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Back up first - Always, always make some kind of a backup before carrying out an upgrade, especially if it involves the hard disk. Even something as simple as dragging important files across to a USB flash drive can save your bacon.

Stay organised - You'll need a flat, well-lit working area, and we thoroughly recommend keeping all the relevant screws in separate bowls while you're working - it's all too easy to lose them and mix them up.

Scrap your warranty - Finally, don't blame us if it all goes wrong. Cracking open your notebook's chassis, replacing the screen and upgrading the CPU are all operations that can fail, and they'll almost certainly void your warranty.

Memory

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Scary warnings out of the way, we'll start with the nice, fluffy upgrades. Adding to the memory in your notebook is the first improvement you should consider carrying out on your machine. It's the easiest upgrade to complete and is also likely to provide the biggest performance boost.

It's also the most essential. Windows Vista is very particular about RAM; it won't run at all if you have less than 512MB installed, while many of the whizz-bang features, such as Aero's glass effects and the Flip 3D window-switching utility, won't be accessible if you have less than 1GB.

For this reason,

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we'd advise you buy as much RAM as possible: 1GB as the bare minimum; more if you can afford it and your machine will accommodate it (you may find that your notebook won't take more than 1GB anyway).

First, you need to know how much memory you can physically put into your machine. Second, you'll need to find out exactly how much you have already. And, finally, you need to know which type to buy. Don't make the mistake of buying DDR memory for DDR2 machines, or vice versa - they're not interchangeable.

Fortunately, there's plenty of help available on the internet. The most foolproof way of determining the type of memory you need is to use one of the many memory "calculators" on the web. There are plenty of these around - just type "notebook memory" into Google. All you need to do is enter your notebook's make and model.

If you can't figure out the model of your notebook or it simply isn't on any list, you can use a diagnostic application to discover the type and speed of the memory currently installed in your machine instead. Crucial (www.crucial.com/uk) offers a good one that even tells you how many slots you have free, so you can work out the best configuration for your needs.

At this stage, it's well worth checking that you can actually get to those memory slots, and that the information supplied by the diagnostic programs and websites is correct, before you spend any money.

Take a look underneath your notebook first - memory slots are often hidden under a panel on the base. A memory or chip icon usually marks the spot. Make sure you keep those tiny screws in a safe place - they're not easy to replace.

On some machines, the memory banks are beneath the keyboard. Check underneath the machine for retaining screws and remove them first. Then flip over the notebook and look for small tabs along the edges of the keyboard that hold the keyboard in place and, using a small flat blade screwdriver, lever them out one by one. Take your time and be gentle.