Q:
A: You will want to make sure that the PC is unplugged and that you are working in a relatively static free area. It is not a bad idea to first ground yourself on something metal before you reach inside as a little shock (like you get from a doorknob) is enough to fry a motherboard. You have to find out what kind of RAM or memory you have. It will depend on how old your tower is. Most likely if it is newer it will be DDR2 (has one grove in it). If it is closer to 5-6 years old it could be DDR (also has one grove but is in different location than DDR2). If it is really old then it might take SD (has 2 groves in it) and you will want to check to see if the motherboard even supports 1Gb. Then you will need to open the case and install it into the RAM slot. If it is a typical motherboard, there will probably only be 2 slots. It is possible that both are filled with RAM sticks and you may have to take one stick out to put the 1 Gb stick in. As was stated, each kind has different groves cut into it so that it will only fit in one way. If it doesn't seem to fit in, flip it end-for-end and try again. If the grooves still don't line up with the notches in the slots you have the wrong type of RAM. Once you have the right type it will just snap-in with a small amount of force. Turn your tower back on and it should come right on. If it beeps and doesn't come on, turn it back off and take the new RAM out and turn it back on again. If it comes on without the RAM in, then the RAM is probably incompatible with the either the Motherboard or if there are other RAM sticks in it could be incombatible with those. Take the old ones out and leave the new one in and turn the PC back on. If it boots then, you know that it is the other RAM that is incompatible. Once it turns on you can check how much it has by right-clicking My Computer and clicking properties(if you have Windows). On the new window it will display the amount of RAM you have installed. It is a very simple process and there is not really much to be afraid of. If it is the wrong type of RAM it won't fit, as long as it fits it "should" work. However, be careful of static as this could really damage the PC and make it inoperable.