My sister in law gave me an old, slow, piece of crap "E-machine." It has almost no memory in it. My question is if I could take the memory out of a Dell that's no longer being used and install it into this computer. Would this work to make it a little faster? I know the processer is very slow, but would more memory help it out a little? Would it even accept the new memory? Is memory - memory? Or is it proprietary?
Memory question
- Thread starter White92
- Start date
There are many different types of memory that have been due to advances in memory itself and faster computers. The best thing to do is to compare the memory in both machines to see if they look compatable (if the slots are similar). The second and perhaps more important for a machine that old is if it takes 1 or 2 memory "sticks". Example, Some older computers used 2 sticks to get 256mg, while others use 1. DIMM vs SIMM
Get the model numbers from both machines then use some of the online configurators such as the ones at Kingston or PNY sites to see if they take the same type of memory. Unfortunately this is only likely if they are pretty close to the same age. Post the model numbers if you need more help.
They look the same. Both machines are DIMM. I just didn't know if one was made only to work in Dell computers or what. If they both do fit, should I anticipate any other problems? Will the old computer recongnize the new memory? Am I right in thinking that it should make it go a little faster? I don't remember the processor speed, but it's insanley low. It's running Windows XP Professional and only has a 10 gig hard drive. I didn't even know they made hard drives that small anymore. When I open an application, even a card game or Word, it just sits there making crazy noises like it's thinking so hard that it's going to explode. It's 15-20 seconds in between any action being taken, whether it's opening an application or simply resizing a window. It was free, but I'm thinking it's not even worth it.
More memory is the biggest single thing that you can do to speed up a machine but if it is cranking and cranking away like that I'm wondering if the hard disk is very close to full? Windows needs a pretty good chunk of free space to operate properly. Also, on a machine that has seen lots of stuff installed and uninstalled you really should consider wiping it out and starting fresh to get rid of all the junk left in the registry that slows the system. Try deleting temp files, internet content, cookies, etc and then see how much free space the drive has.
I actually got rid of all the unnecessary crap last night. I defragged it and everything. It helped a little. It's only got a 10 gig hard drive to begin with so there' not much to work with. It's only using half of the hard drive. And there's nothing stored in it. It's just all program files. I'm going to try the memory tonight. It's a free fix and can't hurt. If not, then I'll have to look into the processor. It's a Celeron. I can't remember what number it is exactly. 4?? something I believe. This computer seriously reminds me of the 496DX's we used in high school when we would try to render animation programs. We would have to start them on Friday when class was over and let them render all weekend. That was until the "new" pentiums came out the next year. 
additional memory will help a great deal. I spruced up a 3 year old PC that had 32MB of RAM to 256 Mb of RAm and it runs Win XP Svc Pack 2 just fine.
Be careful mixing memory from different vendors. If the machine starts experiencing weird system problems or crashes, uninstall one of the memory modules. I remember an instance where newly installed memory was infrequently causing the OS to lose the user profile, forcing me to rebuild the system repeatedly until I tracked down the cause to the memory upgrade.
Alright, well I did the upgrade last night. I basically tripled the memory to 256. It's running quicker now. It's still making quite a bit of noisethough. The hard drive is 9.52 GB. It's got just under 4GB available. Now I have another question. Would it be possible to take the processor out of an old Dell and put it in this old computer? The Dell has a Pentium III. Would that consist of swapping out the whole mother board? I'm not sure if it's as simple as unplugging the old one and plugging the new one in. Replacing memory is about as far as I've ever gotten inside a computer.
A processor upgrade will probably mean a new motherboard if you are crossing processor generations, i.e., Pentium II >> Pentium III.
So assuming that physically it will fit and the connectors do match, is there anything else I should worry about? Would it be dumb to think that it's plug and play after that assuming that it actually will fit? The case is huge and there's pretty much nothing in it. The Dell computer is very small. I believe physically it will fit.
The MBs made back in the P3 vintage for Dell were made by Micron and are proprietary to Dell. Typically, the peripherals used in Dell's are not.White92 said:
If you are going to go through the trouble of moving the the MB & CPU; it might be easier to move the HD from the eMachine to the Dell. This gives you the option to either: update the drivers for the MB and components on the HD, or start from scratch by wiping out the old drive. Additionally, you could move the memory and good peripherals or ones you want to the Dell. Depending on the OS you are running will determine the availability of the drivers for the components. The CPU is not a proprietary component, so if the CPU is compatible with chipset it will work. Trying to figure out if the CPU is compatible with the chipset on the eMachine Motherboard may be more difficult. Be fore-warned that the older OSs like '95, '98 and ME may (will) have problems with any component changes. If you are not familiar with editing the Registry then it may be better to start from scratch. If you do attempt the edit the Registry make sure you make a BU or you may be starting from scratch anyway. XP and 2K should not have a problem.
Craig, I think it's time to cash in your NSX or auction the newborn to buy a HUGE kick-butt computer. 
NeoNSX said:Craig, I think it's time to cash in your NSX or auction the newborn to buy a HUGE kick-butt computer.
LOL. Well since I don't have an NSX (yet) I'll guess I'll just have to auction my newborn off. Or maybe I'll just take her in for tryouts as an alien baby for the next Men In Black movie as some on here have eluded to. She could make me some money that way. All kidding aside. I'll probably just end up buying a new computer. I just wanted to see if I could do anything with parts from 2 different computers. Free doesn't hurt, but if it won't work, then it won't work. No big deal.
Neo, do you want to build me a huge kickbutt computer?
I know you mentioned earlier that you cleaned up your HD but you only mentioned Defrag.
Have you used Window Washer and Ad-Aware utilities?
Also how about a virus scan?
Trend Micro has a free one that I've used on an older machine.
The first time I ran Window Washer on an older 40 Gig HD, I had 13 Gig of junk that it got rid of. A huge chunk.
Have you used Window Washer and Ad-Aware utilities?
Also how about a virus scan?
Trend Micro has a free one that I've used on an older machine.
The first time I ran Window Washer on an older 40 Gig HD, I had 13 Gig of junk that it got rid of. A huge chunk.
Yes, adware has been run and so has a virus scan. I think it's just come down to a processor that is extremely slow. I can't even stand typing a letter on it anymore. I was playing Freecell on it the other night and just turned it off. It wasn't worth it. I think I may just return this and go buy a new one. Oh well. No harm done. Thanks for help guys. I really learned alot.
White92 said:
Man, you know me. If you lived down-under I'd be happy to help you out. I'd help you build a computer so awesome you'd be able to make and auction clones of your baby girl.
Oh.... and I'd show you some REAL games... Freecell is for secretaries. 
NeoNSX said:Man, you know me. If you lived down-under I'd be happy to help you out. I'd help you build a computer so awesome you'd be able to make and auction clones of your baby girl.
Haha! I know Freecell is for secretaries. I was just making that statement to show how slow the computer was while using a simple program like Freecell. And I'd probably get banned from Prime if I cloned my baby. If I did clone her, obviously I'd have to take a picture and use it as my new avatar. I'm sure that would freak people out. :smile:
Sounds like a great excuse to buy a new PC
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