Broke Computer Installing RAM ... or did I?

thepensioner

Hi All,

Tried to help upgrade my folks computer & I’ve made a complete dog’s dinner of it

Computer is a Dell Dimension 4550 with an Intel Pentium 4 2.53GHz processor & 256MB of RAM. Operating System is Windows XP Home Service Pack 2 & its got all the automatic updates.

I attempted to install some additional RAM. Went down to PC World & picked up 2 x 512 chunks of memory. I know there’s a million different types so I gave them a printout of the system & the guys there gave me the appropriate RAM. There are only 2 slots for memory & you can only put in up to 1GB of RAM. So unplugged computer, opened top, had to remove graphics card to get at memory slots, took out old one & popped in the two new ones. Put back graphics card, closed top & plugged back in …

Then it got bad ... A beeping started. Methinks four beeps then a pause followed by a further three but I’m open to correction on the exact no. PC would not startup. So I didn’t panic straight away. I undid my installation & put back in the old memory. Same thing happened. I must have done something stupid. Not sure what I’ve done or how to fix it.

Finally, not sure if this is of any use, but on the back of the computer there are 4 little lights all lit up, one green & three orange. Methinks they are numbed 1-4.

As Homer J Simpson once said “Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is, never try.” I’ve learnt my lesson …

Thanks for reading & any suggestions gratefully received,

thepensioner

irlrobins

Which ones are green, which are orange and are they flashing. The light indicate the error message.

is_that_so

Here is the Dell page on the lights. See which one matches up. You could also try reseating everything.

Croc

If i am reading what you said correctly then No 1 is green if so the error is
"No memory modules are detected." According to Dell.

They say
* Reseat all memory modules, and then restart the computer.
* To eliminate the possibility of a faulty memory connector, remove all memory modules, reinstall one memory module (if the computer supports a single module), and then restart the computer. If the computer starts normally, move the memory module to a different connector and restart the computer. Continue until you have identified a faulty connector or reinstalled all modules without error.
* If the problem persists, see "Contacting Dell" in the Dell Owner's Manual for instructions on obtaining technical assistance.


Dell are very picky about their memory and what you can use unlike lots of other machines.

Don't be disheartened about trying to fix computers, i would hate to think about how many computers i broke trying to learn about them.

thepensioner

Thanks a million ... really decent of all of you to post. The lights are A=Green BC&D are all Orange ... so looks like "No memory modules are detected." ... I've got to take em out & put them back in again. Admittedly they (Dell) do say ... "snap" & i didn't hear a snap into place. I'll try & do that right now

Croc

Yes they should quite literally "snap" into place. If you have you done it right the white plastic holders at each end should snap into place as well. Make sure you have them in the right way round by the way. Should be notches on the underside of the ram stick.

thepensioner

Thank you all so much Yes I'm a long time lurker first time poster but I have to say THANK YOU ... Thanks to your encouragement & advice I took out & pushed back in the RAM until I heard a SNAP & the computer works & my reputation has been saved with my folks

I don't know why this forum was setup but if it was to help people ... then thanks ... you've done that You saved my rep with my folks, rescued my weekend & made me take the computer out of the back of the car & back onto the floor, fix the problem & save me a few quid & save not only some self respect but also, more importantly, restore my faith in humanity. Sounds silly I know but Thanks

thepensioner

Croc

You welcome, glad we could help.

As i said earlier don't be afraid to mess with them i don't know how many i broke in the process but its all worth it for the knowledge.