Memory upgrade for 5yr old laptap?

[Scott R]

Originally Posted by Jandrews

Hey lendaddy....Which Toshiba laptop did you upgrade? I have a Tecra 8100 currently running 256 (sucks!!!) and crucial.com told me they did have any recommended upgrades.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

JA

Well crucial caters to a different crowd, same with Giel, Kingston can help you, Samsung as well.

[Jandrews]

Yeah....I can access the RAM. What should I look for?

JA

[lendaddy]

Originally Posted by Jandrews

Yeah....I can access the RAM. What should I look for?

JA

I think the numbers on it will identify the type but I'm no expert.

[Jandrews]

Hey, wait a minute! I just pulled the panel off and there are 2 memory boards installed, and one of them clearly says 256 on it. The other is not marked, at least on the side I can see while I am still typing this...but shouldn't that mean I have 512K? How do I tell how much memory my computer is recognizing? Is there a way to make sure it is recognizing both slots?

JA

[Sapporo Guy]

Some XP machines don't like mixed memory.

You should be able to check through the configuration pane or whatever it is called.

You might be good to get a new HD, the quicker spin ratios alone will give the machine a boost.

Defintiely, try to put as much memory in as possible.

edit:
Forgot to add in:

When you reinstall, put all large applications in 1st.
Then add your personal files in last.

Also, try to defrag your HD, that alone will spiffy it up a bit for just a waste of 2 hours.

[slodave]

Originally Posted by Jandrews

Hey, wait a minute! I just pulled the panel off and there are 2 memory boards installed, and one of them clearly says 256 on it. The other is not marked, at least on the side I can see while I am still typing this...but shouldn't that mean I have 512K? How do I tell how much memory my computer is recognizing? Is there a way to make sure it is recognizing both slots?

JA

Does the second chip look like the known 256 chip? Turn the laptop off and see what the mystery chip says on the other side. Are you sure that two wires are not connected to the second one - one white, one black?

[Jandrews]

Yes, "SLOT B" has the known 256 card in it. "SLOT A" has a card in it as well, but I can't see what it is. I'll power down and check it out. By the way, when I go to My Computer and System Information, it says I have 256K RAM. Oh, and yes, I am running XP SP2!! This is getting interesting. I'll report back my findings in a minute.

JA

[Jandrews]

The two memory cards are identical in every way. Same stickers, same numbers, same everything. Oddly, the way the slots are configured, it requires you to flip one of them over to install.

Anyway, I have (2) identical 256K memory cards installed and my computer is only recognizing one of them. Any ideas?

Thanks,

JA

[slodave]

Originally Posted by Jandrews

The two memory cards are identical in every way. Same stickers, same numbers, same everything. Oddly, the way the slots are configured, it requires you to flip one of them over to install.

Anyway, I have (2) identical 256K memory cards installed and my computer is only recognizing one of them. Any ideas?

Thanks,

JA

Hmm, try turning off the laptop, remove one chip and turn back on. Tr this with both chips. Mark the two chips ( I use a Sharpie and make a dot on the label). You can also try swapping sides - chip A to slot B.

Dave

[Jandrews]

Good diagnostic tips, Dave.

Unfortunately, it looks like Slot A is "dead". The laptop will boot with either memory card in Slot B, but it will not boot with either card in Slot A. What would cause this and is there anything I can do?

Thanks,

JA

[slodave]

Originally Posted by Jandrews

Good diagnostic tips, Dave.

Unfortunately, it looks like Slot A is "dead". The laptop will boot with either memory card in Slot B, but it will not boot with either card in Slot A. What would cause this and is there anything I can do?

Thanks,

JA

Sorry to hear that. Can't give you a "why" answer. Oh, I see, it's a Toshiba. The Tecra 6100 series has a lifetime warranty. The MB fails every 6 months.

Is the laptop still under warranty? If not, by how long? Toshiba might have an exception code for your model (8100 series).

Dave

[Jandrews]

No way it's under warranty...this thing is a good 4 or 5 years old. I'll do some digging to see if there is a factory exception or something.

Dave...thanks for the tips.


JA

[slodave]

Originally Posted by Jandrews

No way it's under warranty...this thing is a good 4 or 5 years old. I'll do some digging to see if there is a factory exception or something.

Dave...thanks for the tips.


JA

You are welcome.

Dave

[Sapporo Guy]

Did it have a recall?

[Joeaksa]

Guys, three ways to speed up an old laptop.

1. Max out the RAM. Its cheap and makes the old box run a lot faster.

2. Get a 7200 RPM hard drive (usually under $100 these days) and replace the old 5400 RPM boat anchor. Cuts your boot up time in HALF and accesses all programs faster.

3. Reload the OS and programs on the computer, hopefully using the restore disk that came with the laptop. Use W2000 or XP on the machine, not Vista as anything that is not new just will not work right. For that matter, Vista aint working "right" on the new machines in many cases but thats another matter!

These three will make a large difference in the way the computer runs and usually give you another years useage, possibly more, in the machine. I live with laptops and this makes a very large difference in the way they run.

[Tim Hancock]

Well, I bought a Kingston 512MB PC2700 33MHz DDR module from Circuit City and my computer did not recognize it when plug into the second socket and would not boot at all when put in the first slot. Many memory sites (including crucial) claim it should work even though it is 333MHz compared to the stock module at 266MHz (supposedly it is backward capable). I called Kingston tech support and they said this is not unheard of and they gave me a part number of a module they say will work KTC-P2800-512 (266 MHz). Unfortunately nobody local carries it, so I will have to order one.

I can't understand why so many on-line memory seller's memory lists can all be wrong.

[chuckw951]

I went to buy memory for my 5 year old Sony laptop and I was shocked at the retail prices on memory at Best Buy, Circuit City, Office Depot and Staples. Retailers all seemed to want $79.99+. I bought the memory online for $30. I don't remember the type of memory but I do know it was 512MB. I'm running XP with 1Gig of Ram, speed seems fine to me.

[Don Plumley]

www.dealram.com

Find what you need, who has it the cheapest shipped. I usually buy from newegg.com, try to avoid generic.

[Tim Hancock]

Originally Posted by chuckw951

I went to buy memory for my 5 year old Sony laptop and I was shocked at the retail prices on memory at Best Buy, Circuit City, Office Depot and Staples. Retailers all seemed to want $79.99+. I bought the memory online for $30. I don't remember the type of memory but I do know it was 512MB. I'm running XP with 1Gig of Ram, speed seems fine to me.

BestBuy had the same memory for around $70 vs "on sale" at Circuit City for $37. I have found the correct memory that I need for (512mb 266Mhz) for $37 online from Kingston, which I will have to order.

[JavaBrewer]

BestBuy wanted $39.95 for a new battery for my POS Motorola Razr phone...Ahhhhh no thanks. Bought it on Ebay with 2 days shipping for a grand total of $5.12.