I am upgrading my memory and processor?

Just like he said, put new things in, pay atention to reasembling everything right and ur good to go

Actually, bonehead, memory on a 32-bit system is limited to about 3.5GB. It doesn't matter what OS you're using, you can't use more than that on a 32-bit OS. It's not a limitation so much of the operating system as it is how memory is utilized. 32-bit refers to memory addressing. I won't get into the details (Google is your friend), but this is true for all operating systems, to my knowledge. Linux that is reported as "32-bit" may see it and show it, but it shouldn't be able to utilize it any more than Windows.

bdlindie: Most PCs sold now beyond the most basic bottom-barrel models come with Windows 7 64-bit. If that's the case, you can add as much as you want. Anything earlier, you'll probably run into the 3.5GB cap previously mentioned. As rj713 mentioned, it really would help to know your system's existing stats.

The big concerns are: processor must be physically compatible with motherboard and the BIOS must be capable of recognizing the new processor. Check the model you have and make sure you have (or don't need) the latest BIOS update to recognize the chip.

I'll assume that you already know that you need to have the correct type of memory. If you didn't, I suggest taking the current memory out of the system and bring it to a local electronics store and say "I need 2 GB of this" and hand it to them. They'll get you hooked up.

Final consideration: THERMAL PASTE!!!! I'm amazed nobody mentioned this. It doesn't have to be the fancy silver-based stuff, but you need something. What's already on the old processor will be useless and you MUST get the old stuff off the heatsink and apply fresh paste to the new processor once installed. If you don't, you will have lots of issues with the system slowing/shutting down (at best) or frying it completely (at worst). For more details, this site has a great article on how to apply it. -> How to Apply Thermal Paste

If you're buying the new processor at retail, the heatsink in the box will have a thermal pad that will work, but I still recommend replacing that with paste. If the processor is OEM (chip only), you really don't have a choice.

I hope this helps!

Well...it depends on what you have now and what you're upgrading too, as well as the OS you're running.

Windows, any version, 32bit - If you're upgrading from a slow 32-bit chip to a faster 32-bit chip, and you have no memory in it currently...you're golden. If you have memory installed, you won't see more than 2 GB installed. It's just the way 32-bit Windows handles memory management. If you're upgrading from a 32-bit chip to a 64-bit chip, you should upgrade to a 64-bit OS if you want the OS to recognize more than 2GB of memory.

Linux, any version, 32bit - If you're upgrading from a slow 32-bit chip to a faster 32-bit chip, and have only 2GB of memory or less, you're golden. If you have more than 2GB of memory currently and you're adding another 2GB, you may have to fiddle with settings to get it to recognize over 4GB, but it should pick it up. If you're upgrading from a 32-bit chip to a 64-bit chip, you should upgrade to a 64-bit OS. Luckily you can get one for free.