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Can Webroot help speed up a Windows Vista 32 Bit machine?
Hello @,



Welcome to the Webroot Community!

 

Unfortunately while Webroot is the lightest Antivirus on the market, it is not designed to speed up the machine.

 

Using the System Optimizer to clean temporary files may cause the machine to go faster, however this issue is likely caused by hardware limitations.

 

How much RAM are you currently using?

Best Regards,
James' suggestion to check the RAM is a good one, as that is often a bottleneck.  The other cheap upgrade to speed up a machine is to get an SSD for it.
If I may be allowed to add my two cents on this post. James and Nic are correct in that Ram is a great way to "Speed" up a computer. And as James stated Webroot will also give the impression and will actually make the computer react faster.

 

I do however have to mention that adding a SSD to a Vista machine is a mistake. The reason is as follows:

Vista does NOT support Trim. Trim is a process that removes and makes space available on a SSD when ever you add and remove a file. Kinda sorta like Defrag for a normal hard drive. There are some 3rd party software to simulate Trim in Vista but I don't recommend them since they tend to be heavy and actually can make the computer more sluggish.

And as all SSD owners know, Never Ever defrag a SSD, because all you will do is cut its life in half. SSD's just aren't designed to accept Defrag.

 

What I would recommend is two fold:


  • Check installed ram. Manufacturers where famous for shipping systems with Vista with only 2gb of installed Ram. Technically 2gb is enough but realistically 4gb is what we in the computer industry consider the sweet spot. Depending on what version of Vista (32 or 64 bit) 4gb should give you great results.
  • Upgrade the Operating System to Windows 8. Now I understand the look is different and many have issues with it because of what they are used to with Vista/7 but there are tons (Startisback, Start8, ClassicShell, Power8 just to name a few) of software that can make Windows 8 look and feel just like Windows Vista/7
The advantages of doing both of the above are as follows:


  1. Installing more ram is always a smart decision and with more and more software demanding more and more Ram to function properly it is a smart purchase.
  2. The upgrade of software is also a great idea because Windows 8 is by far MUCH MUCH faster for normal everyday usage than Vista ever was and if by a good margin faster then 7 also. Another thing to consider is that Windows 10 will be launching soon (End of July) and is a free upgrade for Windows 7 and 8 users. Windows Vista and below are NOT eligible for this Free Upgrade. And Windows 10 is faster then all the rest.
These are my personal recommendations and I am sure if you pick one or both of these options you will be a much happier user.

I hope this helps make your decision easier.

 

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