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May 26th, 2021 12:00
Problems after Replacing Hardware
Hi all,
I have an Inspiron 5575. My hard drive recently died and I replaced it with a new 2.5" SSD (Western Digital EasyStore). While I had it open, I also replaced one of the 4GB memory sticks with a new 8GB stick (new total RAM = 12GB).
When it is running, it is great; however, I have been having some problems.
First, sometimes when I turn the computer on, I get a message from the Dell SupportAssist screen: "Hard Drive - Not Installed." Or, it might give the "checking media" message, followed by an alert that no boot device was found. This happens in about 1 of every 5 boot-ups.
Once logged into Windows 10, I also got a BSOD yesterday. I have looked through the dump logs (using WhoCrashed and WinDbg Viewer), and the BSOD seemed to be related to ntoskrnl.exe, ntkrnlmp.exe, and win32kbase.sys. The WinDbg report also mentions chrome.exe.
Maybe the BSOD issue should be a different post, but I was not sure whether the two issues might be related. I would be happy to provide any other information that you think is pertinent.
Thanks in advance for your help.
JOcean
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May 26th, 2021 13:00
Did you image, clone, or clean install Windows 10 on the new drive? I assume clean install and did you use the media creation tool to create a bootable Windows 10 USB drive?
JCM2014
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May 26th, 2021 14:00
I did a clean install of Windows 10.
Kflash08
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May 26th, 2021 14:00
A general rule when upgrading the RAM is to upgrade both modules in pairs. (Same brand, model, size, speed etc.) Mix-matching different RAM modules often leads to system instability, resulting in system errors, crashes and BSOD's, even though the computer appears to operate correctly for the most part. Sometimes if one of the modules is a different brand, but both are the same size and speed, the computer may perform fine.
As for the SSD, try running the Dell Diagnostics on it. If all the tests pass and you still have issues, I would return/exchange the drive. It could be defective out of the box...It happens.
With both items covered, I recommend that you revert back to your original RAM configuration for the time being and use your computer as much as possible. If you still experience BSOD's, chances are that the SSD is at fault and may need to be exchanged/replaced.
JCM2014
10 Posts
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May 26th, 2021 15:00
Thanks so much for your response. Your solution is likely the correct one. That said, it really pains me to have to open the laptop case yet again, so I do have a few follow-ups:
First, the minidump logs (here) state that this is likely a software problem, rather than a hardware problem. Is that often not accurate?
Secondly, is it even possible that unmatched RAM sticks could cause the system to fail to recognize the SSD sometimes?
Finally, to be totally transparent, the computer was giving BSODs before the original HDD died (and thus before I opened it or replaced any of the hardware). Unfortunately, I cannot access those logs to troubleshoot whether that issue was totally unrelated to this one.
Anyway, I'm not sure that any of that information is helpful, but I thought I'd fill out the details of the story.
Kflash08
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May 26th, 2021 18:00
I doubt that the RAM in any way would prevent the computer from detecting the SSD. It's possible that the SSD isn't ready in time when POST completes, resulting in the drive not being detected by the BIOS.
If you take the cover off again, I would try re-seating the SATA connector.