Upgrading your Mass-Market System, Part 1
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How many people do you know that fall prey to the proprietary computer trap? Maybe you're one yourself--after all it’s not your fault that the “associate” at your local computer store had a good sales pitch. With this in mind I set out to show exactly how you can be free from this trap. So whether your Dell’s got you down, your Compaq’s giving you crap, or your Hewlett-Packard is giving you some serious mega-hurts, read on to learn how to upgrade yourself out of the depths of the proprietary dungeon.
At first I thought I would just go through this by myself step-by-step, pointing things out as I go along. Then I thought about my general computer knowledge when I purchased my first computer--a Compaq from Sears. That knowledge bordered on none, which is probably true for most people who buy their computers rather than build them. So I contacted a friend of mine who has very little knowledge of computers: he can surf the Internet, play games... That’s about as far as it goes. I wanted to change that, and at the same time be reminded of some of the simpler knowledge that I now take for granted. So, in fact, it will be him upgrading the computer today and not me. That way whenever he has a question about something, I can assume most people with the same minimal computer knowledge will run into the same questions while they do this.
On the operating table today we have a HP (Hewlett-Packard) Pavilion 520w (maybe the “w” stands for Wal-mart since that’s where he got it...)
Here’s what you get in this model…
- Model number P6366A
- Base processor and speed Celeron 1.2 GHz
- Chipset Intel 810e
- Memory
| Component | Attributes |
| RAM (standard) | 256 MB |
| Speed | PC133 (runs at PC100) |
| Type | SDRAM |
| DIMM Slots | Two |
| Maximum | 512MB |
- Hard drive 40 GB
- CD-ROM drive 48x
- CD-RW drive 12 x 8 x 32x
- Diskette drive 1.44 MB (3.5-inch)
- Fax/data modem Cheetah 2 V.90 Modem
- Video graphics Integrated into Chipset, No AGP Slot
- Sound/audio AC97 Audio
- Network 10/100BT Integrated on Motherboard
Next: What's the Use? >>
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