Pain is....

[technical.angel]

..an HP Pavilion trying **TRYING** to run Win XP on on 64 mgs of RAM.

..trying to get up to SP2 on said machine

..seeing 57 updates to install, and still no sign of SP2.

Jenni

[LostMyMind]

I feel your pain. I'm surprise since you do this so much that you don't have a CD of all the "critical updates" for admins.

[trunks2k]

..an HP Pavilion trying **TRYING** to run Win XP on on 64 mgs of RAM.

I'm shocked it runs at all. IIRC, I think XP itself takes something like 128MB just to run at all. When you have to use page files to run JUST the OS, it's time to get a new computer.

[technical.angel]

It's trying. I've shut down every non critical process I could recoginze.

It really despises refreshing a window. It refreshes EVERYTHING. A full 30 second cycle down the screen. Painful.

Any other techies got a Pain is... item?

[Rapscallion]

If memory serves, XP requires 128Mb to install. My brother did that and then removed ram to make a machine into 64Mb just to see what happened. It worked, but he was glad he didn't hold his breath.

Rapscallion

[MadMike]

I believe my son got XP to install on a 64Mb machine. It worked, but damn, was it slow.

[protege]

Up until recently, one of the POS terminals at work was running XP with only 64MB. It was slow as hell!

[trunks2k]

Any other techies got a Pain is... item?

(didn't actually happen to me, but a co-worker)

Pain is trying to trouble shoot problems on a user's e-mail account...
... and the user is a vice president ...
... and is doesn't understand a thing about computers...
... but the problem MUST be fixed or else the company will explode...
... so you need to use netmeeting...
... on a line running at 56k ....
... on a satellite phone ...
... in the middle of an ocean ...
... and a storm is coming.

[RichS]

I've felt your pain.

Got in a Compaq Presario 5000 series. 733MHz. P3, but only 64mb RAM, and 8MB used by the onboard video, running XP.

Tried to work on it, got waiting, and put in a used spare 256MB stick, so I could get the work done (cleaning out malware, SP2 install, & updates).

After all that, they never picked up the machine. I ended up getting the restore CD's for it (Win ME - I know, but that's what the original restore CD's were), kept in the used stick of memory, and selling it.

[nekoro]

Pain is...

...Listening to someone tell you that their instructions say to find several numbers for the registration...
...And you have to pass the instructions for finding said numbers in order to get to that point in the instructions...
...Having already spent 10 minutes getting to this point of the call...
...And then they ask "How do I find...?"

[MystyGlyttyr]

I'm not a tech, but right now, pain is...

...having to explain to your parents that yes, you've done everything in the book, yes, you've tried everything you know to try, yes, you've consulted tech support, and no, the computer still doesn't work.
...having to say "No, my brother CAN'T fix it any better than I can" 40 times.
...having to say "Do you smell smoke?" while fiddling with the back of the computer.
...having to rig up an ANCIENT console (14.4 modem, 420 MB hard drive, you get the idea) and perform several voodoo spells just to get ANY connection to the Internet since main computer decided fire was good.
...having to download Trillian onto it when I get home so sister can chat.

[SengaKitty]

Just a QUICK note for everyone (having just studied installing and running XP chapter in my A+ book and passing the chapter test today ) Windows XP requires a MINIMUM of 64MB of RAM to run, BUT to get acceptable performance, it is recommended that one have AT LEAST 128MB - 4 GB of RAM

[lordlundar]

Ugh! my condolences Jenni. And the fact that M$ is no longer supporting 98 doesn't help matters either.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

I'm not a tech either (except in my brother's mind) but for me pain is:

When my brother downloads something he shouldn't and it screws up his computer so the wireless connection shuts down

And he calls me in the middle of the night screaming and cussing and demanding that I come and fix it right NOW NOW NOW

And refuses to listen when I tell him to use my computer in the office until I can fix it

And I have to hang up and call home to get Mom to go and do something to shut him up b/c he's so loud he can be heard all over the house through my cell phone and it's woken up both our dad and stepmom

Because I'm four hours away from home at the beach

[technical.angel]

Just a QUICK note for everyone (having just studied installing and running XP chapter in my A+ book and passing the chapter test today ) Windows XP requires a MINIMUM of 64MB of RAM to run, BUT to get acceptable performance, it is recommended that one have AT LEAST 128MB - 4 GB of RAM

Congrats, CTG!

and, NO WAY!!

Really?? I thought it was 256 and 512, respectively.

Interesting...

Jenni