/ Upgrading a Laptop Computer

Upgrading a Laptop Computer

I just recently bought a refurbished Sony VAIO VGN-SZ3XWP/C. First, there are some pre-installed software (trial or otherwise) that I want to remove to reclaim disk space. Is the uninstall function in CCleaner enough to remove this, or is there a better, more permanent way? Second, Sony’s website states max RAM is 2GB. Is this definite, or is there room for an upgrade? Third, I would like to have access to Ubuntu on this laptop. What is your opinion on dual booting (considering it’s a Sony AND loaded with XP)? Or do I just keep on loading the CD and use Linux direct from the CD to protect my Windows partition/installation? Lastly, what options do I have on upgrading the CPU and hard disk on this laptop model? Can this model take SSDs? Any other upgrade options I missed? Kat Delong

This laptop is a few years old, so it can be a little difficult to get information on this particular model, but I think we got most of it covered. Let’s take each question one at a time.

Uninstall Programs

By all means, use the CCleaner to uninstall unwanted or trial programs. It works a lot like Windows Add/Remove programs, but can often be a bit more thorough. If you want to go the standard route, you can do it manually. Go to Start and then Control Panel. Choose Add/Remove Programs. You will see a list of currently installed programs. Click the program you want to remove and choose Remove. You will get a question confirming this is what you want to do. Confirm and the program should be gone.

Max Ram

As Sony says on their site, 2GB is the maximum RAM for this machine. It ships with 1GB installed but will support up to 2GB. It has two banks of one socket each for a total of two memory sockets. This Sony will support up to two individual RAM modules.

Dual Boot with Ubuntu

You should be able to dual boot with Ubuntu although there is an unusual partition setup with three partitions on the drive. You may need some help in installing the Grub bootleader. There is some dual boot information on linuxquestions.org and full instructions on an XP/Ubuntu dual boot on Ubuntuhelp.com . That should give you a head start in the installation.

Upgrades

You can replace the original hard drive with a 200GB or 250GB hard drive. You can also use a 7200 RPM rather than the 5400RPM to speed it up. You will need a SATA drive, as this laptop doesn’t support parallel ATA. You may want to think hard about upgrading your hard drive because apparently you have to take a good deal of the machine apart to do it. There are step by step directions on this laptoplogic website. The jury is out on SSD - some users say yes and others say no. I’d contact Sony directly to hopefully get a definitive answer.