Ram memory help please
Discussion
Bought some new ram to bung in the Dell.Put into the right slots,and the machine just wont boot.
Spec:
Initial ram was 2 x 256mb ddr2 pc2 3200 200 mhz samsung.
Bought 2 x512mb ddr2 pc2 4200 generic 533 mhz
Have tried just using the bigger sticks on their own and it wont boot.
Any ideas ?
TIA
F
Spec:
Initial ram was 2 x 256mb ddr2 pc2 3200 200 mhz samsung.
Bought 2 x512mb ddr2 pc2 4200 generic 533 mhz
Have tried just using the bigger sticks on their own and it wont boot.
Any ideas ?
TIA
F
Or equally likely it doesn't like the size of it.
I seem to remember that there are some compatability issues to do with the number of chips/pages/sides/whatever some dimms have in some motherboards.
Does one at a time work?
Have you tried putting the details of your dell into one of the online memory configurators that kingston memory has on their site?
Have you tried clearing the bios, or setting back to defaults? - that often helps if the memory speeds are locked in the bios. Also helps if the memory speed is set by the register on the dimm - your motherboard may not recognise the newer memory and want to be set up manually.
Is the original memory something silly such as ecp?
I seem to remember that there are some compatability issues to do with the number of chips/pages/sides/whatever some dimms have in some motherboards.
Does one at a time work?
Have you tried putting the details of your dell into one of the online memory configurators that kingston memory has on their site?
Have you tried clearing the bios, or setting back to defaults? - that often helps if the memory speeds are locked in the bios. Also helps if the memory speed is set by the register on the dimm - your motherboard may not recognise the newer memory and want to be set up manually.
Is the original memory something silly such as ecp?
jimmyjimjim said:
Or equally likely it doesn't like the size of it.
I seem to remember that there are some compatability issues to do with the number of chips/pages/sides/whatever some dimms have in some motherboards.
Does one at a time work?
Have you tried putting the details of your dell into one of the online memory configurators that kingston memory has on their site?
Have you tried clearing the bios, or setting back to defaults? - that often helps if the memory speeds are locked in the bios. Also helps if the memory speed is set by the register on the dimm - your motherboard may not recognise the newer memory and want to be set up manually.
Is the original memory something silly such as ecp?
I seem to remember that there are some compatability issues to do with the number of chips/pages/sides/whatever some dimms have in some motherboards.
Does one at a time work?
Have you tried putting the details of your dell into one of the online memory configurators that kingston memory has on their site?
Have you tried clearing the bios, or setting back to defaults? - that often helps if the memory speeds are locked in the bios. Also helps if the memory speed is set by the register on the dimm - your motherboard may not recognise the newer memory and want to be set up manually.
Is the original memory something silly such as ecp?
Bios wont let me in to change any of the settings.I havnt tried a single one yet tho.
Dont know what ecp is, sorry.
F
Rip the memory out and put the originals back in. Make sure the system boots fine.
Next either grab the manual for the system (or go to dell.co.uk) and look up the technical spefications of your system, it should tell you what exactly is and is not compatible. If you poke around the dell site you might find an updated BIOS, see if the change log/readme for that mentions adding more options for memory.
Gut feeling is the BIOS doesn't like the memory, I'm not above considering it but usually differences in speed (newer = faster) can be ignored as the RAM will just run underspec which is not an issue... but you never know.
Next either grab the manual for the system (or go to dell.co.uk) and look up the technical spefications of your system, it should tell you what exactly is and is not compatible. If you poke around the dell site you might find an updated BIOS, see if the change log/readme for that mentions adding more options for memory.
Gut feeling is the BIOS doesn't like the memory, I'm not above considering it but usually differences in speed (newer = faster) can be ignored as the RAM will just run underspec which is not an issue... but you never know.
ThePassenger said:
Rip the memory out and put the originals back in. Make sure the system boots fine.
Next either grab the manual for the system (or go to dell.co.uk) and look up the technical spefications of your system, it should tell you what exactly is and is not compatible. If you poke around the dell site you might find an updated BIOS, see if the change log/readme for that mentions adding more options for memory.
Gut feeling is the BIOS doesn't like the memory, I'm not above considering it but usually differences in speed (newer = faster) can be ignored as the RAM will just run underspec which is not an issue... but you never know.
Next either grab the manual for the system (or go to dell.co.uk) and look up the technical spefications of your system, it should tell you what exactly is and is not compatible. If you poke around the dell site you might find an updated BIOS, see if the change log/readme for that mentions adding more options for memory.
Gut feeling is the BIOS doesn't like the memory, I'm not above considering it but usually differences in speed (newer = faster) can be ignored as the RAM will just run underspec which is not an issue... but you never know.
As in just get some differnt memeory of the same spec ? I was under the impression, that as you said, if the mem was faster and couldnt run at full tilt it would juts run a bit slower.
Will speak to my mem supplier in the morning.
Cheers
F
Furyous said:
ThePassenger said:
Rip the memory out and put the originals back in. Make sure the system boots fine.
Next either grab the manual for the system (or go to dell.co.uk) and look up the technical spefications of your system, it should tell you what exactly is and is not compatible. If you poke around the dell site you might find an updated BIOS, see if the change log/readme for that mentions adding more options for memory.
Gut feeling is the BIOS doesn't like the memory, I'm not above considering it but usually differences in speed (newer = faster) can be ignored as the RAM will just run underspec which is not an issue... but you never know.
Next either grab the manual for the system (or go to dell.co.uk) and look up the technical spefications of your system, it should tell you what exactly is and is not compatible. If you poke around the dell site you might find an updated BIOS, see if the change log/readme for that mentions adding more options for memory.
Gut feeling is the BIOS doesn't like the memory, I'm not above considering it but usually differences in speed (newer = faster) can be ignored as the RAM will just run underspec which is not an issue... but you never know.
As in just get some differnt memeory of the same spec ? I was under the impression, that as you said, if the mem was faster and couldnt run at full tilt it would juts run a bit slower.
Will speak to my mem supplier in the morning.
Cheers
F
I was under that impression but it's definately not the case with Athlon XP chips as I found out.
spitfire-ian said:
Furyous said:
ThePassenger said:
Rip the memory out and put the originals back in. Make sure the system boots fine.
Next either grab the manual for the system (or go to dell.co.uk) and look up the technical spefications of your system, it should tell you what exactly is and is not compatible. If you poke around the dell site you might find an updated BIOS, see if the change log/readme for that mentions adding more options for memory.
Gut feeling is the BIOS doesn't like the memory, I'm not above considering it but usually differences in speed (newer = faster) can be ignored as the RAM will just run underspec which is not an issue... but you never know.
Next either grab the manual for the system (or go to dell.co.uk) and look up the technical spefications of your system, it should tell you what exactly is and is not compatible. If you poke around the dell site you might find an updated BIOS, see if the change log/readme for that mentions adding more options for memory.
Gut feeling is the BIOS doesn't like the memory, I'm not above considering it but usually differences in speed (newer = faster) can be ignored as the RAM will just run underspec which is not an issue... but you never know.
As in just get some differnt memeory of the same spec ? I was under the impression, that as you said, if the mem was faster and couldnt run at full tilt it would juts run a bit slower.
Will speak to my mem supplier in the morning.
Cheers
F
I was under that impression but it's definately not the case with Athlon XP chips as I found out.
I suspect we're now in the days of "It *might* work" when it comes to running things underspec. BIOS's and memory controllers have become more intelligent and able to detect what are (to them) invalid settings... then refuse to POST. The annoying thing is I bet with the original RAM in place it'd let you overclock to the new RAM's speed.
Annoying.
It gets worse.Logged off and shut the pc down last night.Got up to find it stuck in a boot/reboot cycle.Had basically been doing this all night.
Got it booted, thought Id do a restore, halfway thru the restore,it just shut down and now wont do anything at all, fully dead.
Cant look at it till tonight now, but any ideas welcome.
F
Got it booted, thought Id do a restore, halfway thru the restore,it just shut down and now wont do anything at all, fully dead.
Cant look at it till tonight now, but any ideas welcome.
F
Just checked out Dell's web site and found the following info below, suspect they may of not been a matched pair or could be ECC memeory modules. As for the booting issue there is a new version of the bios v5a07 which I think is newer than what you have. Not sure about the fact that it's now dead thou... 
The recommended memory configurations are:
A pair of matched memory modules installed in DIMM connectors 1 and 2
or
A pair of matched memory modules installed in DIMM connectors 1 and 2 and another matched pair installed in DIMM connectors 3 and 4
NOTICE: Do not install ECC memory modules.
If you install mixed pairs of DDR2 400-MHz (PC2-3200) and DDR2 533-MHz (PC2-4300) memory, the modules function at the slowest speed installed.
Be sure to install a single memory module in DIMM connector 1, the connector closest to the processor, before you install modules in the other connectors.
The recommended memory configurations are:
A pair of matched memory modules installed in DIMM connectors 1 and 2
or
A pair of matched memory modules installed in DIMM connectors 1 and 2 and another matched pair installed in DIMM connectors 3 and 4
NOTICE: Do not install ECC memory modules.
If you install mixed pairs of DDR2 400-MHz (PC2-3200) and DDR2 533-MHz (PC2-4300) memory, the modules function at the slowest speed installed.
Be sure to install a single memory module in DIMM connector 1, the connector closest to the processor, before you install modules in the other connectors.
Also found this, it shows the different error lights which might also help point you in the right direction of the problem.
http://support.euro.dell.com/support/
http://support.euro.dell.com/support/
did you take appropriate anti-static care when installing the new RAM?
These symptons sound awfully like a faulty piece of hardware. Get into your BIOS and uncheck fast POST options, this will at leat check the memory fully. If the memory check fails then your old memory is now buggered, if it passes, but the system is still unstable then i would seriously consider the possibility that you have either fried your MoBo or your CPU. I used to do it all the time when overclocking MoBos which had to have the crystal replaced to increase the MHz.
Another thing you can do is unplug evertyhing aparts from the CPU and graphics card and try and boot- this will at least tell you if the system is stable when stripped down fully.
These symptons sound awfully like a faulty piece of hardware. Get into your BIOS and uncheck fast POST options, this will at leat check the memory fully. If the memory check fails then your old memory is now buggered, if it passes, but the system is still unstable then i would seriously consider the possibility that you have either fried your MoBo or your CPU. I used to do it all the time when overclocking MoBos which had to have the crystal replaced to increase the MHz.
Another thing you can do is unplug evertyhing aparts from the CPU and graphics card and try and boot- this will at least tell you if the system is stable when stripped down fully.
Furyous said:
Got it booted, thought Id do a restore, halfway thru the restore,it just shut down and now wont do anything at all, fully dead.
If under waranty, deny all knowledge of opening case
Phone Dell, get waranty repair procedures underway. If not under waranty, swear. Violently. Continue with other peoples advice as to stripping out add-in cards to check for damage.
Cant beleive it ! Git home last night, plugged the pc back in, and it fired up perfectly.Did a sys restore and all looks rosy.Needless to say, I have left the power lead off the back whilst not in use.
Have also found and ordered the right memory.The stuff I had wasnt a proper matched pair.
Does sharpen your mind ref having a decent back up tho.Now looking to add secondary hard drive as aback up drive.
Thanks to all for the advice.
F
Have also found and ordered the right memory.The stuff I had wasnt a proper matched pair.
Does sharpen your mind ref having a decent back up tho.Now looking to add secondary hard drive as aback up drive.
Thanks to all for the advice.
F
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