hard disk

Ssirajjj SG

1)m thinking of changing to a new hardisk with windows 7 installed ,how much would it cost for a 500 g n would it b compatible with my present 5 yr old system ,what do i need to check to get the correct harddisk ?

2) i have a 300 gig external hd would it b possible to instal win 7 in there n start the comp . but my comp cant read this hd ,it dosnt shows in the "my comp." even after restarting several times.

3) my ram is 512 mb , need to upgrade ,whats the max i can buy n install ,if i forgot my mobo model how do i check

thanks in advance for ur help

Call4ljw SG

1)500gb HDD price ranges from 55 to 85.

There is a sticky with a link to a shop's price list.

2) No, no purpose doing that anyway.

3)Depends on your RAM usage.

go to task manager, performance tab and under memory.

When using programs, if it goes to 90% or so, then you would need more RAM.

if your OS is 32-bit, then a maximum of 4GB RAM.

64-bit OS = 96GB RAM i think.

mobo not important.

PedoBear SG

2) i have a 300 gig external hd would it b possible to instal win 7 in there n start the comp . but my comp cant read this hd ,it dosnt shows in the "my comp." even after restarting several times.

3) my ram is 512 mb , need to upgrade ,whats the max i can buy n install ,if i forgot my mobo model how do i check

thanks in advance for ur help

1 - pluck out your old hard drive and show it to the hard drive seller to get the compatible type

2 - do not under stand what you are trying to say
are you trying to install OS in external hard drive and boot from there?
are you trying to say that your comp cannot detect the external hard drive?

3 - pluck out your ram and show it to the ram seller to get the compatible type

troublemaker2005 SG

2) i have a 300 gig external hd would it b possible to instal win 7 in there n start the comp . but my comp cant read this hd ,it dosnt shows in the "my comp." even after restarting several times.

3) my ram is 512 mb , need to upgrade ,whats the max i can buy n install ,if i forgot my mobo model how do i check

thanks in advance for ur help

Go to the below link to download and install this utility, its windows 7 compatibility checker. You can purchase Windows7 a cheaper OEM version that lets you only install on one motherboard only, or retail version that lets you install on only one motherboard at any one time. It should let you select 32bit/64bit version. so you probbly will select 32bit.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=1b544e90-7659-4bd9-9e51-2497c146af15

after you install the checker utility power on and connect all your existing hardware and run the program. it will check through all your system hardware configuration and list the compatible and non-compatible hardware. You can then work from there easier.

If you are able to check your few yrs old motherboard the important thing to note is the interface connector, IDE/ATA or SATA. Most hard disk in retails now are SATA/2/3. If you mobo is SATA then go ahead with your 500GB buy. If not and you can only get SATA disks then you probably will need a SATA adaptor card that plugs into the PCI (not PCI-e graphics har) port on the mobo.

As for RAM i think Win7 has a minimum requirement, should be around 1gig so you may have to add or upgrade youur RAM. 512MB is only bare minimum for WinXP.

That said i suggest you spend a little bit more on newer OEM computer. They give you everything in a bundle and then you can sell of the remainder hardware you do not need to claim back so cash and money.

It helps if you can provide you hardware specs.

Thanks.

LatecomerX SG

2) i have a 300 gig external hd would it b possible to instal win 7 in there n start the comp . but my comp cant read this hd ,it dosnt shows in the "my comp." even after restarting several times.

3) my ram is 512 mb , need to upgrade ,whats the max i can buy n install ,if i forgot my mobo model how do i check

thanks in advance for ur help

1. Under $90 for a consumer 500 GB HDD. Most motherboards support SATA, but check for compatibility just in case. Download CPU-Z, run it, and go to the Mainboard tab. Google the model number, and the first result should lead you to the manufacturer's website with details of your motherboard. Look for a download link for a document regarding technical specifications, go through it and look for the word "SATA". If you see that, then it's supported.

http://www.cpuid.com/downloads/cpu-z/1.55-setup-en.exe

2. http://maketecheasier.com/boot-and-install-windows-7-from-usb-flash-drive/2009/01/23

Be warned that it would be slower than booting from a local HDD due to bandwidth limitations of USB 2.0. How much slower? Approximately twice to thrice the loading time; probably sluggish during normal usage. Generally not recommended. You may want to use Linux-based Live CDs instead.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_CD

As for the prob of not being able to see your HDD in My Computer, try looking for it in Control Panel > Computer Management > Storage > Disk Management. If you don't see it in the list of HDDs there, it's likely dead. Do note that there's a possibility that the HDD is working fine, but either the connectors or the data cable is not, of which case you could just replace the entire external casing. How to determine that? You'll need to borrow a working external casing to test with.

3. Same advice as #1. Look for the technical specs detailed on the manufacturer's website. Take note of 4 things:

I. The maximum amount of memory your motherboard can support.
II. The number of memory slots your motherboard has.
III. The type of memory modules it supports (whether it's DDR, DDR2 or DDR3).
IV. The maximum amount of memory your OS supports (refer to link below).

If you're going for a slightly better performance, also take note of whether your motherboard supports dual-channel memory, in which case you would require 2 identical memory modules for it to function.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa366778(VS.85).aspx#physical_memory_limits_windows_7

Ssirajjj SG

Thanks very much ill do as instructed any problemss will get back bye

SBS7484P SG

2) i have a 300 gig external hd would it b possible to instal win 7 in there n start the comp . but my comp cant read this hd ,it dosnt shows in the "my comp." even after restarting several times.

3) my ram is 512 mb , need to upgrade ,whats the max i can buy n install ,if i forgot my mobo model how do i check

thanks in advance for ur help

1: 50+ to above 100, depending on brand, model and shop.
For speed and gaming, a WD Caviar Black would be good.

For regular use, WD Caviar Blue, or Hitachi DeskStar will suffice.

Do not use: WD Caviar Green. It is painfully slow as a boot drive.
Seagate. Their recent products have been of poor QC.

2: The problem lies with the USB-SATA/IDE interface inside the enclosure.

Remove the HDD, and connect it directly to your mobo. You will then be able to use the drive as a boot device if you wish to.
This is provided that the HDD itself works.

3: Download EVEREST Ultimate Edition, and check for the mobo model. Report back.

Ssirajjj SG

Hi again ,just bought a 500g hd n windows 7 home 32bit oem to install in my new hd but cant seem to install after post pressed f 8 or 9 n chose to boot from cd but cd cant seem to read from windows 7 cd wonder whats wrong ,hd has not been formatted ,is that why it cant recognise the os _________after several times of starting n restarting smelled a burning smell ,after some time cannot start at all what do u think must have happened ,hopefully not mobo ,what should i do next .,thanks in advance any suggestions

Call4ljw SG

Probably coz you didnt give the drive a label.

I believe it is already formatted when you buy it.

burning smell lol GG.

LatecomerX SG

CD? Shouldn't it be a DVD? If your optical drive only reads CDs, you'll have to get yourself a new optical drive.

Ssirajjj SG

how do i gave a label to a new HD ,Shop keeper said said windows 7 no need to format it will recognise it will install from the dvd .

Oh it is a dvd .it says dvd ram.

how do detect about the burning smell what went on burning

TIB1051D SG

how do i gave a label to a new HD ,Shop keeper said said windows 7 no need to format it will recognise it will install from the dvd .

Oh it is a dvd .it says dvd ram.

how do detect about the burning smell what went on burning

first time that i heard that a brand new HDD can be used without formatting it...wonderful.

Call4ljw SG

how do i gave a label to a new HD ,Shop keeper said said windows 7 no need to format it will recognise it will install from the dvd .

Oh it is a dvd .it says dvd ram.

how do detect about the burning smell what went on burning

Start>Run>Computer Management

Ensure that Virtual Disk service is running.

Right-click on the HDD and click change label(i think).

As for the burning smell, cant help you.

must use your nose to sniff the location out.