[C E Jones]

Hi all,

My hard drive is on its last legs--computer running slower, one of the partitions no longer usable--so I've decided to replace it, and while I'm at it I figure I might as well also upgrade my RAM. I'm not very computer-adept, so I just wanted to get some advice and make sure I buy compatible parts.

It's a Gateway laptop I bought just over 4 years ago. The HDD is a Hitachi, model no. HTS548040M9AT00, ATA-6 interface, 5400 rpm, 40 GB. My current RAM is 2 256 MB sticks of DDR SDRAM, 200-pin SODIM modules. I hope that's enough info--I can't find any info on the chipset, motherboard, FSB, etc.--is there any way I can get this from Windows XP? The CPU is a Pentium M at 1.4 GHz.

What I'd like to know is, what is the best/fastest RAM that would be compatible with my archaic system? Can it run DDR2, or should I go for plain old DDR? and can it handle 2 GB or should I get 1? Also any recommendations about what specific brands/models to buy would be great. I don't need anything fancy, just quality memory and a new hard drive in the 120-200 GB range.

Please let me know if I left out any important info, and thanks in advance for any tips!

cej

[Krlll]

Give the exact name and model number of the laptop and it will be easy to find what hardware is compatible.