RAM

[Melvin]

My daughter-in-law has an older HP system with a ASUSTeK P4B-LA REV. 1.xx
motherboard and a 2.00 GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor. The MB has three
memory slots. Slots 1 & 2 contain a memory stick of 256MB. She wonders
why the system is slow.

I would like to add more memory but my question is can I add a 1 GB of
memory in the 3rd slot? Can different size memory co-exist without
problems or do I need to add two 1GB cards in slots 1 & 2?

I'm looking for the least expensive methods that accomplishes the desired
result.

Mel

 

[JS]

My daughter-in-law has an older HP system with a ASUSTeK P4B-LA REV. 1.xx
motherboard and a 2.00 GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor. The MB has three
memory slots. Slots 1 & 2 contain a memory stick of 256MB. She wonders
why the system is slow.

I would like to add more memory but my question is can I add a 1 GB of
memory in the 3rd slot? Can different size memory co-exist without
problems or do I need to add two 1GB cards in slots 1 & 2?

I'm looking for the least expensive methods that accomplishes the desired
result.

Mel

Download the User's manual from ASUS and
it should identify what memory configurations
are allowed.

http://www.unitycorp.co.jp/support/download/manual/478/p4b_lx_e.pdf

 

[Shenan Stanley]

My daughter-in-law has an older HP system with a ASUSTeK P4B-LA
REV. 1.xx motherboard and a 2.00 GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor. The
MB has three memory slots. Slots 1 & 2 contain a memory stick of
256MB. She wonders why the system is slow.

I would like to add more memory but my question is can I add a 1
GB of memory in the 3rd slot? Can different size memory co-exist
without problems or do I need to add two 1GB cards in slots 1 & 2?

I'm looking for the least expensive methods that accomplishes the
desired result.

More memory does not necessarily equate to faster system. Is she currently
using all of the memory available to her?
(What does the "Performance" tab of the "Windows Task Manager" show for
"Available" "Physical Memory (K)"?)

I'd do a major cleanup of the machine and update of several things before I
go changing the hardware. From your description, she has 512MB memory - and
depending on what she is doing - it is unlikely she is using all of that as
a home user in Windows XP

However - if you want to look up exactly what RAM to get:
http://www.crucial.com/
(Use their tool - you know the make/model - it can do the rest for you.)

The cleanup? It's long, but not difficult at all.

First - because this is a computer and to do anything without backups is
just unwise... Backup one extra time for safe measure (above and beyond the
normal consistent backup schedule that should be in place for almost
everyone that has a computer - IMO.)

Then- let's get started...

Start button --> RUN
(no "RUN"? Press the "Windows Key" + R on your keyboard)
--> type in:
winver
--> Click OK.

The picture at the top of the window that opens will give you the general
(Operating System name and edition) while the line starting with the word
"version" will give you the rest of the story.

Post _both_ in response to this message verbatim. ;-)

Want some other details (either to share or to help you later)? I suggest
downloading, installing and running a report with "Belarc Advisor". It will
give you all sorts of useful information (from hardware manufacturers for
those hardware components with decent drivers to software product keys.
http://belarc.com/ (free.) I'd print a hard-copy of the results to store
with the installation CDs, receipts, etc for the computer in question.

Also - what AntiVirus software is running? If some 'all-in-one'
monstrosity - uninstall it and turn on the Windows Firewall and utilize
Avira AntiVirus (free.) Less resources use with as good (if not better)
results.

Continue with the cleanup...

Download/install this:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290301

After installing, do the following:

Start button --> RUN --> type in:
"%ProgramFiles%\Windows Installer Clean Up\msizap.exe" g!
--> Click OK.
(The quotation marks and percentage signs and spacing should be exact.)

Download, install, run, update and perform a full scan (separately) with the
following two applications (freeware versions are the ones to use for this):

SuperAntiSpyware
http://www.superantispyware.com/

MalwareBytes
http://www.malwarebytes.com/

After performing a full scan with one and then the other and removing
whatever they both find completely, you may uninstall these products,
if you wish.

Download and run the MSRT manually:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx

Reboot.

Download/Install the latest Windows Installer (for your OS):
( Windows XP 32-bit : WindowsXP-KB942288-v3-x86.exe )
http://www.microsoft.com/downloadS/...6F-60B6-4412-95B9-54D056D6F9F4&displaylang=en

Reboot.

and...

Download the latest version of the Windows Update agent from here (x86):
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=91237
.... and save it to the root of your C:\ drive. After saving it to the root
of the C:\ drive, do the following:

Close all Internet Explorer windows and other applications.

Start button --> RUN and type in:
%SystemDrive%\windowsupdateagent30-x86.exe /WUFORCE
--> Click OK.

(If asked, select "Run.) --> Click on NEXT --> Select "I agree" and click on
NEXT --> When it finishes installing, click on "Finish"...

Reboot.

Then follow the instructions here:

How do I reset Windows Update components?
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971058

Reboot.

CHKDSK
How to scan your disks for errors
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315265
* will take time and a reboot

Defragment
How to Defragment your hard drives
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314848
* will take time

Ensure your hardware drivers are up to date (from the hardware
manufacturer's respective web pages.) Never get hardware drivers
for hardware that was not created/sold by Microsoft from Microsoft.

Reboot as needed and one additional time.

Log on as an user with administrative rights and open Internet Explorer
and visit http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ and select to do a
CUSTOM scan...

Every time you are about to click on something while at these web pages -
first press and hold down the CTRL key while you click on it. You can
release the CTRL key after clicking each time.

Once the scan is done, select just _ONE_ of the high priority updates
(deselect any others) and install it.

Reboot again.

If it did work - try the web page again - selecting no more than 3-5 at a
time. Rebooting as needed.

The Optional Software updates are generally safe - although I recommend
against the "Windows Search" one and any of the "Office Live" ones or
"Windows Live" ones for now. I would completely avoid the
Optional Hardware updates. Also - I do not see any urgent need to install
Internet Explorer 8 at this time.

Seriously - do all that. This is like antibiotics - don't skip a single
step, don't quit because you think things will be okay now - go through
until the end, until you have done everything given in the order given. If
you have a problem with a step come ask and let someone here get you
through that step. If you don't understand how to do a step, come back and
ask here about that step and let someone walk you through it.

Then - when done - let everyone here know if it worked for you - or if you
have more issues.

 

[SC Tom]

My daughter-in-law has an older HP system with a ASUSTeK P4B-LA REV. 1.xx
motherboard and a 2.00 GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor. The MB has three
memory slots. Slots 1 & 2 contain a memory stick of 256MB. She wonders
why the system is slow.

I would like to add more memory but my question is can I add a 1 GB of
memory in the 3rd slot? Can different size memory co-exist without
problems or do I need to add two 1GB cards in slots 1 & 2?

I'm looking for the least expensive methods that accomplishes the desired
result.

Mel

According to the manual here
http://www.elhvb.com/mboards/OEM/HP/manual/amazon_manual.pdf , the max
allowed is 512MB, so it looks like you're already there.
The system may be slow from numerous other causes besides lack of RAM,
although depending on what applications are being run, 512MB should be
sufficient. Try running Disk Clean-up, and checking for viruses and other
malware. Look for stuff that's installed that may not be used any more. Do a
Google for "Why is my computer so slow." There are a lot of things that may
help speed it up some.

SC Tom

 

[JS]

Sorry wrong model user's guide.
See Tom's post.

 

[Bob Knowlden]

Something does not compute here. The board is supposed to be capable of
taking 512MB DIMMs. A 512MB total system RAM limit with three DIMM slots
would be unusual.

An alternate document:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...7293&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN

says that the board supports 1.5GB of RAM (3 X 512MB).

In principle the original poster could add a single 512MB DIMM to the third
slot, for a total system RAM of 1GB. I don't recommend that, though, because
I've had compatibility issues when mixing different makes of RAM. Such
problems can be worked around with manual BIOS settings, but appliance PCs
(HP, Dell) may not make those settings available.

I think that the 512MB of RAM that's already in place should be adequate for
XP, if the machine isn't running too many memory-intensive applications.
(Unfortunately, up-to-date antivirus software can use a lot of memory.) The
obvious clue is whether the hard disk activity light is on a lot of the
time, which would indicate too much use of virtual memory. If there is
excessive disk activity, having more RAM may improve performance.

PC133 SDRAM is an old type, so it's more expensive than types currently in
use (DDR2, DDR3). It's still possible, though, to get 512MB PC133 SDRAM
DIMMs for about $25 (plus shipping) at www.newegg.com. (I'd normally refer
people to www.crucial.com, for safety, but their prices on 512MB SDRAM
appear to be about $60 - too much of a premium.) I suggest removing the old
RAM and installing two 512MB DIMMs; the system may be less stable if all 3
memory slots are filled.

A hint, in case of trouble with the new RAM: I recently max'd out the RAM of
an old Dell Dimension 2350. It had only 256MB of RAM installed, and it was
choking very noticeably. (It uses DDR, also somewhat old and expensive: $18
each for two 512MB sticks.) It wouldn't boot with the new RAM initially. I
cleared the CMOS with the jumper, and then the machine recognized the RAM.
(I ran Memtest86+ on it without generating any errors, so it must have been
sound.) It wasn't magically transformed into a fast PC, but it runs much
more pleasantly without the disk thrashing.

 

[1PW]

My daughter-in-law has an older HP system with a ASUSTeK P4B-LA REV.
1.xx motherboard and a 2.00 GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor. The MB has
three memory slots. Slots 1 & 2 contain a memory stick of 256MB. She
wonders why the system is slow.

I would like to add more memory but my question is can I add a 1 GB of
memory in the 3rd slot? Can different size memory co-exist without
problems or do I need to add two 1GB cards in slots 1 & 2?

I'm looking for the least expensive methods that accomplishes the
desired result.

Mel

Hello Mel:

Of course the best clean-up and system optimization steps can be taken
to squeeze a bit more speed back out of this system. However, this
does seem like a very good time to consider putting a new system on
your Christmas list for your daughter-in-law.

Respectfully,

 

[Paul]

Something does not compute here. The board is supposed to be capable of
taking 512MB DIMMs. A 512MB total system RAM limit with three DIMM slots
would be unusual.

An alternate document:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...7293&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN


says that the board supports 1.5GB of RAM (3 X 512MB).

In principle the original poster could add a single 512MB DIMM to the
third slot, for a total system RAM of 1GB. I don't recommend that,
though, because I've had compatibility issues when mixing different
makes of RAM. Such problems can be worked around with manual BIOS
settings, but appliance PCs (HP, Dell) may not make those settings
available.

I think that the 512MB of RAM that's already in place should be adequate
for XP, if the machine isn't running too many memory-intensive
applications. (Unfortunately, up-to-date antivirus software can use a
lot of memory.) The obvious clue is whether the hard disk activity light
is on a lot of the time, which would indicate too much use of virtual
memory. If there is excessive disk activity, having more RAM may improve
performance.

PC133 SDRAM is an old type, so it's more expensive than types currently
in use (DDR2, DDR3). It's still possible, though, to get 512MB PC133
SDRAM DIMMs for about $25 (plus shipping) at www.newegg.com. (I'd
normally refer people to www.crucial.com, for safety, but their prices
on 512MB SDRAM appear to be about $60 - too much of a premium.) I
suggest removing the old RAM and installing two 512MB DIMMs; the system
may be less stable if all 3 memory slots are filled.

A hint, in case of trouble with the new RAM: I recently max'd out the
RAM of an old Dell Dimension 2350. It had only 256MB of RAM installed,
and it was choking very noticeably. (It uses DDR, also somewhat old and
expensive: $18 each for two 512MB sticks.) It wouldn't boot with the new
RAM initially. I cleared the CMOS with the jumper, and then the machine
recognized the RAM. (I ran Memtest86+ on it without generating any
errors, so it must have been sound.) It wasn't magically transformed
into a fast PC, but it runs much more pleasantly without the disk
thrashing.

I have an Asus retail motherboard, the "P4B" model, with the 845 chipset.
That would be similar in design to the P4B-LA. (The difference is, my
motherboard has more PCI slots.) I placed 3x512MB DIMMs in it, the day
I got it, and it worked fine with those. That gave me 1.5GB of memory.
I got some RAM for about $50 a stick at the time, for a total of $150
to fill the machine.

(My motherboard manual)
ftp://ftp.asus.com.tw/pub/ASUS/mb/sock478/p4b/p4b-105.pdf

The P4B manual claims it would accept 1GB sized modules, but I
can't find a reputable source of those. There are lots of
registered/ECC modules (server memory) at that capacity and
PC133 speed, but I don't see any unbuffered PC133 at 1GB capacity
that I trust. So 3x512MB may be a safe limit, in terms of buying
experiences.

This is the datasheet for the 845 (SDRAM based) chipset. This is
the chip that drives the memory on the P4B-LA motherboard. Page 9
mentions "3 GB Maximum using 512 Mb technology", where the 512megabit
refers to 64Mx8 chips. I bet those do exist, but the problem would
be finding some. So that would be proof that the per-slot limit
is a 1GB sized module, consisting of (16) chips of 64Mx8 chip type.
And the total machine limit would be 3GB of memory.

http://www.intel.com/Assets/PDF/datasheet/290725.pdf

To double the memory, a single 512MB module would do the
job. That would be the cheapest upgrade. I never had any memory
problems with that machine, so I'm guessing that bus loading
with three sticks total should not be a problem in this case.
I had three double sided sticks, and the machine didn't flinch.

If you need feedback on the current hardware configuration,
you can run a copy of this. This doesn't install any software,
and you unzip it on the machine, then run the cpuz.exe file.
There is also included, the cpuz.ini file, which gives the
program the info it needs to run. (It'll fit on a floppy diskette,
if you leave it zipped.) It tells you the current speed of
the memory operating in the computer, and the memory CAS.
This doesn't really matter, as you're attempting the cheapest
upgrade possible, but it is still nice to know what is in
the machine (like if you need help later).

http://www.cpuid.com/download/cpuz/cpuz_152.zip

Examples of products. Keep in mind, in terms of customer
ratings, some customers don't know their motherboards can't
take a 512MB stick, which is why they report "DOA" or problems.
So not every customer with a problem here, has a clue. For
example, my older P2B-S can't use this stuff, even though
the sticks would plug into the motherboard.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&bop=And&ActiveSearchResult=True&Order=RATING

Paul

 

[Melvin]

According to the manual here
http://www.elhvb.com/mboards/OEM/HP/manual/amazon_manual.pdf , the max
allowed is 512MB, so it looks like you're already there.
The system may be slow from numerous other causes besides lack of RAM,
although depending on what applications are being run, 512MB should be
sufficient. Try running Disk Clean-up, and checking for viruses and other
malware. Look for stuff that's installed that may not be used any more. Do
a Google for "Why is my computer so slow." There are a lot of things that
may help speed it up some.

SC Tom

Tom, am I misreading the manual ? It looks to me like the system allows
from 8-512 MB of memory in EACH of the three slots which would set the
maximum memory of 1.5 MB.

Mel

 

[SC Tom]

Tom, am I misreading the manual ? It looks to me like the system allows
from 8-512 MB of memory in EACH of the three slots which would set the
maximum memory of 1.5 MB.

Mel

The book is confusing. On page 6, it says there are 2 DIMM sockets when the
picture shows 3. Then on page 14, section 3.4, it has the install chart and
at the bottom it says "Total System Memory (Max 512MB)". Who knows?
Personally, I think the manual is incorrect, and the other links that show
the mobo as accepting 1.5GB are correct. Sorry if I confused anyone with
this manual's link.

SC Tom