Memory upgrade for 5yr old laptap?
 

After a recent lockup on my laptop that required a complete re-load of my OS, I am wondering if it would be worthwhile to add some memory. When I reloaded XP home service pack1 that came with my Compaq Presario 2190US after the crash last week, it ran very nicely, but now after a few days of downloading all the microsoft updates including SP2 and also installing AVG, AdAware, Spybot, it is running slow again and has failed to boot up twice (requiring a power down and reboot).

I am guessing that the 256m of memory is the culprit here and just can't deal with the newer updated software. I found that it has two sockets and I can buy two 512 memory chips to bump me up to 1G (which means tossing the 256 or I can buy one more 256 and just increase the me memory to 512 if 1G is not necessary). Is this likely to help my situation?

It is likely to help, yes. XP can go as high as 3GB, and more is always better, however your laptop at five years is pretty much end of life. So you need to ask yourself, is it worth it?

Tim

I just did this to mine, mem is cheap now, I had a little trouble finding a nice pair of sticks but lucked out at a local repair shop and put them in myself. The lap top mem is a little harder to find in the bigger sticks for older machines, I tried several of the local chain stores with no luck. Ebay is always a good resource or I use Tiger Direct alot.

I run XP on my lap top it helped it out alot.

Todd

First see if your laptop can handle more memory. Doubt it will go over 1gbyte.

Add to that a new battery and maybe a bigger hard drive and Scott is right, is it really worth it. Espcially given the price of new laptops. Old ones are perfect for kids to do their reports on and ocassional surfing.

Xp is terrible on 256 megs. It has always needed at least 512M. What's the make and model of the laptop?

I found memory from various suppliers on-line for my exact computer model # (Compaq 2190US) along with installation instructions.
1gig is max per all the websites and my computer came stock with 256mb.

I rarely use battery power and use the computer mainly out in my shop for surfing, occasional Autocad, some aviation software and some auto diagnostic software. It works fine for all this other than the slow down I have experienced since updating XP to SP2 and running a bit more virus software in the background (since I now have high speed internet, I felt it would be wise to auto update all my virus stuff and windows updates).

My 40 gig harddrive is sufficient and I would like to continue using this thing as long as it will still run my software (which it does fine). If it takes a major dump someday, I will replace it, but I can buy the memory (to update to 1 gig) for about $70 and if going from 256mb to 1gig will make a "noticable" difference when running service pack 2, it seems like a good idea.

You will notice a huge difference in how things run. That's cheap and it's very easy to install the memory.

Go for it.

Thanks guys, I will do it.

I upgraded my four year old toshiba to 1gig early last year and it does make a difference. I just walked into BestBuy and they had it on the shelf.

+1 on adding the memory. $70 is cheaper than buying a new laptop and if its working for you, than I'd say stay with it.

You also might look at changing the CMOS battery as long as you've got it opened. At 5+ years, it will more than likely start to cause problems including not allowing boot up (we have a similar aged Think Pad that the battery crapped out on last year. Replaced the battery and voila - no problems booting up).

Rather than using Best Buy, you should consider a true computer store that will afford you many, many options on parts. Try www.newegg.com they are perhaps the largest vendor, and I believe they have the best overall CS score on the net.

Tim,
You can probably run one 512 MB SO DIMM with the existing 256 MB one that's in there now. That will give you 768 MB or so, and a dramatic improvement in performance for half the money.
The other $35 can just about be a 911 tank of gas for a fun run on a nice day...;)

I just found a Kingston 512 PC2700 DDR SDRAM on sale at Circuit city for $37.99 and after reading multiple positive reviews, I am going to start by doing just that and going to pick it up tomorrow on the way home from work as opposed to ordering on-line. If I need to, I guess I can always buy a second 512 later.

It looks as simple as pulling the battery, removing the screws from the memory cover, install the ram, then simply reassemble and power back up.
It sounds as though the computer will detect it on it's own? (or will I need to configure something?)

Just run this on laptop, it will scan and pick the memory you need:

http://www.crucial.com/index.aspx?gclid=cknylm2jkjecfrgcggodjq8zqa

Aurel

It does it all on its own but I don't think you should mix with that type. Did you go to crucial.com and get the skinny on your specific machine?

Just tried crucial and it wasn't pretty (locked up). I will double check tomorrow, but most of the places I checked had computer model specific compatibility features that showed what would work specifically with my Compaq Presario 2190US laptop.

Yea, but I know with mine it specifically said not to mix values.

It's only $39 more man:)

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

I have a four year old Satellite P15-S409.

Do you have a panel to access the RAM?

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

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.

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

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.

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?

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

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

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

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

Did it have a recall?

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.

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. :(

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.

www.dealram.com

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

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.

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.