virtual memory too low

today was the first time i recieved a window pop up saying my virtual memory was too low. at the time i had 3 different browser windows open. ive had 3 windows open before and have never receved such a messege. i use Mozilla Firefox as my browser.
i was reading around some about this but am still a bit confused and thought id post this.
i have an eMachines T2240, 128 MB of RAM, 2.19 GHz, 40 GB hard drive. i have windows XP home edition.
i went to my system, advanced, performance settings, advanced, and change to check what my #'s are and it said this..
space available: 33583MB
dot beside custom
initial size MB: 192
max size: 384

total paging file size for all drives
min: 2 MB
recommended: 187 MB
currently: 192 MB

under my visual effects it says, let windows choose whats best for my computer.

what i would like to know is., is this all good or is there anything i should change?
i also read somewhere on here about it being good to get more MB.. but how do i go about getting more MB?
any help appriciated, thanx!

 

You should definitely upgrade the ram in your system. Windows xp doesn't run at it's best until you have at least 256MB of ram. I recommend no less than 512 in any of my machines i build.

 

When you get to the change virtual memory settings, just set the max to around 700 megs. I leave mine set at the same for min and max. That cuts down on fragmentation

 

im not exactly smart when it comes to computers so this might sound stupid.. but how do i go about upgrading to more RAM?

 

The first thing to do is to figure out what kind of physical memory your system uses. The manual that came with the system (or the motherboard manual, if it is separate) is the best place to look for that.

You'll also need to know how many slots you have available for memory. Again, the manuals should tell you that.

You'll need to know how many slots are free. You may need to open the case to take a look. The motherboard manual will tell you where to look and what to look for.

But we can make some guesses. You have said that you have only 128MB of physical memory. It's probably on a single DIMM (Dual In-line Memory Module), which would mean that you have at least 1 memory slot still open.

The ComputerMemory Store tells me that an eMachines T2240 has 2 memory slots, and takes up to 2GB of PC2100 DDR SDRAM DIMMs.

If that information is accurate, all you need to do is decide how much memory you want to add, and pay a visit to your nearest supplier -- which could be your computer store, Radio Shack, Office Depot or Staples, or any place that supplies computer accessories.

Installing a DIMM is not difficult. Opening your case and finding the slot it goes in will take longer than the actual installation. Your motherboard or system manual should tell you how it's done. With any luck, they'll have provided pictures for you. Just be careful to make sure that you have followed all instructions about avoiding static electricity during installation. A static charge that has too low a voltage to feel is quite capable of frying a memory chip.

If your manual doesn't provide enough help (or if you've been silly enough to have pitched it), you'll find instructions here and here that may tell you all you need to know. But they are generic instructions, so follow your manual's instructions if possible.

When deciding how much memory you want to add, bear in mind that you will likely be filling the second of two available slots. Once they are both full, you will have to remove and set aside at least one of what's there if you want to add more. To avoid that problem, you could buy a 1GB (1024MB) DIMM for the empty slot, because (if the ComputerMemory Store's information is accurate), your system will not accept a higher-capacity DIMM. But that may cost you more than you are willing to spend, and your system may be quite happy with an added 256MB of memory. You can check prices at The ComputerMemory Store (use the link above) or here.

(Who is the ComputerMemory Store or Kahlon, you may ask? I've no idea. I'd never heard of either until I Googled "eMachines T2240". So their mention here does not constitute a recommendation. The same applies to the pages linked for installation of a DIMM -- I found those pages by Googling "install DIMM". I take no responsibility for the accuracy of the information provided on any of those pages.)