sphynx_000 said:
another question...
when I open a program the first time (after I start up), it will open slow. But if I close it and open it agian, it loads MUCH faster. Is this common?
Yes - I think it's because some of the program will still be in the RAM, which can be accessed faster than the HDD.
sphynx_000 said:
I have no idea what is going on just after start-up, the computer sounds like a bunch of stuff is happening, but the only program it could be loading is antivirus...
My Dell did the exact same thing! I think it was fixed after I formatted and reinstalled Windows to give it to my parents, though.
There aren't really any problems with upgrading a Dell; the only parts that are truly proprietary are the motherboard and Windows installation discs (copies of Windows from Dell will only work on Dell motherboards). Dell might have warranty problems with it, perhaps? The thing is, you might as well just save your money towards that build.
Trust me, that will be one of the most satisfying and fun things you'll do for a while.
For now, reinstalling Windows without the Dell stuff is probably the best thing. Getting an external hard drive to back up your stuff is never a bad idea, either. USB hard drives from EDGE Tech have big mail-in rebates right now. I got
this one and it's working well so far.
If you really, really don't want to reinstall Windows, you could right-click on My Computer, click Manage, expand Services and Applications, and click Services. This brings up a list of all the available services your computer has to offer. Some will be disabled or set to Manual or Automatic. Manual means the service will start when it's needed. Automatic means it will be launched upon startup. Now, you can go to
www.theeldergeek.com and look up (search for) each of those services, and it will point out ones that are unnecessary. Just make sure you don't disable any critical services. Doing this got rid of a few extraneous processes and shaved off a few seconds from my startup time.