Hard drive...soft RAM

[GT40FIED]

Ok...so I'm about ready to buy a second HD for my PC. I'm looking at USB models because I'm lazy and don't want to open up my tower...again. It's got these gay ass clips that make it a bitch to get apart and put back together. In any event, any advice for installing said drive? I've never added a hard drive before and don't wanna fuck it up.

Also, last time I had the case open (when the DVD burner went in), I noticed that it doesn't appear like I can expand my RAM. I'm running 512MB currently...which is fine, but I'd like about 256MB-512MB more for smoother operation. I only see one slot inside the case and I'm wondering if I'm just shit out of luck. The PC is a Compaq 6350US. I thought I remember seeing something on their site about how the RAM was expandable, but I only see one slot. Am I missing something? Is there a way around this? Does Compaq just like to piss me off? I've honestly had great luck with this PC...but a lack of upgradeability would piss me off.

[94_AcCoRd_EX]

As for the hard drive, I'd add an internal model, even if you don't want to unless you're planning on moving your drive around. They are cheaper for the same drive. I've never added a USB drive, but I'd guess you'd install any drivers it came with and then plug it in. Should be right in the directions. What Windows are you running again? Some versions are different as to how you format, etc. The internal drive is just as easy to install BTW.

512MB RAM should be good for just about everything but huge multitasking and the newest games. If you're set on more, you'll need open slots. When you looked at it before, were there already 4 sticks in there? If so, you might have to replace your old RAM with larger modules. I'd make sure you need the RAM first though.

[GT40FIED]

I'm running XP. As for USB vs. IDE...I just get really nervous opening up my case. I've done it for simple stuff like CD/DVD burners but never for anything involving the capabilities of the actual PC. Is an IDE unit just like plug and play?

As for the RAM, I'm often running several programs that are currently seriously slowing my shit down (sometimes). I don't remember how many slots I saw, but all of the ones I remember seeing were full. Product specs here http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/d...me= c00009612

[94_AcCoRd_EX]

If you can install a burner, you can install a HDD!

0) shut down computer
1) open the case
2) screw the drive into place
3) connect the IDE cable
4) connect the power
5) close case
6) start computer
7) right click 'my computer' and select 'manage'
8) select 'disk management'
9) I believe you make the new partition active now by right clicking on the new drive and selecting 'make active'
10) format
11) enjoy your new space

Hopefully that's exactly how to do it, but if not its really close. Its hard to recall the exact steps in order, but its no more complicated than that.

---------

As for your RAM...

System Memory


512MB 133MHz DDR SDRAM

• 2 Total DIMM Slots

• Upgradeable to 1.0GB (DDR SDRAM DIMM required)

You have 2 total RAM slots and if they are both populated you'll need to remove the 2 x 256 sticks and put in 2 x 512 sticks. Cheap DDR should run about $135 for 1 GB. That's what I just paid when I was building a computer last week. I used Corsair ValueRAM b/c they won't ever overclock it. You won't either with that computer, so that should be sufficient.

Any more questions, just ask.

[GT40FIED]

Good info indeed. How does something like this look...http://www.archmemory.com/index.asp?...ROD&ProdID=435 ? When I buy this stuff, will I need to mark "2" in the quantity box or what? Any recommendations on where to buy this stuff?

Oh yeah...any manufacturers to look for/avoid with either of these? I know Western Digital is probably the big name in hard drives, but what about Hitachi, Samsung, etc. As for buying RAM...I just don't have a clue.

[Mischief]

Corsair and Kingston make good memory, WD and Seagate are as well good names for HDD's

[94_AcCoRd_EX]

Originally posted by GT40FIED
Good info indeed. How does something like this look...http://www.archmemory.com/index.asp?...ROD&ProdID=435 ? When I buy this stuff, will I need to mark "2" in the quantity box or what? Any recommendations on where to buy this stuff?

Oh yeah...any manufacturers to look for/avoid with either of these? I know Western Digital is probably the big name in hard drives, but what about Hitachi, Samsung, etc. As for buying RAM...I just don't have a clue.

My opinion.. don't buy that RAM! You'll spend $160+ (yes you do need to buy 2 512 sticks) and you're getting generic RAM. Go to Newegg.com and get some Corsair for cheaper IMO. I can get you product #'s tomorrow if you're interested.

Western Digital is great. I've bought 10+ of their drives and have yet to have one fail. I just put two Hitachi drives (their newest models) in another computer and I have yet to see how they do. Maxtor hasn't done well with me, but others have had good luck. Seagate is quiet, maybe a little slower, but a good drive as well. For me though, I'd use WD for reliability.

Hope that helps.

[Mischief]

I'd recommend this -----> http://www.memory4less.com/m4l_itemd...itemid=2653801

Two 512 sticks for under 150 bucks, decent price from a reliable manufacturer. It's PC2700 because I'm not sure what the max your mobo can run but this will do fine, I have 1.5 GB of PC2700 in my computer and it runs smoothly so you should be all set with it.

[GT40FIED]

Well I know I need 184 DDR DIMM sticks....but other than that I don't know what would work. Here's all of Newegg's 512MB Corsair sticks: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...operty&DEPA=1. Any ideas? I'm pretty sure I'll be going for WD for the HDD...probably a 120GB or 160GB drive. I'm suprised how cheap they are these days. Man...look how man abbreviations I used there. Thanks for all the help 94.

[Mischief]

GT40 for your money might as well go with a 200GB one.. I got one for christmas and it cost a little over 100

[94_AcCoRd_EX]

Originally posted by Mischief
I'd recommend this -----> http://www.memory4less.com/m4l_itemd...itemid=2653801

Two 512 sticks for under 150 bucks, decent price from a reliable manufacturer. It's PC2700 because I'm not sure what the max your mobo can run but this will do fine, I have 1.5 GB of PC2700 in my computer and it runs smoothly so you should be all set with it.

The system Steve listed has a 400 MHz FSB. I haven't purchased RAM for a Pentium 4 in a while, but taking into consideration that its DDR, I think it needs to be 200 MHz, or PC3200. BTW, 1.5 GB is overkill that you won't use unless you run professional applications.

[94_AcCoRd_EX]

Originally posted by GT40FIED
Well I know I need 184 DDR DIMM sticks....but other than that I don't know what would work. Here's all of Newegg's 512MB Corsair sticks: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...operty&DEPA=1. Any ideas? I'm pretty sure I'll be going for WD for the HDD...probably a 120GB or 160GB drive. I'm suprised how cheap they are these days. Man...look how man abbreviations I used there. Thanks for all the help 94.

No prob. I'm proud of you for your abbreviations

Your link doesn't work, but here's the memory I just bought. I picked it out because it is a good value in a system that won't be overclocked.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...145-440&depa=1

The only thing I'm not sure of is if your board will have trouble with double sided modules. Should be fine, but aside from calling tech support I don't know where you'd find the answer. That's probably not a very common board to upgrade.

Good choice on WD for the upgrade. Buy big now and save $$$ later. You might want to check out Office Max weekly deals if you have one there. They have Sunday sales with huge Western Digital rebates a lot of the time. Depends how long you want to wait though. Rebates take 6-8 weeks.

[Mischief]

Originally posted by 94_AcCoRd_EX
The system Steve listed has a 400 MHz FSB. I haven't purchased RAM for a Pentium 4 in a while, but taking into consideration that its DDR, I think it needs to be 200 MHz, or PC3200. BTW, 1.5 GB is overkill that you won't use unless you run professional applications.

or if I'm a heavy gamer, which I am.

[94_AcCoRd_EX]

Originally posted by Mischief
or if I'm a heavy gamer, which I am.

Just out of curiosity, what games take over 1 GB RAM? I play FarCry, Doom 3, etc. with no problems from a gig of RAM. You'd be better off performance-wise upgrading your CPU and running a high FSB with faster RAM.

[Mischief]

Everquest 2, Half-Life 2.. Not to mention I just love how much smoother my computer runs compared to when it had just 512 in it.

[GT40FIED]

Ok...so I've decided the RAM will wait until I'm exactly sure what I have. I'll look closer when I install the HDD. Also...you mentioned the FSB...what the hell is a front side bus exactly? I always see it listed in specs, buthave no clue what it is/does.

[94_AcCoRd_EX]

Originally posted by GT40FIED
Ok...so I've decided the RAM will wait until I'm exactly sure what I have. I'll look closer when I install the HDD. Also...you mentioned the FSB...what the hell is a front side bus exactly? I always see it listed in specs, buthave no clue what it is/does.

Think of a bus as a datapath that is able to be used in either direction. Well basically the front side bus connects the processor with the memory, northbridge, AGP slot, etc. The term is being faded out with the 64-bit CPUs on the market, but that's the gist of it. Raising the FSB out of spec is one way to overclock your CPU on motherboards that will allow it.

[blind34_1]

avoid the 200 gb western digital drives. a friend of mine who works at a computer shop said they get a TON of RMA's for those drives. the 250 gbs are fine.

the memory speed your board supports is 2100. going any more than that is a waste of money for your board, i think.

also, your 512mb you currently have is being eaten up by your onboard video. While I don't know if this explains ALL of the sluggishness you're describing, I know it doesn't help. Real graphics card maybe?

don't go cheap on the memory. corsiar, kingston, mushkin, OCZ, are all good. the few dollars you'll save in the short run by going with an off-brand will come back to haunt you when it dumps hex to the screen. (memory errors are not fun)

you say you're running slow; are you keeping things tidy?(scanning for spyware, viruses, etc.) I haven't been on in a while so I haven't kept tabs on your progress, I know you said you were having trouble with spyware.

[GT40FIED]

I was wondering where you were, Aaron. Yeah...after the reformat I scan using 3 programs (Adaware Personal SE, Xoftspy, and Spybot S&D v1.3) usually once a day. I also do a full system check at least once a week with Norton AV. Aside from random cookies, no real spyware as of yet. I think the big problem is that I always try to multi-task the shit out of my computer. I'll run a program like TMPGenc while using Realplayer, IE, and probably Outlook all at once. Slows shit to almost a crawl...especially when running TMPGenc. Maybe I'll go with a WD 160GB HDD instead of the 200GB is the 200s have problems. I don't need a TON of extra space...just enough to keep my movies (I usually have 5-10 at any given time. The problem is that most of the places you see good prices for HDDs like CDW or Newegg sell OEM units...which I imagine come without instructions. I will definitely need instructions once the thing is in. I can install it...but i don't know how to properly set it up. Bollocks to CDW and Newegg.

[Mischief]

oh yea I forgot this.. it helps you check to see if you're running any processes you don't need to be
http://answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm

[94_AcCoRd_EX]

If you're encoding in the background, it sounds like you could use the extra memory.

blind34_1 sounds like he knows the memory speed and his answer sounds better since its a slightly older machine. You won't gain anything by going with faster memory since it will be running at slower speeds anyway.

[blind34_1]

Originally posted by GT40FIED
I was wondering where you were, Aaron. Yeah...after the reformat I scan using 3 programs (Adaware Personal SE, Xoftspy, and Spybot S&D v1.3) usually once a day. I also do a full system check at least once a week with Norton AV. Aside from random cookies, no real spyware as of yet. I think the big problem is that I always try to multi-task the shit out of my computer. I'll run a program like TMPGenc while using Realplayer, IE, and probably Outlook all at once. Slows shit to almost a crawl...especially when running TMPGenc. Maybe I'll go with a WD 160GB HDD instead of the 200GB is the 200s have problems. I don't need a TON of extra space...just enough to keep my movies (I usually have 5-10 at any given time. The problem is that most of the places you see good prices for HDDs like CDW or Newegg sell OEM units...which I imagine come without instructions. I will definitely need instructions once the thing is in. I can install it...but i don't know how to properly set it up. Bollocks to CDW and Newegg.

Oh goodness! yeah, that's your problem! If you're doing video encoding, DO NOT try to do anything else. Just start it up and go do something else (I play my PS2)

As a rule, whenever you are ripping, encoding, or burning anything, close anything that is running, eliminate as many background tasks as possible, and for the love of god, stop using RealPlayer!

Seriously, in my opinion RealPlayer has got to be the worst thing ever to be running. It goes comfortably under my "Bad Software" list, right next to MusicMatch Jukebox, any Creative Software, any HP software, and AOL AIM. It's horrible.

That, combined with video encoding, and trying to check email using Outlook on a machine with too little RAM...I'm surprised you haven't shot yourself yet.

Go with two 512Mb. sticks, to bring it up to 1Gb. You'll thank yourself. I'm running a gig of mushkin3200 with a 3ghz intel, and I can rip and encode VERY smoothly. Your processor is well up to the task, but your bottleneck is having virtually no RAM.

And like I said, your onboard video isn't helping things.

And also, if you are doing video work, just get a 250gb HDD. You'll thank yourself again. I've got a 160gb and a 120gb and I'm wondering where all my space went (probably to the raw video object files taking up 65gb).

Wait for the BestBuy and CircuitCity ads to come out on Sunday, as there is almost always a great rebate deal. They sell the full retail box, which comes with a huge poster that shows how to install it. I remember seeing a 250gb western digital going for 160$. That's a heck of a deal.

[GT40FIED]

Originally posted by blind34_1
Oh goodness! yeah, that's your problem! If you're doing video encoding, DO NOT try to do anything else. Just start it up and go do something else (I play my PS2)

As a rule, whenever you are ripping, encoding, or burning anything, close anything that is running, eliminate as many background tasks as possible, and for the love of god, stop using RealPlayer!

Seriously, in my opinion RealPlayer has got to be the worst thing ever to be running. It goes comfortably under my "Bad Software" list, right next to MusicMatch Jukebox, any Creative Software, any HP software, and AOL AIM. It's horrible.

That, combined with video encoding, and trying to check email using Outlook on a machine with too little RAM...I'm surprised you haven't shot yourself yet.

Go with two 512Mb. sticks, to bring it up to 1Gb. You'll thank yourself. I'm running a gig of mushkin3200 with a 3ghz intel, and I can rip and encode VERY smoothly. Your processor is well up to the task, but your bottleneck is having virtually no RAM.

And like I said, your onboard video isn't helping things.

And also, if you are doing video work, just get a 250gb HDD. You'll thank yourself again. I've got a 160gb and a 120gb and I'm wondering where all my space went (probably to the raw video object files taking up 65gb).

Wait for the BestBuy and CircuitCity ads to come out on Sunday, as there is almost always a great rebate deal. They sell the full retail box, which comes with a huge poster that shows how to install it. I remember seeing a 250gb western digital going for 160$. That's a heck of a deal.

Problem is, there aren't any Best Buys or Circuit City's down here. I'm pretty much relying off of online retailers. There's a WalMart....but like hell I'm buying any PC products from them. My PC was OEM with only 80GB of HDD space, so a 160GB drive would quadruple the storage capacity. The problem is that $160 doesn't fit well into my financial plan. I can get an OEM 250GB drive for a lot less...but I don't think it would come with instructions. The memory will have to wait for now. I haven't taken a good look at my board in quite some time. I'll have to open the tower up to install the HDD and I'll have a better idea of what I'm working with. Fucking hell...computers are a pain in the ass.

[blind34_1]

Originally posted by GT40FIED
Problem is, there aren't any Best Buys or Circuit City's down here. I'm pretty much relying off of online retailers. There's a WalMart....but like hell I'm buying any PC products from them. My PC was OEM with only 80GB of HDD space, so a 160GB drive would quadruple the storage capacity. The problem is that $160 doesn't fit well into my financial plan. I can get an OEM 250GB drive for a lot less...but I don't think it would come with instructions. The memory will have to wait for now. I haven't taken a good look at my board in quite some time. I'll have to open the tower up to install the HDD and I'll have a better idea of what I'm working with. Fucking hell...computers are a pain in the ass.

Yeah, a pain in the ass if you don't have a bestbuy or circuitcity, I was going to tell you that bestbuy is running a rebate deal starting today: a 160gb westerndigital drive for $80 after rebates ($120 before rebates).

EDIT: bestbuys rebates work online! check this out: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....cat33200050001

EDIT (again): holy crap! circuitcity.com is even better! same drive for $60: http://www.circuitcity.com/rpsm/catO...ategorylist.do

man, if those were SATA drives I would nab one up today! (they are EIDE, which is what you need...lucky!)

OEM will probably be okay, as you can find instructions online. And besides that, installing a drive is easy:

1. It will come in an antistatic bag, and hopefully some foam support in the box. Take the drive out of the bag, and set it on top of the bag for now.

2. Unplug your computer and open your case and determine where you are going to install the drive. According to your system specs, it looks like the only spot will be the external bay either above or below the floppy drive. It's called an external bay because it is has a bezel cover in front of it, so you could put a 3.5" device in there, like a ZIP drive or something. You won't be removing the plastic bezel cover in this case.

**Before touching anything inside the computer, discharge any static electricity buildup by touching the power supply, or the metal sides of the case. Don't scuff around on the carpet while working.**

3. You will need to make sure you have an IDE ribbon cable connector that can reach your installation location, as well as a power connector. The IDE cable may require some rerouting, as you already have 3 devices (the maximum is 4). IF compaq was smart, your two optical drives will be on the same cable (also called same channel), and your current hard drive is on the end of the other cable. This should allow you to use the second connector (in the middle of the ribbon cable) for your new drive.

4. I'm going to mention this, but I don't know if I believe it. When it comes to your power connector, try to use a plug from a circuit that is powering other drives, and NOT a fan. I've HEARD that when a drive spins up, it can cause a surge, which frys fans (and apparently cold cathode inverters, ask me how I know...)

5. Again, if compaq was smart, they would have already set your current hard drive to be MASTER. There are jumper settings on every drive; MASTER, SLAVE, and CABLE SELECT. I don't trust cable select, though I've heard it works great. You'll need to check and see what the current drive is set to. Sometimes they don't set the jumpers at all, which is fine when the drive is by itself. It won't play nice if there is another drive, though. You may to remove the drive to see what it is set to. There should be a diagram and/or label on the drive showing the possible settings.

6. You'll be setting your new drive to SLAVE. just refer to the diagram or label and jump the proper pins. (There is a tiny plastic piece with metal inside. You place this piece over the two pins labeled slave. Usually it is two pins vertically below the letter 'S'. You'll see.

7. Now you are ready to install the drive. If you can remove the drive cage, do it. You'll need access to both sides of the cage to properly secure your new drive. This may mean unplugging things, so it may be a good idea to label things so you remember how to put them back. Slide the drive in the cage so that you can secure it with two screws on each side. If you don't secure BOTH sides, vibration becomes an issue.

8. Reinstall the cage and be sure to plug all your drives in, data and power. Don't put the case back together yet until you know everything is okay.

9. Plug the computer back in and turn it on. If you can view the POST screen (Power On Self Test) then you will see four drives listed (it will say something like WDC1600JD if you have an IDE 160 GB western digital drive). If all you see is the pretty compaq splash screen, just wait for WinXP to boot, and you should see the new drive in My Computer.

10. Formatting a drive in Windows XP is easy, assuming you have PRO and not HOME. Under PRO, just go to control panel, administrative tools, computer management. From there, click on disk management in the left-hand list, and it will show your unformatted drive. right click on the drive and click format. It will format in the background, but I wouldn't try to multitask anything. play solitaire.

11. If step 10 went okay, go ahead and close up your case, and pat yourself on the back.

**If you're still worried about not having instructions, here are the instructions that would come with any drive you buy:
http://www.wdc.com/en/library/eide/2779-001001.pdf
print it out, and there you go.


and I found this link by accident for memory specifically for your system. Infineon is a decent brand. those prices aren't too bad.
http://www.memoryx.net/compres6350u.html

[GT40FIED]

Annnnnnnnd that makes twice you've saved my ass Aaron. Thanks for the info.

[blind34_1]

Not a problem. Actually, you've indirectly helped me find what I should do for a career. More recently, I've been doing a ton of this kind of stuff (advising on computer things, troubleshooting problems, general tech support), and I think I finally realize that this is what I want to do, in one form or another. It's not just a hobby.

So...I thank you.

[GT40FIED]

Shit man...you've got the skills. Go do it. Just don't get stuck in a cubicle for the rest of your life. I can't imagine anything worse than that.

Also...in your description of how to install the drive, you listed the procedure for XP Pro. I've just got XP Home Edition. I did however look at WD's site and saw their installation instructions. If you get a chance, take a look and tell me if this looks ok:

http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc....YWdlPTE*&p_li=

It's the second part...not the part about installing the single drive...the part about installing a second drive.

Edit: Also, does anyone know what the difference is between EIDE (what I'm used to) vs. SATA? I don't believe I've ever bought anything that was SATA.

[blind34_1]

yea, that method they list works also. all you are doing is calling the script (or whatever it is: microsoft weirdness) from the command line and not from the control panel. It's all the same.

and the diff between EIDE and SATA is a huge one. EIDE is older (I used to know what it stood for, cant remember now) and is what most older boards support (in this case, yours.

SATA (also known as Serial ATA, and again I forgot what ATA stands for...) and is the new standard. We are seeing a definate phasing out of IDE devices in favor of SATA. SATA offers more speed, and more convenient hookups (it is powered through the same bus as data)

This is the reason that you are finding EIDE drives for so cheap in the stores, with those MAD rebates. You'll notice they don't advertise SATA equipment with rebates.

The nice thing is, SATA devices typically are very close in base price with EIDE counterparts.

So, SATA is the new shit, but your board doesn't support it. THat means take advantage of the rebated EIDE drives!

[blind34_1]

ah..i was wrong about my comments on SATA. SATA is NOT powered through the same bus as data.

There are two choices for powering SATA devices. You can use the standard molex connector that you use for everything else OR a specific SATA power connector. the specific connector only comes with newer power supplies. It looks similar to the data cable, except the power one is longer.

You cannot use both SATA power and molex power (12v, 5v) at the same time. it is either-or.

Just wanted to clear that up. my bad.