I'm Doing a Memory Upgrade and Am Looking For Hints.

Damn rotty -- I was gonna say some smartass comment about unplugging your brain then becoming a troll here on the Vine, but you're talking about COMPUTER memory, not HUMAN memory! :P

Memory upgrades r really tricky. A really competent neurosurgeon is needed.

But seriously, if u have an older board, u may only be able to upgrade *so far*. I would forego RS and look into one of the mom and pop computer shoppes. They usually can get stuff cheaper (I know that sounds goofy, but RS tends to be a bit higher priced:-()

1. Just touch the bare metal on the case before you start - that'll ground you and get rid of static electricity. At least that's what I've been doing for decades and never had a problem. Also try not to touch the gold conductors when you pick up the RAM sticks.

2. Compressed air is all you need. Just blow off the big chunks and you'll be fine.

3. Nothing - save your money.

4. Not sure but it should be pretty straight forward. You should see some screws on the back holding either a side panel on or the entire cover.

Replacing/upgrading RAM is about a 60 second operation from start to finish. It really is that easy. It looks like that system has two slots so if I were you I'd go ahead and upgrade to 2GB of RAM while you're at it. Your system will run sooo much better with 2GB versus 512MB or even 1GB.

U can also get a static strap that u put around ur wrist and clip it to the metal on the motherboard;-)

Whoa a 2 GByte MommaRott she is going Rock !

Dear Elizabeth, I can't offer any help, but I can say this: The Best of Luck to you! You will be fine, I'm sure!

((((((((((((((Elizabeth)))))))))))))))))

Just one small thing Elizabeth. Be sure and seat the memory into the slots really tight but also be careful not to bend anything in there. I've put in a lot of memory and hard drives - so if I can do it then you can - no problem.
Good luck....

Ahhhh, Poor (((((Dowser)))))

Gotta love you tube! Good luck on memory upgrade! It really, really is helpful lol

I'll probably be repeating some stuff and you may have already done it but here are my thoughts.

Best practices say you should wear a static wrist strap in rubber sole shoes on a tile floor. Real world experience? I do them all the time on carpet in bare feet and don't even own a strap. Just make sure to touch metal on the case before working inside the box. If you have a tile space doesn't hurt to work on that and can make things easier if you drop a screw.

Canned air is okay for clearing the vents but you may want to pull out the vacuum as it will other wise just settle somewhere probably back in the case. You can buy one of the small power dust buster types but honestly I'd just use the crevice attachment on my floor vacumm.

Be firm but don't force anything. RAM should just "click" into place bringing the locks close. Take note of how the RAM currently in the system looks and that will give you an idea how it should look when done. If you search YouTube and Google I'm sure you can find plenty of videos and guides showing how it is done (it is really very simple).

Step 1. Unplug your computer. This seems like a duh comment, but I've replaced a lot of fried motherboards from people who just powered off the switch. The modern ATX motherboards still have power flowing through them, even when powered off. Better safe than sorry.

Step 2. rest your arm against the case while you're working. This will effectively ground you out, keeping your body at the exact same resistance as the case. There is no potential for static discharge at this point.

Step 3. using your fingertip (or a sturdy toothpick) pull back on the metal clasps you'll see to the bottom of either side of the RAM chip. You'll know when you'll pull them back far enough. The ram will kick forward at a 45 degree angle.

Step 4. Lightly pull on the RAM. Don't yank. It's a Zero Insertion Force socket, you don't need any force. If the chip doesn't easily come out, then your clips probably aren't completely seated.

Step 5. Place the removed RAM chips on a static bag.

Step 6. Remove the new modules.

Step 7. Position the 'key' so it matches the 'key on the motherboard.

The motherboard 'key' looks like this

|-------------|---|--------------------------------------------------|

match them up, and then slide them into the DIMM slot at a 45 degree angle.

Step 9. Push up on the edge of the chip so it rotates upright, until it clicks into the socket. It shouldn't take too much effort.

Step 10. Power up the computer, turn it on. Allow the memory check to come up. A point to remember - 1 gigabyte actually equals 1024 mb, not 1000. So if you have 4 GB of memory installed, your computer will report it as 4096mb, not 4000.

*Important note* 32 bit versions of Windows will only recognize 3 gb of memory. So even if you put 24 gb of Memory in, 32 bit Windows will only report 3.36gb (give or take.) This is normal. To take advantage of all of your memory, you'll need to upgrade to a 64 bit version of Windows. (If you can find your windows product key, you just need to call Microsoft and they'll mail you a copy for around $10 for shipping/handling.)

Now pat yourself on the back! You're done! Enjoy your faster, happier computer.

If things go wrong, pay attention to the symptoms the computer gives.

If the memory count is low by the equivalent of 1 memory chip (ie the computer reports 2048mb instead of 4096mb) then the likely culprit is that one of your memory isn't seated properly.

Now if when you powered the computer up the screen doesn't light up, and the computer beeps at you , then likely its the same thing - your memory isn't seated properly. Repeat steps 1 and 2 , and reseat the chips until the metal locking retainers clip into the side of the ram chips.

If you need any more assistance, please don't hesitate to ask.

(background: A+, Network +, MCSE, MCT, CCNA, CCNP, CCISP, 20 years computer repair experience)

Good for you Rottie - I'll bet it makes a whole bunch of difference. That's like have a new computer for a lot less.

Best bang for your buck upgrade you can make.

Next best upgrades ? dedicated video and sound cards. They don't have to be high end at all. But (on most) motherboards, the memory allocated to video and sound functions are taken from your main system memory. (Commonly referred to as shared memory.)

The reason these are problematic (and slow down computers) is say that you're browsing the web, and that takes 4 mb of RAM. You stop your browsing and jump into photoshop. That program likes 128 mb of RAM, the more the better. So your video processor polls the memory banks for a 128 mb of RAM. If it's there, the video card 'syphons' off the memory from the rest of the system. A dedicated video card doesn't have this problem. Every program gets 128mb of RAM whether it needs it, or not , and the system resources are untouched.

Onboard video and sound are convenient, but they're also likely chokepoints in your quest for a little more computing power.

I could really use some short term memory upgrades... But, if I ram my head into the wall any more, well, my long term memory might start to forget why it's there...hehe

Elaine- I can't help you with the memory thing but I have an idea for something I can help you with. an AVATAR is waiting for you.