I finally decided to try and upgrade the extended memory on this laptop, since it's been slowing down on the Internet, but after I installed the new DIMM it would 1) not do anything but whir, 2) get as far as the IBM screen and lock up, or 3) get as far as the Ubuntu start screen and lock up. I took the chip out and it works fine. Tried re-seating the chip a couple of times with no change in results. Any suggestions?

Most likely a defective DIMM.

Try using the one that is under the keyboard right now in the "spare" slot.

If the machine locks up, that's a bad slot.

If it doesn't, your "new" RAM stick is faulty.

Well, I got your suggestion a little backwards, and put the new DIMM under the keyboard. No problems on start-up. So then I experimented and put the original chip in the spare slot, and that worked, too. So, now I have the 1.5GB RAM that I wanted, after all. Thanks for the help.

If I were you I'd test that DIMM with memtest86 regardless...

Is there a baby steps version for how to do that? I downloaded the ISO for Linux version, but I'm not sure it's burned to the CD correctly and I don't know how to verify that. Should I extract the files from the zip file on the CD? Or what? And then what do I do? The instructions on the Memtest86 web site seemed to assume a level of competence far above where I am.

Sounds like you've burned a data disk when you should have burned an ISO. Here is a guide for burning an ISO file to a CD/DVD:

http://pcsupport.about.com/od/toolsofth ... sofile.htm

Get the free program ImgBurn, which can ONLY burn ISOs.
http://www.imgburn.com/index.php?

Okay, so, after I went through the process of installing Wine so I could use Windows programs, and figuring out how to change the file permissions so I could start an .exe file, I got ImgBurn to write the Memtest86 to the CD and then I started the computer with the disc in the drive. I got a screen with the Memtest86 at the top, and some other writing -- white on blue screen -- and a white bar at the bottom with (ESC)exit, (c)Configure, etc. But nothing else much happened. Does that mean my memory card passed?

Y'all do realize I'm a complete noob at this, yes? Plus, old, really old. Plz explain what I'm supposed to be seeing/doing.

... try have a look in the Guide to using Memtest86+ and see if that won't get you going. Scroll down through the first post, the one by "rev_olie" (Posted 21 July 2009, 12:57 PM) - there you will find an in-depth explanation about how to use the program.

Johan

Thanks, Johan, I'll try this. I didn't realize I had to take out one of the memory sticks first. I think I'll print that guide before I start, too.