Halp! I need to upgrade my computer

[oldaccount]

Originally Posted by brocken

1 GB of ram is plenty for XP unless you've added a bunch of demanding apps.
Has anybody suggested a defrag of your hard drive?
Checking for viruses is definitely a good idea, those are a definite cause of many slow computers.
Try out malwarebytes as well. It's very good at removing unwanted malware.

sweet. i almost forgot about defraggingl. ill check out malwarebytes now.

[oldaccount]

ok so neither malwarebytes found 1 object, and neither spybot nor adaware found anything. i should be good there.

[oldaccount]

ok, so I installed my 4GB of ram tonight. It only shows up as 3.25GB on my system, but Im assuming thats normal.

Now, how do I install my new 1TB hard drive (this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136284) and still keep all my files? Should I dump them all onto an external HD, put in the new HD, then transfer them onto my new HD? Do I have to install windows and related files/drivers on my new HD?

edit: can I install the new HD alongside my current HD instead of replacing it?

[radix]

Originally Posted by Suareezay

ok, so I installed my 4GB of ram tonight. It only shows up as 3.25GB on my system, but Im assuming thats normal.

Now, how do I install my new 1TB hard drive (this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136284) and still keep all my files? Should I dump them all onto an external HD, put in the new HD, then transfer them onto my new HD? Do I have to install windows and related files/drivers on my new HD?

edit: can I install the new HD alongside my current HD instead of replacing it?

Yes, the 3.2GB limit is normal, and your plan sounds good enough. I would start with a fresh install anyhow. The one thing to watch out for is your windows activation key might not work due to multiple hardware changes, if it doesn't give MS a call and they'll help you fix it.