Updating desktop

EveryWhere

hampshirebabe wrote: »

Thankyou all. I cant believe its that old, then again my daughter just turned 11 and I've no ideas where those years went. I really dont like throwing away things if theres a chance I can fix them, so I'll try the drivers and try windows 7, if that doesn't work I'll try and figure out Linux, but probably will need a new one, £60 is doable. :-)

Let's get this straight.....it will never be a decent PC again.

There are too many factors against it. The Internet is far more media rich than it was twelve years ago.
As a minimum you will need to upgrade the RAM to 2GB for Windows 7 to be able to function within normal parameters on that device; https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Memory-Ram-4-for-Desktop-PC-DDR-400-PC-3200U-184-pin-DIMM-Non-ECC-2x-GB-Lot/232472723461
2 x 1 GB for £6.49

Then you have the horribly slow mechanical storage about which you can do nothing but perhaps to buy a PCI SATA or RAID Controller card at further expense.
If you did that, then perhaps you could fit an SSD. But finding a Controller card that allows you to boot from it, could just be another headache.

So now we are at more RAM, a PCI RAID/SATA Controller card and a new boot/storage drive.

If it all works you''ll have a PC with Windows 7 32 bit, 2 GB of RAM and perhaps a 120GB SSD and perhaps have spent £40 or more. But...then you have the CPU. Benchmark score of 374.
That's not good. It's barely beyond a ten year old Netbook's processing power.
So no multitasking for you.

Without the storage upgrades, but just the RAM upgrade and Windows 7 32 bit installation, it will be painfully inadequate, even if it works. Is it worth spending £6.49 on? Perhaps, but no more.

Even with a lightweight Linux distribution, the thing would still be barely functional. But it will still work for simple tasks.

EveryWhere

Update the BIOS by downloading and saving DE051A01.EXE and then running it as Administrator on the PC.

To run a program as Administrator using XP, just right click on the downloaded file, choose 'Run As' and then sign in as Admin or choose Current User, but remove the tick from "Protect my computer and data from unauthorized program activity"

The DELL installation media is in your inbox.

hampshirebabe

would something like this be ok? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fanless-Ultra-Mini-Silent-PC-AMD-1-6-Dual-Core-2GB-DDR3-SATA-SSD-DVI-USB3/253936105896?hash=item3b1fc579a8%3Ag%3AkgsAAOSw-K9ZHWve

that

I think I have some memory at home somewhere for an optiplex gx240/260 that may work. l can get hold of a radion card that was in the optiplex gx420/gx250. Think it is a half height card.

Personally I would not want not invest the time in this, you may feel differently though. Also you will still be stuck on x32 where some of the software has move to x64

AlSto

hampshirebabe wrote: »

would something like this be ok? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fanless-Ultra-Mini-Silent-PC-AMD-1-6-Dual-Core-2GB-DDR3-SATA-SSD-DVI-USB3/253936105896?hash=item3b1fc579a8%3Ag%3AkgsAAOSw-K9ZHWve

No

..........

rmg1

If anyone is interested, I've got a few memory sticks at home. All the info is taken from stickers on the memory:-
For PC

DDR2 512MB 533 SLX264M8 T5C (2 sticks)
1GB DDR2 533 (2 sticks)
1GB 184-PIN UNBUFF DIMM 128MX6 (1 stick)
DDR 512MB PC3200 400MHZ (1 stick)


For Laptop
1GB 1Rx8 PC3 85005 (possibly S) 07 10 81 (1 stick)

You can have it provided you chuck a couple of quid in a charity tin on your way past.

DoaM

rmg1 wrote: »

1GB 184-PIN UNBUFF DIMM 128MX6 (1 stick)

Typo/mis-read? I would expect that to say 8 (as in, 8 memory modules on the stick of 128 Meg each = 1 Gig).

rmg1

DoaM wrote: »

Typo/mis-read? I would expect that to say 8 (as in, 8 memory modules on the stick of 128 Meg each = 1 Gig).

It probably is an 8.
That will either my dodgy typing or dodgy eyesight.
Thanks for the correction.