Michael Lanspa Wrote:
> My wife and I (both rank computer tech amateurs) are going to finally
> break down and add 128mb of memory we bought several months ago.

This is a good thing. At least you want to try and are to be commended for
wanting to.

>We've been putting it off strictly out of apprehension

Many people here have given some really sound advice and I hope your
"apprehension" hasn't been extended.
> Also, any tips, advice, warnings, or phrases beginning "Be sure you
> don't..."

Why not. <smile> At this point I would read everything posted on the
subject, decide what is reasonable for you, take the advice and proceed. We
have all been where you are when we first started building and working on
computers and the fear of starting can be quite daunting.

My advice:
Unplug everything from your PC and put the case on a clean work surface,
preferably in a well-lit area. Remove the cover. If you suddenly find
yourself attacked by killer dust bunnies, this might be a good opportunity
to use a can of compressed air to clean out the dust and cob webs.
SAFETY FIRST
Please keep in mind that you're handling sensitive electronic circuitry that
can be damaged by static electricity or broken if handled improperly. So be
sure to touch an unpainted grounded piece of metal or wear a wrist strap
before proceeding. The safest way for the box to stay grounded is to leave
the power chord plugged into the back of your PC, leave the other end
plugged into a power strip, plug the power strip into a wall outlet, and
turn the power strip off. This way there is no power going to the PC that
may surprise you, but the PC is grounded, and touching an unpainted part of
the case will dissipate any static electricity.
You may have to move some obstacles out of the way for an unobstructed view
and access to the motherboard. Depending on the type of case you have, you
might have to temporarily remove a cable or two, or maybe even move a drive
cage or power supply out of the way to perform a memory stick install.

Sincerely,

Frank Suszka
netTek Computers
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