TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Extra RAM is always worthwhile, in spite of what a few naysayers think.
However, Windows 7 will only use the extra RAM if you have the 64-bit
version.
Rick Quatro
Carmen Publishing Inc.
585-366-4017
rick -at- frameexpert -dot- com
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+rick=rickquatro -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+rick=rickquatro -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf
Of Ken Poshedly
Sent: Monday, May 12, 2014 1:52 PM
To: Techwr-l
Subject: Hardware upgrade with Windows 7 already installed
So . . . I "upgraded" the home desktop platform from Windows XP to Windows 7
Home Premium using the "generic" drivers and such from the Microsoft DVD,
but retained the existing ASUS P5KC motherboard, Intel duo-core processor
and DDR2 RAM hardware.
For the most part, things are running fine but with a few exceptions:
* The system goes into hibernation just fine (with no active input,
the monitor goes dark and the computer fan shuts down, but everything comes
back up as soon as I move the mouse or press the Enter key), but it won't
actually shut down when told to do so; instead, the monitor displays "System
is shutting down" and goes dark, but the fan stays running. I've confirmed
that the checkbox for shutting the fan down at power-down is checked (via
Control Panel) and that the latest drivers for this motherboard and BIOS are
installed. (So I press and hold the main power button to shut the system
down. I know many folks leave their systems running for weeks at a time, but
I power mine down every day or two.)
* When I zoom in for a close-up view while using Google Earth, the
on-board video display craps out and then recovers; the screen message
states "Display driver stopped responding and has recovered". And yes, the
latest video driver is installed.
An American-based ASUS customer rep told me the P5KC motherboard simply does
not support Windows 7. Yep, this is what happens when you take care of your
stuff and keep it running.
Knowing that other surprises may be encountered with this set-up, I bit the
bullet and sprung the $325 for an MSI motherboard, AMD quad-core processor
and 8 GB of RAM (with the motherboard capable of 32 GB).
The question s are:
1. How much -- if any -- benefit will I see with all this additional RAM? My
main program line-up is FrameMaker 10, Adobe Acrobat Pro 9.0, some other
Adobe things and, yes, Microsoft Office 10 for those "special times". My FM
files (probably like many of yours) can be very graphics-intensive, so I
assume the new RAM will come in handy there.
2. With my 1 TB hard drive already partitioned into C and D (programs on C,
data files on D) and in use for a few weeks already, must I reformat the
C-drive when I install the new motherboard/processor/ram setup, and if so,
how to do it without overwriting the D-drive. I'm using the former internal
1TB hard drive as an external HD, so it's "available" as an assist device if
needed.
Answer here or privately, but no barbs please, just details, details and
more details.
-- Ken in Atlanta
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Doc-To-Help 2014 v1 now available. SharePoint 2013 support, NetHelp
enhancements, and more. Read all about it.
Looking for articles on Technical Communications? Head over to our online
magazine at http://techwhirl.com
Looking for the archived Techwr-l email discussions? Search our public
email archives @ http://techwr-l.com/archives
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Doc-To-Help 2014 v1 now available. SharePoint 2013 support, NetHelp enhancements, and more. Read all about it.
