Unsolved
This post is more than 5 years old
2 Posts
0
9110
8200 - Common Memory Slot Problem / remedies ?
I've been going batty over the last week or two trying to nail down an issue with my 2+ year old (out of warranty) Inspiron 8200/2.0ghz. I was getting BSODs and then eventually the laptop would not boot, with only the caps_lock light blinking. After running through these forums and the web at large, I tried a bunch of possible solutions. After a bunch of detective work, I found out that the culrpit is my DIMM-A slot. Computers works like a well-oiled (albeit much slower) machine when I only use half of my 2 DIMMs of memory, in the DIMM-B slot.
This seems to be a common issue on the forums. Is Dell going to treat this like a board defect and fix it outside of warranty ?
Also, I had my laptop sent in while it was in Warranty for a wobbly headphone jack, which I'm guessing necessitated a mainboard swap. Since I was swapped a mainboard that obviously has gone bad, does Dell offer any type of recourse ? I'm thinking I could've lived with a wobbly headphone jack if I could've used all my memory.
Last question. If it comes down to me needing to replace the mainboard, how much does Dell charge for out-of-warranty parts & labor to swap out mainboards ?
Otherwise, the Inspiron has been a great mobile computing companion, but this problem has driven me a bit mad.
Thanks much !!
-Nick
NemesisDB
7.9K Posts
0
November 7th, 2004 23:00
You should be able to buy a 512 stick for DimmB, which is probably enough to keep things running smoothly. It's also your cheapest option as a mainboard repair/replace will cost a mint.
That's really your only option -- I assume you have tried other ram in DimmA to ensure that the slot is the problem, and not the ram?
tristated
30 Posts
0
November 8th, 2004 00:00
http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=insp_general&message.id=168686&query.id=365208#M168686
If the problem is the contacts being dirty, this may solve the problem.
Good Luck!
Tristated
GreenTentacle
2 Posts
0
November 8th, 2004 02:00
tristated -- Thanks for the suggestion, I had hope that this was the problem and hit the DIMMA with some good jolts of compressed air and some isopropyl. I got a lockup on my first boot and a BSOD after my second-- oh well, it was worth a try. Thanks for suggesting.
I've seen all sorts of stuff go wrong on laptops and desktops, but I'm surprised that a problem so many users are seeing isn't being treated as a recall or repair bulletin of some sort.
I'm off to crucial to find a replacement 512 stick....
-Nick
NemesisDB
7.9K Posts
0
November 8th, 2004 02:00