Making Vista suck less (was part of the trading post feedback thread)

[Guest db99wj]

With what you described, I'd just stick to the 5300, because it's faster RAM, and you won't need TWO sticks. You only need one more, right? It's also cheaper.

Funny, Walmart is selling RAM now. They're charging $89 for the $16.99 RAM. Ridiculous.

Ordered. 1gig at 16.99, ended up to be 22.92 tax and shipping.

Thanks.

[Guest c.a.s.]

You're welcome. Once oyu get it installed, you'll have 1.5GB of RAM, which is plenty for XP. As long as you aren't trying to run uber-HD games, it should be fine.

[willis68]

Ordered. 1gig at 16.99, ended up to be 22.92 tax and shipping.

Thanks.

If I were you, I would put the same modules in, in other words if you plan on leaving your original stick in and put a new one in the next slot, you may encounter problems, mismatched memory has proven to be a pain in the ass, several computers that I have repaired were problemic because of the memory banks not being the same modules, as a rule always use matched sticks of memory for optimal and hassle free preformance,,

Edited October 9, 2008 by willis68

[Guest c.a.s.]

If I were you, I would put the same modules in, in other words if you plan on leaving your original stick in and put a new one in the next slot, you may encounter problems, mismatched memory has proven to be a pain in the ass, several computers that I have repaired were problemic because of the memory banks not being the same modules, as a rule always use matched sticks of memory for optimal and hassle free preformance,,

Now that's only an issue for certain types of RAM. We're currently running two laptops off of different sticks of memory. Mine, from the factory, has a 2GB stick and a 1GB stick. My brother's uses a 1GB stick from the factory, and a 512GB stick from my broken laptop. (it still has 512MB and is running Ubuntu on an external screen)

DDR2 doesn't have that problem, from everything I've seen. Working through the Dells from the engineering department in school, they had everything from 512MB all the way to 4GB, rarely with matching sticks. It looked like someone had just randomly traded RAM in them, with a couple random sticks thrown in for good measure.

(They were better than the old system for the security cameras, everything was glued in!)

[willis68]

Now that's only an issue for certain types of RAM. We're currently running two laptops off of different sticks of memory. Mine, from the factory, has a 2GB stick and a 1GB stick. My brother's uses a 1GB stick from the factory, and a 512GB stick from my broken laptop. (it still has 512MB and is running Ubuntu on an external screen)

DDR2 doesn't have that problem, from everything I've seen. Working through the Dells from the engineering department in school, they had everything from 512MB all the way to 4GB, rarely with matching sticks. It looked like someone had just randomly traded RAM in them, with a couple random sticks thrown in for good measure.

(They were better than the old system for the security cameras, everything was glued in!)

Not all machines have that issue, I agree with you, However I have personally resolved issues in DDR2 based machines Laptops and Pc's by matching the memory modules, Although the memory can be installed one module at a time, the best performance comes from using matched pairs of modules as a rule of thumb this is the best way to go, Glued in sucks, but Compac use to ( not sure if they still do ) solder their modules in, that was a royal pain in the arse!!

Edited October 9, 2008 by willis68

[Guest c.a.s.]

We'll see if he has any problems. He shouldn't, from the information he's given.

Not just glued, liberally glued. Several times. ports were almost pulled off of their respective boards trying to unplug things from them to see what we could salvage (graphics=dead, and possibly more)

[Guest db99wj]

Glued hell, I will use a hammer and my gerber multi tool!

Oh, just kidding. I plug in what I got, and if it acts screwy, take the small one out and buy another 1gig.

Thanks for the help guys.

[strickj]

Well with all the nerds in here I will ask here.

Is there a way to set a monitor display at 16:9?

[Oh Shoot]

Well with all the nerds in here I will ask here.

Is there a way to set a monitor display at 16:9?

Depends on monitor and video card.

I have about a 5 year old 19" Samsung CRT and nVidia card.

I can indeed set it for 1600 x 900 pixels.

If you don't see the setting as a choice, then you can't, unless there are updated drivers for your video adapter that allow some new resolutions.

AND, your monitor has to be capable of that rez also.

- OS

Edited October 10, 2008 by OhShoot
add'l info

[strickj]

Did not know that was a setting!I thought I would need to download something.

I'm using a nvidia,and a 30,or 32 inch LCD TV as a monitor.

Now I have a wider view,but everything is to small to see from across the room.

[willis68]

Did not know that was a setting!I thought I would need to download something.

I'm using a nvidia,and a 30,or 32 inch LCD TV as a monitor.

Now I have a wider view,but everything is to small to see from across the room.

The higher your resolution, the smaller it will appear from across the room, that is the trade off, now if you want it to appear bigger from across the room you will have to go with a 60 or so inch LCD. that is the trade off unfortunately

[willis68]

Glued hell, I will use a hammer and my gerber multi tool!

Oh, just kidding. I plug in what I got, and if it acts screwy, take the small one out and buy another 1gig.

Thanks for the help guys.

That is what I recommend, hopefully you will have no issues

[Guest bang-flash]

Further hi-jack: Anyone have good links to info so I can dual boot my pc with vista and xp? I have 2 HD's in the box now. My creative labs mp3 player hates vista but loved the xp. I want to have both OS's on seperate drives in the same box.

[willis68]

Further hi-jack: Anyone have good links to info so I can dual boot my pc with vista and xp? I have 2 HD's in the box now. My creative labs mp3 player hates vista but loved the xp. I want to have both OS's on seperate drives in the same box.

Removable hard drives, that is what I have always done to keep it on seperate drives, companies sell chassies that you mount in your PC, they are fairly cheap, they make cases that enclose a 3.5 hard drive that plug into the machine, I use to Boot Linux,and all versions of Windows just by installing the operating system on your machine, then shut down and remove the hard drive, If you try this another way, having 2 operating systems on one drive, you can run into problems,

[Guest c.a.s.]

Further hi-jack: Anyone have good links to info so I can dual boot my pc with vista and xp? I have 2 HD's in the box now. My creative labs mp3 player hates vista but loved the xp. I want to have both OS's on seperate drives in the same box.

Do you have an XP disk?

If you have an XP disk to install from, and the other hard drive IS BLANK, not being used, you can install it on your second hard drive. I haven't tried multiple hard drives, but I know if you install two on a single drive you automatically get a screen asking which OS you want to use (and if you wait too long to answer, it goes to the first one, usually your original OS)

What problems from one hard drive? As long as you get a proper partition (after defragmenting), it's fairly easy and efficient to install a second OS on a single hard drive. Every single laptop except mine in the Computer Repair class is dual-booted with XP and Ubuntu. And a single one that's Vista and Ubuntu.

[willis68]

Do you have an XP disk?

If you have an XP disk to install from, and the other hard drive IS BLANK, not being used, you can install it on your second hard drive. I haven't tried multiple hard drives, but I know if you install two on a single drive you automatically get a screen asking which OS you want to use (and if you wait too long to answer, it goes to the first one, usually your original OS)

What problems from one hard drive? As long as you get a proper partition (after defragmenting), it's fairly easy and efficient to install a second OS on a single hard drive. Every single laptop except mine in the Computer Repair class is dual-booted with XP and Ubuntu. And a single one that's Vista and Ubuntu.

I was referring to 2 versions of Windows, driver issues, IRQ conflics alot of crap can happen, remember windows does have its flaws, now I have Never encountered a problem when a version of Windows was dual booted with Linux, but I have seen several with different versions of windows on the same drive

[Guest gcrookston]

4GB of memory seems to be the key there.

That made it work for my wife, reverting back to XP worked for me

[Oh Shoot]

Did not know that was a setting!I thought I would need to download something.

I'm using a nvidia,and a 30,or 32 inch LCD TV as a monitor.

Now I have a wider view,but everything is to small to see from across the room.

Yep, you are displaying more pixels into same spatial dimension.

Physics.

- OS

[Guest db99wj]

Got the memory in today, here at home, popped open the box, 2 slots, both with memory in it!?!?!?!?! 256MB modules....I popped one out put the 1gig in, cranked her up, XP did some weird diagnostic stuff, opened up, my wife told me to open our PictureProject software that came with our Nikon digi cam, and gave me the seal of approval, it is faster, we only have 1,838 pictures in this one file, we have other pictures elsewhere! Going to order another 1gig once the paycheck comes in. So far no problems.

I probably need to move those pics to a back up drive and burn some CD's.

Thanks again everyone!