Cisco Memory and Third Party Memory

How would I upload a file from my PC into a Cisco router's flash memory?

I want to replace the default music on hold playing in my office. I have the properly formatted music on a desktop. How do I get the music from there into the router? (2821 running Cisco Communications Manager Express)

What type of memory for Cisco 2811 Routers? Registered or Unbuffered?

Cisco 2811 Routers require ECC SDRAM (133 MHz, DDR266/PC2100 184-Pin) memory - should it be registered or Unbuffered?

Cisco memory? Who can tell some general info about Cisco memory?

There is no such thing? Cisco makes networking devices, mostly for large enterprises. They don't manufacture memory modules or chips.

Anything labeled Cisco memory is almost certainly produced by another vendor, but certified to work in Cisco equipment. If you're using it in a non-Cisco environment, it should work as well as any decent grade memory.

Watch the memory specs, however. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that some Cisco equipment uses ECC (error correcting) memory that most PC workstations can't handle.

Cisco memory is vital for Cisco network hardware including Cisco routers, Cisco switches, and firewalls. Questions above from Cisco users told us their common problems while choosing Cisco memory. How many types of Cisco memory? How is it used in Cisco network equipment?

Right, one secret to Cisco "Original" memory is that Cisco does not manufacture any memory themselves. The memory parts customers get when they purchase Cisco equipment are manufactured by a Cisco approved OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer). The OEM could be any company from Cisco's Approved Vendor List (AVL) which includes companies such as OKI Semiconductor, NEC Electronics, and Samsung among others. Cisco does not make their AVL public.

Approved/OEM Cisco memory refers to memory parts manufactured by companies on Cisco's AVL; these memory modules have been engineered specifically for use by Cisco Systems and undergo strict and comprehensive testing before being approved by Cisco for use with their routers and other products. These modules are guaranteed to have 100% compatibility with their corresponding Cisco equipment and are backed by a lifetime warranty.

Third party memory modules on the other hand are manufactured by companies not on Cisco's AVL and are not tested nor approved by Cisco Systems. The manufacturer does offer warranty and compatibility guarantee for these memory modules but Cisco does not. And although manufacturers of such memory modules claim to be fully compliant with Cisco's specifications, Cisco does hold the right to refuse service, under warranty, when the fault is deemed to be caused by the 3rd party memory modules. 

There are advantages to both choices. The specter that Cisco could deny warranty service to those using third party memories is the best reason to only purchase Cisco Original memory. Both Cisco original and third party memory are built to the benchmarks set by Cisco by large OEM semiconductor companies, and third party memory provides a lower cost option to users with budget constraints.