need advice

[jon]

HERE IS THE SYSTEM :

"PACKARD BELL"
Pentium 150 MHz
HD 2.0 Gb
RAM 24 Mb
modem 28.8 Kbps

I WANT TO UPGRADE HD 2GB TO HD 8GB
&
MODEM 28.8 TO 56 Kbps

I NEED YOUR ADVICE GUYS BEFORE I BUY ANY OF THESE COMPONENTS

THANKS

[mjc]

One word of warning before you begin, Packard-Bell are one of the most difficult computers to upgrade, they use many proprietary parts (most often motherboards). So the best thing to do would be to gather as much information about the system as possible and go here Packard Bell Support (http://pbsupport.alorica.com/) and see if you can find the exact motherboard your system has. This will make finding out if it can support an 8GB or larger hard drive easier. If it doesn't support an 8GB drive you can still install one if you partition it into several smaller drives, f/disk -- if you need help with how to do that try here:Hard Disk Partitioning (http://www.pcguide.com/proc/setup/hdd.htm) or post back. There is also the option of using a drive overlay (the utility usually comes with the drive) but it does have its limitations and potential problems.


As for a 56k modem, any hardware (external) modem should have no problems being connected to your system.

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mjc
Links list:Computer Links (http://www.fortunecity.com/skyscraper/highrise/11/index.htm)

Evil wizards, evil creatures from the foulest pits of the nether world....scary? Nah, WindowsME now that's scary!

[This message has been edited by mjc (edited 03-27-2001).]

[Jumby]

If it were me, I wouldn't put a lot of money into that system. Of course, I always like to ask, "what's your budget for this upgrade?" That will make the answer much easier. Also, think about the software that you'll want to run -- now and in the near future.

[Randy_tx]

I basically agree with Jumby.....Add up what you want to spend and compare that to buying a decent used newer system. You can probably get a P-233 or even a PII-266 for about the same money as a 8 Gig Hard Drive & 56K Modem and have a lot more to work with.
Additionally, even with a faster modem you are not going to be very happy with the speed increase due to the bottleneck created by having only 24 mb Ram, an older video card and a 150 mhz processor slowing things down
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"As hard as a rock & dumb as a brick"...Windows CEMeNT

[This message has been edited by Randy_tx (edited 03-30-2001).]

[Icy]

I also just upgraded from a Packard Bell system. Mine was a P2 233 processor. The old dinosaur origanally came with a Tiny 40MB of EDO ram, A 56K integrated modem, and had some kind of piglet, half sized motherboard. After a little bit of research I found I could utilize my expenses much better by building a new system from scratch. The only parts I used in the change over were the Floppy drive and hard drive (at least for a couple of days). You can save yourself a load of money in the long run by spending a little more now and upgrading everything. And I also found (just like stated above) that most of my system was not usable on my new system. I understand that budgets my pose a problem but for your own good just (in my opinion) spend a little more now and save yourself a large hassle in the future.

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ICY

[jon]

thanks guys

[uncle_bent]

A hard drive and modem like the ones you're describing should only cost a little over $100 dollars combined. So the risk is not that great. Besides you can use each of these devices when you finally upgrade to a different machine, although they may be redundant. I have upgraded a couple of packard bell slimline machines in exactly the way you are considering (modem and HD). Open it up and be sure there is an appropriate slot (probably on a riser card) for the modem you want to purchase. Also do try to find out what the drive limitation on your BIOS might be (as was suggested earlier). Good luck.