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Topic: Win XP Pro Service Pack 3 |
Larry R
From:
Navasota, Tx.
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Posted 30 Jan 2009 10:14 am |
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I have a Compaq Presario 4403 manufactured in 2002. It already has Win XP SP2 on it. I've been told by a local PC shop that downloading SP3 may crash it due to the age of the pc. Is this so? The automatic update from Microsoft is waiting to download SP3 but I've been putting it off. Here's the hardware:
Intel Celeron 1.4 Ghz
384 MB Ram
80 GB Hardrive with 42 GB free space.
Should I download SP3 or not? |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 30 Jan 2009 10:34 am
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SP3 won't "crash" the PC and has some important security updates. But, the amount of memory could be an issue. 384MB of memory is nearly "bare minimum" and 512MB is probably a better amount of memory. Early on, XP PC's were sold with, in reality, what was not enough memory. Towards the end of XP, most PC's were being sold with 1GB of memory.
Memory is cheap right now and you should consider upgrading to at least 512MB.
Crucial memory company has a "configurator" on their web site and enter your PC model into the configurator and it will show what memory is compatible. There are many different types of memory and you need the type/speed that is compatible with your PC. www.crucial.com |
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Larry R
From:
Navasota, Tx.
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Posted 30 Jan 2009 12:38 pm
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Jack, I agree about the memory. I will probably upgrade it before loading SP3. Thanks for the input.
Larry |
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Wiz Feinberg
From:
Mid-Michigan, USA
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Posted 30 Jan 2009 2:06 pm
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Larry;
Be sure you buy memory that is guaranteed to work on your make and model of computer. Mismatched memory leads to crashes also.
If your computer is from 2002 the hard drive may be on its last legs. You might want to think about upgrading that also. Your local computer shop can probably clone the contents of the old drive to a new one and install the RAM, at the same time. If the RAM doesn't get along in the motherboard they will swap it out until they find some that does work.
The Crucial Memory Advisor is a very good tool for matching RAM to motherboards. I use and recommend it. As Jack mentioned, 1 Gb of RAM is a decent amount for modern applications running under Windows XP. Triple or quadruple that number for Windows Vista.
_________________
"Wiz" Feinberg, Moderator SGF Computers Forum
Security Consultant
Twitter: @Wizcrafts
Main web pages: Wiztunes Steel Guitar website | Wiz's Security Blog | My Webmaster Services | Wiz's Security Blog |
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Larry R
From:
Navasota, Tx.
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Posted 30 Jan 2009 2:21 pm
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| The hardrive was replaced 3yrs ago and I'm not a power user. You're correct about getting the right RAM to alleviate conflicts. I don't like to mismatch different brands of memory. I keep the unit running but rarely use it anymore as I built a new pc last yr. |
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Wiz Feinberg
From:
Mid-Michigan, USA
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Posted 30 Jan 2009 10:45 pm
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Mismatched RAM seems to cause more crashes when setup in dual channel mode than two single module sockets. I added a second 1 Gb module in DC mode and the computer crashed constantly and soon. Suspecting the cause I powered off, replace the new RAM in the second standard socket and no more crashes. Just because two wafers have the same product code doesn't mean they are identical inside.
The lesson here is always try to find the correct RAM for you motherboard. If you go Dual Channel, always buy a kit of two guaranteed matched modules. They may cost more than two of the same part number but are guaranteed to work together.
Another thing about RAM is that it is affected by heat over the long term and good RAM can go bad when it heats up. This happened to me a year ago, after three years with no problems. I ended up replacing both modules because they became unstable.
_________________
"Wiz" Feinberg, Moderator SGF Computers Forum
Security Consultant
Twitter: @Wizcrafts
Main web pages: Wiztunes Steel Guitar website | Wiz's Security Blog | My Webmaster Services | Wiz's Security Blog |
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