looking for some expert advice

John
Before we give more difinitive answers. Lets see if you will work with Seven. If you will, you can upgrade at your leisure.
Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor - Download - Microsoft Windows

sorry i shouldve mentioned that, i used that to see if windows 7 will work, it says it will work on 32 and 64 but for 64 it will need to be a custom install

Well then John, If it were my computer, I would install Seven and see how it works. If you have problems come back here, describe the problems and we will advise. Why spend money if not necessary.

Custom installation required You'll need to perform a custom installation of 64-bit Windows 7 and then reinstall your programs. Make sure to back up your files before you begin.
Go online to get important information about custom installation

1.9 GB of RAM Your PC needs at least 2 GB of RAM for 64-bit Windows 7 for optimal performance. Contact your PC manufacturer or retailer to see if an upgrade is available.
Windows Mail and Parental Controls (Web Filtering) These features are no longer included in Windows 7. You can get similar programs for Windows 7 from other software manufacturers.
Go to the Microsoft website to learn more
More info from Dell Inc. Dell Inc. has a website that might give you more information about getting Windows 7 running on your PC.
Visit the Dell Inc. website
3 system requirements passed
See all system requirements

Devices Status Details
SafeNet Sentinel Hardware Key
SafeNet, Inc. Unknown We don't have compatibility information about this device.
ATI Radeon Xpress 1150
ATI Technologies Inc. Check Windows Update Check Windows Update after installing Windows 7 to make sure you have the latest driver for this device, otherwise it may not work.
HP psc 2350 series
HP Check Windows Update Check Windows Update after installing Windows 7 to make sure you have the latest driver for this device, otherwise it may not work.
6 devices listed as compatible
See all devices

Programs Status Details
Modem Diagnostic Tool
version 1.0.20.0
Dell Known issues You may experience issues running this program on Windows 7.
Visit the publisher's website for a possible solution
28 programs listed as compatible
See all programs


Looking for compatibility information about other programs and devices?
Visit the Windows 7 Compatibility Center

heres the report
the reason i want to upgrade the ram is iv seen a few people say how much of an improvement its made also windows 7 requires more

OK
It seems that you have made the decision to upgrade the RAM. I would go with 64 bit and reinstall your software. 64 iw the wave of the future and it does work better than 32 bit (IMO)
The best way for a novice is to begin, is to buy from Crucial (Good prices and many members have done so and are very happy)
They provied an upgrade tool to determine the RAM best for your machine, too
DDR3, DDR2 and DDR RAM memory upgrades from Crucial.com

ok, i put my laptop details in and it came back with 2X1GB being the highest and doesnt list 2x2gb so i will contact them and see what they recommend

If you want you can talk to them, come back and then tell us. We have a member, who is an expert on just this sort of thing. If you return with questions, I will put you in contact with him.

yea i found they have online chat, il explain and see what they say.
thanks Rich

You are very welcome.

i spoke to someone they dont list higher than 2gb for my laptop but they gave me this link CT2KIT25664AC667 - 4GB kit (2GBx2), 200-pin SODIMM , DDR2 PC2-5300 from Crucial.com
they cant 100% guarantee compatibility but they are the ones that match my system speed

I will set you up with someone, who will be a big help to you. I will leave him a message. Check back now and then.

Nope, it looks like that it can only support 2Gigs total, as it has 2 sodimm slots, and supports 256Megs, 512Meg or 1Gig Sticks, so there for only 2Gig max.
Manuals and Documents for Vostro 1000 | Dell US
That's the dell link to your Vostro 1000

Side note, the other 1000 series laptops DO support up to 8Gigs, just not the 1000.

i found an old discussion which was specifically about upgrading the vostro 1000 (i will try and find it) a few people that said theyve fitted 2x2gb chips have said its a good upgrade, and havnt caused any problems, there was also 1 guy that said he was using 2x4gb.
could it be possible that even though dell say max 2gb it could actually take more or are there different versions of vostro 1000?

I just found your 2+Gig thing and it is on a dell site too.

It seems if you update the bios to 2.6.3 first, you should be able to run Win7 and 2+ Gigs of RAM.
How much ram can I upgrade to in my Vostro 1000? - Laptop General Hardware Forum - Laptop - Dell Community


So something like these Gskills
G.SKILL Model F2-5300CL4D-4GBSQ Laptop Memory - Newegg.com

Would most likely work. They are 5300 (aka 667mhz) and 4-4-4-12 timings, which is abit better than the one factory installed.. That was 5-5-5-14 most likely.

yes thats the one Patonb thanks mate.
my bios is 2.6.2, how do i go about updating the bios is that a simple task?

Further reading seems to show the bios doesn't have to be 6.2.3. It's easy but carries a slight risk. The manual ni linked earlier should have how in it, as it's different ways for different brands.

ok mate will have a look into it, thanks for all your help.
about windows, some of them are upgrade and some arent, what does this mean?

Upgrade requires Vista to be installed, THEN you upgrade to 7 or 8. Meaning everytime you reinstall, you sorta need to do Vista first.

The aren't are you take an empty, or full drive, and it wipes the drive and puts windows on fresh.

Get the "aren't"

that makes more sense lol.
just looking at the manual about the bios
Flashing the BIOS
Dell™ Latitude™ 131L/
Dell Vostro™ 1000 Service Manual
1. Ensure that the AC adapter is plugged in and that the main battery is installed properly.
2. Insert the BIOS update program CD, and turn on the computer.
Follow the instructions that appear on the screen. The computer continues to boot and updates the new BIOS. When the flash update is complete, the
computer will automatically reboot.
3. Press <F2> during POST to enter the system setup program.
4. Press <Esc Suspend>, select Save changes and reboot, and press <Enter> to save configuration changes.
5. Remove the flash BIOS update program floppy or CD from the drive and restart the computer.

i found a bios update on the dell website (2.6.3) that i can download but is there a certain procedure for putting it onto disk and do i put it all on disc? about 8 files in the folder.