memory upgrade on XP system

[kevin]

I had been wanting to upgrade my laptop (DELL Inspiron
5000) for sometime. Two weeks ago I took the plunged and
upgraded my 9 gb hard drive for a 40 gb. When I did this
I upgraded my OS from 2000 pro to XP pro. Reloaded all
of my software and all was good in the world.

Then I decided to upgrade my ram from the meager 192 mb
that had been installed to 512 mb (max that can be
installed on board). I had ordered the memory from
memory-up (they promise not to go out of business if the
memory is crap). The memory modules are SAMSUNG 256 mb
PC100 16 x 8 -16 Chips 144 pin SO-DIMM SDRAM. I loaded
both SDRAM modules and when I went to start the system to
enjoy the new resources. Instead, I got a blue screen
flash up. "System 32 missing or corrupt...", then the PC
rebooted. Then it rebooted. Then it rebooted. It never
made it to the Windows start-up screen.

Finally i pulled the battery. Replaced the original
memory, and after a couple of attempts and some magic
words (#@%&!^^) the laptop booted and has been running
well behaved ever since. The question that I have is,
did I run afoul of a MICROSOFT XP commandment "Thou shalt
not upgrade your hardware without our permission" or is
it more likely that I received some bad stuff in the form
of SDRAM?

Thanking you in advance for your help

kevin

 

[David Jones]

It's more likely hardware (such as bad RAM, incompatible
RAM, you accidentally jiggered something else while you
installed it, etc). That's reinforced by the fact that
you can boot again with the original RAM.

You'll know when the activation procedure triggers,
because it will tell you specifically that you need to
activate again.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

It's either defective, sub-standard, or incompatible RAM.

It's absolutely essential that any new RAM module be compatible
with both the motherboard and any other RAM module(s) in the system.
Additionally, there are sometimes jumper switches on older
motherboards that need to be reset for the new RAM configuration.
Consult your motherboard's manual.


Bruce Chambers

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having both at once. -- RAH

 

[CS]

On Wed, 3 Dec 2003 17:48:46 -0800, "kevin" <[email protected]>
wrote:

Hi Kevin:

Bad or incompatible memory - more than likely. Notebooks are very
fussy about memory. Do yourself a favor and return the modules to
"memory - up" and order instead from Crucial. A bit more expensive
but you'll get the correct memory. Go to www.crucial.com. I just
looked up your Dell model = 256MB SDRAM PC-100 module is
$105.99, part number CT184800.

Good luck.

 

[Dick]

I just got a new Dell with 512 mb and after Win XP and Office 2003
loaded it didn't leave me with all that much memory for my Excel
spreadsheets. I did some research as to what specifications I needed for
the replacement chip and OfficeMax had one on sale. It was a Kingston
chip that had the right specs but did not have any model number on it.
On the shipping slip for my Dell they had a Kingston memory module
number listed but when I pulled the case open there was a Micro chip in
there instead. I couldn't get the Kingston chip to fit in the slot so I
took it back and since Crucial specializes in Micron memory chips I
ordered one through them by following their menu selection process and
got it and it slipped right into the slot and has worked great ever since.

Dick