Trouble Running Windows after Upgrading RAM

Question

I have 6 year old Alienware m11x R.2 running Windows 7 x64 SP1. Since the ole' computer is still alive and kickin; I thought i'd do a quick upgrade on the RAM for an inexpensive upgrade.

I'm far from an expert but have built my own PC and have torn down and rebuilt this particular laptop (amongst others) several times. Upgrading RAM has always been something that requires very little thought or planning other than making sure you have compatible specs.

I upgraded the RAM this laptop came with a year after purchase to a Kingston Hyper-X. www.newegg.com/.../Product.aspx

I recall having no issues installing this RAM and it's been perfectly fine since then.

A few weeks ago I ordered DDR3L RAM, after having trouble starting the computer I realized the error but was also told that L RAM should still be compatible with 1.5V sockets. But perhaps it was a compatibility issue so I returned it for regular DDR3 RAM shown here. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231582

Aside from the actual size of the RAM I see no other difference with the specs.

Here's the issue: when I install the new RAM I'm asked to do a startup repair. No matter if I select run the repair or run windows normally I'm sent back to boot-up. This repeats endlessly. When I re-install the old RAM the same screen comes up but I'm able to proceed to startup or I can choose to run the repair. (I've done both.) This happens with both DDR3 and DDR3L RAM. No difference.

I've triple checked that the RAM is installed properly and BIOS sees all 16gb.

Any advice and help is appreciated. Thank you.

ejn63 · Accepted Answer

For M11x R2, 8G (2X4).

ejn63 · Answer

The memory you purchased should work with the system - if you're having trouble with larger capacity modules of multiple manufacture/type, it points to problems with the memory sockets themselves.

You might give Crucial a try (they have a guaranteed-to-work policy) -- but having tried what you already have, chances are it's the sockets that are bad (or going bad).

You might also want to run a full diagnostic on the system.

japettle · Answer

Thanks for the reply. It's quite possible. This computer has been heavily used over the years and I'm prepared for it to start aging.

I did do some more digging and found some older forums that suggested that the first 2 generations of the m11x laptops limited RAM to only 8gb (2x4) and there were some reports of people having trouble installing RAM much larger than 4gb. However, installing 8gb sticks RAM at slower speeds (1333 and 1033) worked fine. Can anyone confirm this before I order more RAM?

Thanks again.

japettle · Answer

Can anyone confirm RAM limitations on an Alienware M11x R2? Thank you.

japettle · Answer

Thank you. I did some more searching online and found quite a few posts from 2011/2012 regarding this and in all cases it seems as though AW m11x is limited to (2) 4gb modules only. Crucial's site also confirmed this and I suppose if I still had the manual that's what it would say as well.

Locked Topics – Laptops General

Trouble Running Windows after Upgrading RAM

Was this post helpful?