Need help with old PC

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jaytechgaming

jaytechgaming

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Feb 3, 2013
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I would like to use linux on an old PC that was lying around my house. It was running XP, but VERY slowly and was full of malware. So I wiped the drive and installed xubuntu. It installed and is working fun, but the screen seems to tear and stutter whenever I do anything other than stare at the desktop. I believe this is due to no video driver??? It is a Gateway GT5028. Any guesses and/or links to fix my problem? Will reward with best solution :D
 
Solution
Chicano
About the display resolution; When you lower it to 800x600 it runs on the default system drivers, so basically you've removed the GPU drivers... and since it works better on defaults, this means the GPU drivers were the problem, possibly corrupted or infected... so updating them should solve the stuttering on 1024x768.
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Chicano

Chicano

Judicious
Aug 29, 2011
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Malware use up a large amount of system memory so that's what was making XP run slow. If you had removed the bugs instead of formatting it, it would have worked much better... probably even better than it's now doing... the PC has a AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ dual-core CPU and at least 2.0 GB of RAM... so, it's not a recent model but should work fast enough for everyday computing, even with XP which was originally designed to run with 256MB RAM.

The new problem is probably caused by outdated Chipset drivers... outdated video drivers shouldn't cause tears and stutters but updating them shouldn't hurt either... so do that and if the problem persists, check the case for dust in the RAM slots, refresh the CPU-heatsink thermal grease, also check the digital and PSU wire connections, and also check all fans including the PSU fan are working at normal speed. Bad PSUs can also cause similar symptoms so consider replacing it if the problem persists.

Gateway GT5028 Media Center Computer Model: GT5028
http://support.gateway.com/s/PC/R/5876/5876sp3.shtml

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ (Windsor)
http://www.x86-guide.com/en/cpu/AMD-Athlon-64-X2-3800+-%28Windsor%29-cpu-no2146.html

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ (Toledo)
http://www.x86-guide.com/en/cpu/AMD-Athlon-64-X2-3800+-%28Toledo%29-cpu-no2388.html
 
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Chicano

Chicano

Judicious
Aug 29, 2011
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That would depend on the Linux version but... I'd suggest using Linux drivers if possible, if not try using Wine.. if it doesn't work it should advice the problem.

Using Wine to install Windows drivers
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-newbie-8/how-to-run-exe-files-using-wine-612056/

Driver downloads
http://support.gateway.com/us/en/product/default.aspx?tab=1&modelId=2844
 
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jaytechgaming

jaytechgaming

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Feb 3, 2013
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I believe that I fixed the problem.

All I did was change the screen resolution. It was set to a resolution higher than the monitor's native. I changed it from 1024x768 to 800x600. Now it is fluid and working like new. Thanks for all the input guys!
 
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Chicano

Chicano

Judicious
Aug 29, 2011
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It defaults to a higher resolution because it needs video drivers... the chipset drivers complement the video's so make it an objective to find both.

nVidia 6100 included in the support list.
http://www.nvidia.com/object/linux-display-ia32-173.14.28-driver
 
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jaytechgaming

jaytechgaming

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Feb 3, 2013
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Yes, those numbers are taken right from lubuntu's task manager.
 
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Chicano

Chicano

Judicious
Aug 29, 2011
5,071
29
35,490
About the display resolution; When you lower it to 800x600 it runs on the default system drivers, so basically you've removed the GPU drivers... and since it works better on defaults, this means the GPU drivers were the problem, possibly corrupted or infected... so updating them should solve the stuttering on 1024x768.
 
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