Going Buggy: Me or PSP X2?

I've been using PSP X2 since September, and lately things have been slowing down. Could there be something cumulative going on to make it balkier?

I try to do the standard things to try to keep from having problems. I do daily defrags, reboot often, keep my hard drive from getting too cluttered. I don't keep multiple files open while I'm working on one...or run anything but Mozilla Firefox and Mail Washer at the same time.

My computer isn't huge, but I had no problems for the first month or more while I was getting acquainted with X2. (I had been using PSP 9 up until then.) I use a Celeron 2 GHz CPU with 1.99 GHz, 256 MB of RAM. I have two 300 G external drives where I store processed photos, "negatives," and other backup stuff.

Over time I've seen lots of complaints about PSP versions above 9 being buggy, so I was resigned to putting up with a certain amount of inconvenience. It's the sense that things are getting steadily worse that has me concerned.

I'd love to hear some other people's insight. Thanks in advance.

It looks as if indeed it's not PSP X2, but me that's buggy. At least if not buggy, under equipped. I'm told that PSP system requirements call for three times the amount of RAM I'm running.

Horse can't run if it's low on oats. :(

And thinking about the learning curve I experienced going from PSP 9 to X2, it makes sense that the more I worked with the program, the more I was doing with it. I hadn't been very comfortable working with curves or white balance in the earlier PSP programs. But lately I've been layering this and curving that...no wonder my poor little pony was choking! Now that I know what's going on, maybe I'll be able to find a way to boost my RAM.

I Get the same effect owing to buying newer cameras that always have more pixels. I was managing ok with 1 gb of ram and a 3 MP then upgrade to 5Mp now I'm on a 9mp and its a bit slow for enhancement to take effect as this Fuji uses interpolation when using Raw format I Have steered away from it as I would have 18MP images to work on.
I will be replacing most of the computer next year so It will be a different Type of ram So I don't fell like buying any just till then though its reasonable enough in price at the moment unless its very old stuff that's hard to get

I'm upgrading to 1G of RAM, and for the foreseeable future will be sticking with my 6 MP camera. Problem is, of course, that once you start building an image with lots of layers it can quickly mount up. I'm told that the jump from 256 to 1 Gig is going to be a great relief, however.

Don't know what I'll do if the day comes that I start working with RAW files. Get a new computer, I guess.

Thanks again, Trev.

S.

Don't get me wrong all Raw are not that big. My Minolta 7hi 5 MP makes 10mb Raws and I enjoyed using the raw files They where 99% correct from the camera where as Jpegs needed colour and histogram correction every time. The Fuji has small sensors fitted in between the normal sensors These read the brightness that is normally lost but only work with raw The extra values are added making a 18 mp from the norm 9 mp Which is why there so big. Only Fuji top models do this so It dose not effect other brands