Upgrading RAM on a Dell Inspiron D600

derv

A family member has a Dell Inspiron D600.
It has gone soooooo slow that it's almost not usable.

I want to upgrade the RAM from the 2 x 256GB sticks that's there.
However , I am reading on some websites that the laptop cannot take more than 2 x 256GB sticks. Other websites disagree.

Anyone know for sure ? And have any recommendations?

Also thinking about doing a fresh install of XP to give it a fresh start.
The laptop itself is about 5 years old.

Another option is buying another second hand laptop that's performing a little better... and selling this one.

Thougts please... thanks.

Alanstrainor

2Gb of RAM is the max it will support. It only takes DDR RAM, so don't buy DDR2 by mistake.

Most definitely reinstall XP, i'd do this once a year tbh, so after 5 years it's in dire need of it. In fact, do this before you do anything else, it's free and it will have to be done imo.

Groinshot

derv wrote: »

A family member has a Dell Inspiron D600.
It has gone soooooo slow that it's almost not usable.

I want to upgrade the RAM from the 2 x 256GB sticks that's there.
However , I am reading on some websites that the laptop cannot take more than 2 x 256GB sticks. Other websites disagree.

Anyone know for sure ? And have any recommendations?

Also thinking about doing a fresh install of XP to give it a fresh start.
The laptop itself is about 5 years old.

Another option is buying another second hand laptop that's performing a little better... and selling this one.

Thougts please... thanks.

Dell will have documentation, just amke sure you buy the right slot, as someone else said, DDR, NOT ddr2. You wouldn't make much selling it (I have a D800 and would value it at about 150 euro, TOPS, simply cos it has a decent 15.4 inch screen in it)

matt-dublin

2gb confirmed ere on a d600 (found several under my desk!!)

derv

thanks for the feedback ,
any ideas where i'd get a cheap copy of xp ?
looking at ebay and they are pretty pricey!

i should be able to pick up some RAM on adverts...

asgaard

derv wrote: »

i'd get a cheap copy of xp ?
looking at ebay and they are pretty pricey!

i should be able to pick up some RAM on adverts...

Yes for RAM on adverts, but explain US do you want buy copy of XP or original version??

derv

yes i'd like to buy a copy of XP

(against the rules to discuss pirate copies... but.... if anyone......)

matt-dublin

you can't

you would need to buy a copy of windows seven and ask microsoft to downgrade it (which i don't think they will do as windows XP sp2 is now EOL and EOS)

But saying that, check the back of the laptop, there should be an OEM license key there, if there is contact dell and you can buy an OEM Cd for it for about 60ish

bhickey

matt-dublin wrote: »

But saying that, check the back of the laptop, there should be an OEM license key there, if there is contact dell and you can buy an OEM Cd for it for about 60ish

Any Dell XP CD will work on the laptop for a reinstall. If you have an XP license for the laptop then you can go ahead. The Dell CD's for each version of XP are all the same and they just check that you're installing on a Dell. If you know anyone else with the same version of XP on a Dell then just borrow theirs.

matt-dublin

not necessarily, they're bound to groups of licence keys.

so you might get a dell cd, but the licence key from the tag on the back won't work

bhickey

matt-dublin wrote: »

so you might get a dell cd, but the licence key from the tag on the back won't work

In my experience, if you get a, for example, Dell Windows XP Pro Sp? Reinstallation CD (as supplied with the computer) then that CD will work on ANY Dell machine that has a license for Windows XP Pro Sp?

matt-dublin

nope....

bhickey

matt-dublin wrote: »

nope....

I wan't expressing an opinion, I was stating a fact.

It does and has always worked for me. I've had the same few Dell XP CD's for years and never had a problem reinstalling yet on ANY Dell machine. You don't even have to type in the license key.

matt-dublin

They're preactivated installations

duckysauce

bhickey wrote: »

In my experience, if you get a, for example, Dell Windows XP Pro Sp? Reinstallation CD (as supplied with the computer) then that CD will work on ANY Dell machine that has a license for Windows XP Pro Sp?

yep found the same

duckysauce

matt-dublin wrote: »

They're preactivated installations

how can a cd be preactivated?

Alanstrainor

duckysauce wrote: »

how can a cd be preactivated?

As in, the installation wont prompt you for a cd key, it will just install and activate itself.

duckysauce

yep allowing you to use it on any dell machine with an xp sticker(as only as its a dell xp disc)

matt-dublin

I didn't say that wouldn't work, what I was saying was that it was likely that the cd key on the bottom of the laptop was unlikely to work with any old dell xp cd, in your case you have a cd which is pre activated, ie a volume licence key has been embedded in the install script to save you having to do the extra typing!

matt-dublin

And the oem licence on the bottom of your laptop won't be a match to the cd so technically you're using an illegal copy of windows.

duckysauce

hows that if you have a licence key on the machine

duckysauce

matt-dublin wrote: »

I didn't say that wouldn't work, what I was saying was that it was likely that the cd key on the bottom of the laptop was unlikely to work with any old dell xp cd, in your case you have a cd which is pre activated, ie a volume licence key has been embedded in the install script to save you having to do the extra typing!

matt-dublin wrote: »

not necessarily, they're bound to groups of licence keys.
so you might get a dell cd, but the licence key from the tag on the back won't work

?

matt-dublin

Ducky.

the cd you have doesn't belong to the laptop you have, If you were to change the license key that is currently installed on your computer to the one from the sticker on the base of it your windows would become unactivated and wouldn't re-activate.

The CD you used is one of dell's volume license CDs, (i think they started using them for the d620/30 series laptops at the end of XPs life) The Licence key on the bottom of your laptop is a dell OEM licence key.

If you had the original D600 cd you would be requested to enter a licence key for windows, (the one on the bottom of your laptop) which would work.

Now if you were to use that same CD that asks you for the key with another license key from say a dell optiplex gx520 of 745 it wouldn't work, it wouldn't let you get past the license key screen during the install.

you can use this software to find out what xp license key you're using now vs the one at the bottom of your computer:

http://www.winkeyfinder.com/remository/winkeyfinder/win-keyfinder-1.73-rc2.php

duckysauce

matt-dublin wrote: »

Ducky.

the cd you have doesn't belong to the laptop you have, If you were to change the license key that is currently installed on your computer to the one from the sticker on the base of it your windows would become unactivated and wouldn't re-activate.

The CD you used is one of dell's volume license CDs, (i think they started using them for the d620/30 series laptops at the end of XPs life) The Licence key on the bottom of your laptop is a dell OEM licence key.

If you had the original D600 cd you would be requested to enter a licence key for windows, (the one on the bottom of your laptop) which would work.

Now if you were to use that same CD that asks you for the key with another license key from say a dell optiplex gx520 of 745 it wouldn't work, it wouldn't let you get past the license key screen during the install.

you can use this software to find out what xp license key you're using now vs the one at the bottom of your computer:

http://www.winkeyfinder.com/remository/winkeyfinder/win-keyfinder-1.73-rc2.php

thats brilliant but if you had read the the thread i am not the one with the problem or cd, its a different poster .