CompTIA A+® Certification All-In-One For Dummies®, 2nd Edition

7.9. Upgrading Your Laptop

In the following sections, I show you how to upgrade a laptop by adding components such as RAM and hard disk space. Makes and models of laptops vary, but the basic concepts of adding and removing components can be applied to most laptop systems today.

7.9.1. Upgrading memory

To add memory to a laptop, you simply flip the laptop over and find the compartment that holds the RAM. This compartment is normally labeled with a symbol of a memory module, as opposed to the compartment that is labeled with what looks like a hard drive. If you are unsure what compartment to open, check the documentation for the laptop.

Remember to ground yourself before touching any internal computer components! After you ground yourself, you can then remove the old SODIMM module and insert the new memory module. When inserting a SODIMM into a laptop, be sure to gently place the module in the socket at an angle (see Figure 7-8) and then clamp it down in place.

Figure 7.8. Install a SODIMM into the laptop to add more memory to the laptop.

7.9.2. Adding hard disk space

Hard disk space can get eaten up quickly these days when storing media files like videos, MP3s, and pictures from digital cameras. It doesn't take many multimedia files (especially video) to fill up all your laptop's ...