IT for Donuts is our regular Friday feature where we explain a tech term or answer a question about business IT.

This week: it's often said that upgrading your laptop's memory is a good way to make it run faster and last longer. But how do you do this?

Why upgrade laptop memory?

Your laptop's memory (random access memory, or RAM for short) is used to store information about the programs you're using.

If your laptop sometimes runs slowly, it could well be because the RAM is full of data. This means your computer has to work much harder to shift information around.

Upgrading your RAM is almost always the most cost-effective way to improve your computer's performance. With most laptops, it's also straightforward. Here's how...

Find the right memory

The first thing you need to do is buy some new RAM for your laptop.

Different laptops take different types of memory. As long as you have the make and model of your laptop to hand, you can use these tools from RAM manufacturers Crucial and Kingston to find the right stuff for your computer.

You also need to decide how much memory you're going to buy. Your laptop will probably have between 1GB and 4GB of RAM already. When you upgrade, aim for a minimum of 4GB. For the cost, it's usually best to upgrade to 8GB or 16GB though.

A good rule is to get as much RAM as you can afford. I recently upgraded my laptop from 4GB to 16GB. The RAM cost around £120, but the performance difference is astonishing.

Install your RAM

Once you've got your hands on some RAM, you need to install it into your laptop. For this, you'll need a flat surface to work on and a small screwdriver.

It's also a good idea to wear an anti-static wristband. This protects your computer's components from static electricity. If you don't have one, touch a bare piece of metal that's earthed (like a radiator pipe) before you start.

Now, don't panic, but we're going to open up your laptop:

1. Open up your laptop

To get started, shut your laptop down (don't just put it to sleep) and turn it over.

Depending on your laptop, you'll have to either remove the entire base, or remove a cover that provides access to the memory.

There may be markings on the laptop to help you. This Toshiba model has a small computer chip symbol next to the RAM cover:

Remove the screw(s) securing the cover.

If there's more than one, take note of which goes where, as they may be different lengths.

2. Find the RAM

Lift off the cover or remove the base of your laptop.

Identify where the memory chips are in your computer. You're looking for one of more circuit boards that look like this (scroll up to the top of this post for a really good photo):

3. Remove existing laptop memory

Depending on your laptop model, there may be one or more slots for the RAM. Often they're beside each other, but sometimes they're on top of one another.

If — like this model — there's only one slot, you need to remove the existing RAM. If not, then you may be able to install your new memory into the spare slot.

To remove the existing RAM, look for metal clips at the side of the memory module. Push them outwards, then remove the RAM as in this video:

(Hold the RAM module at the edges. Don't touch the metal contacts at the bottom.)

4. Install new memory

That's the hardest bit over.

To install your new RAM, just do what you just did in reverse. If you have more than one memory module to install, just do the same for each:

5. Test your upgraded laptop memory

Pop the cover back on, do up the screws and then boot up your computer.

Finally, it's worth taking a few minutes to make sure your new RAM is working properly. You can do this using software that writes and reads data to and from the new RAM, checking it for accuracy.

Windows has a built-in memory testing tool. If you use a Mac, download and run Rember for free.

Important notes:

• Upgrading the RAM in most laptops will not void the manufacturer's warranty. However, always check before attempting a laptop memory upgrade.
• Although upgrading laptop memory is usually straightforward, you follow these instructions at your own risk. If anything goes wrong, we can't be held responsible.

Previous IT for Donuts tips:

• How to view a website that's currently offline
• Know how to spot adverts on Google
• What is a firewall?

A government Select Committee report on the retail sector has called for radical changes to business rates, describing the current system as "one of the principal threats to the survival of existing retail businesses in the high street".

Produced by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the report concludes that business rates are also "the biggest obstacle to new retail businesses starting up".

Committee chairman, Adrian Bailey MP, said: "Business rates, in their current form, are not fit for purpose. The government needs to carry out a wholesale review of the current business rate system."

He added: "While this is a matter for the Treasury, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills needs to play a leading role in that review, to reflect the needs of businesses. It needs to impress upon the Treasury and the Department for Communities and Local Government the importance of the retail sector as a driver of economic recovery. This is especially pertinent for small and medium-sized businesses."

The report recommends that a review of the business rate system should consider:

• whether retail taxes should be based on sales, rather than on property;
• whether the retail sector should have its own form of taxation, calculated in a different way from other businesses;
• how frequently the revaluation of business rates should take place.

Dr Adam Marshall, executive director of policy at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said: "It is good to see Parliament recognise that Britain's business rates system is broken and in need of fundamental reform. But politicians must remember that the business rates system is failing all of our businesses – not just the high street.

"Businesses are suffering from this pernicious tax, which gobbles up huge amounts of cash before a company even turns over a single penny, in city centres, industrial estates and office parks. Business rates are also the reason many manufacturing and services companies put off investment and hiring decisions."

Helen Dickinson, director general of the British Retail Consortium said: "This report must be the final nail in the coffin of the question: do business rates need to be reformed?"

Related resources:

• Osborne must act on business rates, says FSB NEWS
• Business rates ARTICLE
• Estimate your rates bill TOOL

As this year's National Apprentice Week comes to an end, new research shows that small businesses are planning to create thousands of new apprenticeships in the next year.

A study of 600 British businesses by ICM reveals that one in five SMEs plan to take on one or more apprentices in the next 12 months. This goes up to 39% over the next five years. This compares to 15% and 34% of SMEs, when asked the same question in February 2013.

Over a quarter (29%) of the SMEs that plan to take on apprentices say this is because they are a core part of their growth strategy. And 43% of employers say they would be more likely to offer an apprenticeship than they were two years ago.

Vince Cable, secretary of state for business, innovation and skills, said:

"It's especially good that so many SMEs are embracing apprenticeships in the coming years and that apprentice recruitment now forms a key part of businesses' plans for sustainable growth."

Government funding is available to help firms take on a 16-24 year old as an apprentice. The Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE) is open to businesses employing up to 1,000 people who have never employed an apprentice before or have not recruited one in the past 12 months.

However, AGE is set to end in December 2014. This week, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has called on the chancellor to use his spring Budget to announce a two-year extension to the Apprenticeships Grant for Employers scheme. It has highlighted the fact that demand from young people for apprenticeship places continues to outstrip supply – by as much as 12 to one.

Nora Senior, BCC president, said: "Apprenticeships give young people the opportunity to learn a new skill, and give businesses the opportunity to teach them a trade that is specific to their business.

"However, hiring younger workers without a track record is a large commitment for a company. There are things that government can do to encourage businesses to invest in someone who is less experienced – starting with a commitment to extend the successful Apprenticeships Grant for Employers scheme, which is set to end in December 2014 if ministers don't act now."

Related resources:

• Could taking on an apprentice give your business a £2k boost? BLOG
• What makes a great small business employee? ARTICLE
• Why your business should hire an apprentice BLOG