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15798
November 13th, 2008 12:00
XPS 420 Memory upgrade problem !!
I purchased PC2-6400 DDR2 800mhz memory with my XPS 420 system. It also came with a Vista 32 bit Home Premium OS.
I have now installed a Vista 64bit OS and then put in 2 each 4gb Kits (filling all four slots) of Crucial PC2-6400 CL6, (CT2CP25664AA800) 800 mhz, 240 pin, unbuffered, non ecc, kits onto the Intel X38 Express Chipset TP 406 motherboard. This then gave me a total of 8gb of memory for my system.
When I started up the system with this new configuration it gave me a memory error code, as I remember it; Code 0123 or Msg 2000-0123?
Anyway, It would not boot up, period.
I then took these two (4gb) kits out, and reinstalled the 4ea 1gb memory (filling all four slots) that came with my system back into the computer and it works just fine.
What in the world is going on here?
The TP 406 motherboard has a limit of 4gb of memory for a Vista 32bit OS, and allows for 8gb on a 64bit OS. Can anyone tell me what I should be doing to achieve an 8gb memory configuration with this motherboard?
Is there something that I am not considering in trying to successfully achieve more memory installed for the 64bit OS on my computer?
As a side note. This is really a confusing methodolgy to log onto this forum :emotion-15:
Davet50
6 Operator
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14.4K Posts
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November 13th, 2008 13:00
Have you tried to boot with just two of the sticks in the slot to make 4 gig? Not the singles but the 2gigs.
mp3
8 Posts
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November 13th, 2008 19:00
I did install 3each 2gb of the new memory, giving me a total of 6gb of memory which was recognized by the system and also let me go to the desktop, and it worked ok. When I had all four 2gb dimms installed it gave me a memory error. I experimented with trying to find out which dimm might be defective. I thought that I actually found that one specific dimm that gave me the error and I removed it, as I did not get the memory error at start up with that dimm removed. Then I eventually removed all of the 6gb of memory and replaced them with the original 4ea 1gb dimms. This is where I am at until I can understand how to proceed in resolving the situation.
Thereal-dbk4297
4 Apprentice
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3.4K Posts
1
November 13th, 2008 20:00
Hello,
It seems that you need to update your BIOS to support 64bit OS.
Here is the download page for the 420 64bit. Since the system shipped with a 32bit software it can't really use 8GB without the new BIOS. You 'may' also have to install the chipset upgrade.
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Darrell
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mp3
8 Posts
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November 14th, 2008 08:00
Thanks for the information. I received this computer in the first week of October. The BIOS version is A06. I installed a 64bit OS, full install, about two weeks ago. Everything about the 64 bit OS is working great.
Is the Ver A06 BIOS a version that supports either a 32bit OS or a 64bit (Ultimate) OS?
I am not sure about how to do 2 things that you indicated; 1. I do not have a tutorial about how to flash the BIOS, I assume that is the correct terminology to use?? 2. I do not know how to update the Chipset (Intel 38 Express.. what version I don't know??) either.
How does one determine what version of chipset is installed?
I tried going to the link you provided, but as of now, I cannot get anything to download, either the BIOS for a 64 bit (I assume that this is the one to look at? vs the 32bit one? I will try later on to get something to download, but am having problems getting to that point.
As of right now I have installed 2ea 2gb (800mhz) modules and the system recognizes this. I previously had 3ea 2gb installed and the system recognized 6gb of memory installed, does this indicate anything? I will attempt to install another 2gb module and see if I can duplicate my prior status. Again thanks for the interest.
mp3
8 Posts
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November 14th, 2008 12:00
I have installed, in a different method, all 4 of the 2gb DIMMS and my 64bit Vista Ultimate OS recognized all 8gbs of memory and the Performance Experience rating is at 5.9. I hope that this holds up over time. Thanks for your comments and suggestions about my labors.
Hanspuppa
799 Posts
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November 14th, 2008 12:00
I have an XPS420 also that came with 4X1 GB modules. I upgraded the Vista x64 bit also and ordered 4X2 Gb modules, removed the original modules and installed the new 2 GB modules. Then went into the BIOS (F2) and ran a system test. This checks all the hardware and also the memory. It takes a while to do this. The test finished and verified all the hardware to be working without errors. I then booted into Vista x64 and noticed an increase in performance. I have learned, over the years, to always check memory, even new memory, whenever I install it. Memory errors can reak havoc on an operating system. I have always used Memtest on a floppy disk for the memory test, but since I have no floppy drive on this Dell system, I use the Dell Hardware test. It seems to do well. I suspect one of your new modules to be defective. A memory test would verify this or prove them to be error free. Hope this helps.