The memory test only slows the start-up I think (and can be turned off by something like holding the option and command key down when opening the apple menu and selecting the memory control panel - the memory test option then appears).
You don't say what system you use. If you are using say 8.6 and just emailing and browsing then your specs are fine (the internet's slowness is almost wholly due to the phone line bottleneck - broadband is the only real solution). Yes, defrag your hard drives and keep a bit of spare space - your browser cache needs to be read from there and if you are revisiting pages etc you need to have your hard disk tidy and the cache in one lot. You can try to use a Ram disk (read about it in Mac OS Help on your computer) and assign this as place for the browser cache (and then when you go back and forth in a browser to pages that have already been loaded (slowly!) you will not have to use the slower mechanical features of disk reading but rather rely on the lightening speed of electronic RAM. (Though, frankly, I have never seen in practice any great speed increase in what theoretically sounds promising...) And then there is the matter of your browser. Which one, your settings and so on. I am crazy to have begun on this question! Cheers David > Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > From: "Kevin Willis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: slow 8500 > Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 21:35:42 -0500 > > I have a 8500 with a NewerTech G3 300 running at 336 Mhz. It has 304 > megs of RAM and a ATI Xclaim 8Mb video card. > I mostly use it for e-mail and internet. What can I do to squeeze a > little more speed out of it? > Are there extensions I can turn off to speed it up? Is there a > "defragmenting" utility that can be run? > I thought I read that there is a memory test that can be turned off? > Would that speed things up? -- PCI-PowerMacs is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- Sonnet & PowerLogix Upgrades - start at $169 | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> PCI-PowerMacs list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/pci-powermacs.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive:<http://www.mail-archive.com/pci-powermacs%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
