Suggestions on where to supercharge a laptop for photo editing.

[Klongwater]

I have a sluggish Sony Vaio that's superfluous to my current needs but even so I'd like to bring it back into service by increasing the RAM,maybe adding a SSD and if necessary even a fast graphics card. The intention is to use it purely as a photo editing machine,and then load it with some Tukcom programmes. I'm not intending to connect it to the internet for obvious reasons. 

 

Any good suggestions where to take this machine in Pattaya to get it supercharged as a graphics machine? I don't need any gaming requirements,just a fast response to programmes like photoshop and Nik.

 

Its running ok,Windows 7 loaded (still my favourite!)  and demonstrates good battery performance ,so these don't need upgrading.

 

Of course,I'll wipe all the personal stuff before I hand it over so all I need is a satisfactory personal recommendation from someone who has good experience of a specific business in Pattaya that can do the job well. I'm not looking to fix it myself so buying the components and dabbling isn't on the horizon. A named business and location please,not just a "try Tukcom" response.

 

An indication of what price might be asked to install the above would be useful too.

 

Thanks in advance.  

[bobbie-b]

An indication of what price might be asked to install the above would be useful too.

 

I wasn't able to make it out to Tukcom on my first visit, but if you can tell me what model of Vaio you have I'd be happy to give you a guide as to what may be possible & whether you'll get any sort of bang for whatever Baht you may spend.

 

If you're unsure of exactly what you currently have, start a windows 'Command Prompt' and type:

systeminfo

hit enter and paste the first 30-40 lines here.

[Para]

I have a sluggish Sony Vaio that's superfluous to my current needs but even so I'd like to bring it back into service by increasing the RAM,maybe adding a SSD and if necessary even a fast graphics card. The intention is to use it purely as a photo editing machine,and then load it with some Tukcom programmes. I'm not intending to connect it to the internet for obvious reasons. 

 

Any good suggestions where to take this machine in Pattaya to get it supercharged as a graphics machine? I don't need any gaming requirements,just a fast response to programmes like photoshop and Nik.

 

Its running ok,Windows 7 loaded (still my favourite!)  and demonstrates good battery performance ,so these don't need upgrading.

 

Of course,I'll wipe all the personal stuff before I hand it over so all I need is a satisfactory personal recommendation from someone who has good experience of a specific business in Pattaya that can do the job well. I'm not looking to fix it myself so buying the components and dabbling isn't on the horizon. A named business and location please,not just a "try Tukcom" response.

 

An indication of what price might be asked to install the above would be useful too.

 

Thanks in advance.  

 

 

You wont be able to upgrade your graphics card but an SSD and more memory will help. Without you posting your current spec its hard to advice anything more specifically,

 

Run 'Performance Information and Tools' from control panel to see where your bottleneck is.

[Klongwater]

OK,I'll get the performance data and re-post it. PC is in Bangkok so will take a couple of weeks til I move there and collect it.

 

The point is I'm not using the machine whatsoever....it's a reserve machine,an emergency back-up if I need it...its a few years old and I have three others,with higher specifications,that I use frequently rather than this one.

 

The Vaio I refer to is sitting on a shelf,not getting any use. My thought process was if I increased its processing power and performance then I could use it purely as a photo editing machine loaded with software that wouldn't break the bank from Tukcom...and,if anything went wrong then I wouldn't be compromising my better,fully legal machines.

 

I'll acquire the specification data and post it,and hope for helpful advice.

 

Thanks to those who replied,much appreciated!

[Para]

OK,I'll get the performance data and re-post it. PC is in Bangkok so will take a couple of weeks til I move there and collect it. The point is I'm not using the machine whatsoever....it's a reserve machine,an emergency back-up if I need it...its a few years old and I have three others,with higher specifications,that I use frequently rather than this one. The Vaio I refer to is sitting on a shelf,not getting any use. My thought process was if I increased its processing power and performance then I could use it purely as a photo editing machine loaded with software that wouldn't break the bank from Tukcom...and,if anything went wrong then I wouldn't be compromising my better,fully legal machines. I'll acquire the specification data and post it,and hope for helpful advice. Thanks to those who replied,much appreciated!

 

Why not wipe Windows off and install Linux? You will be amazed at how much faster it runs compared with Windows especially on an older machine.

 

Just a thought as its not going to be your primary machine.

[bobbie-b]

The point is I'm not using the machine whatsoever....it's a reserve machine,an emergency back-up if I need it...its a few years old and I have three others,with higher specifications,that I use frequently rather than this one.

 

I have a shelve stacked with old PCs, laptops and other junk that fall into the "may just be useful someday" category, so I totally get where you're coming from.

 

Laptops can be a bit of a pain when it comes to repurposing them as many are quite limited when it comes to upgradability. Fortunately, things have been pretty static technology-wise lately, so it's at least unlikely you'll have to pay a premimum for rarer parts from a past generation of tech.

 

Thanks to those who replied,much appreciated!

 

Good luck. I'll be happy to help once you're ready to go.

[Klongwater]

Why not wipe Windows off and install Linux? You will be amazed at how much faster it runs compared with Windows especially on an older machine.

 

Just a thought as its not going to be your primary machine.

A question regarding Linux....if I made this the Operating System,would my Windows compatible software sync to it and work as normal?

 

Regarding the data mentioned above,I'm now in possession of the machine so will find and post the details.

[Para]

A question regarding Linux....if I made this the Operating System,would my Windows compatible software sync to it and work as normal?

 

Regarding the data mentioned above,I'm now in possession of the machine so will find and post the details.

 

Not really sure what you mean by 'would my Windows compatible software sync to it and work as normal'. Do you mean can you run M$ apps on Linux or do you mean can you automatically transfer all your M$ apps directly into Linux?

 

Linux is free and so are pretty much all the applications that run on it. There isnt for example Office for Linux but there are Office like applications Open Office that offer almost identical functionality for your average user. You can install a lot of M$ apps in an application called Wine but not every app will work.

 

If there an app you simply can not live without you can install a virtual version of Windows inside Linux and use that. Its no where near as complicated as it sounds.

 

Again for your typical user there is a Linux equivalent app to do the job. As its not going to be your primary machine I'm guessing its going to be used for Web and media primarily with maybe a bit of word processing and spreadsheets? If so then you are fine. There will be a bit of a learning curve but all the current Distro's are so much easier to install and use than they were a few years ago.

 

All Linux distributions (variations) come as a image ISO which you can burn to a USB stick and boot from that to get a feel for it without having to take the plunge and install.

[CyberPro]

I have a sluggish Sony Vaio that's superfluous to my current needs but even so I'd like to bring it back into service by increasing the RAM,maybe adding a SSD and if necessary even a fast graphics card. The intention is to use it purely as a photo editing machine,...

 

Looks like it's possible in some cases to add an external video card. There may be issues trying to get Photoshop working w/ Linux. 

 

A fresh install of Win 7 on a SSD drive should give you substantial performance gains. More ram, possibly, some factors being Photoshop's requirements, amount and type of RAM installed and potential for upgrade. Good luck on your project. 

 

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=external+graphics+card+for+Sony+Vaio

 

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=does%20photoshop%20run%20on%20linux

[Para]

Looks like it's possible in some cases to add an external video card. There may be issues trying to get Photoshop working w/ Linux. 

 

A fresh install of Win 7 on a SSD drive should give you substantial performance gains. More ram, possibly, some factors being Photoshop's requirements, amount and type of RAM installed and potential for upgrade. Good luck on your project. 

 

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=external+graphics+card+for+Sony+Vaio

 

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=does%20photoshop%20run%20on%20linux

 

Some versions of Photoshop will run on Linux via Wine. LINK.

 

Or here is a list of other photo editing software to use instead. LINK.

 

I've seen external video cards in docking stations and a quick Google throws up various options if that's the route you want.

 

As I said you can burn a Linux distro to a USB and boot from that which will allow you to play with the different alternatives as well as see how your laptop performs before actually installing it.

 

Good luck and have fun playing.

[bobbie-b]

As much as I love Linux in its various flavors, unless you're reasonably familiar with it, I'm not sure that I'd suggest trying to get it running nicely on a laptop as your first encounter.

 

Given that you're already comfortable with windows 7, I'm inclined to suggest sticking with it for the moment. Make any upgrades that you can incrementally just to make sure that everything will work together, then yank out the hard drive, drop in the SSD and do a clean install. If anything goes wrong, or you have trouble tracking down drivers for the older laptop bits, you always have the hard disk to fall back on.

[Para]

As much as I love Linux in its various flavors, unless you're reasonably familiar with it, I'm not sure that I'd suggest trying to get it running nicely on a laptop as your first encounter.

 

Agreed. The reason I suggested it is the OP did say it was his oldest of 3 laptops that he uses more and just wanted to get this one back into use. Best way to learn is in at the deep end and as its not his primary box worst ways he dumps Linux and installs a clean W7 in place of it.

[bobbie-b]

Best way to learn is in at the deep end and as its not his primary box worst ways he dumps Linux and installs a clean W7 in place of it.

 

Hehehe...yeah, the worst kept secret about linux is that it's pretty much all deep end. If you're really lucky a clean install works fine, but if so much as one device doesn't have drivers in your distro of choice, or just plain doesn't work for one of a multitude of other reasons, you're straight off the precipice and in deep water.

 

Then again, I've learnt so much from solving these sort of problems over the years, so if the OP has a few spare hours and is willing to take a shot, then I'm all for it.

 

Alternatively, in a moment of boredom I tried installing windows 10 on an tiny old atom netbook. (Does anyone remember when those were the "next big thing"?) I was surprised at how well it runs, considering windows 8 was a big pile of fail on the same.

[Para]

Hehehe...yeah, the worst kept secret about linux is that it's pretty much all deep end. If you're really lucky a clean install works fine, but if so much as one device doesn't have drivers in your distro of choice, or just plain doesn't work for one of a multitude of other reasons, you're straight off the precipice and in deep water.

 

Then again, I've learnt so much from solving these sort of problems over the years, so if the OP has a few spare hours and is willing to take a shot, then I'm all for it.

 

Ok have to agree that when it works its great but when it doesnt it can be a struggle. Great thing about Linux is its Open Source so if you have picked a real popular one like Mint the support forums are really helpful.

 

You never learn when its working only when it breaks. LOL. Spot on.

[Klongwater]

A quick update and a new question.

 

I took my old Vaio to a local computer repair shop and had the existing 4 gb of RAM replaced by 2 new strips of 4gb each so doubled the power there. 8gb of RAM is the maximum for this machine I was told.

 

Then the existing 500gb HDD was replaced by a new 256 gb SSD. I have the old drive in a small metal case and can access all content by popping it into a USB port and it is accessed as an external hard drive so all old contact is still on hand.

 

Result is that a ridiculously slow old laptop (2009) is now a fast acting wonder.

 

A good comparison is that an arthritic old age pensioner is now performing like a testosterone fuelled teenager.

 

Amazing regeneration of a seemingly clapped out computer.

 

I am now thinking of replacing a SSD on my premier machine with a new SSD as I think there are some deep running parasite programmes hiding in the depths that my antivirus software fails to detect.Too many weird things happening.

 

However this SSD has all my programmes loaded on it.....can some of these be herded to the new SSD? Some are e downloads and so I don't have the discs to reinstall.

 

Thanks again for help and advice given and yet to come.

[Klongwater]

Another Q....if my SSD is somehow "infected" with a deep,as yet undiscovered or undiscoverable virus,trojan or other malicious code,would wiping it clean and then reloading the OS absolutely eliminate the problem? That would save me the cost of a new drive. Does a clean wipe leave anything behind,or can code somehow hide from digital disinfectant?

 

Thanks!

[Para]

A quick update and a new question.

 

I took my old Vaio to a local computer repair shop and had the existing 4 gb of RAM replaced by 2 new strips of 4gb each so doubled the power there. 8gb of RAM is the maximum for this machine I was told.

 

Then the existing 500gb HDD was replaced by a new 256 gb SSD. I have the old drive in a small metal case and can access all content by popping it into a USB port and it is accessed as an external hard drive so all old contact is still on hand.

 

Result is that a ridiculously slow old laptop (2009) is now a fast acting wonder.

 

A good comparison is that an arthritic old age pensioner is now performing like a testosterone fuelled teenager.

 

Amazing regeneration of a seemingly clapped out computer.

 

I am now thinking of replacing a SSD on my premier machine with a new SSD as I think there are some deep running parasite programmes hiding in the depths that my antivirus software fails to detect.Too many weird things happening.

 

However this SSD has all my programmes loaded on it.....can some of these be herded to the new SSD? Some are e downloads and so I don't have the discs to reinstall.

 

Thanks again for help and advice given and yet to come.

 

Old platter style hard disks are nearly always the bottle neck on any system. With SSD's now being as cheap as they are its always a smart move upgrading to one. 4GB RAM is minimum spec for W7 8 is certainly enough for pretty much all normal PC users. Easiest way to check is by opening task manager as seeing how much you are using. 

 

Only way to move your programs is to image the old disk and drop that on the SSD but I wouldn't recommend that as you never know what you are also copying over. Always best to reinstall a clean OS and programs. You can use the W7 'Windows Easy Transfer' which wont copy apps but will copy config and settings.

 

Another Q....if my SSD is somehow "infected" with a deep,as yet undiscovered or undiscoverable virus,trojan or other malicious code,would wiping it clean and then reloading the OS absolutely eliminate the problem? That would save me the cost of a new drive. Does a clean wipe leave anything behind,or can code somehow hide from digital disinfectant?

 

Thanks!

 

A format and OS reinstall will certainly get rid of anything nasty living deep in your system just as long as your OS CD is clean. Anything from Tukom and most pirated versions will have something not nice on them normally within the software you have to run to activate. Did your Sony come with a recovery CD if not is that an option to get one from them?

 

I generally recommend you download a recovery ISO from one of the bigger companies out there and burn it to a USB stick so you can boot from a totally clean OS which also unlocks anything hiding deep on your disk so it can be cleaned.

[Para]

Another Q....if my SSD is somehow "infected" with a deep,as yet undiscovered or undiscoverable virus,trojan or other malicious code,would wiping it clean and then reloading the OS absolutely eliminate the problem? That would save me the cost of a new drive. Does a clean wipe leave anything behind,or can code somehow hide from digital disinfectant?

 

Thanks!

 

Klongwater if you need any help with the bootable AV ISO's let me know and I will help you as best I can.

[bobbie-b]

A quick update and a new question.

 

I took my old Vaio to a local computer repair shop and had the existing 4 gb of RAM replaced by 2 new strips of 4gb each so doubled the power there. 8gb of RAM is the maximum for this machine I was told.

 

Then the existing 500gb HDD was replaced by a new 256 gb SSD. I have the old drive in a small metal case and can access all content by popping it into a USB port and it is accessed as an external hard drive so all old contact is still on hand.

 

Result is that a ridiculously slow old laptop (2009) is now a fast acting wonder.

 

It's great to hear that your local guys were able to breathe new life into the old kit. It's refreshing that it appears that they did right by you, rather then try a hard sell on a whole bunch of stuff you don't really need.

 

 

I am now thinking of replacing a SSD on my premier machine with a new SSD as I think there are some deep running parasite programmes hiding in the depths that my antivirus software fails to detect.Too many weird things happening.

 

However this SSD has all my programmes loaded on it.....can some of these be herded to the new SSD? Some are e downloads and so I don't have the discs to reinstall.

 

I'd suggest that you take very much the same approach as the laptop. Pull out the old drive and replace with the new and start afresh. Put the old drive in a USB case so you can transfer stuff over as you need it.

 

I often find that while people swear that they need all their programs transferred over, once we dive in we find that most apps haven't been run in years and are just taking up space and slowing the system down. Instead, just do a quick check of the essential programs that are used often so that you know if you're gonna have problems getting them re-installed on the new drive. Track down CDs, downloads, licence keys, etc so that they're all on hand once you do the swap.

[Klongwater]

 

 

 

 

I'd suggest that you take very much the same approach as the laptop. Pull out the old drive and replace with the new and start afresh. Put the old drive in a USB case so you can transfer stuff over as you need it.

This is what I'll be doing.

 

I bought a new SSD for the machine and an enclosure for the old SSD this evening.

 

I plan on keeping the old SSD as an alternative to the new one,switching between the two as the old one has some programmes on that I can't replace (lost install discs and electronic download allowances used up). For this to work,would I have to unscrew the new drive and connect the old one to the ribbon, or could I just connect the old drive via a USB and somehow get my computer to recognise it and sidestep the new one?

 

I'm hoping to have occasional access to the old drive without having to remove the new one.Is this feasible or will I need to unscrew the back and switch drives for access to my old programmes? It's do-able of course but is there an alternative in having two drives,one wired up in the belly of the machine and the other connected via a USB port and switching between the two?

 

Thanks again.

[bobbie-b]

I'm hoping to have occasional access to the old drive without having to remove the new one.Is this feasible or will I need to unscrew the back and switch drives for access to my old programmes? It's do-able of course but is there an alternative in having two drives,one wired up in the belly of the machine and the other connected via a USB port and switching between the two?

 

If you're confident at changing your bios settings, then you should be able change the boot order to boot off the USB drive when you need to access the old programs. You'll take a bit of a performance hit running off USB, but it should be adequate for the occasional usage.

 

There is a risk however... if you're truly infected with something nasty, then not unplugging, or disabling from the new drive in the BIOS, while booting the old operating system has a chance of the infection jumping to the new drive.

[Klongwater]

Thanks b-b.

 

I'm not willing to risk cross contaminating the drives so looks like I'll keep a small screwdriver on hand and switch them as necessary.Only seven micro screws to release so a couple of minutes work maximum.

 

Thanks again!

[Para]

There is a risk however... if you're truly infected with something nasty, then not unplugging, or disabling from the new drive in the BIOS, while booting the old operating system has a chance of the infection jumping to the new drive.

 

As Bobbie-B posted. Make sure you configure the BIOS boot order so that USB boot isn't before your local hard disk otherwise you run the chance of forgetting its plugged in when you reboot and booting from the old dirty drive as it will still have an OS on it.