Question can I put Windows sp3 on this computer?

[usually_quiet]

Another question: Can I put the 1GB memory, 200 pin sodimm, ddr2, Kingston, PC2-6400S (already removed from the Gateway netbook) and put it into the Presario?

DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) cannot be substituted for DDR 333 (PC 2700). They are different types of memory.

[hello_hello]

Question for Lingyi or someone else who knows the answer:
Yes, this Presario is a laptop. I also looked at that Crucial website ( see screenshot). I am confused why the recommended upgrade they say is 256MB (see red circle). Why doesn't it say the recommended upgrade is
2x512MB? I am confused about this. On another note (relating to somebody bashing the Crucial website), on another computer (Gateway netbook), I used the Crucial Memory Scanner, and it said what I had in a computer (1GB, confirmed with My Computer) and then recommended an upgrade to 2GB. I promptly bought the memory on ebay for less than half the Crucial price. At that point, I had zero understanding of memory terminology (DDR, Sodimm, etc) so I thought the Crucial website was very helpful in giving free useful information.

The laptop may also use RAM for video memory, and sometimes the amount of RAM it'll use for that will vary according to how much you have installed (or there may be a BIOS setting), so as an example it's possible you can have 512MB of RAM installed while Windows only shows 448MB, as 64MB of it is being used for video memory. How much more you can add may also depend on how many sticks of RAM you have, how many can be installed, and/or whether you want to replace a smaller stick with a larger one if need be etc.

Despite the crucial bashing in a previous post, I've found using their scanner a useful tool in the past. Why crucial only recommend 256MB as an upgrade I'm not sure, but if you want to be 100% certain, it should be relatively easy to remove the current RAM and if it's labelled properly (sometimes RAM sticks aren't) determine what's currently installed. http://www.cyfinity.com/2008/10/compaq-presario-2100-ram-upgrade-procedure/

What are you using the laptop for? Just general surfing etc? I ask because if it has 448MB of RAM now, adding a bit more mightn't give it much of a performance boost unless you run a lot of programs simultaneously. In fact if you just surf and/or check email with it you probably won't notice any difference.

: Can I put the 1GB memory, 200 pin sodimm, ddr2, Kingston, PC2-6400S (already removed from the Gateway netbook) and put it into the Presario?

No. You'll find they're "keyed" differently (the slots along the button of the RAM amongst the pins are different), so you can't insert a DDR2 stick into a DDR slot.

[MOVIEGEEK]

Download SIW.exe, it will tell you everything about what your laptop supports:

http://www.gtopala.com/

[deadmeow]

Linux Mint 12 is my favorite, but for an old computer like that, you need something with a light footprint. Lubuntu has a very light footprint. However you could stick with XP SP3, even after support ends, but if your system seems too slow for XP, the only other choices besides Linux are Windows 95/98/ME.

I would recommend downloading a 32 bit vers of Lubuntu live cd/dvd and give it a try. You can try it right from the disc, and even install it alongside windows. No reason why you can't keep XP, and also add Lubuntu.

[jimdagys]

The computer will be used for very basic browsing and email. Not more than 2 windows open at a time. Person using it has difficulty figuring out how to click the mouse. Linux won't cut it.
Based on above comments, I won't be adding any memory.
There is an older freeware version of SIW at Portable Apps:
http://portableapps.com/apps/utilities/siw_portable

[lingyi]

I suspect the Crucial website displays RAM based on current price and availability. I've seen different recommendations and prices several times a day.

Bottom line is DDR is Dual Channel, which means it should be insalled in pairs. Since 1GB is the max possible for your laptop, it has to be 2x 512G to max out the RAM.

This may be a bit above your comfort level, but a visit to blackviper.com will help a lot in speeding up your XP. Here's a like to the XP SP3 tweaks:
http://www.blackviper.com/service-configurations/black-vipers-windows-xp-x86-32-bit-se...onfigurations/
Follow the instructions and use the "Safe" settings.

[hello_hello]

Bottom line is DDR is Dual Channel, which means it should be insalled in pairs. Since 1GB is the max possible for your laptop, it has to be 2x 512G to max out the RAM.

DDR = Double Data Rate, but that's for a single RAM module and nothing to do with installing it in a dual channel configuration. The RAM itself isn't dual channel. The fact that 2 modules can be installed doesn't mean it's running in dual channel mode.

[enim]

I do not remember XP SP3 or 7, when I used last time as a decoy and in-spite of shouting and telling it is a decoy, the most funny part was people took whole grave instead of digging it. But, by now they must have realized it.

[jimdagys]

Installed sp3 no problems. Then was able to update to IE8 (latest browser for xp). No more crashing of browser. Speed of computer is excellent for general browsing and Youtube.
One question: Before, and after the sp3 update, when I scroll, either with the browser, or scroll in a folder, such as Program Files, the scrolling action is not smooth, it's more like a wavy fluttering. Somewhat annoying. I can't believe that the computer did this when it was new. What would cause this kind of fluttering and what possibly could fix it? Is it some kind of driver problem with the video?

[MOVIEGEEK]

One question: Before, and after the sp3 update, when I scroll, either with the browser, or scroll in a folder, such as Program Files, the scrolling action is not smooth, it's more like a wavy fluttering. Somewhat annoying. I can't believe that the computer did this when it was new. What would cause this kind of fluttering and what possibly could fix it? Is it some kind of driver problem with the video?

That's normal for an old PC. More RAM, a faster HDD and a faster CPU would help.

[usually_quiet]

One question: Before, and after the sp3 update, when I scroll, either with the browser, or scroll in a folder, such as Program Files, the scrolling action is not smooth, it's more like a wavy fluttering. Somewhat annoying. I can't believe that the computer did this when it was new. What would cause this kind of fluttering and what possibly could fix it? Is it some kind of driver problem with the video?

That's normal for an old PC. More RAM, a faster HDD and a faster CPU would help.

I agree. I suspect that just adding more RAM could help somewhat, but based on personal experience, it may not make economic sense to upgrade the RAM on such an old machine, due to the likelihood of various other things nearing the end of their life.

About two years ago, my nephew gave me a Dell Inspiron 5150 to look at. It had been sitting in the closet unused for 3 years because it was too slow and the unremovable firewall his university IT department installed prevented it from establishing an Internet connection at home, Plus, it tended to overheat. It had a 2.8 GHz P4, so I thought it would be worth saving as a stopgap measure until my nephew could save money for a new PC. A fresh re-install of Windows XP to get rid of the firewall and a memory upgrade from 256MB to 2GB made it run faster and reduced overheating, However, the laptop only lasted about a year before it died.

[hello_hello]

I'd try upgrading the video drivers. Theoretically page scrolling should be smooth. I've got an old 1 gig P3 PC here which is still used for surfing and email and page scrolling in the browser is smooth. Scrolling in other programs such as Windows Explorer is also smooth. The PC itself is quite slow. I think it's only got 256MB of RAM (or maybe 512MB, I'd need to check) and program opening can be fairly slow, but once they're open pages scroll okay. Until recently there were a couple of old P4s still used regularly for surfing here (512MB RAM) and while not speed machines, page scrolling was fine.

It might pay to find the approriate video drivers, uninstall the existing ones, reboot, install the new ones and reboot again. Then go into display properties and check the resolution and refresh rate. Being a laptop you mightn't have a lot of options, but setting the display to the native resolution and default refresh rate might help.

Ideally I wouldn't have upgraded the PC to SP3. Instead I'd reformat the drive and install Windows with SP3 from scratch. Of course that requires an XP installation disc, but you can slipstream SP3 into any XP disc and install it that way (no upgrade required aside from Windows Updates). The next best option would be to install Windows from scratch (is there a restore disc for the laptop?) and then upgrade to SP3, as at least you'd be starting off with a fairly "clean" PC. Given the age of the laptop and the fact is sounds like it might still have the original version of Windows installed, you've possibly upgraded while keeping existing software problems.
These instructions explain how to slipstream SP3 using nLite (which I've done myself) but it's also fairly easy to make an XP SP3 disc yourself.