Dell Inspiron 640M RAM question (*resolved*)

ok it's working now.  I didn't have the memory card pushed in far enough.  Had to apply a good amount of pressure until I heard a click.

Still only have 1GB.. not 1.5GB as I thought but maybe I'm remembering wrong.  Still not 4GB as advertised but 1GB is better than 512!

4GB seemed to be too good to be true...since my work Thinkpad maxes out at 3GB....Lesson learned.

The max ram for the Inspiron 640m/E1405 is 2GB's. You can get the manuals here. That info is in the Specifications section of the Owner's Manual.

You can get drivers here.

You might want to address hardware questions to the Laptop General Hardware Board (this is the Laptop Audio Board).

On my 2006 Inspiron 640m I installed 4gb ram, but because it runs with Windows XP (32 bit) only 3.24 gb are recognized. That's still more than 2gb, and my laptop works excellently. I am very pleased upgrading it from 512 to 4gb. I am thinking of getting Windows 7 64 bit to utilize the 4 gb fully.

Nkor

how did you unpgrade your laptop to 4GB? I have the same model and i want to unpgrade it as you did.

thanks

Upgrading your laptop is fairly easy, but it needs to be done carefully so as not to leave cosmetic damages.

1. Buy the RAM. Get two modules each for 2GB.

2. One of them goes beneath the keyboard. Here you need to be a bit careful how you take the keyboard off.  Just above the keyboard there is a plate, and on the right side, the head of a regular screw driver can fit. You need to lift off that plate and then the keyboard will come off easily. Then you see where the old ram is, and you install 2 GB in its place.

3. The second is accessed through the bottom.  This is much easier. You need a starred screwdriver. The compartment is easy to locate just look on the bottom. You only need to unscrew one bolt.

4. Make sure that you have plugged in the modules correctly (the same way as the old ones), if not your computer won't be able to use them.

5. I think there are some tutorials on youtube. Check them out, if you cannot find the same model look at the inspirons from 2006-07, the ram can be located the same way.

6. Replacing your ram is fairly simple through the bottom (it would take you 2 min), but when you access the other module through the top you will need more 20 min, because it's hard to take that plate (above the keyboard) off.  It should come off easily. In my case it was glued a bit, so I had to bend it. The end result was fine because I was crefully, but had I applied more pressure, I could have broken it.

That's all! Best of luck!

Thanks,

I also read that the Maximum Memory  for dell inspiron 640m is 2048. (http://www.4allmemory.com/memory/dell-inspiron-640m/) So, that is not true?

what kind of modules did you use? I just want to make sure that I'm gonna buy the right ones.

thanks again!

As I wrote previously: "On my 2006 Inspiron 640m I installed 4gb ram, but because it runs with Windows XP (32 bit) only 3.24 gb are recognized." So yes you can have more than 2GB. I had the same concern as you, but I called the place from where I bought the RAM and they assured me that it would work and it worked!  There is a ram seller called Crucial.  They offer a free program, that scans your computer and lets you know, whether you could upgrade and how many modules you can buy. Try that out. I don't remember the brand I used, and I don't want to take my laptop apart again :). You should buy RAM that's compatible with your laptop. I suggest you call up the place from where you going to buy it. There are a lot of sellers out there, just find a reliable one. Installing RAM on your laptop is fairly simple, but you still need to be careful. Static electricity (produced from say the sweater you are wearing) can mess up your modules.  If you don't plug them in correctly, they won't be recognized. These are all common sense things though. If you want to reduce that chance for things going wrong, first just buy 2GB and install them on the bottom slot. If that works buy one more for the slot under the keyboard. Best of luck!

(To be added to item 2. above) "The plate at the top of the Keyboard also has a screw that needs to be removed. The screw can be located under the battery on the back of the laptop. When this screw is removed, the plate detaches nicely and you can get access to the front Memory Card. Remember to replace the screw after the plate is re-attached."

win 7 says 3.25 as well and im runnin 64 but but that means we should be able to do 6 or 8gb (if the make ddr2 sticks that big im so tired of ppl saying u cant do this or that i dont know what to beleave

hey idk wat to say but my 640m has 4gb ram (3.25 gb usable  and every one says it wont do it not only that but i put my 17r's hdd in it and in bios it read that it had 1tb/ 1000gb so who knows it may do 6gb or even 8gb if they even make ddr2 sticks that big, but hers my specs core 2 duo @2.00ghz t7600

4gb ram-667

Intel 945gm 60mb video memory ( does do windows aero or ( window colors and all that )  -> : )

windows 7 ultimate 64bit service pack 1

320 gb hdd 

((on dells websit the service tag says its a e1405???? but drivers say 640m/e1405 but hop this helps and ill give ya a scren shot not being a smart allic but considering how many say it wont do it....id understand if u didnt buy it

The 640m and E1405 are the same system.

The system's chipset is old enough that it does not support memory remapping - even with a 64-bit OS, the limit on useable RAM is 4G (of which about 3.25 will show up to the OS).