Dell Latitude gets a boost

A friend of mine asked me to upgrade his memory in his laptop. The patient is a Dell Latitude D600. It had been running with 512mb of RAM with Windows XP Professional. He decided it was time for a boost. I thought I’d show here just how easy it is to upgrade your memory in your laptop.

First step was purchasing the RAM. A common question for computer is what kind of RAM (or memory) do I get. With all the different types of RAM out there and not to mention the technical jargon it can be confusing. I don’t even understand many of them either. My favorite place to purchase RAM is Crucial.com. If you you go to there website they have a memory configurator which helps you out. They have a manual method which you look up your make, model of your machine. They also can scan your computer which takes any guess work out of the equation.

The parts and tools needed:

• RAM – Crucial Part # CT12864x335, 1GB 200-PIN SODIMM 128MX64 DDR PC2700
• Small Phillips head screwdriver

Obviously you need the Dell Latitude D600 too. The first thing you’ll have to do is locate where the memory goes. Well you flip over the Dell and it’s located in one of the secret compartments. Dell was nice enough to mark the door with a “M” just to side of it. It’s the 2” x 3” door just off center. It’s just located beneath the COA sticker in the picture . Located on the bottom is a small screw. Now is when you’ll get to use your Phillips screwdriver.

Once you open the door you’ll see your two banks of memory cards. Gently pull the two tabs alongside the memory bank.

Lift up and pull it out.

Insert your new new memory chip. Don’t worry they are notched so it only goes back in one way. Reassemble in reverse order. After all is put back together I rebooted the computer to make sure everything went well. It now has a healthy 1.25 Gb’s of RAM. This only took about 15 minutes to do. Next up will be removing the keyboard so stay tuned. Thanks for coming by!

Sources:

• Dell Latitude D600 Service Manual
• Crucial Technology

Technorati Tags: memory,RAM,upgrade,dell,latitude,d600,crucial,laptops,notebook,how to

How much RAM?

Many ask the question of how much RAM(Random Access Memory) do I need. You might think you have enough to run your operating system but when you add other uses into the mix it changes everything. Vista Home basic requires 512MB of RAM alone. Here a sample:

Sample RAM Requirements
Application	Minimum RAM Required
Windows Vista Home Basic	512MB
MS Office Pro 2007	256MB
Internet Explorer 7	128MB
iTunes	256MB
Microsoft Picture It!	128MB
Total RAM Required	1,768 or 1.77 GB

These are just a sampling of programs you might run simultaneously. If adding them up you find that you'd probably need at least 2 GB of RAM to run your computer smoothly. Of course your needs will vary but, it helps to try and forecast what you use your PC for. Buy as much RAM as your budget allows. Many manufacturers put a minimal amount of RAM from the factory to cut down costs. So you may have enough to begin with and will just cover the operating system alone. As soon as you try and do more you'll soon be singing the "I have a slow PC" blues.

Source: Technology in Action, 5th Edition, - Evans, Martin and Poatsy

How to purchase RAM

A common complaint about computers after awhile is that after awhile they run slow. One way to speed up your PC is to upgrade your RAM (or Random Access Memory). Upgrading your memory isn't as hard as you might think. If your not squeamish about opening a PC case and can use a screwdriver your all set. How do you know what memory to use? A favorite tool of mine is Crucial Technology. I'm going to show here how easy it is to order memory for your PC from Crucial.

1. First obviously is open your browser (Internet Explorer is recommended, you'll see why in a second) and go to http://www.Crucial.com .
2. You have a choice of using Crucial's System Scanner or Memory Advisor. Crucial System Scanner requires Internet Explorer to run. It will automatically scan your system hardware. The Crucial Memory Advisor is the manual way of looking up if you know your make and model of computer your using. I prefer the automatic method as it's more foolproof in my opinion.
3. To use Crucial System Scanner you click on the Scan My System button.
4. Click the box to agree to Terms and Conditions and the click Start my Scan.
5. Now Crucial will now scan your hardware.
6. When it is done Crucial will make there recommendations and combinations you can configure.
7. They will also provide some basic information about your system. Especially handy is how many slots you have available and usually how much memory your system can handle.
8. Make your selection and click "Add To Basket" and your on your way.
   

Then you go through your standard purchase online. I've found there shipping prices quite reasonable. I've recomended them to others and I've been very satisfied with there product and service. Now when this shipment comes in I'll go over how to install this in your PC. I hope you'll join me for that. Until then thanks for coming by.

How can I speed up my computer?

This is a fairly common PC question. Now there are numerous tips and tricks you can do on the software side. Some work and some don't. As far as hardware goes, one of the quickest ways to add speed is to add more memory (aka: RAM or Random Access Memory). You'll probably see more difference with a memory upgrade than most other's aside from perhaps a new video card. How do you know what to add? Well with the numerous different hardware configurations it can be confusing. Some memory vendors or manufacturers websites can help you a lot. I'm going to highlight a couple of my favorites.

First up is Crucial Technologies. Crucial I've used many times and I've been very happy with both service and they are reasonably priced. If you go to the Crucial home page you can look up what you need both manually and automatically. To use manual method(Aka: Crucial Memory Advisor Tool)you need to know the manufacturer of your PC and model number. If your unsure or if you have a custom or home built PC you can use the "Crucial System Scanner". This will scan your PC and tell you what you can use. They'll give info on your PC such as how much you memory you have, how many slots you have open and what your system can handle. FYI if you use Firefox or Opera as a browser you have to download a quick add-on. Otherwise just switch to Internet Explorer. The memory is guaranteed to be compatible with your system.

Another vendor that has a similar set up is MemoryStore.com. Same idea though . You can look up your memory either by manual method or a system scan. I like the system scan method because it takes out much of the guess work. Other manufacturers to try out are PNY and Kingston Technologies are alternatives to try (without the system scan). I wish you luck and happy computing!

Question of the week : How do I know what kind of RAM to use for my PC?

This can be confusing for the beginner or for casual user's not familiar with all the jargon. If you spend the money and go to all the trouble to open your machine it's a real disappointment if it doesn't work or if it's the wrong one. Many manufacturer's offer memory configurator's to take out the guess work on what to get. Here are some of them:

• Crucial Technology
  
• Kingston Technology
• PNY

This helps eliminate errors and hassle of picking up the wrong one and having to return it. When doing a friends or clients computer I much rather make sure I get the right stuff especially when it's not my money I'm spending. It not only saves money it also provides quicker turn around and a more satisfied client(or friend). I hope this helps and thanks for coming by. Good luck!