I have just added 120 GB of hard drive space to my computer for storage needs. I am using a computer that I purchased several years ago (1999, I think) but don't need an entirely new system. After adding the HD, I found that many of my programs would not run like they did before. Specifically, the systems stated that there was not enough memory to work the programs. Do I really need to get some more memory or is there some other fix? If I do have to get memory is there any suggestion on where to go, etc... thank you

Could be serveral things. First it could be that maybe your memory has gone bad and is working partially. You should go and get it tested. Any computer store should have a machine to test the memory like COMPUSA or BestBuy in their support area etc... Or you could pull out the memory in there and borrow some working chips of the same size from another computer and test it with your machine. Another thing it could be is that maybe your resources are getting dragged down by programs that start up when windows boots. Since you are using 98 right mouse click on My computer on the desktop and go to the last tab which is performance i believe and look at your system resouces 85% is average anything under may cause the problems you are exoeriancing now. To stop your programs from loading when windows starts up click on start and then run and type in msconfig and disable programs you dont really need to be started up. Like MSN, things you can open manually. I would leave any antivirus software enabled. Or if you know where programs load in your system.ini win.ini and registry then be my guest and delete any keys/strings from there, but make sure you make a backup of whatever you change. If you are not familiar with them then it is best to just use msconfig to modify it. Another cause of the slowness might be caused by the size of the hardrive, since this is an old machine try to update your BIOS if not done so already. This is all i can think about. Hope something helps you.

I know enough about the technical stuff just to get into trouble (so, some of these may be dumb questions)... How can I update my BIOS? Also, I found that the performance is listed at about 52%. According to your note, that sounds bad... Any suggestions? Finally, If I'm looking at getting some more memory, I know that I need to get SDRAM, PC100. I don't know how many pins I'm supposed to get. I've read about 168 pin DIMM and 144 pin SODIMM.

You update your BIOS by getting a new motherboard, which in turn means a new CPU (That will increase the performance). You will also get new memrory chips as the old ones will not be compatible with the new board. The trouble with changing the motherboard is that some of the cards, such as monitor, are not compatible or cannot keep up with the new hardware. Sometimes it is cheaper to buy a new computer rather than replace parts.