The New Slower Version

Q: I have a friend with a computer CPU speed of about 450mHz. He has XP loaded. His computer seems to be so bogged down. I have cleaned it up and looked for other
problems, but it still lags. Is there a certain CPU speed that XP requires/needs to work
efficiently?
Thanks
L. Miller
A: First of all, there are certain assumptions that I must make. The first is that you are running Microsoft XP Home Edition. If this is the case then a 300 megahertz (MHz) or higher processor clock speed recommended, but a 233 MHz processor is the minimum required. The next assumption is that since the processor is 450 MHz, then it is an older computer and the XP program is an upgrade from 95 or higher. All of these factors are important for several reasons. Some people find that upgraded software runs less efficiently than full versions of the same software. Also, with a 450 MHz processor this computer should not be expected to perform at the same level as computers at most libraries, businesses, or the standard systems on the market today that have four to five times the processing power and speed. With reason expectations in tow, now we can consider how to resolve the issue as much as possible.
The first thing that we want to do is ensure that there are no disk problems. So you can run a scandisk. This can be found under the system utilities sub-header. It will find damaged spots on your hard drive and repair them if possible. Another reason to run the scandisk first is that it allows you to a productive defrag. Defrag is also one of the system utilities that reorganizes all of the information on your computer so that it may be more efficient. After you run a defrag you can take a look at the memory.
Microsoft recommends 128 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher. The minimum required is 64 MB, and Microsoft warns that some performance and features may be limited. So your option here is clear. Free up space and make new space. The defrag may free up some space but deleting unused icons, emptying the temporary internet file, and the recycle bin may add more space. The next thing that you can do is to increase your virtual memory and then your RAM. After you have made all of these adjustments then you can monitor your computer usage from the Windows Task Manager. All that you need to do is press Ctrl-Alt-Delete. It can do more than help you out when your computer freezes. Select the “applications” or “processes” tab to see if a program running on your computer is having problems. If none of these give you the result that you were hoping for, then maybe you may want to consider purchasing a new computer with Microsoft XP pre-installed. It would provide a full version of the operating software, and you may find the faster processing that you desire.