use that computer mainly for web-surfing, well, the truth is, 1 core at 1.5GHz is not fast enough for the WWW of today, regardless of the operating system Facebook, YouTube, Mediafire, and many many blogs, use TONS of Javascript, and this is a nightmare for a puny CPU

[sanlyn]

Agreed, no way 1/2-gig and 1.5Ghz of CPU is going to surf today's internet. Not that it can't be done == blieve me, I have PC repair customers who are doing that very thing today, and with old Celerons (OMG!). Meanwhile, I see others are apparently offering their free time and services to give Linux advice and instructions to a user who hasn't updated their machine since 2001.

[MOVIEGEEK]

It's not necessarily SP3 that slows down your PC, it's .Net. I stopped updating .Net after version 2.0, it takes forever to update. One thing you can do to speed up your system is set the paging file to "system managed size" and turn off all the eye candy. I would also get a 7200rpm HDD, it makes a difference over the stock 5200rpm HDD.

[jman98]

Guys, (DarrellS in particular) jimdagys always has what I can call "interesting" posts. I guess you don't remember.

OK, now let's see if jimdagys will ever feel like building a custom lightweight distro for his ancient machine......

Well, given how among his many "interesting" posts in the past he one time said he wanted to deliberately infect one of his PC with a virus for "testing" purposes, I have no doubt he'd be willing to start doing this, but I wouldn't want to bet on him actually completing the task.

[jimdagys]

Well, from the above posts, I have just downloaded sp3 from Microsoft. ( I didn't realize that was possible. I thought you had to reinstall the operation system from scratch.) I will try to install the sp3. It can't make the computer much worse than now. For some reason the present IE6 constantly crashes. I'll try to upgrade to IE8 ( and install Firefox) after I install sp3. I am confused about one thing. As far as I know (searching around on Google), this computer originally had 256MB of memory. Apparently someone upgraded it to 448MB of memory. But when I look at www.crucial.com they seem to recommend an upgrade to 256 MB. This doesn't make sense, since I think the computer can hold 1GB of memory. Presently I can't get the Crucial Memory Scan to work. (This will scan the computer, tell you how much memory you have, and then recommend upgrade options.) Hopefully after I install sp3 and IE8, the Crucial Memory Scan will work. If it is possible to increase the memory, I figure I can buy something on ebay for under $10.

[Nelson37]

It most likely came with 1 256MB stick, someone added a second stick for 512, and the on-board video is set to use 64MB.

Most likely has only 2 slots for DDR RAM. Choices would be 2x 512 MB sticks, 2x 1GB sticks, or go cheap and get 1x 512 and use one of the currect 256 sticks for 768.

A seperate video card would help most performance and give back 64MB of RAM.

The entire box as it sits is not worth $25.00. You should be able to find something with twice the CPU, or more, and twice the RAM, or more, for anywhere from $75.00 to $125.00 used. I just bought a 2.4 with a gig of RAM, plus a small flatscreen, another PC and some KB and Mouse for $40.00 at a yard sale. Cleaned up the box and HD and sold just the PC for $50.00. XP sp3.

The other PC is a bit better than yours and it's going to the side of the road.

If you can get parts for free, do it. Investing $10.00 into that box is not worth it, IMO.

[_Al_]

Check you memory, properties for my computer or task manager, then open your box and check inside for RAM slots(carefuly clean it inside of the box in the mean time), combine those two informations knowing that RAM comes in 128, 256, 512 ..ets sizes what you have and what are your options. Upgrade RAM. Install Linux Mint http://www.linuxmint.com/ . It will create dual boot (if you do not screw up) and compare how faster it is. Linux mint surprisingly looks and feels like windows, you are all preloaded to browse the web with flash, java. It'll be a bit faster for browsing.

[Hoser Rob]

Why would you expect the "crucial memory scan" ... which is from a commercial site that wants to sell you RAM ... to do anything useful? It's just a stupid sales gimmick.

SP3 should run on your machine, but not as well as sp3 or especially sp1. Don't expect an improvement in performance.

The other thing is that microsoft sp3 mainstream support ended in 2009. SP3 extended support will end in less than a year from now. No more security updates, for a start. You'll be back where you started.

I agree that you may have problems with java browsing the net. Those javascripts assume that they'll get a response from your machine in a certain amount of time. On really slow computers you'll often get timed out.

As a linux user (almost always, anyway) I'll also have to recommend installing linux. You can get a version that will actually run reasonably well in less than a half gig of ram.

Plus, it won't totally lose tech support in less than a year.

Users like the OP who want to install linux shouldn't touch anything but ubuntu. It has by far the best tech support, and the OP really needs good tech support.

Just don't install any ubuntu version. For less than a half gig lubuntu would be the only one I'd use. That's what it's designed for.

On linux boards there a a number of know nothings like the OP who have heard that linux will run in a small memory space and then install gnome 3 based linux desktops like ubuntu with unity or mate with cinnamon. Then they can't understand why it runs like crap.

Well, linux itself may run in a small ram computer. Technically linux is actually just the kernel and that's quite small. That doesn't mean any graphical desktop will run in a small memory space. I had ubuntu with unity installed originally on an i3 based laptop with 4Gb RAM and I yanked it because I found it too slow.

Hence the lubuntu recommendation. On the ubuntu boards it's the only one recommended by the real experts there (and they have some real experts) for 512Mb or less.

[deadmeow]

+1 on Lubuntu, it is a light weight version of Ubuntu designed for older computers.

[Cornucopia]

While I do believe that *nix is the most efficient/speedy way to go here. I take issue with the whole "can't do shit with 512 on XP" business. In fact, on a past thread, I explained how one can use a pared-down XP sp3, with just Internet/Email/Office/Acrobat usage and still do many things, all with 512 on a ~1.5GHz machine. Part of the trick is minimal background processes and small footprint AV scanner, part has to do with which apps are installed (few) and which ones aren't, and part has to do with never letting the HDD & Registry get bloated. Takes work but can be done. Is it fast? NO. Is it workable for Joe Blow's everyday use? YES.
However, why beat a dead horse, right? It is 2013, and one can get a decent brand new box with 4GB RAM for ~$300USD. So I wouldn't waste my time anymore (yes, I used to) trying to get that last little drop of workability...

Scott

[usually_quiet]

You need 512MB of RAM just to run the XP OS. I can't believe that Compac was allowed to sell a PC like that. I guess at $1 per MB back in 2001, they were going to put in as little as they could get away with.


EDIT: That leads to my next question. Why haven't you upgraded the RAM?

I still have an old Dell PC from 2001, which I plan to recycle soon. It is a 1.6 GHz P4 with 512K RAM installed, running XP SP3, plus some security software and an older version of .NET Famework As others have remarked, it is horribly slow. If I removed the security software, got rid of .NET Framework, and upgraded to 1GB RAM, it would be faster, but it would still be terrribly slow by today's standards.

A PC with 1GB of RAM installed was almost unheard of in 2001. For what it is worth, Dell sold mine with 256K memory installed as the standard configuration, which was enough to run XP well at the time I bought it. I did upgrade the RAM, to 512K in 2004, and the manual claims it could only take 512K RAM. I was told by members of this forum that it can actually accept 1GB RAM, but I didn't find that out until 2007, when it was no longer cost effective to buy more RAM for it.

[_Al_]

It is entertaining and to introduce Linux, just for the fun of it, to install Linux just before getting rid of some old XP PC or putting it away to some basement.

How is that Lubuntu ready for internet browsing (as oppose to Mint) ? Everyday user cannot use command line to figure out something. It should be ready for use.

[burnman99]

Well, let's let jimdagys have the last word, since it's HIS computer, not mine nor yours.

BTW, FAQs not always are accurate, and often are biased and misleading.

Well if you would have actually looked at the link, it showed the System Requirements. I'm guessing those aren't too slanted or misleading. . Sounds like you have some axe to grind against Zorin OS..

I always recommend running a Live CD first, that way if it DOES run sluggish, or has hardware issues, you haven't installed anything. And there are plenty of minimalist Distros that use LXDE or XFCE that are worth trying, like Pinguy or Linux Lite. I personally liked Zorin, OS 6.3 but was running it on a more powerful machine and did run into some Compiz issues, so I now run Ubuntu Studio 12.04 on. Will have to try Zorin 7 on my old desktop to see how it does.

[El Heggunte]

Well, let's let jimdagys have the last word, since it's HIS computer, not mine nor yours.

BTW, FAQs not always are accurate, and often are biased and misleading.

Well if you would have actually looked at the link, it showed the System Requirements. I'm guessing those aren't too slanted or misleading. . Sounds like you have some axe to grind against Zorin OS..

Come on, I mentioned the FAQ because I actually read it. And I do mistrust Linux propaganda, in the same way I mistrust Microsoft propaganda or Apple propaganda. BTW, it's funny how some people --- consciently or inconsciently --- pretend they misunderstand what they read, only for the sake of annoying the others.

I always recommend running a Live CD first, that way if it DOES run sluggish, or has hardware issues, you haven't installed anything. And there are plenty of minimalist Distros that use LXDE or XFCE that are worth trying, like Pinguy or Linux Lite. I personally liked Zorin, OS 6.3 but was running it on a more powerful machine and did run into some Compiz issues, so I now run Ubuntu Studio 12.04 on. Will have to try Zorin 7 on my old desktop to see how it does.

jimdagys wrote:

Question can I put Windows sp3 on this computer?

Me thinks the Linux enthusiasts are rather misplaced in this thread, since its very-beginning

[lingyi]

Well, from the above posts, I have just downloaded sp3 from Microsoft. ( I didn't realize that was possible. I thought you had to reinstall the operation system from scratch.) I will try to install the sp3. It can't make the computer much worse than now. For some reason the present IE6 constantly crashes. I'll try to upgrade to IE8 ( and install Firefox) after I install sp3. I am confused about one thing. As far as I know (searching around on Google), this computer originally had 256MB of memory. Apparently someone upgraded it to 448MB of memory. But when I look at www.crucial.com they seem to recommend an upgrade to 256 MB. This doesn't make sense, since I think the computer can hold 1GB of memory. Presently I can't get the Crucial Memory Scan to work. (This will scan the computer, tell you how much memory you have, and then recommend upgrade options.) Hopefully after I install sp3 and IE8, the Crucial Memory Scan will work. If it is possible to increase the memory, I figure I can buy something on ebay for under $10.

A Google search shows the Presario 2100 as a laptop, is that correct? If so, it can handle up to 1GB (2x 512 2700 DRR SODiMM).
Here's the direct Crucial page: http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=7E3437ECA5CA7304

As for upgrading your RAM, going price on Ebay for 2x 512MB 2700 DRR SODiMMs is around $20. Not too bad, but you'll have to decide whether it's worth the cost. Keep in mind your machine is 8-10 years old and as you use it more, other things may start failing (in particular the hard drive) and you don't want to keep pumping money into keeping it alive.

I have a couple of netbooks and a laptop (1.8 ghz, 2GB RAM) that I'm planning to sell off because as much as I keep telling myself I'll keep them around for browsing, I just never do because they're so much slower than my usual PCs.

[burnman99]

Well, let's let jimdagys have the last word, since it's HIS computer, not mine nor yours.

BTW, FAQs not always are accurate, and often are biased and misleading.

Well if you would have actually looked at the link, it showed the System Requirements. I'm guessing those aren't too slanted or misleading. . Sounds like you have some axe to grind against Zorin OS..

Come on, I mentioned the FAQ because I actually read it. And I do mistrust Linux propaganda, in the same way I mistrust Microsoft propaganda or Apple propaganda. BTW, it's funny how some people --- consciently or inconsciently --- pretend they misunderstand what they read, only for the sake of annoying the others.

I always recommend running a Live CD first, that way if it DOES run sluggish, or has hardware issues, you haven't installed anything. And there are plenty of minimalist Distros that use LXDE or XFCE that are worth trying, like Pinguy or Linux Lite. I personally liked Zorin, OS 6.3 but was running it on a more powerful machine and did run into some Compiz issues, so I now run Ubuntu Studio 12.04 on. Will have to try Zorin 7 on my old desktop to see how it does.

jimdagys wrote:

Question can I put Windows sp3 on this computer?

Me thinks the Linux enthusiasts are rather misplaced in this thread, since its very-beginning

So you just hate Linux. Well it isn't for everyone certainly. I will admit, i thought the OP was interested in alternate OS but it was a different poster, my bad. That being said, with XP going out of support in under a year, the OP may want to consider an alternate OS to XP. in the near future. The great thing about Linux is that there are many different Distros, many which are designed for older hardware like the OP has. Plus running a Live CD will show you how it will run on your hardware without having to install anything. Moreover, Live CDs are great system tools in case your OS gets corrupted, you can generally boot to them and use them to move files, repartition drives, heck Parted Magic will reset a Windows login Password if you forget it! And best of all its free! Good Luck!

[Steve(MS)]

How is that Lubuntu ready for internet browsing (as oppose to Mint) ? Everyday user cannot use command line to figure out something. It should be ready for use.

That is my main beef with linux distros...since my knowledge about them is severely limited to only Ubuntu 12.04.
My assumption is they are all like that....I got tired of looking up command lines to do real basic setup changes...sudo this sudo that.
I had to hunt for hours to find some simple function I was after.
There's got to be a better way...maybe I was going about it wrong..don't know.

Now if there was a compiled list somewhere that is indexed in some logical fashion...then perhaps I'll fool with it again...I got tired of looking up how to do real basic stuff...usually handled in Windows OSs by popup menu boxes.

But if they could compile all the sudo junk and index it in some meaningful way, I might could deal with it better.
I suppose someone who only wants to browse...the way it stands, it can be useful.

Really, most don't want to have to do intensive search engine interrogations, to make simple adjustments.....

[_Al_]

How is that Lubuntu ready for internet browsing (as oppose to Mint) ? Everyday user cannot use command line to figure out something. It should be ready for use.

That is my main beef with linux distros...since my knowledge about them is severely limited to only Ubuntu 12.04.
My assumption is they are all like that....I got tired of looking up command lines to do real basic setup changes...sudo this sudo that.
I had to hunt for hours to find some simple function I was after.
There's got to be a better way...maybe I was going about it wrong..don't know.

Now if there was a compiled list somewhere that is indexed in some logical fashion...then perhaps I'll fool with it again...I got tired of looking up how to do real basic stuff...usually handled in Windows OSs by popup menu boxes.

But if they could compile all the sudo junk and index it in some meaningful way, I might could deal with it better.
I suppose someone who only wants to browse...the way it stands, it can be useful.

Really, most don't want to have to do intensive search engine interrogations, to make simple adjustments.....

That is why I tested that Linux Mint that suppose to be quite ready for use, was wondering how is it going to feel. Latest Linux Mint.
But after installation I did these anyway:
-enable firewall (click bottom left linux icon -type "firewall" into that search prompt) , check enable firewall, firewall was not on default (why the heck not?)
-update manager did not work (this is a good thing for every day user , all applications are updated on your system, I mean, all of them) so had to use command line , click that linux icon bottom left, click terminal and write command there I googled
-within Firefox I disabled that Iced Tea-web plugin for java applets

It has pretty much all applications one needs, VLC, Firefox, text editors, dolphin browser, tons other things, all applications can be run through that pop up menu (that linx icon bottom, left), so after new installation you just check what is there. For example you write "vlc" in there search box and it will find it, you run it. Something that new linux user needs to have. It was not a problem to assign VLC as default player as oppose to that Koffeine player (right click mp4 file, icon settings,file type options) somehow it is intuitive.

Or you type software manager (typing or just find in the menu) and there are lists of aplications for download, where it behaves like apps on phones and tablets, you choose one like smplayer, or some games like World of goo demo - I recommend that one and it will download and install, you need to run it you just type it (in that search box) and click on it, or save it on desktop, as I said almost like windows, but more intuitive

But of course main reason op had was speed, this OS works on Pentium 4, not sure how it behaves on older machines. One thing for sure, it is a bit faster than clean install of XP sp3, which he doesn't have anyway, he 's got used up XP now, so everything runs even slower.

[jimdagys]

Question for Lingyi or someone else who knows the answer:
Yes, this Presario is a laptop. I also looked at that Crucial website ( see screenshot). I am confused why the recommended upgrade they say is 256MB (see red circle). Why doesn't it say the recommended upgrade is
2x512MB? I am confused about this. On another note (relating to somebody bashing the Crucial website), on another computer (Gateway netbook), I used the Crucial Memory Scanner, and it said what I had in a computer (1GB, confirmed with My Computer) and then recommended an upgrade to 2GB. I promptly bought the memory on ebay for less than half the Crucial price. At that point, I had zero understanding of memory terminology (DDR, Sodimm, etc) so I thought the Crucial website was very helpful in giving free useful information.
Another question: Can I put the 1GB memory, 200 pin sodimm, ddr2, Kingston, PC2-6400S (already removed from the Gateway netbook) and put it into the Presario?