Dell: RAM FAILURE? MotherBoard? Windows?
RAM FAILURE? MotherBoard? Windows?
by moonfox40 - 3/21/09 7:31 PMDell Inspiron 600m; OS = Windows XP SP3
I'm using a Dell Inspiron 600m laptop that just started to have memory problems. About 1 year ago, I upgrade each of 2 original 256MB Dell ram cards to two 1GB ea Crucial ram cards that have worked well until now.
On boot-up, I get a "memory failed" message, and the available memory is reduced to 1 GB. To trouble-shoot this, I removed the card in DIMM B. Boot was then okay. I switched the card in DIMM A to DIMM B - still with okay results.
I set aside the first card and inserted the second card in DIMM A, then DIMM B, both with good results.
I then put both cards back into the ram slots, only in reverse order of their original position, and again got the memory failed message. I reversed them back to the original position and got the same message, so I remove the card in DIMM B and have again been working okay with only 1 GB ram.
I phoned Crucial, who promptly sent me two new 1 GB ram card which experienced the exact same symptoms as above, so apparently, the problem is not with the ram cards.
My computer will boot with only 1 ram card and continues to work okay with 1 GB ram in either slot. It just won't work with the 2 cards installed. Dell Tech Support would not help. I sent the two new cards back to Crucial, but my problem still exists.
Is my motherboard failing? Is Windows XP failing? Any ideas?
Thanks,
manual
by mlg63 - 3/22/09 6:01 PM In reply to: RAM FAILURE? MotherBoard? Windows? by moonfox40Did you follow these instructions from your manual? NOTICE: If you need to install memory modules in two connectors, install a memory module in the connector labeled "JDIM (Slot 1)" before you install a module in the connector labeled "JDIM2."
RAM FAILURE? MotherBoard? Windows? Failing?
by moonfox40 - 3/22/09 6:30 PM In reply to: manual by mlg63Unlike desktops, the Dell Inspiron 600m laptop only had two slots for RAM cards. About a year ago, I replaced the original two 250 MB cards with two Crucial 1 GB cards. It has been working well with the two 1 GB cards for about a year until the recent problem as I described in my original post. Now I am using only 1 1GB card in DIMM-A, but I have learned the computer will work okay with either 1 GB card placed into either DIMM slot. It just won't work with the 2 1 GB cards installed.
Perplexing.
Problem -> Solutions
by msgale - 3/24/09 12:14 PM In reply to: RAM FAILURE? MotherBoard? Windows? Failing? by moonfox40I don't know, just a guess, but, DID YOU RUN DIAGNOSTICS?
Failing MB?
by moonfox40 - 3/24/09 4:32 PM In reply to: Problem -> Solutions by msgaleNo, I did not run any diagnostic program. Could you point me to where I could find one for this Dell Inspiron 600m?
Diagnostics
by msgale - 3/24/09 4:48 PM In reply to: Failing MB? by moonfox40You can download them from the Dell support site.
Failing MB?
by moonfox40 - 3/25/09 8:35 PM In reply to: Diagnostics by msgaleI recalled that my Dell would launch Diagnostics by pressing F12 during the boot process. I shut down, removed the battery, unplugged the power and replaced the 1 GB ram card that I had removed earlier – now existing is 2 1GB ram cards. I reconnected everything and rebooted. Initially, the BIOS and system information recognized 2048 ram but on a another reboot I got this message:
Memory write/read failure at 7FFEE0000, read FE11FE10 expecting FE11FE11.
Memory address line failure at 7FFE0000, read FE11FE11 expecting 01010101.
Memoryh write/read failure at 40000008, read 00EF00EE expecting 00EF00FF.
Decreasing available memory.
The amount of system memory has changed.
Strike the F1 key to continue, F2 to run the setup utility.
(Setup now shows 1024 MB instead of the 2048 as described in my original post.
I proceeded with F1 and F12 to run diagnostics. All tests passed.
Any ideas?
Failing MB?
by Dell-Bill_B
- 3/25/09 9:53 PM
In reply to: Failing MB? by moonfox40
moonfox40,
I have seen this problem with non-Dell memory before, but never have I seen it start after working fine for a year. Have you updated to the latest BIOS? Did you maybe update your BIOS right before the problem started? If rolling back or updating the BIOS has no affect on the symptoms, I'd go ahead and guess it's the mobo, since you got the same symptoms with a new set of Crucial RAM. Do you still have the original Dell RAM? Maybe it will complete POST and see all of that RAM in the BIOS?
Finally! Me too!!
by chrisjburt - 6/4/09 10:18 PM In reply to: Failing MB? by Dell-Bill_B
I have been searching online for this exact fault (mine with a Compaq Presario laptop) with what was formerly a tolerable 512Mb RAM, now limited to an excrutiating 256Mb.
With both chipsets installed, in either position, it fails. With either one in, in either slot, it's fine. What gives?
I have updated the BIOS, the CPU, have used both memtest86+ v2.11 and Windows Memory Diagnostic. Both utilities fail ONLY when both sets are installed, again, in either position.
As you'll see from the information below, memtest has better details, and in fact (I think) is all around the better utility. However, although both are quick to point out that there is a fault, neither one is ANSWERING MY QUESTION!! I suspect the RAM is actually fine. But is it? Do my test scenarios below mean anythign to anyone? Is it the motherboard?
Here is the system information for both utilities in various combinations for the bad computer, and one good computer. The test results are useless (from what I can tell given the peculiarity of this scenario). It seems the obvious thing is that there is no memory mapping for
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GOOD COMPUTER:
DIMM_B (memtest) = type: 1024MB DDR SDRAM DIMM
DIMM_B (WMD) = "mapped to: "{shows mapping}
DIMM_A (memtest) = type: 1024MB DDR SDRAM DIMM
DIMM_A (WMD) = "mapped to: "{shows mapping}
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BAD COMPUTER (1 SET IN U5)
U5 (memtest) = 256MB DRAM DIMM "mapped to: 000000000000-00000ffffc00"
U5 (WMD) = type: 256MB DRAM DIMM
U6 (memtest) = "Empty" "mapped to: No mapping (Interleaved Device)"
U6 (WMD) = "Not Populated"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BAD COMPUTER (1 SET IN U6)
U5 (memtest) = "Empty" "mapped to: 000000000000-000000000400"
U5 (WMD) = "Not Populated"
U6 (memtest) = 256MB DRAM DIMM "mapped to: No mapping (Interleaved Device)"
U6 (WMD) = "type: 256MB DRAM DIMM"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BAD COMPUTER (1 SET IN U5; 1 SET IN U6)
U5 (memtest) = "256MB DRAM DIMM" "mapped to: 000000000000-00000ffffc00"
U5 (WMD) = "type: 256MB DRAM DIMM"
U6 (memtest) = "256MB DRAM DIMM" "mapped to: No mapping (Interleaved Device)"
U6 (WMD) = "type: 256MB DRAM DIMM"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks for the help,
Chris
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