A question for the collective Oppo world

"desertdog5051" (desertdog5051) 10/23/2013 at 19:16 • Filed to: None

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I work from home, so if there is not a lot going on, I peruse Oppo frequently. About 2-3 pm, I get a message that an excessive amount of memory is being used and I should close my browser and re-open it. (this comes from my AVG Anti Virus)

The question, when I want to see what posts are newer, is it better to refresh Oppo or close the tab and re-open it?

I know you people know more than cars. So someone let my know. (any other tips are also welcomed).

I am running a 5-6 yo Dell with XP and latest Firefox.

Nibbles > desertdog5051 10/23/2013 at 19:20

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Not really much you can do there. Firefox is a memory hog lately. Chrome may do a little better.

Todays websites and browsers use a lot more memory than they did 6 years ago. You could try increasing your page file size but I'm not convinced that will do anything.

desertdog5051 > Nibbles 10/23/2013 at 19:22

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Thanks. I have thought about using Chrome, perhaps a comparison will be of help.

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > desertdog5051 10/23/2013 at 19:22

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Not to be snarky or anything, but if you've got a 5 year old dell... I'd switch OS from what verison of Windows XP you're running and install Linux Mint :) But closing the tab and re-open it might help as well :)

Nibbles > desertdog5051 10/23/2013 at 19:26

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Maybe this will help. http://www.sitepoint.com/2013-best-brow…

desertdog5051 > Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh 10/23/2013 at 19:27

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Thanks. I have tried refreshing vs. closing the tab and did not notice any difference. You are not the only one to say I should switch either browsers or OS.

desertdog5051 > Nibbles 10/23/2013 at 19:29

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Thanks Nibbles.

Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? > desertdog5051 10/23/2013 at 19:30

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Honestly, if you have the funds, I would look into a newer computer with a better processor. Nothing to fancy because then you'll start to pay more for brand names then performance. If you go to Best Buy or Target (depending on where you live) you can pick one up for anywhere between $400 and $600 but, like I said, that's only if you have the means to.

If you can't then the first thing I would look into is opening up your computer and ensuring there isn't a build up of dust or dirt. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO NOT USE YOUR BREATH TO BLOW OUT THE DIRT/DUST. Use a can of compressed air. If you do that, you are also blowing out particles of saliva that will cause little short-circuits here and there that will degrade your performance further and over time.

After that, if it's still bogging down and running slowly, I would look into upgrading your RAM. RAM (along with your processor) is what allows the computer to run fast or slow. I don't know the specs of your computer so I wouldn't be able to advise on make and model of RAM to add. Best thing to do in that case is replacement instead of addition of RAM. You said you're running XP so I would look into a couple of 4GB sticks of RAM for a total of 8GB.

If you decide to go the RAM route and it still doesn't work, then a new computer is definitely the way you would have to go. Like I said earlier, you don't have to get anything fancy. Hell, you could get a laptop that could do everything you want for a good price. If you are technologically inclined, you could build yourself a decent computer by ordering parts off of Newegg or Amazon. I did that and built a pretty damn powerful computer for only $750.

If you have any questions or need me to explain anything, feel free to ask! Good luck!

Source: I fix computers for the Air Force.

Edit: In regard to the dirt/dust portion, don't use your vacuum either. You'll create static electricity and it will burn out your whole computer. You'll lose everything you have saved and its expensive as hell to get it recovered. If it can be recovered.

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > desertdog5051 10/23/2013 at 19:32

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Chrome as a browser is slighty less "heavy" than firefox. but firefox is more secure... I think your main problem is that your computer is old, and that is why I suggested switching to Linux Mint... Linux Mint looks JUST like windows you see :) but uses about half the hardware...

desertdog5051 > Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? 10/23/2013 at 19:36

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Upgrading is not an issue. I work from home and I deal with insurance so this dino works quite well for that.

Specs are: Pentium 4, 3.2 GHz, 2.0 ram.

Thanks.

Nibbles > Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? 10/23/2013 at 19:38

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I can say, with a good bit of certainty, that his system is likely not XP x64. Anything over 3.1 GB would be a waste in the laptop. Not to mention 6 years ago few laptops could go over 4 GB anyway. He could turn on PAE and extend his page file over 4 GB which may help, but a laptop that old - hard to justify upgrading the hardware, harder to find the parts new.

desertdog5051 > Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh 10/23/2013 at 19:39

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Yeah, maybe I should just get a newer 'puter. I'm starting to see that most of the fixes are not going to be as good on an old computer.

Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? > desertdog5051 10/23/2013 at 19:39

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If by upgrading you mean the RAM, then I would highly suggest you get, at a minimum, 4GB of RAM. If you mean upgrading to a new computer, then there are plenty of variations of computer. I suggest something with a dual core processor and 4GB of RAM at least. Personally, I would go with a quad core processor and 8GB of RAM. I play some games on my computer so I use a quad core and 16GB of RAM but I think that would be a bit overkill for you. Unless you play games then by all means, have fun!

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > desertdog5051 10/23/2013 at 19:41

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I put the new firefox on my wife's computer and was pretty upset with a lot of the "new" features on it. If you go into it's settings there's a bunch of crap...err, I mean features, you can disable that will make it run much more smoothly.

Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? > Nibbles 10/23/2013 at 19:44

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That's why I suggested first to go with a new computer. But if he couldn't, then upgrading the RAM would be better than nothing. You are completely correct, though, with the fact that he wouldn't be able to utilize 4GB of RAM with a 32bit XP load. I forget that sometimes since I very rarely work on XP systems.

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > desertdog5051 10/23/2013 at 19:45

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I don't know where you live or anything, but a new computer is rather cheap, at least here in Norway. 500 'Murican buckaroos will give me a computer that's WAY better than any computer that cost two or three times as much 6 years ago. 700 US buckaroos would give me a 2.7 quad core, 6(or 8)GB ram thingy with a 7200rpm hard drive... and it'd probably have about 1gb of dedicated video memory..

Nibbles > Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? 10/23/2013 at 19:46

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Lol I forget that at times too. Lately though its been pounded into my brain.

(Got 15+ years in the support business myself)

desertdog5051 > Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh 10/23/2013 at 19:48

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Near Albuquerque, New Mexico. I will write down your suggestions and check around. Thanks.

Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? > Nibbles 10/23/2013 at 19:51

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Gotta love how people will throw you into working on nothing but Win7 and then they throw you a legacy machine and wonder why you have to constantly verify information about that type of machine to work on it. At least that happens here every once in a while!

(Grew up learning computer from my dad, officially working on them for money for about 4 years now)

desertdog5051 > Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. 10/23/2013 at 19:56

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Thanks, I can do that.

desertdog5051 > Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? 10/23/2013 at 19:58

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I was thinking of upgrading the computer itself. Not a huge game player, but have a couple driving games. Thanks.

Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? > desertdog5051 10/23/2013 at 20:01

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Not a problem. If you ever have any computer questions, just let me know.

desertdog5051 > Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? 10/23/2013 at 20:12

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Thanks, will book mark this page for future reference.

ttyymmnn > Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. 10/23/2013 at 21:04

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Which features do you shut off? I use FF exclusively on my Mac and have no problems (usually) but I'm interested in the features your speaking of.

wkiernan > desertdog5051 10/23/2013 at 21:30

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Try creating a new user. You will have to create new user profile data for a lot of your software (e.g. your browser's bookmarks) but you can always switch back to your original user to see what your settings were. It's kind of surprising how much crap accumulates in the current user part of the registry over the years.

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > ttyymmnn 10/23/2013 at 23:24

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Go into the add-ons and check. There's a lot of crap in th new one that really doesn't need to be there.

JEM > desertdog5051 10/24/2013 at 12:02

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I'd upgrade to a whole machine at this point. 5 years is a good lifespan for a PC and I don't usually trust computers much past that age - definitely not worth putting money into.

For new laptops, check out Tiger Direct - always had good luck and their prices were always within a few dollars of the best deal on parts/systems.

Whatever you wind up getting, make sure it has at least 8gb of RAM, that should keep you working ok for the next 5 years.

As for the memory thing, you might consider completely exiting and restarting Firefox partway through the day. It does like to get constipated with memory, seemingly the more tabs you open/close.