Application Performance

[Qbart]

Okay, here I go again, I have a pentium Cyrix 6X86 200 processor with 64mb of ram. I seem to have the system running at optimal level. I run the resource meter and its usually at 80%-90% system resources free. One thing I noticed was when I ran a diagnostic program on my CPU it was reportedly running at 167 instead of 200 but isnt that normal for a cpu that isnt overclocked? Anyway my big problem is MP3's I used to be able to play them on this system before I reformatted and reinstalled windows. I have tried everything I can think of, cntrl-alt-delete all non essential running programs, I've even changed the sound card. On Real jukebox, which I know is a resource hog, they play fine for about two seconds and then stop, then another two seconds and stop. I've given up on realjukebox. Through Napsters player which worked great before they sound all slow and garbled. I am using Napsters Beta 7, which is what I had before. Winamp same thing! Another generic player plays them but skips crazily or repeats crazily! Well I have been all over the net trying to find the answer, I know there is one! I went to: http://www.angrycoffee.com/tutorials/mp3/diskspace.html
and they are talking about Application Performance which seems to be on the right track but I can't figure out there instructions, are they talking only about windows 98? Its written pretty poorly, if anyone can decipher what they are talking about I would greatly appreciate it. Also if anyone has any other suggestions I would really appreciate it. It seems to me there is a simple answer to this somewhere!
Thanks for all your help!
Qbart

------------------
DOH!

[This message has been edited by Qbart (edited 01-25-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Qbart (edited 01-25-2001).]

[Randy_tx]

The actual cpu rating for a cyrix 200 IS about 166 mhz or less. They overstated the rating in the boot sequence to try to compete with AMD & Intel. The latest versions of Via/Cyrix MIV, I think, accruately state the mhz. The Cyrix 200 processor has had a history of performing poorly (high incidence of cache misses...resulting in the kinds of problems you mentioned). My hunch is that you were able to play Mp3's in Win 95 but can't in Win 98. If that is the case, you will want to go back to Win 95 as early Cyrix chips were not even certified to run in Win98. The good news is that if your motherboard will stand 100 mhz you can put a Cyrix MII 300 in it and it runs Win 98 fine. MII 300's sell for about $30 if you can find one.

[Paleo Pete]

Randy is correct about the CPU speed rating, all Cyrix chips were stamped with a speed actually faster than the true speed. My 6x86-133 actually runs at 110MHz.

I think he's also very close on the OS issue. I have worked on 2 Cyrix based machines in my family, and both had problems running win98, and I know one ran win95 without any problems. I'm not sure about the other one, I never tinkered with it in 95.

You might also check into updating sound card drivers, that might help.

The link you posted refers to
1. Freeing up hard drive space- Exactly what it means. Clearing out unneeded files, and making room on the hard drive for more data. Sound files are fairly large and require plenty free space.

You can clear up space by manually deleting files (risky) but make SURE you know you don't need the files you delete. You can also open My Computer and right click on the hard drive, and you'll see a Disk Cleanup button at bottom right. That will help clear out files a bit more safely.

2. The application's settings- If you look through the menu bar of the application giving you trouble you should find a properties, settings or preferences option. Check there for settings that will affect the performance of the program. Usually with jerky sound you'll have to set it for lower sound quality for better performance.

------------------
If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you!
Note: Please post your questions on the forums, not in my email.

Computer Information Links (http://www.geocities.com/paleopete/)