Memory above 512 MB

[Alex Nichol]

I will be installing two 256 MB chips into my daughter's Windows 98SE system
soon. It will be in addition to the two 64 MB chips in there now. So she
will have a total of 640 MB of RAM. Then I intend to upgrade her system to
Windows XP Pro. Her CPU is running at 1.3 GHZ and her HD has 40 GB and is 10
percent full.

Can I expect any problems with Windows XP in going to 640 MB of RAM? I know
there are some steps that need to be taken with W98 operating systems when
512 MB is exceeded.

Those do not apply in XP, and it will be entirely happy just installing
at 640MB *provided* the chips are exactly matched. But it *is* fussy
about matching, and you might be better to use just the 512 initially
and then try and see if the others work with them once things are bedded
in (but preferably within 30 days before activating). I suggest you
Read Gary Woodruff's article on upgrading to XP at
http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/xpupgrad.htm

 

[Alex Nichol]

I'll have to side with S. Heenan, though. I've rescued way too many sick
computers from friends, and invariably a clean install does the trick -
whereas I have spun many a wheel trying to do an upgrade only to eventually
go for the clean install anyway. A clean install is simply easier, and
well - clean ;>)

The thing though with 98 to XP is that if it does go well - and a great
deal of actual experience on this one says it usually does - you are
fine. If it does not you can *still* do the clean install. If you just
do a clean install straight off because it is the conventional wisdom,
you have burned your boats

 

[Papa]

The thing though with 98 to XP is that if it does go well - and a great
deal of actual experience on this one says it usually does - you are
fine. If it does not you can *still* do the clean install. If you just
do a clean install straight off because it is the conventional wisdom,
you have burned your boats

Yes, but those are "boats" that I can do without because they are, in my
experience, just extra work delaying the final result. Invariably those
acquaintances of mine who bring in their W98 systems for upgrade to XP bring
in a system filled with all kinds of accumulated problems.

 

[Papa]

Those do not apply in XP, and it will be entirely happy just installing
at 640MB *provided* the chips are exactly matched. But it *is* fussy
about matching, and you might be better to use just the 512 initially
and then try and see if the others work with them once things are bedded
in (but preferably within 30 days before activating). I suggest you
Read Gary Woodruff's article on upgrading to XP at
http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/xpupgrad.htm

Thanks for the suggestion, and I'll take another look at Gary Woodruff's
article.