Laptops
take a different kind of memory to desktop computers. Laptop memory used to be
quite expensive but it has recently got really cheap.
laptop's
ram is called SO-DIMM SD RAM. These SO-DIMM's work for both Pentium 2 and Pentium
3 laptops as well as Laptops that use AMD chips. New Laptops that use Pentium
4 processors may use special DDR memory.
If
you have a used or refurbished laptop then it will definitely use SO DIMM SD RAM.
If you're upgrading a laptop that's 300-500 mhz it is better to buy 128 megs of
RAM. You could get a 256 SO DIMM but older used laptops may not be able to take
a memory chip this large.
Upgrading
laptop memory is fast and easy
The
two memory modules are marked with arrows. This laptop has 192 megabytes of memory.
One chip is 64 megs and the other is 128.
Every
laptop is a bit different but they always have memory in an easy to reach place.
When installing a new memory module into a laptop you simple have to remove a
metal panel, lift up a small plastic bracket, slide the memory chip in and click
the bracket back down so that the memory laid down flat.
Once
the new memory is in simply screw the metal panel back on and boot up the laptop
to see if the memory was installed correctly.
In
most cases everything will go smoothly you don't have to configure anything, the
new memory is detected and tested on startup and is used in Windows.
If
you find that the new memory does not show up on start up, go back and carefully
reinsert your memory chip and test again.
If
your computer stops booting up then try reinserting the memory. If it continues
to not post with the new memory installed then this indicates that the new memory
module is malfunctioning.
Most
people think that laptops are not upgradable but that is not true anymore. Now
that laptop memory prices are low it is a great time to give your old laptop a
bit of a kick.
