Problems with adding Ram?

BaileyB

Can anyone help?

I have a Dell 3000 and searched the internet to see what Ram will fit it and it's

DDR PC3200 and max of 2gb

I even had Crucial search my machine and it told me the same.

Now the Ram cam today and whenh i put it in the slots the tower would not power up only make a strange noise. A bit like a van/lorry reversing sound.

I then put 1 stick of each in 1 - 1gb and 1 - 256 but still made the same noise.

I then out the old ram back in and all works again.

so where am i going wrong?

Browntoa

was the ram from crucial ??

found this

If you receive a "Memory available limited to 256MB!" message after installing more than 256MB, enter BIOS and turn OS Install to OFF. Exit saving changes

worth a try anyway !!

PeteHerts

Browntoa wrote:

was the ram from crucial ??

found this

If you receive a "Memory available limited to 256MB!" message after installing more than 256MB, enter BIOS and turn OS Install to OFF. Exit saving changes

worth a try anyway !!

Also some ram isnt capatible with every machine (stupid i know) and you have to shell out more sometimes for the better names but you have to make sure because there are variantes ever so minor but crucial

BaileyB

Well i get no message at all.

This is what appears from the scan at Crucial.
* Maximum Memory Capacity: 2048MB
* Currently Installed Memory: 512MB
* Available Memory Slots: 0
* Number of Banks: 2
* Dual Channel Support: Yes
* CPU Manufacturer: GenuineIntel
* CPU Family: Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU 2.66GHz Model 4, Stepping 1
* CPU Speed: 2660 MHz
* If you receive a "Memory available limited to 256MB!" message after installing more than 256MB, enter BIOS and turn OS Install to OFF. Exit saving changes.

Currently installed memory:
256MB
DDR PC2700
256MB
DDR PC2700
Each memory slot can hold DDR PC3200,DDR PC2700 with a maximum of 1GB per slot.*

Browntoa

have you tried the change to the BIOS setting, just because you don't get the message it may still be the cause

BaileyB

Yes the BIOS shows OS Install to OFF.

and still same problem

drlight_2

have you tried testing your ram - got into bios & disable "quick post"

madpom

The bleeping noises indicate a "hardware error" - usually a core device is missing or not functioning. If you hear the beeps when the new memory is inserted it would suggest a fault with the sticks. This is backed up by the fact that with the original RAM it boots up ok. Try removing the original memory and insert the new sticks into the exact same slots (banks) and make sure they are firmly pushed down (so that the side clamps move inwards to keep the memory secure).

If you have another machine to try the memory in I would suggest that - it could save a lot of messing if the chips are faulty.

As an aside - are the new stick(s) 1Gb in size? Some Motherboards (Asus I know for a fact are one) of that era had problems with some 1Gb sticks, but not all.

drlight_2

Could have the right motherboard but with the wrong bios version. If you know how to check dell for updates see if they have an updated bios for your motherboard.

BaileyB

Thanks guys something to work on today. Will let you know how i get on

How do i find out what motherboard i have?

BaileyB

drlight wrote:

have you tried testing your ram - got into bios & disable "quick post"

I cannot find "Quick Post" in my Bios - It's a Dell Machine