Hi all, thanks to Mick and John for the advice to try Teamviewer to take over my mother's computer in Florida. I finally gave it a go tonight. I managed to get some things sorted for her and feel better to be able to give her some peace of mind. Dad watched and was amazed to see it all happening. When I visit her next month I will attempt to add some memory to her iMac as she only has 4GB. Hope I can manage it.
WAMUG is really a wonderful group and I enjoy all of our meetings. THANKS!
If you'll allow me another recommendation, use Crucial for the memory. The web site will have a memory checker which will tell you the options for her computer including the maximum it can take.
If I remember right, chips from Crucial also used to come with fitting instructions. However it's a long time since I last did this so I'm guessing you might just get a link to an online manual or video now?
I think your Mother has an older iMac, and unless it's a recent model with soldered-in chips, the RAM chips are accessed through a removable cover underneath the screen. You will need a fairly fine phillips screwdriver, and a pretty heavy pull on the plastic strips that loosen the chips (they are tough, but don't go mad); wriggling helps.
Clear instructions are available with photos at > www.ifixit.com <.
Remember to only hold the chips by the side edges, replace them with the small offset slot on the contact edge properly aligned, and make sure they are pushed firmly home and the edges are commonly aligned before reseating the cover. Screws are usually 'captured' but it does no harm to work on a towel just in case!
Don't work on a nylon carpet with nylon clothing -- chips hate static, it kills them. Always touch the body of the Mac before touching the RAM chip edges to avoid this.
Georgia Cheer 