Old Laptop RAM Issue

[The Fed]

I made the mistake of buying a laptop with only 4GB RAM a couple of years ago because it was only $300. I'm checking now, but I think it has Intel and WIN11 Pro. It seems it was designed for networking and nothing else. It barely runs and is so slow it locks up after opening a tab or two. I currently only use it for VCDS but would like to be able to use it for surfing and my web email client. It's not possible to upgrade the RAM.

I'm thinking of switching to Linux or if it's possible, Chrome. Will 4 RAM be sufficient for my wants? If so, do I look for certain OS versions?

 

[dtfd]

You're better off buying a new laptop rather then screwing around with trying to run a new OS on your current machine.

 

[cb1111]

I just (Saturday) resurrected a similar computer - a 2020 ASUS with a Pentium, 4Gb of ram and a 64Gb SSD. It also only had one USD-C slot (no USB-A The thing came with Win10pro and was "slower than molasses in January" (as my dad used to say).

My grandson wanted a computer, so I figured that this might work for what he wants (he is 7 and plays chess online).

I deleted every single program except for the OS and a browser, ran Disk cleanup in admin mode, then went to Settings/System/Reset this PC and wipe everything.

Once reset and the OS newly installed, I went to the Microsoft Store and downloaded PC Manager - that'll show you the amount of available ram and so forth.

The computer is actually pretty snappy now. Just don't add much stuff and remember that VCDS needs Windows to run (unless something has changed in the last couple of years).

Over the years, computers get junked up with loads of stuff that bogs them down. Starting from scratch (and turning off stuff like widgets and the gaming add-ons) can really resurrect a computer that you thought was useless.

I'm not sure what computer manufacturers were thinking when they did Win 11 Pro bundled with a 4gb ram and a Pentium processor - they were very obviously looking for the consumers who don't understand technology but are wowed by the word "pro" and are looking for a bargain.

But you can make VCDS and a browser work nicely on that machine.