OK, if you only have 2GB of ram, I would guess your Windows 7 was 32bit? I don't think XP is worth the bother these days. If you have a Windows 7 64bit OS I would state a minimum of 4GB.
Was there a preferred OS, and a reason why you were trying an alternative?
I was playing an old online RPG and the forums said it ran faster on xp, so tried but never liked it, so wanted to go back to 7
You state issues arose since a new OS install. Then why not start again and go back to your old OS and old GPU and see if the problem resolves itself? Or you could try a full HDD health check and erase with something like DBAN, then a fresh install of your chosen OS and fresh driver installs?
have been trying to do a fresh install but my PC no longer picks up the win 7 DVD when I reboot, so stuck.
Is the recent second hand 8800 graphics card in proper working order?
yes
What PC issues were you actually experiencing which led you to waste money on that old graphics card, then ask here for upgrade advice because you wanted to max out a sluggish old PC, only for you to turn around and state your PC was fine before and complain about people advising you try a full system upgrade or add more memory, better CPU etc?
the old graphics card broke, thought whilst I am spending, wanted to see if it was worth putting anything else in
If you did want more memory I would not add another kit to your current 2GB, but buy a 4GB kit and sell the 2GB kit. But 4GB of DDR2 PC-8500 would cost around the same as 4GB of DDR3 1600MHz. Your motherboard states DDR3 support, but only 2x2GB at 1333MHz?, maybe it would be worth considering 4GB of DDR3 1600MHz and try running it at 1333MHz? That would be £30. It may be hit and miss regarding what memory is compatible with that old board. I would Google up for any DDR3 issues first, as I have read of some success with BIOS F12 and 2x4GB of DDR3.
Now your motherboard, you will need BIOS F9 to run a Q6600 (£30+ second hand), BIOS F10 to run an E8400 or E8500 (£30+ second hand), you will need BIOS F12 to run a Q9550 (£60+ second hand). So if you can, update your BIOS to F12. Be mindful that a second hand CPU is as much as a new CPU. And updating that BIOS may require a Floppy drive and carries the risk of an unuseable motherboard should it go wrong.
I wasted a hell of a lot of time with side steps and what I thought was a more financially sound upgrade process going from Socket A and DDR1 with AGP to LGA-775 and DDR2 with PCI-E, in the end all I achieved was spending more money for less performance and left with parts not worth much.
You could update your BIOS to F12, spend £30 on DDR3 ram, £30 on a CPU such as the Q6600 or E8500, and buy the best available newest model second hand graphics card you can afford. Which would end with little scope for future upgrading. Or, you could sell everything and put it toward better second hand kit, the socket 1155 Ivybridge kit will have a reasonable shelf life, with much available second hand, 4GB DR3 1600MHz, a Z77, and even starting out with a Pentium 1155 CPU would be a good improvement, with a second hand HD-4870/HD5750 or such at beer prices these days. All sellable for not much loss, all upgradeable, and you would probably recoup a little money selling your old kit.
To be honest, as others state, it seems pointless to add anything, because any memory upgrade would be enough to buy 4GB of DDR3, any CPU upgrade would cover an 1155 cpu (a new Pentium would still be an upgrade), selling your old kit could help toward a Z77 motherboard and better graphics card, most of it is findable on second hand sites.
And I still have to ask,
What is your current BIOS?not sure
What power supply you have?seasonic 430w
What case?its a lian li PC 7
What CPU cooler?tuniq tower
What hard drive? IDE or Sata?sata
What optic drive? IDE or Sata?DVD drive ide
32bit or 64bit Windows 7? Windows XP? What OS licences do you have?windows 7 32bit
Is any of your old kit worth reusing in a new build?
OK as examples of old systems that can get you by, and to let you see old is not all doom and gloom, these are a couple of my LGA 775 systems, which I now find a bit slow but capable of some gaming with medium settings on all but the latest top titles, and general PC use. My sons use the Gigabyte set up, the other is currently in an HTPC chassis. These are both old systems from old parts, I have another LGA-775 system and even a Socket A, but I would not upgrade any of this stuff with second hand LGA-775 or DDR2 because new stuff is not much more.
Asus Maximus II Gene.
Intel E8500.
Scythe Kama Angle cooler.
4GB Corsair Dominator GT memory.
AMD HD5750 graphics card.
Samsung F3 500GB Sata II HDD.
Corsair HX-450w modular PSU.
Silverstone TJ08B-E case.
Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit.
Gigabyte EP4-DSP3.
Intel Q9550.
BeQuiet Dark Rock Advanced cooler.
Corsair PC8500 8gb.
Sapphire HD4870 1gb Toxic.
Samsung F3 500GB Sata II HDD.
BeQuiet L8 630w modular psu.
Gigabyte GZ-X1 ATX case.
Kama bay cooler on three 5.25 bays, with Akasa Viper case fans.
Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit .
