This thread is permanently archived
Is there hope for me?
| >without changing hardware
difficult one. if you got some disposable bucks I suggest adding more ram. at least 4 gigs total or more is recommended. I don't think modern 64 bit windows can run on 2 gigs ever. mine uses ~3 gb for minimum use. if you can't, just kill any background tasks, disable most apps from running on startup and use one app at a time (big inconvenience but what can do). and of course remove bloatware if you haven't already.
| Fork out a small bundle of cash and get a usb-drive or external hdd and backup all those important files then do a complete reinstall of the OS. I recommend a lightweight version of the GNU/Linux OS. It'll make your PC run like new.
You should have backups on that data anyway since the hdd it's stored on will eventually die.
| Easy way: backup all your stuff->roll to lubuntu
Hard way: search for lightweight alternatives for all programs you use (alternativeto should help), delet all not really necessary programs, do some tweaks (like turning off most of windows services, lowering resolution, turning on win 95 interface, etc), download and run some system cleaner (beware tons of malware and unnecessary programs) then delet it and all unwanted shit it brought to your system. And maybe it will help.
| You can dual-boot with a GNU/Linux distribution with low system requirements and set Windows as the default OS, then when you use the computer you enter GNU/Linux through the bios, you even would be able to access the files.
This way you won't bother your family with system changes and still get all the benefits of a faster and securer system.
| You can use blackbird (getblackbird.net)
and/or (https://github.com/bmrf/tron) to debloat Windows.
| >>ebe06c would I have to make a backup of all my files?
That's kinda my main issue, ive got about 5 or 6 4gb usbs, and hundreds of gb of data and my folks wont let me do anything with their stuff, as stupid as it sounds is there a way to change the os somehow so I dont lose any files without having to put them on an external drive
| >>418794
What you can do is boot GNU/Linux from a usb stick and make it your main OS while keeping the Windows hdd intact. This isn't the same as dual booting but it allows you to have two working OS:s in the same computer with minimal fuss regardless. NTFS-3g can read and write the Windows hdd from linux too.
Regarding the hundreds of gig of data I recommend backing up the irreplacable stuff like family photos. Warez and stuff doesn't need backup. You can just download it again.
| >>418794 To answer your question. No, you do not need to touch the Windows hdd if you boot GNU/Linux from usb.
Some motherboards allows you to access a boot menu if you press a certain key during boot such as F11.
Otherwise you have to switch the boot order in BIOS > Boot Menu which is recommend since if you want to boot into Windows simply remove the usb stick.
Just make sure that you use your fastest usb stick and the fastest usb port (no usb 1.1 ports) for best performance.
| >>418794
I would recommend making a backup just in case something goes wrong during the installation, some configurations can erase the hard drive, but if you know what you are doing there shouldn't be any problem.
Some installers allow you to install the operative system for dual boot with just one click, keeping all Windows data intact. From GNU/Linux you can still access the data in the Windows partitions and even save new files there.
| The only thing you should take in consideration is that you may want to reserve around 20-30 GB in your hard drive for GNU/Linux depending of how many programs you want to install for it.
Another important thing is the desktop environment. I would recommend MATE if you really want to decrease the resources used by your system (~500 MB in RAM), KDE (~700 MB) if you want some extra functionalities and better appearance. Both use less RAM than Windows. There are other options btw.
| >>418890 >>418891
Are you recommending dual booting 2 OS:s from the same harddrive to a novice who wants to keep all his (non-backuped) data? That's a recipe for disaster.
There are programs that will turn your usb key into a bootable GNU/Linux OS with no need to even touch your harddrive. It's the safer option but 4gb may be a bit to small unless you use one of those tiny distros like puppylinux.
| I think OP can look for some video tutorials that shouldn't last more than 10 minutes, it isn't that hard to dual boot. The first time I ever used a distro was when I dual-booted my laptop with Ubuntu's installer, other distributions may require manual configuration, but there are good guides on the internet for those too.
| >>418505
1. Replace the hard-disk with a SSD (you can re-use it later in a new computer)
2. install a linux distro with a lightweight desktop on it. I would recommend you lubuntu or xubuntu (18.04 LTS).
| >>418505
>AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 dual core processor 4600+ 2.41 GHz
shit's ancient. You have to get a new motherboard, CPU and ram at the very least. Also an SSD. If you want to keep your photos you can just use your old HDD as a secondary storage.
| >>419554
Bullshit. Motherboard, CPU and RAM are just fine to do office tasks.
It's not necessary to have 8GB RAM and an 8-core CPU to view and edit Text - as long you use software that values efficiency at least a bit.
I wonder if people in the future will use quantum computers to send text messages because of telemetry and service bloated OS.
| >>419667
I presume eventually they would
But only becouse it would make send from a security standpoint
| >>419715
>How do I increase it's overall performance without changing the hardware
Answer: Change the software into something that handles the hardware Ressource more efficient than the current software. This can only done by using a modular, customizable and minimal system, eg. replacing Windos with a lightweight linux distro. (Note that even the "heavy" linux distros are more ressource-friendly than windos)
This thread is permanently archived
| Alright so the pc info is as follows 2 gigs of ram, system type is 64 bit operating system x64-based processor, the processor is AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 dual core processor 4600+ 2.41 GHz. It runs windows 8.1, it's a shared family pc quite beat up and full of shit. How do I increase it's overall performance without changing the hardware or losing any data like family photos and the like? I'll take any help I can get. Also programms browsers etc I should use or avoid is appreciated too