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Archiver > TMG > 2002-03 > 1015135463


From: "Darrell A. Martin" <>
Subject: Re: [TMG] Memory in Win 98 SE, Win ME, Win XP/XP Pro (was: Exhibit log)
Date: Sun, 03 Mar 2002 00:04:23 -0600
References: <5.1.0.14.0.20020302195758.00a06850@pop.sprynet.com><5.1.0.14.0.20020302183300.00acca80@mail.fscv.net><OE135uKxeSuPcw3LyyU00005116@hotmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <5.1.0.14.0.20020302233030.0270f8f0@mail.fscv.net>


At 11:55 PM 3/2/02 -0500, Walt Flory wrote:
>Wow! Have I ever been misled.
>_____
>
>I got my Dell Inspiron 7500 laptop just about two years ago with 128 MB of
>RAM.
>
>It has two slots each of which will handle a memory module of up to 256
>MB. I have one 128 MB module installed.
>
>I've been wanting to add more memory to it but Dell technical support
>assured me (about nine months ago) that the Windows SE that it shipped
>with would not recognize more than 128 MB and I would have to upgrade to
>Windows 2000 to use more RAM in any way except as cache, a memory hard
>drive or with programs such as the high end graphics programs that
>accessed memory in proprietary ways.
>
>Certainly I have known them to be wrong before, but this sounded vaguely
>familiar and I bought into it.
>_____
>
>Darrell, if you go to "My Computer", right click on it, and click on
>properties, you see that Windows SE is recognizing 192 MB, right?
[snip]

Hi, Walt:

Correct. Windows 98 SE running on my IBM Personal Computer 300PL, a 400 MHz
Pentium II, shows 192 MB as available when you look at System Properties,
whether it is run by right-clicking "My Computer" or by using the Control
Panel.

One caveat. It is not unheard of for a specific machine to have a
limitation in the BIOS, in the motherboard hardware (especially laptops),
or in the specific configuration of the operating system that is not
present in all versions of that same operating system. But I haven't heard
anything like that about Dell notebooks, especially not one running
something as settled as Win 98 SE was in 2001.

In my opinion, Dell Technical support (or more likely, the junior staffer
you talked to at the time) was feeding you some low-grade baloney. To
confirm that, you might want to use some Web search engines and look for
all terms: Dell Inspiron 7500 memory, before you run out and buy what may
be relatively expensive proprietary RAM. But Dell's OWN memory selector
site, at:

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/mem_config.asp

shows a 256 MB memory module for the Inspiron 7500, and I was unable to
find any FAQs that warned about Windows 98 limitations on your machine.

Darrell


Darrell A. Martin
a native Vermonter currently in exile in Addison, Illinois



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