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updating bios on dell 5160
Hi everyone,
I have an older 5160 that I use for work, right now it has 2 256mb memory sticks, I want to upgrade my memory to 1gb or 2gb if possible. I see 1gb memory on e-bay, so I can purchase it. Both vendors I contacted said I should do a bios upgrade before I upgrade memory. My question: is this absolutely necessary, the bios version in my machine now is A07. After reading alot of these forums and blogs it looks like you can run into problems doing bios upgrades? I am not a savy computer tech, have upgraded memory in other computers, never did a bios upgrade. If necessary, what bios do I need, where to find it, and how to go about it. Any information would be very helpful, thank you, Mike
DELL-Appu S
4 Operator
4 Operator
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3.1K Posts
1
March 11th, 2013 20:00
Hi Mike,
The system can support up to 2 GB of system memory. DDR SDRAM type modules of 128MB, 256MB, 512MB, and 1024MB are supported in the system. There are two memory slots located on the bottom of the system.
It is recommended to update BIOS before upgrading parts on the computer, however, its not mandatory. You should be able to install the memory modules with any concerns. I have attached the manual for your reference.
http://en.community.dell.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-discussions-components-files/3518/0763.G74822LRs.pdf
Please reply if you have any questions.
jackshack
6.4K Posts
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March 11th, 2013 20:00
The most recent BIOS update for the Inspiron 5160 is A08 released in March of 2005. Fixes and enhancements from previous BIOS updates seem to be limited to fixing an issue with the sound that happens when a USB mouse is used with the laptop. There is no urgent reason to install this update. If you want to perform the update, you can find it here: Inspiron 5160 BIOS A08 Update. The update is run from within Windows; download it to a folder in your Documents, boot to safe mode, and execute the file by double clicking it. The update will not want to run unless you have the AC adapter plugged in and have a fully charged battery. You also need to be sure you have no external devices attached to the laptop while you perform the procedure. There is a small risk that the update will fail and brick the laptop, but I updated my 5160 from the original A05 to each succeeding update to A08 with no problems, so the risk must be very small.
With regard to the memory, I installed a pair of 1 GB memory modules into my own Inspiron 5160 about six months ago. Chances are that memory purchased according to the spec will work, but I chose Crucial because of their guarantee. The machine still works very well.
fshman54
11 Posts
0
March 12th, 2013 05:00
Thank you Appu S, I appreciate your reply, I think at this point I will just try the memory upgrade and leave the bios alone. Mike
fshman54
11 Posts
0
March 12th, 2013 05:00
Thanks Jack Shack, I recieved another reply that was similar to yours, at this point I will upgrade my memory and leave the bios alone, see how it works. I actually have 2 of these machines that are almost identical, I use one for work and just need it a little faster, thanks for the link to the upgrade, I appreciate your time! Mike
jackshack
6.4K Posts
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March 12th, 2013 14:00
You are very welcome, I was happy to help.
I wish you the best of luck.