Apps in WinXP Pro (WinXP Pro SP1)

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Having rolled out WinXP Pro we notice in apps like Outlook 2000, Word, and even sometimes in Windows explorer that there is a “not responding” popping up on the title bar of the window. This happens if Windows is working and a user clicks on the app while the process is thinking. Even though the app will eventually finish its job, end users think the computer is stuck and ctrl-alt-delete/end program is becoming too common. Any ideas why WinXP shows the “not responding” message so quickly? Does anyone know of a way to make this wonderfully stable OS less sensitive in this case? Thanks!

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What O/S did you upgrade from, on to what spec machines and what upgrade path did you follow? XP has higher demands for processor power and particularly memory than its predecessors.

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Also default pagefile size is too low. Increase pagefile size to 1 1/2 times of RAM installed initial size, 3 times RAM maximum size.

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I know that was recommended for NT, but I thought a minimum equal to RAM and a max of 1.5 times was enough for XP, since it does a better job of managing memory. Probably a moot point if you have plenty of disc space, but I had to reset the virtual memory on a machine (20GB HDD) recently to free up some urgently needed slack on the C: drive, to allow defragmentation.

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These were brand new notebook computers that we loaded WinXP on. There are 40GB hard drives on them. I’ll check the pagefile size and see if that help. Thank you!

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The amount of RAM would be the my first check. XP claims to work on 128MB, but not in any way that I would find acceptable. I am about to replace a PC for a user that she complained about the speed of, swapping a 2.0GHz P4 256MB RAM for a 2.53MHz, 512MB DDR machine. Admittedly, there were some other issues, like her turning the PC off over the weekends, when all our workstations are scheduled to defragment their hard drives.

Once you start adding apps and with office workers running multiple windows, I think 512MB RAM is a minimum and preferably DDR RAM.

I would also look under ‘Add/Remove programs’ for Hotfix Q811493. I have sped up several machines by removing that one. Regular defragmentation (eg weekly) will also help.

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” brand new notebook computers ” did you load the Windows XP Drivers and software for these machines from the OEM?
You may be running on “generic” drivers if you did NOT.

DaveA I am so far behind, I think I am First
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living

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