My PC Can't Run SL Anymore

2009-10-20T13:35:00.000-07:00

I wrote this for a friend a couple weeks ago. She was complaining that her PC was "messed up" and that she couldn't get the Second Life client to work properly anymore. I haven't heard a peep out of her since. I don't know if I pissed her off or what. That certainly wasn't my intent. I think my directness puts people off. Oh well. This is the advice I gave her and it probably applies to alot of people dealing with poor performance and other problems on their Windows XP machine:

It's kinda slow. But hey, it's what you have to work with so you should try and make the best of it. Here are some things to look out for:

- You haven't gone to Windows update and updated your PC. If you're machine is all fucked up by malware and trailware, this won't help but you should do it FIRST THING if you do a fresh Windows install (see choices section below).

- General Windows crappiness. Windows XP is notorious for slowing down all by itself after a while, even if you don't have malware or horrible trial software. All you can do is reinstall (see choices below). But it won't get THAT slow. Certainly not hairpullingly bad slow. No something worse may be happening...

- Anti-virus. Norton, McAfee are two of the worse. You SHOULD run anti-virus but something much lighter. Try AVG. If either Norton or McAfee come pre-installed, uninstall them.

- Other free trial software that comes pre-installed with your PC. That can slow your PC down ALOT. If you have more than 3 or so icons in the system tray, that means crap you don't need is loading up and sucking down your system's RAM, CPU, etc. My mom had a brand new HP that she barely used and didn't even have internet for and the trialware junk made it soooo slow after a while. PC Decrapifier can help - http://www.pcdecrapifier.com/

- Downloading pirated stuff. Especially if you don't know what to look out for. Gnutella is the WORST option. You may know Gnutella by one of the clients available - LimeWire, Kazza, Shareaza, Morpheus. STAY FAR AWAY FROM GNUTELLA! If you have done any downloading via Gnutella, you almost certainly have malware* on your machine. This would certainly slow your computer down. If your machine is taking more than 1-2 minutes to boot up, this is a sign something nasty is running on startup. Yes, both the anti-virus AND the virus slow your PC down. Sucks don't it?

*Most non-nerds describe them as "viruses" but the good ol' days of pranksters writing viruses to mess with you are long gone.

Here are your choices:

- If you're lazy and stupid option:

Do nothing. Though that could be very very ugly. If your PC 'asplodes or becomes so slow it's completely unusable and say, you have important school work on it and you can't retrieve it, you're kinda screwed.

- If you want to do something but are scared to death of your PC:

Find the local computer nerd and ask nicely if he/she can help you back up your files and reinstall Windows. Do something nice for them though, like buy them pizza. Alot of people get someone to help them with their crappy old PC and don't do shit and that sucks. Pizza is the least you can do.

- If you're feeling brave option:

Do it yourself. I used do a fresh re-install it at least once a year, sometimes more. Normally, I would recommend formatting the hard drive and reinstalling Windows. Unfortunately, most manufacturers stopped including Windows discs some time ago. Now days, most of them have a hidden partition that you can reinstall with (the BIG downside to this is that if the HDD 'asplodes, then you have no way to reinstall). If you have an option to do that, I would highly suggest that you back up all your stuff to CDs, DVDs, USB keys, whatever you have. The option is probably on the boot screen. After reinstalling, download the PC Decrapifier. It will make uninstalling all the free trial bullshit (like Norton, AOL, whatever else) easier.

- If you're feeling really brave option:

Ditch Windows and install Ubuntu Linux. I recommend the Xubuntu variant for your machine. Though I'm not sure about support for that ATI chip you have. This is why this is the "really brave" option. Also, if there is any Windows software you absolutely MUST have for school or work, this may not be the best choice. WINE can run some Windows software though. If nothing I just typed made any sense, this isn't a practical option for you.

- If you have money option:

Say fuck it and buy a new laptop. You will still need the PC Decrapifier though. Don't get an XP machine - go with Vista or better yet, Windows 7. Be sure to turn on automatic updates if it's not already on.

- If you have a little more money option:

Say fuck it and fuck Windows and buy a Mac. Though as I mentioned in the Linux option, if there is any Windows software you absolutely MUST have for school or work, this may not be the best choice. However Parallels runs Windows software and is supposed to work really well, though is costs money. But if you have the money for a new Mac, cost isn't a problem, is it? The upside of Macs are is that they require slightly less maintenance and are far less susceptible to malware. Macs also come with iLife, which I hear very good things about. They also don't have all the shitty trail software. There are WoW and Second Life clients available for Mac.

Lecture time:

Computers aren't a magic box, they are a complex machine. And like any complex machine, if you don't maintain it, it WILL eventually break down. If you're broke and can't buy a new one, you're pretty screwed. You should have a basic understanding of and a willingness to get your hands dirty now and then to keeping it running as well as it can. PCs are expensive to replace so a little knowledge and an afternoon a month doing some maintenance can save you alot of money and headaches.

I hope this helps. Good luck.

Hoodies!

2009-10-20T09:43:00.001-07:00

Here's a preview of the hoodies for the 7071 Winter 2009 Mini Collection: