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Dell 4550 Desktop 1 gb to 2 gb (+ A08 BIOS) Upgrade Success then Fails on Restart
Hey Dell People;
Maybe you can help, or guide me where to post .. I'm getting having some trouble in making a smooth upgrade on my Dell 4550
I upgraded bios to A08 and then after 2 weeks of no problems, upgraded from factory 1 gb to 2 gb (DDR PC 2700, 333 Mhz) (I tried PC3200, but puter beeped & didnt startup)
On successful restart right after installing cards, the both computer startup and windows recognizes the 2 gb, HOWEVER, when I shut down & restart (at days end), I only get a black screen (CPU not recognizing? clock speed? processor multiplier settings?)
I can only successfully restart if I remove one of 1 gb cards, restart, shutdown prior to windows startup (I have a password enabled in the BIOS, so there's a chance to restart prior to windows XP starting), and reinstall the second 1bg card, and then it works again.. until the next shutdown.. Perhaps my CPU speed settings (set to normal, not compatible) or other settings are not correct? Any ideas are VERY appreciated..
fireberd
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October 16th, 2009 10:00
This is the correct forum for your hardware questions.
According to the Dell manual, 1GB is MAXIMUM. That is probably your problem.
From the manual:
Memory
Architecture
DDR SDRAM
Memory connectors
two
Memory capacities
128-, 256-, and 512-MB non-ECC DDR SDRAM
Minimum memory
128 MB
Maximum memory
1 GB
Memory type
DDR 266 (non-ECC) on computers with either a 400- or a 533-MHz system clock speed
rdunnill
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October 16th, 2009 11:00
Dell lists my 2350 as having a 1gb memory limit, but it works fine with 2gb of GSKILL PC3200.
I never tried my 4550 with more than 1gb RAM.
Arijay
3 Posts
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October 16th, 2009 11:00
Thanks for the reply fireberd,
but the 1 gb max has been proven a myth on many chat boards.. it seems that Dell listed 1 gb max at the time of printing, but the Intel chipset actually used can support up to 2 gb, and then never updated the info. I saw another post saying Dell has since retracted and says
Many other posters reported trouble free upgrades to 2 gb.
for the myth details see http://en.community.dell.com/wikis/desktop/dimension-4550-maximum-memory-2gb-not-1gb.aspx
fireberd
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October 16th, 2009 12:00
If it will work with 2GB, the brand of memory is an issue with many Dell's in that era. Some brands will work, some will not work mixed with other brands and to top it off one brand may work in one and not the other of the same brand. One known brand that does have problems in many Dells is the Kingston Value RAM (not the regular Kingston).
Crucial only lists 1GB max, but one important parameter, they show the required memory as 2.5/2.6V. If you happen to have 1.8V memory that could be one possible issue.
texsas
6 Posts
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October 17th, 2009 08:00
I previously had installed the A08 bios upgrade. No problems there.
The memory upgrade I installed went smooth, computer recognized it immediately. Every thing operated just fine afterwards.
I installed (2 cards) Kingston1GB DDR PC3200 400 MHz, part number KVR400/1GR
Hope this helps.
spmontgomery
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October 24th, 2009 15:00
I see that Dell are now officially supporting the use of 1Gb memory modules (PC3200 400). See here:
http://accessories.dell.com/sna/PopupProductDetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&cs=19&sku=A0740408&price=47#Overview
The reviews seem to be very much in favour.
canyonranger
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December 15th, 2010 09:00
They are officially supporting the use of 1 gig sticks, but for one slot only. they are still holding to the party line of the 4550 having only 1 gb max capability. They will not even test to see if 2 sticks will work. I just got off dell chat to see if they could verify 2 sticks would work and they refused to comment on what ihave found on Dell Community. In fact they were an inch from being belligerant. How sad. Now I am trying to find a gig stick on dell's site besides the one they recommend, less expensive than the one they recommend. The one they show you is $59.99, plus tax. I know that is probably inexpensive, but I am cheap, lol. I want to put two gig on my 12 yr old son's 4550 so he can use google sketchup which says it requires 2 gig. Would 1 gig stick work with one 512 stick I already have. Wish Dell techs could test and approve. They would find much more loyalty if they would.
rdunnill
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December 15th, 2010 17:00
I'd suggest trying 2gb of GSKILL -- $65 or so on Newegg.
I bought special "Atlas" memory for my 4550 back in 2005, and probably paid too much.
RoHe
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December 15th, 2010 18:00
I can't rule out a compatibility issue with the RAM you installed, but it sounds to me that maybe the motherboard battery is dead. So it doesn't remember what's installed after you shut down and restart.
If the battery is more than ~2-3 years old, it may be time to replace it. It's a CR2032 3-volt lithium ion battery, about $2-$3 at discount stores. I'd start by replacing that since it's cheaper than buying new RAM again. If that doesn't solve it, then you'll have to think about compatibility with the new RAM.
Ron