Originally Posted By: tfabris
Before nuking the system, here are the things that I've found will slow down Windows PC's the most:

1. Not enough RAM to keep up with the installed operating system.

I'm a big proponent of "get as much RAM as you can!" I urge all my clients to do so, and if their computer is slow, I urge them to get more. But one of the machines I worked on recently had 6GB. Another was running XP with 2GB, which is as much as I've usually seen it need. Not that 4GB (or 3.47 or whatever) wouldn't be better...

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2. Incorrect device drivers (or "default windows driver in compatibility mode") for critical system components such as the IDE or SATA controller, or the PCI bus.

This is an intriguing idea, but is this something that would change at some point? I'm looking for reasons a computer would be slower after several years, not right off the bat.

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3. The device is a netbook with a substandard CPU.

So far I haven't had a client call me about a netbook smile But like others here, I definitely don't think netbooks are inherently slow. Well, I suppose it's relative. It's slow compared to my desktop's Core i7, but it also runs Windows 7 with very decent speed, and that's all I need. I haven't noticed my netbook (an MSI Wind U100) be particularly slow until you push it to the limits of what it's capable of. But as long as I don't play HD Youtube videos I'm fine.

Also, see your first point. Did you upgrade the RAM in any of the netbooks you tested? If my memory serves, nearly all the netbooks during the big netbook boom shipped with 1GB of RAM. I put 2GB in mine and that made a big difference (and for only $10).
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Matt