OS X.6.5 and more memory

I have an iMac with 2ghz processor and 1gb memory. I just downloaded and installed OS X 6.3 and upgraded to 6.5. Most of the time it works acceptably. Frequently, however, it slows way down when I do wordprocessing with Office 2004 and with Firefox. Would increasing the RAM help speed things up?

Thanks.

Upgrading the RAM should help a bit, yes.

Did you download OS X or did you have it, upgrade to 10.6.3 and then to 10.6.5?

I started with OS X.4.11 which ran fine. I bought the Boxed set and installed 10.6.3. I upgraded to 10.6.5 on line. I repaired permissions and verified my hard drive with little or no improvement. Even as I write this I see far more of the spinning beach ball than I care to. With any edits in Word the beach ball appears for extended period of time. Is there anything I can do with the Install disk to help restore the typical Mac quickness?

Thanks.

Wen you say you upgraded on line, did you use Software Update , or go to the Apple web site and download the OS X.6.5 Combo Updater? If not here is a link, download, some 977MB, drag from Downloads folder to the desktop and run it.


http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1324

There is a red-worded admonition below your last post about saving the install disk when you buy a computer. I didn't get one when I bought my Mac at Comp USA.

The upgrade to 10.6.5 was done automatically and routinely as has every other on-line upgrade. My iMac OS X.4. etc has always had a self-initiating upgrade check to upgrade from the vendor, in this case from Apple. Microsoft and Mozilla do as well.

I am just wondering if increasing the RAM from 1 to 4 gb would speed things up or slow them down even more. I prepare relatively large documents in Word 2003, 20-30 pages double spaced with footnotes, and with the upgrade to OS X.6.3 or 6.5 it is now way slower. Also true with data searches on Firefox.

Thanks so much for your assistance.

Word 2003 in a Windows version. Are you using BootCamp or some other utility?

And upgrade using the link provided. Combo Updaters are much, much more reliable that using Software Update. And if you purchased a new computer the install discs do come with it and they are vital to access Apple Hardware Test, Repairing Hard Drives etc., so go back and demand the install discs. If the iMac was used, then original owners often do not part with these discs, or sell them for an extra buck. Never buy a used machine unless these discs come with it.

And yes boosting the memory will make an improvement.