Problems installing RAM

[Vaskez]

I bow to your superior knowledge, oh master andrewas

[homer]

I truly appreciate all the advice about a new motherboard and processor. Incidentally the processor in my Compaq is an Athalon(spelled right?) running at 900Mhz. Obviously I am interested in a new computer, however building my own is something I am not comfortable with. I realize to some of you guys building your own computer is, “the only way to go”. Considering the problems I have had, not only with this computer, I would tend to agree that building your own is a better idea. It also appears that it is a cheaper way to purchase a computer; I just do not think I would be successful in putting the whole thing together and making it work. [img]graemlins/madatpc2.gif[/img]

[Wulfere]

Kingston RAM works just fine in my old Compaq Earthdog. I have a Dell now and have heard the same story about Dell too. Whether it is true or not is hard to tell. Homer maybe you should just buy a new or refurbished machine.

I will say this about Compaq. For a First machine they are ok. But, they teach you the hard way. Going through all this trouble is teaching you about your machine and computers in general. I cursed my Compaq constantly while I had it, but it taught me. Take this as a learning experience. Best of Luck.

[Earthdog]

As I said, the success stories with Compaqs are buried in the frustration stories. Sometimes other vendors parts will work, most times they wont.

I also have cut myself on my case but I consider it to be more of a nick [img]smile.gif[/img]

I dont want to piss off any mods or anything but I think there are a couple sites that are worth looking at for folks who would like to learn more about PCs or their parts. Im a member of the forum at www.hothardware.com and they have lots of great reviews on every part of a computer you can think of.

If someone wants to investigate a mainboard before they make a purchase (or any other part for that matter) I highly recommend reading the reviews. Read several and compare the features of one board to another. That way you know exactly which mainboard you want to buy.

Homer, putting a computer together is very simple. All you need is a Philips head screwdriver and your wits.

If you arent sure how to do it, all you have to do is take your old one apart and put it back together before you throw it in the trash heap. Do it in stages. Take out the cables for the CDROM and hard drive. Put them back in. do it again but take something else out as well. Take the drives out and also remove the sound card or grahics card. And so on. Do it nice and slow and don't let yourself get distracted by the phone or people at the door. Do that 3 or 4 times until you are comfortable with it. After you've done it a few times you'll feel like a seasoned veteran Simple backwards engineering is all it is.

When you insert a PCI card you should hear it click into place and they won't be at an off angle. They'll be prefectly strait.

You could easily use your processor in a new motherboard. AMD is AMD and all the sockets are the same nowadays. Thats one serious advantage AMD has over Intel.

Intel keeps changing their socket format and if you had an Intel CPU you might find it annoying trying to find a mainboard to fit it so that you dont have to puchase a whole new set up.

Definitely keep your fan and heatsink as well. Keep any other parts too. If they are of no use to you you might be able to sell them to someone else.

Measure the height, length, and width of your current case, then measure a standard MIDI case at your local shop. Also measure your current pwer supply and one at a shop to make sure the dimensions are the same.

If everything mathces up all you'll need for the new mainboard will be a power supply. Those can be had for about $25 (and up) USD. Dont bother with a 300 watt though if you just end up buying a new PSU (power supply unit.) 400 watts is the way to go. Especially if you want to get a Geforce 4 video card (super highly recommended) at a later date. Geforce 4 cards tend to be hard on PSUs.

If you have to go with a new case Antec makes some of the best. Overclockers love them.

Just make sure that when you disassemble and reassemble your old computer that NO power cords are plugged in. Safetys Sake. You can't fry anything or electrocute yourself if theres no juice going to the box Touch the side of the case for about a minute to release any built up static electricity on your person and the case.

There really isnt much to it. Give it a go and you'll quickly realise how simple it is.

[homer]

:Tips his hat to Earthdog:

Thank you for all of the advice.

The more I contemplate building my own computer, the more I figure I will try it. It may take me a few weeks to gather all of the info and money I will need. When I do try it, I will probably be soliciting a lot of advice. As such, it is good to know that so many of you are knowledgeable about this subject and willing to help.