How to Upgrade My HP Pavilion A250N

Hewlett-Packard Corp. released what it called its "digital entertainment powerhouse" in 2003. The a250n's Intel Pentium 4 processor boasts 2.6-gigahertz hyper-threading technology and a slew of ports for media peripherals. That was many years ago, however. Technology has advanced, and the Pavilion a250n may seem like a dinosaur. You can upgrade the computer to once again bring it up to par with today's big dogs.

• 1

  Add more memory, up to 2 gigabytes (GB) maximum. Realize that Windows Vista requires a minimum of 512 megabytes (MB) of memory and Windows 7 requires 1 GB minimum. Turn off the computer and unplug it. Unscrew the screws on the back of the computer and lift the panel. Locate the RAM sticks and snap the white tabs back to release them. Pull the sticks out from the slots. Insert two new RAM sticks into the slots; snap the white tabs back into position. Replace the case and screw it together.

• 2

  Update the BIOS. Start the computer and immediately press the F1 or F10 key until the BIOS utility begins. Look in the "Main" screen for the "BIOS Revision" number and write it down on a piece of paper. Press F10 to exit the BIOS utility. Go to the HP Software Update website. Enter "Pavilion a250n" under "Product" and click the link for "BIOS." Follow the onscreen instructions for installing the BIOS update for your particular revision number.

• 3

  Replace the existing 120 GB hard drive with a larger drive. Turn off the computer and unplug it. Unscrew the screws on the back of the computer and lift the panel. Locate the hard drive near the CD/DVD drive. Unplug the serial cables from the back of the drive. Slide out the drive from the case and pull it out from the computer. Install the new hard drive and reattach the cable.

• 4

  Upgrade the operating system. Purchase the Windows operating system software. Insert the CD into your computer. Start the computer and follow the onscreen directions to reformat the new hard drive and install the operating system. Realize also that after you have upgraded the operating system, you will need to upgrade the drivers as well. See the HP Software Update website to scan your computer and download necessary drivers and updates.