A+ Hardware Service Technician: Upgrades, Troubleshooting and Preventative Maintenance

Previous Page - Next Page

Upgrading Memory

Upgrading the memory on a PC is a fairly simple task. You first have to determine what kind of memory your motherboard supports. If you are using SIMMs, you will need to replace memory in pairs of sets of four. If you are using DIMMs, you can replace the memory a chip at a time.

Once you have determined the type of memory and purchased it, you will need to power down the machine and open the case to your computer.

Remember to use caution with static electricity and wear a wrist strap whenever working on a PC.

Remove any memory if all of the slots are full. Open the two side latches which hold the memory secure and press the RAM chip firmly into its socket. Memory chips are all designed to fit in only one direction so you have no fear of putting the wrong side in. Once the memory is in the slot, close the two latches.

Power on the PC. Your BIOS setup program will probably recognize the new memory automatically and reboot to save the changes. Once the changes are saved by the BIOS, your upgrade is complete!

Previous Page - Next Page