Need Some Advice

[labrune]

I have an HP Pavilion 6340 w/a 6.0GB hard drive and 48Mb (SDRAM). I wanted to install a second hard drive and more memory. I don't have a lot experience with this and I was wondering if I could get some advice on things I need to know before I buy, what to buy, and how hard it is to do-it yourself. Computer people around charge an arm and a leg!!!!
I would appreciate any advice offered.
Thanks,
LB

[ANTONIO E GUERRA]

Do you have the manual of the machine? When you own a proprietary machine you need to follow the manual specifications. Please, get in contact with Hp. Some parts that work in one machine won't work in another.

[Susan]

You can also go here to see if they show any info on upgrading:

interactive.hp.com/cspt/hppavilion6310.html (http://interactive.hp.com/cspt/hppavilion6310.html)

[labrune]

Well, in my manual it does not tell me the brands I have already nor does it tell me at the hp web site. I was just wondering if anyone could give some advice. Also, with the memory..........do you add on to memory or replace it?

Like I said I'm new at this with all the specs and stuff.

[Bleeding Edge]

The link Susan supplied is very helpful addressing your concerns.

You will be adding another module, not replacing it. There are only two sockets available. You may get 16,32,64 or 128MB modules. The ram must be upgraded with 66MHz/10ns SDRAM.

When installing a second EIDE drive, make sure the case can accommodate the drive. The internal ribbon cable that is connected to the EIDE controller on the motherboard, and subsequently to the drive, must have a second header (connection) on it, in order to to attached the new hard drive. These types of cables are readily available for purchase. Typically, motherboards also have a second EIDE controller connection. You may also use that along with a second ribbon cable.

But..

as Antonio mentioned, proprietary systems aren't necessarily "typical." It is better to call HP and ask if your system will accept a second drive.

If it does, there are two main issues to acknowledge. One is the Master/Slave jumper settings on the second drive that must be set to Slave or CableSelect and the other issue is using the Fdisk and Format utilites supplied with Windows to partition and format the drive.

One more thing is verify the system's Bios is setup to use the second onboard EIDE controller if there is one and recognizes the drive's parameters correctly. This is typically done by setting the Bios to Auto-Detect the drives.

[Bazango]

It sounds like you want to know a little bit about the actual act of pulling and replacing parts and not just which parts to use. Am I right?

Start with replacing or adding to the memory. This is the easiest thing to do and I advise you to complete this project before attempting some other change. You have to get used to the idea of taking the back of the case off and actally touching and handling the computer components which requires a little delicacy. The boards that hold all those chips and etched wiring are brittle and can crack if handled to roughly.

Your library is sure to have books written with your situation exactly in mind and you should read them BEFORE doing anything, not WHILE you do something. These books are NOT a substitute for your computer's manual.

Go ahead and take the panel(s) off and have a look around just to get an idea how things go together. Don't touch anything at first.

Actually replacing components is easy as sticking a round peg in a round hole. If a component can go in a slot, chances are it goes there. That ONLY means that the slot is where that TYPE of part goes. I have learned the hard way that a version of that type of part may not go there. The component must be able to use the voltages that pass through that slot or socket. There are other compatability issues as well. This is why your manual is so important.

Also, installing hardware is not done until the BIOS and/or operating system have been adjusted accordingly. Sometimes this is automatic sometimes it isn't.

Good luck! Don't panic.

[labrune]

Well thanks for all the advice I have received so far. Bazango is right I guess....I guess I'm more freaked about actually digging into the pc. I called HP and they told me that actually I have 64Mb RAM and that it says 48MB RAM because of my video displays that is taking up 8MB each. So, I think I will leave the memory alone. The HP rep told me that my RAM is sufficient. I've looked at the hard drive already installed. I'm thinking about just installing a slave drive which would be exactly the same as my master. I have IDE cables for 2 slave drives at least that is what the cables say.

Is there any danger in losing data w/installing a slave drive? Mmmm, maybe that is a stupid question. I guess there is always a danger of losing data.

Once again, thanks for all the input.
LB