Hi all,
this is my first post, please bear with me.
I've been searching for an answer for some time, I
have found some info, but not quite what I wanted.
I have received as a gift an Acer TravelMate 345T notebook,
and successfully installed Debian Sarge on its 6GB Hard Disk. The problem is the computer only has 64MB of RAM in its first slot. The manual says I can only add another 128MB on the second slot, and I've read that no bigger upgrade is possible because of BIOS and Motherboard limitations.
I'd like to know if the boot loader and the 2.6 kernel really can't do anything about it, and if I'm stuck to a maximum RAM of 64+128MB (or 128+128MB if I'm willing to
open the PC and reach the slot that's under the keyboard).
I don't have any friend with a spare 256MB module to make a test and PC dealers don't know anything about linux.
Any help, pointers and advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
orzem

*EDIT*
A bargain 256MB PC100 CL2 module got from Ebay works just
great in the expansion slot. Now I've got 256+64, but I'm
planning to go 512. Thank you all anyway!
*END EDIT*

It is true that memory limitations are due to the motherboard and BIOS. Neither the bootloader nor OS can do anything about it. A 256MB module will not work.

The largest module this laptop can handle is 128MB and max memory is 256MB if you are willing to dissemble the unit (or have a dealer install). According to some websites the standard memory configuration is 2 x 32MB modules so the user upgrade config is 32 + 128 not 64 + 128. Have you looked at the second slot to see if it is occupied?

The second slot is free, so I can at least have 64+128MB. I hoped that linux could handle memory as efficiently as it handles Hard Disks: I was able to install a 160GB disk on my
pentium II desktop while the BIOS only saw 8GB.
Anyway, thanks for your prompt answer.

EDIT: A slight chance is still there, I just saw a website where an acer
TravelMate 345T is reported with 384MB of RAM...
Has anyone tried?

YUP! You are right. I saw someone who is using more than 256MB Ram in 345T.

I don't know about this. All the memory sites that I saw say this machine can use a max of 256MB. Since we're talking something like PC100 memory units and a possibly unsophisticated chipset on an old machine, it's possible that someone may have installed larger memory, but it may not be actually used.

Consider the actual maximum memory (installed and used) of 256MB, there are Linux distros that use lightweight software components, especially GUIs or window managers, that might run satisfactorily on a machine like this. Xubuntu, which uses XFCE, has a good reputation on lightweight machines. Most any distro using XFCE, or IceWM, should work.

I have a really old IBM TP 365XD (P120/72MB/3.2GB) that runs Damn Small Linux quite nicely.