I have a SONY VAIO PCV RS-410 desktop computer. It is a Windows XP Professional SP3, with 248 MB of RAM. Recently it has been going pretty slow. My friend told me to re-install Windows and change the RAM. Problem is, I lost the CD for Windows, so my only option is to upgrade the RAM to 1GB. The store I went to has a 1GB RAM stick for $129. It also has a Windows XP Professional system CD for $140. Should I buy them both, or just upgrade the RAM? My other friend says it's a waste of money to buy Windows, so maybe I should change the RAM only. What do you think? Thanks for the help!Should I change the RAM of my computer, or re-install Windows?It's always a good idea to use the maximum amount of RAM your computer and your operating system can handle.
256 Mb RAM is going to be slow on any computer running XP. If your computer suddenly slowed down more than usual, it could be because of a malware attack or your hard drive is ready to fail.
Or it may be clogged up with old programs and registry entries you don't need. Run a couple of good free registry cleaners through it a couple of times to make sure that is not the problem. Use CCleaner, Tuneup Utilities 2008 (free trial version), and JV 16 power tools free trial version. Spybot Search and Destroy also has a registry cleaning utility in Tools%26gt; System Internals. These work and are available free or as a trial version as noted.
Before you spend that much on RAM go to the Crucial site and scan your computer to make sure that is what you actually need. It will show you what is already installed and your upgrade options. DDR2 RAM shouldn't cost that much. I bought 4 Gb of DDR2 online for less than that. I have found that it is a lot cheaper online than in a store.Should I change the RAM of my computer, or re-install Windows?I upgraded my RAM and it solved all my problems and also you do need to defrag and clean your files regularly.Should I change the RAM of my computer, or re-install Windows?If you can get it installed for free get the RAM, manufacturers (at least Dell) will give you ca copy of Windows if you registered your product when you bought it. windows should be in a partition of your hard drive try accessing the recover partition if you have one.
-----
if someone says get a mac report them!Should I change the RAM of my computer, or re-install Windows?upgrade RAM, but go with more than 1GB. although it's expensive, 2GB would actually speed it up a bit. reinstall windows won't do anything noticeable.Should I change the RAM of my computer, or re-install Windows?If the slowness has only happened recently it's because something has been added to the system that is eating up resources. It could be something you are running or something that is malicious. I would check that out first. More RAM would help because 248 isn't a whole lot for XP especially one running on a laptop.Should I change the RAM of my computer, or re-install Windows?Upgrade the RAM and buy online. Here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLisShould I change the RAM of my computer, or re-install Windows?You need to get more RAM or a new computer. Your system will take PC 2700 by the way, which is faster and probably cheaper. Your max is 1 GB with 2 slots (2x512).
$27 will do you good.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as
Reinstalling Windows (then adding Windows Defender and AVG Free antivirus) would probably also help if you have a lot of junk built up.
If your PC still has the Windows Key sticker on it, you might be able to borrow a Windows CD, otherwise %26quot;Magic Jellybean Keyfinder%26quot; can tell you what your current Windows key is and you can try to borrow a disk. Try to borrow a couple, may need to try several.
If you are doing that, I'd recommend a faster hard drive with your new found money you've saved on RAM:
$10 PCI SATA card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as
Western Digital 500GB SATA hard drive $65
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as
NewEgg also has XP Home (System Builder SP3) for $89.
