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opening Vista Home Prem for 512MB pooter?

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gamefan

Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2006
I just bought Vista Home Premium, but I dunno if I'm gonna open it yet - my P4C800E-D mobo only has 2x256MB of insane 288/576/1152 PC-4200 RAM. For a explanation of whats going on with that RAM being written that way (or to set me straight) go to my other post last night in the memory forum
"ddr400@ 288FSB vs DDR2-800 OCd to 227?". 512MB is the minimum, not even recommended and don't know what to do.

If I open this and install it on this pooter with 512MB RAM and find it is unusable or rediculous until I get a little more RAM, will I be required to log in to get it up and running or keep running? Is there a limited time to activate - I don't know if/when I'll get more RAM for it to run properly. Do I even need to log in to run it permanently? What about if I do, then later:

Then if I want to put it on another pooter in the future is the fact that I already tried it on this one gonna matter? Is it a license for the first pooter I put it on, a license for any pooter it hapens to be on, or my license and I can put it on any pooter at any time i like, for all intents and purposes. Of course cause its mine I'll only use online update minimally and only sparingly if I can on any other pooter. Can I. Should I. Back to this question. Not my intention. WIth all my hw, anyways its kinda like what might happen right now though I do intend this pooter with or w/o more RAM first to run with this OS, yes its going in.

Now to the question of more RAM, should I try to sell the 2x256, and get 2x1GB, or just add the 2 old and 2 new sticks (2x1GB) together. Old DDR400 RAM costs more than new RAM now. The RAM I get may have a little OC in it, but the cpu is only good for 20%- from 200FSB to 240 (2.6 to 3.12MHz). The 2x256 RAM I have is stupid. It OCs to 288 (44% above 200), 266 guaranteed. So the new RAM won't drag down the old OC; not enough to hurt anyway. But will it all (4 sticks) work together at maybe 15% OC (2 sticks 256MB, 2 sticks 1GB)?

I may have to buy a pooter, steal the RAM, and resell it for a little less. Best Buy wants $165 CDN per 1GB stick, plus tax, $100 on sale down the streeet. I can do a little better, but.... Then I could sell my stupid RAm and get 2GB free. Or spend $400!!!!! Any stupids out there with a 2.4 likes to run at 3.46Ghz, in Toronto?
 
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Vista runs like crap on a pc with 512. You need to either upgrade the ram, or go back to an earlier version of windows (xp or 2k).

If you have 4 slots, I'd just add more ram. Speed of the ram is less important than quantity imo. Vista will run ok with 1GB, but much better with 2GB. Beyond that you won't see much gain unless you do unusual things like video editing that require lots of ram.

If your copy of Vista is retail, you have the right to uninstall it from one computer, and then reinstall it on another, as long as it's only ever on one computer at a time. If you have an OEM version, once it's installed on a computer, it's forever tied to it, and cannot be transferred. Activation on a second computer will fail and they won't allow it... so you have to figure out if your version is retail or oem.
 
Vista will work with 1GB, but in my experience you're asking for freezing and crashing, the only Vista machines I've seen had 1GB RAM and they have all had a lot of issues. Save yourself a headache and just invest in 2GB RAM if you want to run Vista instead of 2K/XP.
 
Full Retail Box - the green cover in the clear plastic case - 32-bit DVD. From Bestbuy.ca instore CDN$341.99. I hope. I know that version is supposed to come with a manual but peaking through a corner it only looks like a 50 page manual. Is that what its supposed to look like, and 50pp?

What happens when you mix 2 256MB sticks with 2 1GB sticks. I know the best settings I'll get is whatever the least pair is (the new 2x1GB sticks), and I'm ok withthat, but is the different size gonna maybe/likelydefinetely cause a problem wrt the OC, timings, or even worse the dual channel operation itself?

What about installing on one pooter, online updating. Then, as long as I don't do it (online update) again ,online updating again - same thing, good. I think you said that. What if I accidentally tried online updating consecutivly on two different pooters at almost the same time- is the license in any danger - for future reference. And would the windows update site actually keep track of where the pooters are logging in from - the same router on the same cable. I don't actaully need to do this - just don't want to get into it without being careful with my one license. Whether or not it is an automatic possible/probable refusal if there is a machine/software/bookeeping, "records" and procedures, at their end for that purpose.

What about any time limited activation - just for time till more RAM arrives, or the correct first pc?
 
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for dual channel you can only run the same sticks you cannot do 2x1gb and 2x512 and it will also hurt your overclock so yea... get the 2gb's of memory and youll be very happy

as for the rest

that is not legal to run 1 liscense on two different computers as it is against the EULA

with retail you are allowed to uninstall it from one computer and install it on another and that is it

if there is more talking about trying to run 1 liscense on 2 computers then i will have this thread reported
 
well I am trying to get at what happens if I install it on one pooter temporarily cause its the only one I have at the monment, then install it on my next new pooter, whatever time elapsed (could be an hour - however unlikely, and if it can get rejected. By an automated process - for future online update. Just the rules. The first computer uninstalled.

You can't know if you are breaking a rule unless you know what it is. I don't want to do it.
 
You may get rejected by the automated process, and have to call, but if it's full retail they'll let you activate on the 2nd one. Vista is smart though and will rat you out if you are actually running it on two comps with one license... it phones home and gives computer information which microsoft stores for activation purposes.

Activation identification is not related to your ethernet address. It is related to the actual hardware in your computer. It reads serial numbers off hard drives motherboards, etc. and it transmits your inet adapter's mac address (this is actually worth 3x as much as the others in calculation of the identity score, so don't change the ethernet adapter).

You can run dual channel if the motherboard supports it with the two 256 sticks running dual channel with each other and the 2 1 gb sticks running dual channel with each other. Check your motherboard manual for specifics. Most of my motherboards have 3 slots for ram instead of 4, but maybe you're luckier than I. The speed will be the lowest of all the installed DIMM's for all the ram. If you have 2 GB of fast ram, you may actually lose performance by adding back the 512 at a lower speed, because you will rarely use more than the 2gb. If it were 1gb of ram, then the 512 would speed things up substantially if added, even if going to a lower ram speed.
 
point taken, but the specs of any new RAM will not be better than the old 2x256. Google "fastest RAM on the planet/ we have ever tested", from a few years back ddr400 - don't bother yet. My first OC so it had to do everything - the best.
http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/memory/ocz_el_ddr_pc_4200_dual_channel-eol
I like the madshrimps
I am a little depressed now cause i did what I need to do to find the right RAM, and have little reason to do more, can't read all the reviews. Found a 2x1GB kit that can OC to the limit of my cpu OC ability, w/ rated cas. Price is "right": between the take any RAM sight unseen now, and the pretty sure it would do it RAM at double that price. At the logical store location. only $40+tax more than the minimum RAM. Available 10 reviews w/ a google.

I'll get a link to the possible new 2x1GB RAM too, just in case you think we might be able to predict probable results of mixing the two. Thi is prety low priced. Wouldn't want less than 2GB extra, so that needed to mix properly, so 2.5GB it (may) be. But this is cas3, can't member if reviews said anythig about cas 2 -ish for a 20%OC (the cpu max). COuld easily turn into to a cas2 15%OC headrom low price review day now. Having made the 5% automatic allow concesion, I wonder if the cas2 to cas3 is an easy/good/wise concession to make too now?

http://www.ocztechnology.com/products/memory/ocz_ddr_pc_3200_2gb_dual_channel
 
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