There is a term out there called 'Windows Rot'. What this term means is that over an extended period of time, Windows will keep slowing down as you use it. Essentially this means that after a year or two, Windows is slower than it was when you bought it. Now some slowdown is expected as you use more software, but the problem of Windows Rot has more to do with your registry and file system than your usage. They get full and out of index (or corrupt, or both).
In my time as a developer, the shelf life of Windows for me was about six months. Because of the amount of compiling I would do.
I would expect it to be longer now that I've switched my primary role to sales / marketing (anyone from my work reading this knows I abuse computers and probably laughs at that statement).
Anyway, I have a 3.0 Ghz, Pentium 4 with 512MB of RAM (which is not enough, but I'm working on more). Above is a screen shot of my Windows Task Manager with nothing running (literally nothing, no background apps, no foreground apps, nothing). Explain to me how if I have nothing running my computer is using 369 MB of RAM? I'll tell you how, Windows Rot and Memory Leaks. This PC is maybe 1 year old (probably not even that) and that 369Mb of RAM was probably 10 minutes after I've closed everything down (because I was getting mad at how long everything is taking too run). I've mentioned it before on this blog... Windows Sucks!!!! If it wasn't for the fact that I still dable in development (in Microsoft's .Net) I would be using a Mac. I'm fed up.
1 comments:
Thanks for posting this. I had no idea why windows always seemed to progressively "rot" as you put it.
I heard the term elsewhere, and looked it up to see what I could do, and what it was. You answered the former, but I still am clueless as to how I can stop my computer from kicking the bucket so quickly.
I don't have XP, but 2000 behaves in a similar way. The screenshot of the taskmenu is often how my computer looks when it is also "idle". ^^; I think the developers put this feature in purposefully. The 'If it brakes you have to buy more' mentality.
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