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aussiemick

13 Posts

906

July 16th, 2006 02:00

New Upgrade probs

I just bought a new Video Card and another stick of memory. The vid card was a nvidia 6600 OC agp 256 and the ram was DDR 1 gig. I put them into my machione and boot the system up and nothing registers on the monitor.The power light stays amber. SO i pull them out an dput the old ard in and same thing,nothing registers on the monitor with the old stuff in. I get my wifes monitor and hook it up to mine and it tells me the monitor is in safe mode. I push buttons on keyboard it goes from safe mode to nothing. I have a dimension 4550. Anyone with any ideas on what to do. I have thought about putting my hd in wifes machine formatting it and trying to boot my machine up to see if that works and then reinstall it all.. Anyone got any ideas or help. I just checked the diag lights and its green,yellow,yellow,yellow

Thanks in advance,

Mick

Message Edited by aussiemick on 07-15-200610:53 PM

aussiemick

13 Posts

July 16th, 2006 03:00

I got the memory from Bestbuy,which is where i have bought my other ram from and haven't had a problem with it. So there is no problem with the new video card,its the memory?

Trying the suggestions now.

Thanks,

Mick

Added: Tried reseating the memory and no luck,still g,y,y,y and the beeps 1,3,2. I tried the memory as singles,then together and nothing

Message Edited by aussiemick on 07-15-200611:25 PM

aussiemick

13 Posts

July 16th, 2006 03:00

The system is back to the original way now,before the add ons went in. That is a stick of 512 and 256 ram and an old geforce4 mx 420 card

jrwou1

244 Posts

July 16th, 2006 03:00

Sorry, didn't see your added comments at the bottom. The beep codes also indicate a problem with the RAM.

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim4550/advanced.htm#1211312

If you're sure that you have the memory fully seated (original and new; seperate and/or together), then you may have accidently "zapped" the old memory when taking it out and didn't realize it.? Unless you're able to get the old memory to work, it will be hard to pin down whether the new module is not compatible. As for the video card can you try it in the other pc?

jrwou1

244 Posts

July 16th, 2006 03:00

According to the diagnostic code try these steps:

  • 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

  • You can see the full list of codes here:

    http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim4550/advanced.htm#1118998

    Also, where did you get your RAM? Dell's are notoriously picky whenit comes to RAM. The most recommended vendor on these forums is www.crucial.com. They guarantee that the memory will work.

aussiemick

13 Posts

July 16th, 2006 03:00

Hmm tried the new ram an dold ram,and previous ram i had taken out of the machine and tried them in all different combos and still no luck

jrwou1

244 Posts

July 16th, 2006 03:00

Try putting the system back in the original condition before the new items were installed (you only indicated that you tried the original memory). If you can get the system back up that way, then try 1 item at a time. I would try the video card first, then the memory.

jrwou1

244 Posts

July 16th, 2006 05:00

What model of pc is your wife's? If its the same specs as your 4550, then try your original memory in it. If you're not able to test it in your wife's, then you could try taking it to Best Buy and have them test. I did that a few years ago and they didn't charge me.

aussiemick

13 Posts

July 16th, 2006 11:00

the wifes machine is a dimension 4300,so it may work in hers. If the memory works in hers but not mine am I looking at a bigger problem?

jrwou1

244 Posts

July 16th, 2006 16:00

The RAM from the 4550 won't work in the 4300 (completely different types of RAM). So, I would take the old sticks to Best Buy and have them to test them for you. As I mentioned earlier, I had this done at my local BB a few years ago with no charge. 

ejn63

1 Rookie

 • 

87.5K Posts

July 16th, 2006 16:00

The 4300 uses a different type of RAM from the 4550 (SDR vs. DDR in the 4550). You can't interchange the RAM.

MXER2399

42 Posts

July 18th, 2006 01:00

Did you uninstall you're graphics card in Device manager before putting it in? And yeah the memory is also a problem.

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