4100 no screen, good memory not recognized

Question

Have tried everything I know.  Stripped machine to power supply, cpu - get 3 beeps. Add memory - (tried both slots and different good memory) get two yellow and two green diagnostic lights.  Have tried maintenance mode, different video card,  different monitor but unable to get any video signal.  Can't view bios screen to see what is happening. Have also tried new cmos battery.  Tried different power supply and reseated cpu but still no go.   Have seated and reseated memory numerous times.  Any suggestions appreciated.

ceri sheeran · Answer

Hi,

You could try cleaning DIMM module contacts.

I had a problem with some Crucial memory in my D4100 late last year. Only when I was able to get single sided memory would the machine actually boot. Before that, beeps and error lights exactly as you have them. even new memory from Crucial didn;t work, until they replaced it again with single sided.

What was worse was that the D4100 would boot and run with any variation of old DIMMS I had in my parts bin. 64 mb & 128mb 100 or 133 Mhz all worked.

Opinion across forums was that Dell had not given the correct specifications to Crucial for the memory.

Crucial advised the memory that appeared to fail worked fine when tested.

A search in hardware will bring up the fairly long thread from six months ago.

It stumped me totally.

hth

Ceri

bgood430 · Answer

Original memory now doesn't work in the 4100 but works fine in xpsr so I know memory module okay.  This started when I tried to upgrade to 256 module from Staples which was single sided.  Have tried some older memory I had, per your suggestion, from an xpsm but still no luck.  How do you clean the motherboard memory slots?

bgood430 · Answer

Question is can memory problem be fixed when using "good" memory - memory that originally worked in this machine and works in another machine - is no longer recognized. Is it something else causing memory problem and no video signal at boot?
Can't view bios setup and get no other diagnostic indications of anything other than memory problem.

osprey4 · Answer

Are you saying you can't access system setup?

bgood430 · Answer

I cannot access setup because screen is black.  No dell logo, no nothing when I power on computer.  Press delete but can't view video image of setup screen if it exists.  Have tried different video card, monitor, cable, but makes no difference.  Have tried booting with floppy boot disk; disk in cd; and hard drive but no joy.

Bobman101 · Answer

What order are the two green and yellow lights in? This sounds like it could be a motherboard problem id the old memory won't work. Also, you said you get three beeps?

ceri sheeran · Answer

HI, The beep codes and error lights both indicate a memory problem http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dzuul/codemess.htm hth   Ceri

bgood430 · Answer

ab - amber; cd-green  get 3 beeps before I add memory - when I add memory no beeps just lights Message Edited by bgood430 on 06-05-2005 02:32 PM

bgood430 · Answer

The question is what is causing the memory problem?  It is not the memory modules - then what is it and how can I fix?

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4100 no screen, good memory not recognized

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