[Ross_1978]

I had my pc formatted a while back and the guy who did it re-installed XP but on FAT file for some reson?? no idea what the difference is ?
I have 18 GB of memory is that alot or not? i only use the pc for games etc.

I am from uk and have Football Manager 2005 and that uses 665.00 mb and Total club manager that uses 1,299.00mb and i have a few other bits and bobs but noting that s over 100.00mb and it says i have 1% memory free?

i have only two games installed?

please hope sombody can shed some light onto this and also how hard is it and expensive is it to add extra memory



thanx in advance

 

[UncleMacro]

If it's formatted as FAT rather than FAT32 then that's a big problem because the partition would be limited to 2GB. But if it's FAT32 then it's not all that bad. You can check the technical info by opening the Administrative Tools in the Control Panel, opening Computer Management, and then selecting Disk Management.



That window can tell you what partitions you have and if any of them have extra free space available. If you have multiple partitions and free space on some of them then a program like Partition Magic can move the empty space from one partition to another without losing your data. I use it all the time and it's not too difficult once you understand how partitions work.

If you're currently using FAT32 then Windows XP can convert it to NTFS. You may end up with some extra disk space after the conversion.

But if you really need extra space then adding a new hard disk isn't that difficult if you can follow directions. It does require that you open up the case and fiddle around with cables and jumpers a bit. You also have to make sure that your machine can handle an extra hard drive. You can set up the new drive as additional storage or you can copy the data from your current hard disk onto the new hard disk and then remove the old one. You'll spend an evening getting it done (or longer asking questions on this forum if you don't understand the directions).

 

[Ross_1978]

Thanks for that, It is FAT32.

How much Memory does Windows use up then as i am still confused as to why when i took it in to get it re-installed the guy said it was a powerfull machine but if all i can run is 2 computer games then something must be wrong sumwhere

 

[koala]

I think you're confusing memory (RAM) and disk space (hard drive). It's unlikely that you have 18GB of memory. That number will either be the total size or remaining space on your hard drive. The memory will be something like 256MB, 512MB or 1GB.

So if you've only got one partition then it looks like you've got a 20GB hard drive, which after you count the space used by Windows, some programs and 2 games, doesn't leave you much room to add any more.

Open Windows Explorer and right-click/properties the C: drive to see the hard drive's total capacity, used space and free space. If the free space is very low then it's time to add another hard drive or replace it with a bigger one.

 

[Ross_1978]

It says i have 2 GB free


how much is it for extra memory and any usfull info u might have 2 advise me

 

[koala]

'2GB free' (which is very low) is referring to the space left on your hard drive... nothing to do with memory, they're two completely different things.

Go to Control Panel > System and under the 'General' tab you will see how much memory (RAM) you have.

I suspect that you have plenty of memory but a small hard drive which is running out of space to add new programs/games.

 

[Ross_1978]

512 mb Ram !!

what next ....lol
sorry to be such a novice but can`t know it all can we

 

[koala]

No problem :grin: That's what this forum is for... helping people.

512MB is ok. You can add another 512 if you want but it has nothing to do with your current situation. The problem you've got is that your 20GB hard drive (where all the programs, games and Windows are stored) is very small by modern standards. If you want to be able to add more games, you will need another one.

For example, I have 2 hard drives. The main one is 40GB and the second one is 80GB. So I would recommend going back to the tech who said you've got a powerful machine and get him to install another hard drive. Depending on how much you want to spend, 40GB should be the minimum size, but 80 or 120 would be better.

Post back if you need any more advice.

 

[Ross_1978]

how much would a 120 be?

 

[koala]

Are you in the UK? Online prices are usually cheaper, but if you buy from a PC store they will be able to advise you, install it and get it running.

A 120GB internal IDE would be about £40, 160GB £60, 300GB £100, approx depending on make, speed and quality.

http://www.dealtime.co.uk/xPP-hard_drives-~V-rows
http://computing.kelkoo.co.uk/b/a/c_116501_hard_drives.html

 

[Ross_1978]

yup, from Coventry

thanx for your help

 

[koala]

If you need any more help, you know where we are :wink: