[MidnightsMaMa2]

The computer was a computer from work, but I really thought I watched Nascar.com videos on it at work. But I may be mistaken....(after all, I was at work, right?? :x )

So, I'm wondering if it comes back to the computer not having enough ram. Have you read my first post to see what my computer has? I'm wondering if it can hold any more Ram. If so, I suppose that may be what is needed. It apprears that everything else is covered. What do you think? I believe rgreen4 might have just hit the nail on the head. My machine just doesn't have the power. :(

[rgreen4]

Midnight - if it was your computer at work that won't play Nascar videos, and you work for a corportation with an IT department, you may be denied permission in the corporate setup. Many companies restrict access to many sites.

[MidnightsMaMa2]

I'm sorry, you misread what I wrote......it was my computer from work....when we got rid of it at work, I got it for home as a second computer.

As far as my question regarding upgrading memory.......what do I need to know to be sure the computer is capable of holding more memory?

Thanks

[rgreen4]

Ok, on the memory. The way I recommend it to open the case and remove one memory module. Since you are running XP, it is probably dual channel which means you have two 128MB of memory. What is important is the memory speed and latency. Both of them are expressed in two different ways.

There are three different types of desktop memory module in general use today. The oldest is DDR (Dual Dynamic Ram) and was prevalent 4 to 7 years ago. The speeds are referenced as DDR-333 or PC-2700 (333x8=2700). Later DDR2 came in and this is a faster type of memory. Its speeds are referenced as DDR2-400 or PC2-3200. Because this memory type is currently the most prevalent, it is generally the least expensive. The most recent type is DDR3 and you will see references as DDR3-1333 or PC3-10600.

From the age of the machine, I would anticipate your memory being DDR. With a Cas Latency of 2.5 to 3. Once you have the speed, then you need to determine how much memory your machine will support. Most older machines max out at 1GB if they have 4 memory slots. Sometimes the machine specs understate how much memory they will support because of assumptions about the max size of memory available when the specs were printed. A recent example was a member with a Dell whose published specs said it had a max memory of 1GB using two 512MB modules in the two slots. The member took a chance and ordered two 1GB modules and the machine recognized the full 2GB of memory.

What is the make and model of the computer? From that we can access the specs, but I still recommend pulling a memory module to read the label. The machine specs may specify a range of speeds, but getting the wrong speed in a machine may actually slow it down. Here is a document going into more detail on desktop memory. Even increasing to 512MB will be a big improvement and with 1GB it will really take off. Depending on speed, 2 512MB modules will run $30-$40 from Newegg.

[MidnightsMaMa2]

Thanks.....here is what info I have right now:

Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Version 2002

Service Pack 3

Intel® Pentium® CPU 1500Mhz

1.50 GHz, 256 MB of Ram

What else will I need to see if it can be done?

[rgreen4]

Make and Model - ie: is it HP, IBM, Dell or what? Make and Model are generally found on a sticker on the top or side of the computer. There may be three numbers on the sticker - 1) Model Number 2) an internal number that HP calls Product No, and Dell I think calls it a sequence number and 3) Serial Number. Do not post your serial number under any circumstances on the internet.
The second thing, is that you simply must open the case and check out a couple of things. It wouldn't hurt to blow out the dust while you have it open. The reason you need to open it is to verify the memory speed specification and latency as already pointed out, but also to determine whether you have 2 or 4 memory module slots.

[MidnightsMaMa2]

OK. I will do that this week-end.

I believe we've pretty much decided that the memory has to be the problem. Everything else is updated. I appreciate all the help I've received on this site. It is really great!!

Thank You....

[Tech4me]

Rgreen. Ok..I'm back...everything is back to normal now...The upload image in the forum works...and nascar videos plays fine now....look..:

( I had to restore the system back to last week.....Still duno what i did to messed it up..)

[rgreen4]

I was kind of surprised when you said you had that problem. But, I knew that you would hollar loud if you couldn't solve it quickly. Now, we just need to get Midnight's machine up to snuff.

BTW - when I booted my old XP machine this morning, after Avast! and SuperAntiSpyware updated and scanned, Adobe Flash notified me and I downloaded an upgrade.

[coastie65]

Thing works good for me. I guess it used WMP but am not sure. I have Adobe Flash Player, but may dump it. I did get rid of Real player temporarily to make sure it wasn't behind the problems with my Optical drive. I have to agree that she is way short of memory for trying to watch videos. If after a memory upgrade the thing still doesn't perform, then you can look at the graphic package. coastie