How much RAM, random access memory, depends on many things but the most important is model of processor and operating system. 1 GB of RAM is perfect for almost every operating system up to Windows XP. If you are an "extreme gamer" you will need twice that providing your system has allocations for it. If you are a Vista user, 2 GB is great and will run most applications flawlessly. I sure hope this helps, feel free to call me with any further questions, I'll be sure to get you on the right track. Best of luck to you!   « less

Hi Adrian, thanks for writing. Although your question is a common one, there's not a way to verify what you're bidding on. For the most part people are honest and will ship you what they say they will. Unfortunately, auction sites are full of parasites that are there for one purpose, fraud. The best advice I can give you is to email the seller and engage in an email conversation at the very least. Look for inconsistency in the dialect, i.e. words being used out of context, in plural form or gross misspellings. As far as safety is concerned, pay only with Pay Pal. If there's any funny business such as fake merchandise, they will guarantee the transaction. Remember the most important rule of e-commerce, if it sounds to good to be true, it usually is. Good luck on your internet shopping   « less

Thaks for writing in Rich, many computer users feel your pain! Norton, McAfee, AVG, and the list just goes on and on. First things first, you need to be working behind a firewall. Windows XP has a "firewall" in their software, turn it on and set the options as to the levels of security you desire. If you're a business and you are also protecting critical business applications and data I recommend a firewall appliance as well (go to firewalls.com). With regards to your malware needs. Most, if not all ISPs (internet service providers) have free anti virus software packages that you can download to protect your computing environment. Otherwise, research the products and decide which one you like dealing with. They all do essentially the same thing, what's really important is your preference to their support and the overall end user experience. We use McAfee for our needs and those of our clients, look them up @ mcafee.com. Best of luck to you and as a parting note; don't delay getting this part of your computing environment in order, the threats are more frequent and harmful than ever!   « less

Hi Cidney, thanks for writing! You have a challenge my friend. In a rural area, satellite is usually the best option but in your case, for gaming, there isn't really a better option. Call Comcast, ATT, Surewest and all of the other local high speed internet service providers in the greater Sacramento area and find out when and if they are planning on serving your area. I wish I had a much more uplifting scenario for you but call around and see who's doing what and when in your area for service and for now, the 3 second delay is a lifestyle.    « less

Frank, thanks for writing in. There is some gray area when ISPs or Internet Service Providers talk about speed. Many ISPs claim they have DSL speed with a regular phone line. They may well have some fast speeds but your challenge wil be that using a 56k modem for "DSL Speeds" you will be limited to the speed capacity of the modem itself. Actual DSL uses your normal phone line but they wire one of your phone jacks differently, provide you a DSL modem and an ethernet (rj45) cable connection as oppoesd to a standard phone line (rj11). These steps optimize the the available bandwidth that exists within your existing phone system. I believe that you can get decent "speed" from your dial up connection to go and browse the internet but if you plan on gaming, downloading files and actually using your internet to do all it can do for you, I fear dial up will leave you needing more bandwidth to maintain a happy disposition!   « less

Craig, thanks for writing! To say the least, you've got quite a situation on your hands. 1st, without knowledge of the CPU ID Utility, its impossible to know what effects it may have. Configurations vary to such a large degree per component, it would be impossible for me to know without physically assessing the PC. You are welcome to bring it by and we'll check it out at no charge. 9745 Business Park Drive #A Sacramento, CA. 95827 (916) 366-0708. 2nd, with your second HDD, all you can do is plg in a new HDD, right click on "my computer", select "manage", select "disk management", select your new HDD and partition as desired. Once each partition is set up it will need to be formatted but unfortunately the data from your other disk is lost. I sure hope this helps, please call or come by if you need more help!!   « less

Thanks Delyga for writing in, Digital, analogue, plasma, LCD... With all of the choices I see how it can be confusing and expensive but one choice is easy. If you're not ready to upgrade, by all means don't. And for more good news, you may not even have to! Midnight, February 17th, 2009 is the drop dead date for broadcasters to change from analogue to digital broadcasting. Know two things: Only customers who rely on antennas for any or all of their channels will be affected by this change!Only "local Free" channels are affected by this change! If that's you, I recommend you either invest in a conversion box as follows: Visit this link first; https://www.dtv2009.gov/. This will give you information on the govt coupon program for convertor boxes. You may also need a digital converter box for other analog-only devices you have—such as an analog-only VCR or DVD recorder. OR Switch to Dish, Cable or Direct TV. Then you don't need to do anything, by now, most of your "local free" channels are offered by these companies. I know its a confusing topic but this should go a long way toward helping you convert both wisely and economically. Best of luck to you!   « less

Hi Zelyna, thanks for asking. Western Blue is an IT Integrator with a primary focus on Business Outcome.

If you want XP it is still widely available. If for some reason you are having issues finding it, let me know and I will place the order for your new PC with XP on it. First thing to do is chek with your IT person at work and ask them if Vista is compatible with whatever form of communication you are using to connect to the office from home. If Vista poses no challenge, get it. I use it at home and I love it. Yes, it is different than XP but as I remember it, all of the Windows 98 faithful swore that XP was the worst thing ever. Strangely enough, these are the same people giving you the bad reviews on Vista and telling you not to change... hmmm sounds like a pattern to me... Vista is an easy transition. The transition from Office 2003 to Office 2007 is the one that will make your eyes blurry. This takes some getting used to but from XP to Vista, its not worth sweating over.   « less

Not in a practical fashion. Your call phone can do a lot but in many cases its not the best medium for that use. Yes it can capture photo and video images but would you want to replace your digital camera or video recorder? Probably not. Give me more information as to what you're looking to accomplish with your Razr and I'll se if i can help you get there, thanks! mrodgers@westernblue.com   « less