Really slow computing

Hello!

I am running a Dell laptop with a 1.0 gig pentium 3 and
256 megs of RAM. The performance of this laptop seems to
have suffered in some regards since I first bought it,
and most troubling is that it will no longer run some of
the more memory-intensive programs that it is qualified
to run (ie Studio 7 video editor).

I appreciate any help you can give me. On a scale of 1
to 10, I am about an 8 when it comes to using software
applications, but only about a 3 when it comes to
hardware or technical issues. So please keep it simple
for me!

Thank you,
Brad in Dallas

[Rich Barry]

Brad, another 256MB of Ram would help. Try defragging your Drive.
MyComputer>Drive Icon rt click>select Prop>
Tools and then Defrag. Make sure your Page File is set properly.
http://aumha.org/win5/a/xpvm.htm Also get
System Mechanic from www.iolo.com It's free for 30 days. It will
clean up your files and registry.
> wrote in message
...
> Hello!
>
> I am running a Dell laptop with a 1.0 gig pentium 3 and
> 256 megs of RAM. The performance of this laptop seems to
> have suffered in some regards since I first bought it,
> and most troubling is that it will no longer run some of
> the more memory-intensive programs that it is qualified
> to run (ie Studio 7 video editor).
>
> I appreciate any help you can give me. On a scale of 1
> to 10, I am about an 8 when it comes to using software
> applications, but only about a 3 when it comes to
> hardware or technical issues. So please keep it simple
> for me!
>
> Thank you,
> Brad in Dallas