OK, I admit my computer knowledge is very limited, the 17 yo sales kid can and has sucked me in on several occasions.

My current comp with xp (about 4 years old) is still ok for everyday stuff but seems very slow for downloading stuff, eg. when I download video clips, it stops every 10 seconds or so? is this normal?

Anyway my question for the experts what package should I be looking for to up-grade, but still affordable? remember no good baffling me with science.

Stick with what you have, sounds like an upgrade would be better, as for downloading it may be your internet connection who are you with and how fast and how much can you download a month.

You may have reached your limit, if you buy a new computer you will get one with vista you don't want or need that.

What specs does your pc have i can suggest the things you need to upgrade.

I'm even dumber than that Shaun tell me where I will find the specs?

partypooper, even if you do upgrade to a faster system it won't mean your internet connection will run faster. It all depends on what plan you are on through your ISP (Internet Service Provider)

Are you on ADSL, Cable, or Dial Up? if you are close enough to your local exchange you may be able to upgrade your plan and get a faster connection.

You can speed your Computer up with 2 parts, Larger CPU (Chip that runs everything) & more Ram (Memory)

Shaun/Ricardo, ok it's XP version 2002, Celeron (r) CPU 2.4GHz, 224 MB of RAM. I have AAPT Broadband ADSL with 500 per month which then reduces to Dial up should I go over that. By the way the comp is almost eclusively used for Horse racing purposes data , commentries etc

Ok, your CPU is fine but you could do with some extra Memory. You can get RAM very cheap at the moment so if you know someone who are into PC's, get them
to source the best deal around (should be able to get 1 Gig Ram for under $100) and get them to wack it in for you. It takes about 5 mins to install when you know what you are doing.

The extra Ram will give your system a nice boost and make things move along a bit quicker. Very helpfull for crunching heaps of race data
Do you go over your download limit very often? If so, then maybe a plan upgrade incorporating a larger download limit may suit you better?

I agree 500 meg a month i would say you use that amount in about 2 weeks or less so a plan upgarde would be good.

http://home.aapt.com.au/At_home/Int...iveNet5NTC.html

http://home.aapt.com.au/At_home/Int...veNet10NTC.html

These 2 plans would be fine, i am not sure if you are on adsl or adsl2+ at the moment but you may need a newer modem, stay off contract if you can and pay for the modem yourself if needed.

You will notice a world of difference with a new plan and 1 gig of ram.

Shaun/Ricardo thanks for the advice, which I will take to heart. I wondered also if the video card (sorry, or whatever it's called) is not suitable, eg. I try to download a race replay, I get the thing stopping every 10 seconds or so and take that long that usually give up.

Anyway thaks I'll let you know how I go....

ok it's XP version 2002, Celeron (r) CPU 2.4GHz, 224 MB of RAM

I concur, you have the poor cousin of the Pentium computer, but 224mb must be sharing videographics, therefore you could double or quadruple your memory very easily and notice a huge performance improvement for a very cheap cost.

Ram for these units is quite cheap now, but take it to your local shop and get the guys to do it for you.

Considering the processor speed, I'd ask for an upgrade to 1 gigabyte of ram - they'll understand your requirements

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Thanks Chrome will do!