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Question about my Dell 700m

post #1 of 18
11/25/06 at 4:59pm
Thread Starter 
Ive got a Dell 700m that is a year old and i would like it to run faster. I use the computer for typing up my notes in class and surfing the web and chattin, and listening to music. My dad (who is really good with computers, he can build em and etc.) thinks that reformating the HD and reinstalling everything would make it run faster. But, from what iv'e read on this site is that it might need more memory.
The specs of the 700m:
Intel Pentium M Processor 1.80GHz 598 MHz, 496 MB of RAM
Its Running XP Professional SP2
NEC DVD+RW
80gb HD

Its free of spyware and adware. Do you think upgrading the memory to 1gb would make it run faster? Or if i just clean the HD and reinstall everything? I have a HP with a AMD Dual Core 4800 CPU and 2gb Memory and a 250gb HD. And it's FAST!!! I would like the 700m to be as fast but i know with its Pentium M CPU it's not possible. But what do you think the easiest/best way to upgrade/make the laptop faster would be?
Thanks in adavanced for your responses
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post #2 of 18
11/25/06 at 5:49pm
well, the biggest problem you have is a lack of ram. 496 (i.e. 512mb) is insufficient. at least 1gb ram. if you have 2x256 or 1x512mb, then just buy a 1gb stick. more ram the better. also, what speed is your HD? You can always get 7200rpm seagate or hitachi. i've got 2gb ram and 7200rpm seagate in my 700m. other than that, there isn't much else you can do to speed it up. at least 1gb ram will give you more than enough to do what you want to do with your lappie.
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post #3 of 18
11/25/06 at 6:03pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by laffingbilly
well, the biggest problem you have is a lack of ram. 496 (i.e. 512mb) is insufficient. at least 1gb ram. if you have 2x256 or 1x512mb, then just buy a 1gb stick. more ram the better. also, what speed is your HD? You can always get 7200rpm seagate or hitachi. i've got 2gb ram and 7200rpm seagate in my 700m. other than that, there isn't much else you can do to speed it up. at least 1gb ram will give you more than enough to do what you want to do with your lappie.

It has 1 512mb stick. Im not sure what the speed of the hd is probably 7200rpm. Would 1gb stick plus whats in the 700m now be good? And do you know any good sites besides newegg that i could get a 1gb stick for a good price? thanks
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post #4 of 18
11/26/06 at 4:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by db3rg
It has 1 512mb stick. Im not sure what the speed of the hd is probably 7200rpm. Would 1gb stick plus whats in the 700m now be good? And do you know any good sites besides newegg that i could get a 1gb stick for a good price? thanks

yes, 1gb stick plus your 512mb stick will do wonders for you. as far as hd, i'm pretty sure that it is only a 5400rpm. as far as where to get ram, it's really a toss up, especailly since everyone is having sales. checkout www.ableshoppers.com, which lists coupons and other deals going on at many different stores. otherwise, just go to the usual places outpost.com, bestbuy, circuitcity, compusa, amazon, newegg, etc. etc.
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post #5 of 18
11/26/06 at 11:15pm
I reload all my software once every 1-2 months. It will help if it hasnt been done in awhile, and will also help alot if its never been done. The ram will also be a huge help for multitasking.
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post #6 of 18
11/27/06 at 7:43am
@db3rg

out of the topic

how do you prevent spyware and adware on your computer? any suggestion of softwares?

i currenty only have a norton av, and my laptop slows down, maybe because of the spyware and adware..

btw.. adding more memory can greatly increase speed of your laptop.
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post #7 of 18
11/27/06 at 2:33pm
I use no spyware detector or av or anything. I use the windows firewall and have all pop ups blocked. I dont go to questionable sites all that often, but i never have spyware or adware or virus problems. I also format once every 1-2 months just to make sure theres no crap like that on my pc.
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post #8 of 18
11/27/06 at 2:52pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by laffingbilly
yes, 1gb stick plus your 512mb stick will do wonders for you. as far as hd, i'm pretty sure that it is only a 5400rpm. as far as where to get ram, it's really a toss up, especailly since everyone is having sales. checkout www.ableshoppers.com, which lists coupons and other deals going on at many different stores. otherwise, just go to the usual places outpost.com, bestbuy, circuitcity, compusa, amazon, newegg, etc. etc.

I asked my dad about ram and he said crucial..there good right? I might just order it off of the site b/c best buy and circuit city are rip off's..im gonna check once i get home on newegg and same with compusa.
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post #9 of 18
11/27/06 at 2:57pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by dudekracked
@db3rg

out of the topic

how do you prevent spyware and adware on your computer? any suggestion of softwares?

i currenty only have a norton av, and my laptop slows down, maybe because of the spyware and adware..

btw.. adding more memory can greatly increase speed of your laptop.
On the Labtop i have webroot sweeper, ad-ware and spybot search and destroy and it also has norton av.
Nizzan- I'm also going to reformat the computer.
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post #10 of 18
11/27/06 at 6:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by db3rg
I asked my dad about ram and he said crucial..there good right? I might just order it off of the site b/c best buy and circuit city are rip off's..im gonna check once i get home on newegg and same with compusa.

crucial is fine. bb and cc can be ripoffs, but they also sometimes have good weekly specials or something with coupons, just like other stores. with that said, it doesn't have to be crucial ram, it can be anything..look for a lifetime warranty, and that about does it.
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post #11 of 18
11/27/06 at 7:47pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by laffingbilly
crucial is fine. bb and cc can be ripoffs, but they also sometimes have good weekly specials or something with coupons, just like other stores. with that said, it doesn't have to be crucial ram, it can be anything..look for a lifetime warranty, and that about does it.
alright thanks
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post #12 of 18
12/1/06 at 11:26pm
Reinstalling software won't make things better, but worse, especially if its done every other month! Where did you get that advice from?? Most uninstalls leave junk in the registry. Thus your laptop will run slower. I only install a few apps on my laptops and they run pretty fast.

Quote:
Originally Posted by nissanztt90
I reload all my software once every 1-2 months. It will help if it hasnt been done in awhile, and will also help alot if its never been done. The ram will also be a huge help for multitasking.
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post #13 of 18
12/1/06 at 11:53pm
Reload = Format HDD, reinstall XP + Games/Apps + defrag = fast.

If you would have read my next post, you would have known that. If your arguing that formatting and reinstalling the OS and apps makes the PC run slower then you should close your laptop, sell it, and never touch a PC again.

...but i think you just misunderstood me.
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post #14 of 18
12/3/06 at 12:31am
Yeah I misunderstoodd you. But to do all that every other month, you obviously have way too much time on your hands...sheesh. If the OP buys more RAM, he/she will be fine..
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post #15 of 18
12/3/06 at 1:23am
Format and OS reinstall takes an hour. Drivers on a USB key takes about 10 min. Reinstall games as i feel like playing them. Hell, i can format and reinstall in half the time it takes my girlfriend to get ready for the night. I am referring to a Core Duo with 7200rpm HDD and 2 gig of Ram though. I never format my 700m, i dont have that kind of patience.
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post #16 of 18
12/11/06 at 3:12pm
It is a somewhat misconception that reformatting and reloading will make your system "faster". Reformatting and reloading your system with a "cleaner" installation of XP will make it a little faster, but you run the risk of running into problems sometimes.

Your best bet is to upgrade your RAM as you are only fitted with 512MB total. I myself own one and upgrading the RAM helped.

To be honest, yes, DELL loads a lot of BLOATWARE on their laptops, but honestly, with time taken and with a good sense of common knowledge you can either uninstall the unwanted apps comepletly (including the registry entries) or simply disable them from loading in the startup items. Doing this, I have lowered my number of running process in the background to a mere 19 Process as compared to the 35+ you usually get out of the box....

Good Luck! But definitely upgrade the RAM.


Quote:
Originally Posted by db3rg
Ive got a Dell 700m that is a year old and i would like it to run faster. I use the computer for typing up my notes in class and surfing the web and chattin, and listening to music. My dad (who is really good with computers, he can build em and etc.) thinks that reformating the HD and reinstalling everything would make it run faster. But, from what iv'e read on this site is that it might need more memory.
The specs of the 700m:
Intel Pentium M Processor 1.80GHz 598 MHz, 496 MB of RAM
Its Running XP Professional SP2
NEC DVD+RW
80gb HD

Its free of spyware and adware. Do you think upgrading the memory to 1gb would make it run faster? Or if i just clean the HD and reinstall everything? I have a HP with a AMD Dual Core 4800 CPU and 2gb Memory and a 250gb HD. And it's FAST!!! I would like the 700m to be as fast but i know with its Pentium M CPU it's not possible. But what do you think the easiest/best way to upgrade/make the laptop faster would be?
Thanks in adavanced for your responses
Reply
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post #17 of 18
12/11/06 at 10:09pm
Thread Starter 
it now has 1gb and a 256mb chips and it will be reformatted soon
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post #18 of 18
1/18/07 at 3:57am
I still love my 700m.

These days, 1GB of RAM is minimum. I have 1GB now and I still feel cramped sometimes. You should just grab a 1GB stick from Newegg.com and pop it in the open slot for a total of 1.5GB, that will feel nice and comfy. You can also upgrade the HDD, grab a 160GB 7200rpm notebook HDD from Newegg.com while you're at it. That's pretty much it for user-upgradable parts on the 700m unless you replace the wireless card or something.
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