RAM 256 to 1gb

The_MoneySavingKid

My sister has a Toshiba Sattelite with 256 mb of ram on Windows XP. There is a rudiculous amount of lag in programme opening times even such basics as firefox, and freezing often occurs. I said that RAM could be upped to the max of 1gb, she asked if she would notice a difference that would make it worth doing so. I am sure it will, but can anyone confirm that?
Oh, and is there any way of reinstalling a preinstalled OS? In this case windows XP, because that would probably be one of the other things I would do if I can.

sam.wright_2

Why would you want to reinstall the OS?

The_MoneySavingKid

sam.wright wrote: »

Why would you want to reinstall the OS?

I am pretty sure it is advised after a long period of the OS being installed, that reinstallation can help speed them up slightly as they slow down after time...

fwor

It's not easy to say whether more memory will help a lot without knowing more about the spec. It will probably help a bit, but if the laptop is old, it may just be a combination of slow CPU, slow memory, poor HDD access times, etc.

Reinstalling Windows may also help a bit, because that will probably get rid of a lot of old stuff that's not needed (e.g. access to the Registry should be faster in a fresh install).

One other thing to consider is to install an alternative OS such as one of the lightweight Linux distros, but that will depend on what it's used for and whether your sister could cope with a change like that.

Browntoa

definately worth upping the ram , 256 is the minimum that xp needs to run properly , but laptops lose some of that to onboard graphics grabbing at least 64mb

should see improvement at 1 gig

The_MoneySavingKid

fwor wrote: »

It's not easy to say whether more memory will help a lot without knowing more about the spec. It will probably help a bit, but if the laptop is old, it may just be a combination of slow CPU, slow memory, poor HDD access times, etc.

Reinstalling Windows may also help a bit, because that will probably get rid of a lot of old stuff that's not needed (e.g. access to the Registry should be faster in a fresh install).

One other thing to consider is to install an alternative OS such as one of the lightweight Linux distros, but that will depend on what it's used for and whether your sister could cope with a change like that.

Operating system

Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition

manufacturer : Intel®
type : Intel® Celeron® M Processor 350
clock speed : 1.3 GHz
Front Side Bus : 400 MHz
2nd level cache : 1 MB
core voltage (AC) : 1.260 V
co-processor : integrated in processor
system bus : 400 MHz

System memory
standard : 256 MB
maximum expandability : 1,024 MB
data bus width : 64 bit
technology : DDR RAM

Hard disk capacity : 40 GB
certification : S.M.A.R.T.
height : 9.5 mm
drive rotation : 4,200 rpm
number of disks : 1
number of heads : 2
bytes per sector : 512
interface : Enhanced IDE (ATA-6)
buffer size : 2 MB
desktop or notebook? : notebook

EDIT:
Can anyone point me in the right direction in terms of how to reinstall an original Windows XP installation that comes with the laptop?

keith1950

Hi, I have a little Toshiba Libretto laptop with 512mb and it has been running very slow lately, in the end I decided to bite the bullet and order 1gb from crucial, it arrived yesterday and the difference is unbelieveable. The start up time has been cut to about a third of what it was and while changing sites the pages appear almost instantly. As long as there are no other underlying problems I would say it's well worth trying.

Cat695

Reinstalling an OS is helpful as it rids the system of clutter that builds up over time (i.e. uninstalling programs doesn't remove all trace etc)

Just back up pics/music etc and you will def see a difference with the extra ram in there.

aliEnRIK

You would DEFINITELY see a HUGH improvement to even just 3/4 gig from what you have now

goto CRUCIAL.COM to find out what you need

Shimrod

I upgraded a neighbour's desktop PC from 255Mb to 1Gb a few weeks ago - a Celeron 2.6Ghz. It makes a massive difference to the usability of the PC, although the exact difference will depend on how many programs the PC has loaded into memory at start up time (antivirus, office quick start etc.)

The_MoneySavingKid

Have done the Crucial.com thing.
http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/listparts.aspx?model=Satellite%20L10%20Series

At £21.14 for just the 512 mb one module, I had a look round.http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/5748213/PNY-PC2700-512MB-333MHz-DDR-200pin-SoDIMM-Laptop-Memory/Product.html
I am pretty sure that will be fine right? or is it cheaper for a reason? I'm sure the 10 year guarantee will be more than enough.

From what I may have read, PNY is just rebranded from other brands. such as the SD cards etc.