Help with RAM upgrade please!!

Oh my.....I finally decided to upgrade my ram and also upgrade to XP home. I ordered 256MB Dell Dimension PC133 SDRAM DIMM (p/n 311-2502) which is recommended for my computer in which I received today. So today I shut everything down and did the install of the module and rebooted my computer and it did nothing but bring up some goobly gopp, so I shut it down and rechecked the connection and rebooted and the only thing that came up that time was the Dell logo at startup. I shut it down again and I took the module out and rebooted my computer and I got a setup screen that said to hit del to make any changes....which I didn't I just exited, but there was a sentence that said the memory was decreased. I took out the new ram and rebooted and here I am with no upgrade :cry
I have upgraded the memory on one of our other computers and had no problem.
I did some google research and went to PC World and their instructions were what I did. I hope that this makes sense and that someone can help me and tell me what I am doing wrong!!! Thanks in advance!! KathyM

 

It is always possible that your new stick of ram is faulty - but if you want to try it again, - when you put the extra stick of ram in, and restart the system- press f2, or del, to go into the bios, and select 'load defaults', or similar which tells you to press f5, or another key to select, then click f10, to accept the changes, click enter, and try it.
Sometimes the system needs to acknowledge the change / addition in hardware, to accept it.

 

thank you....I am going to shut it down tonight and give it another try tomorrow and will post an update. Thanks!! KathyM

 

Re: Help with RAM upgrade please!! Update!!!

Hi everyone!! UPDATE!! Well, I had to exchange my memory stick due to it being faulty....waited another week, installed it and upgraded to XP Home and my computer has been really fast So, I wanted to say thanks to all that helped me!!!!

BUT I have another problem :cry I bought a memory stick for my husbands computer..a 256MB Dell Dimension 4400 184 Pin PC2100 DDR DIMM (p/n 311-1282) installed it and booted up and checked the System Info and now it shows 512MB...BUT, I keep getting an error window that pops up saying "low memory" (short version) and get one for Norton AV saying not enough disk space for live update......All non-usable programs have been uninstalled (e.g. Samsung, etc) and still keep getting the message.

I have spent a few hours sorting thru past threads here in hopes of finding an answer and was unsuccessful...(although I found them all very interesting and learned a few things) I also started MemTest86 about 3 hours ago and it just kept running!! I finally just stopped it, but is it supposed to do this??How long is it supposed to take??

Is there something that I am missing??? Any help would be sooooo appreciated as I am ready to pull out my husbands hair

Thanks!! KathyM

 

Again, this could be compatability (too slow), as Dell shows a pc 3200, 400mhz rating for your hubby's computer

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...9&category_id=4325&mfgpid=190889&chassisid=-1
The lower rating of pc 2100, will bring overal rating down to 2100.

 

I checked the link and that is a 512MB memory stick. I bought a 256MB...I also researched what one I needed and that is the one I bought. Am I missing something here? Should I have bought a 512MB instead of 256MB? Thanks, KathyM

 

That link showed the 4400, and whether it was a 256, or, 512 the rating would be the same.
It was o.k to buy a 256, but the rating of the one is lower than the Dell specification, for the 4400 .
Of course, I could be mistaken, if its not the same Dell model, but that's what Dell pointed to, when I asked for upgrade compatible ram for the Dell Dimension 4400, so I would expect it to be the correct one for the Dell Dimension 4400. Where did you get your ram from ?
I found that when I wanted a compatable ram for another Dell, they appear to use a Kingstn, but with a specific number to it. I have known a computer to play up with a double sided stick of ram, because it did not like anything but a single sided stick, of the same , or similar value.
Computers can be very choosy with ram.

 

I went to Memoryten's website ( originally went to Office Depot and that is the website they gave me) and looked up the information and what I bought is what was recommended for this particular Dell. Do you think they would have given me the wrong info? I will send it back if that is the case.....your input is appreciated!! KathyM

 

This is what I found when I just went to the Dell website....
""Kingston
256 MB PC2100 SDRAM 184-Pin DIMM DDR Memory Module for Dimension 4400 Desktop SystemDIMM 184-pin DDR SDRAM
Usually Ships Within 24 Hours
Manufacturer Part# KTD4400/256
Dell Part# A0449885
Data Integrity Check: Non-ECC
Technology: DDR SDRAM
Memory Speed: 266 MHz ( PC2100 ) ""

This is the one that I bought from Memoryten...

What I dont understand is why it recognizes it but I am still out of memory...should I replace it? Thanks, Kathy

 

Kathy there is a difference between memory and disk space. In My Computer right click the C: drive and select properties. How much free disk space do you have?

 

Good morning....there is 84.9MB free out of 18.5GB disk drive. So, how do I get more disk space without deleting programs? Thanks!! KathyM

 

You could do a few things to try to find space (20GB is a bit tight these days because some programs have gotten so large).

1) Back at My Computer>C: Properties >On General Tab choose Disk Clean Up

2) Also on Tools tab choose Check Errors and tick both Check boxes. You'll have to reboot your computer for this and it will take 5 minutes or so. (There is a slight chance it could find a little misallocated space).

3) Get CCleaner http://majorgeeks.com/CCleaner_Slim_No_Toolbar_d4191.html and run the cleaner. If you haven't run this in a while it will get rid of some junk files. If you care about internet history and auto_complete information in your browser be sure to uncheck these items before running. There are two tabs in the left hand pane be sure to look at the applications tab and read through what it will remove. This is a very safe program, I just don't like anything to delete my FF cookies automatically so I uncheck that box.

4) You could try WinDirStat http://windirstat.info/ which gives you a graphical picture of your HD. By clicking on the large boxes which represent large files you may find something you forgot about that is taking up a lot of space. Only delete files you recognize. Music or photos you have copies of a good bet.

5) Last, if you don't use system restore you could reduce the space it uses or turn it off. You may have already done this looking at your numbers. On the desktop>right click My Computer select Properties and there is a System Restore tab that has a slider to reduce space and a check box that will turn it off.

If any of the above find a decent amount of space a Defragment would be in order. Also on the tools menu in My Comp>C: properties.

Finally, if none of the above find enough space there is an option to turn off the "Low disk space" pop up bubble.

 

Sach2 has given you the gen - obviously low disc space will give you the problems. Dell showed 3200 ram, but if it is 2100, then that's o.k.
You need between 1gb,and 1.5gb of free disc space to be able to copy, or run programs efficiently.
Your other choice, if you cannot clean up enough space, is to add another hard drive- then use it for data - transfer your data (pictures etc: to the other drive, and run the programs , only from your original drive.
This would help it to run quicker, and by having your data on a second drive, would be useful if you wanted to reinstall at any time, through corruption, or, whatever, as you can keep all your data safe, on the second drive. Otherwise, replace the original with a larger hard drive (they can be as cheap as ram, nowadays) and use the new drive copying utility to transfer the complete present hard drive contents to the new drive. Once up and running, you could format the old drive, and use that as a second drive, as a backup for your data, or, just extra storage.

 

Oh goodness....I have defraged, disk cleanup and now will go in a clean up some old ebay pics....a question I have is this....does having a ton of emails and folders in outlook express take up a lot of space?
I will get CCleaner on his computer and do a clean....I will also turn down the system restore. Also, how do I turn off the "low disk bubble"?

Also, when the time comes I will come here for more specific instructions on a larger hard drive....thanks all....I'll be back!! KathyM

 

To turn off low disk bubble: Number 65 at this site http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm Right click the link at 65 and "Save link as" use the default name. Then find the file and right click and select merge. It will make the change in the registry. Kelly's Corner is a safe site.

 

Thanks....I'll give it a try!! KathyM