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Bungleau · 09-30-2004, 10:36 AM

Here's my initial gut-reaction diagnosis, based on your response.

You probably are in need of a defrag and optimization of virtual memory use. If your original hard drive was almost full, then some games may have failed to load just because of that.

By virtual memory optimization, I mean setting your virtual memory to a fixed limit of 2-3 times your physical memory. Find your physical memory by right-clicking on My Computer and selecting Properties. Change the Virtual Memory setting by going to the Advanced Tab of Properties and clicking on the Performance settings. Windows likes to manage it for you; tell it no thanks, and ignore any warnings.

*edit* Forgot to mention... if you've got two hard drives, put virtual memory on the other one (not the one where Windows is installed). You'll improve performance, at least technically.

I'd still try another modem (an external one, since it's far easier to set up). That will either prove or disprove that the modem is responsible, and it will do it fairly quickly.

By the Dial-up Networking (DUN) properties, I mean things like the phone number, user ID, and Password for each of the DUN connections, as well as any configuration information. Write those down, 'cause the time to find out you don't know your actual ID with your ISP is *NOT* moments after deleting the dial-up icon...

If you do wipe the hard drive, I'd suggest saving all your data, but not necessarily the programs. On my machine now, I have a separate directory (c:\yyyaddon) that contains all the other applications I install. Each one gets its own folder, and if I need to refresh my machine, I reinstall Windows and then reinstall the things in that folder. It's amazing how many things you can install...

Hmmm... and one other thought that's crept in. Go to Add/Remove programs and remove anything that you're sure you don't need, or that they installed. Some things may not uninstal cleanly, but it can't hurt. You can also use HiJack This to eliminate some of the things that launch at boot time.

BTW, Trend Micro is an online virus scanner. And it's free

And for a final note, whenever I upgrade a hard drive in my machines, I simply add a second hard drive and keep the first one. Install Windows on the second one and boot from it, but if you need to, you can go back to the first one. My main home machine has a 20GB and 30GB drive, and my kids' computers have a couple of 2GB drives each.

I know, I know... I'm cheap on the kids' computers. They'll get upgraded... eventually... [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 09-30-2004, 10:37 AM: Message edited by: Bungleau ]

09-30-2004, 10:36 AM	#7
Bungleau 40th Level Warrior Join Date: October 29, 2001 Location: Western Wilds of Michigan Posts: 11,752	Here's my initial gut-reaction diagnosis, based on your response. You probably are in need of a defrag and optimization of virtual memory use. If your original hard drive was almost full, then some games may have failed to load just because of that. By virtual memory optimization, I mean setting your virtual memory to a fixed limit of 2-3 times your physical memory. Find your physical memory by right-clicking on My Computer and selecting Properties. Change the Virtual Memory setting by going to the Advanced Tab of Properties and clicking on the Performance settings. Windows likes to manage it for you; tell it no thanks, and ignore any warnings. edit Forgot to mention... if you've got two hard drives, put virtual memory on the other one (not the one where Windows is installed). You'll improve performance, at least technically. I'd still try another modem (an external one, since it's far easier to set up). That will either prove or disprove that the modem is responsible, and it will do it fairly quickly. By the Dial-up Networking (DUN) properties, I mean things like the phone number, user ID, and Password for each of the DUN connections, as well as any configuration information. Write those down, 'cause the time to find out you don't know your actual ID with your ISP is NOT moments after deleting the dial-up icon... If you do wipe the hard drive, I'd suggest saving all your data, but not necessarily the programs. On my machine now, I have a separate directory (c:\yyyaddon) that contains all the other applications I install. Each one gets its own folder, and if I need to refresh my machine, I reinstall Windows and then reinstall the things in that folder. It's amazing how many things you can install... Hmmm... and one other thought that's crept in. Go to Add/Remove programs and remove anything that you're sure you don't need, or that they installed. Some things may not uninstal cleanly, but it can't hurt. You can also use HiJack This to eliminate some of the things that launch at boot time. BTW, Trend Micro is an online virus scanner. And it's free And for a final note, whenever I upgrade a hard drive in my machines, I simply add a second hard drive and keep the first one. Install Windows on the second one and boot from it, but if you need to, you can go back to the first one. My main home machine has a 20GB and 30GB drive, and my kids' computers have a couple of 2GB drives each. I know, I know... I'm cheap on the kids' computers. They'll get upgraded... eventually... [img]smile.gif[/img] [ 09-30-2004, 10:37 AM: Message edited by: Bungleau ] __________________ B Save Early, Save Often Save Before, Save After Two-Star General, Spelling Soldiers -+-+-+ Give 'em a hug one more time. It might be the last.