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[texasmr2]

Hey yall,
Finally got f'ing sick of my computers measely 256MB memory and pathetic speed and bought 2GB's of memory directly from Dell. The two 1GB cards were delivered today so I want to install them tonight yet they came with no instructions yet Dell said they would .

I'm a certified copier tech and have delt with all this stuff before, 20yrs ago, so I would like some guidance as a backup. Should I completely unplug from the power source while swapping cards and will I be ok with the upgrade as a Dell rep mentioned I might have issue's going from 256mb-2gb instead of just the 256mb to 1GB??????

Also will this upgrade my current setup such as pics etc etc or will I loose them????

tex

PS,
Also after upgrading do I need to reinstall all the setup programs????

[BAR]

OK, so you have some memory modules which Dell supplied and they say are the correct items. Let's work on the principle that they could be right.

As an experienced electronics technician, you would appreciate the need to avoid electrostatic discharge, hence all the precaustions required to prevent static from damaging the lovely new modules or any part of the old PC. Unplug the mains leads from your PC and for extra safety and other device that has a power cord and attaches to the PC [really cautious].

Remove the side cover, according to the Dell instructions, usually Dell's are very easy to work on and you just have to look for any bits of plastic which are green, they push / pull or twist to release!

If you have an anti-static wrist strap, attach it to the system unit chassis and around your wrist. Flip the two clips at either end of the old memory module and it should spring up and then you can remove it from the motherboard. ALign the new module so that the 'notches' line up with the memory holder and push in firmly so that the catches close at either end. Repeat this for the second module. Plug your mains leads back in [leave the case off for the moment] and try to turn on the system.

If it keeps beeping madly, without any information being displaid on the screen, turn off the power and remove the memory modules - they are the wrong ones - and reinstall the old item that worked. Call Dell and blast them.

If it powers up you may also get a screen identifying that the configuration has changed and directing you to go to BIOS to accept that the memory size is now larger [this may not be required]. Once done it should then boot up into WIndows or whatever operating system you use.

By the way, having done this hundreds of times, I also find that memory modules are very tolerant and have yet to 'kill' one despite how badly they have been handled - but always take proper care and observe correct handling techniques.

[Gaz]

if you dont have a anti-stactic wristband you can touch the case to earth yourslef (with it plugged in) then remove the plug.

also try one stick at a time if they don't work 1st time and make sure you put it in Slot 1 or 0 you should be able to see that printed on the motherboard.

[texasmr2]

Once I removed the side panel all was good. I followed all the instructions with no issues and now I finally have a very fast computer . Yet I do have one issue I found tonight when I logged back on, my darn speakers are not working?? I checked all the connections, nothing was unplugged anyway, yet I'm dumbfounded to say the least, any idea's?

Thanks for the help everyone ,
Gregg

[bud]

maybe you duck the soundcard with your static self!

[Gaz]

Once I removed the side panel all was good. I followed all the instructions with no issues and now I finally have a very fast computer . Yet I do have one issue I found tonight when I logged back on, my darn speakers are not working?? I checked all the connections, nothing was unplugged anyway, yet I'm dumbfounded to say the least, any idea's?

Thanks for the help everyone ,
Gregg

If the sound card is on board then perhaps its disabled in the BIOS.

otherwise if its plugged into a slot into the PC make sure its not loose at all.

[texasmr2]

The speakers were just fine tuesday night after I installed the new cards?
What is BIOS?

[stonemonkey]

The BIOS is a small program on a chip, it tells the computer how to start up and some of the hardware that's connected to it.

To get into it, either look up the manual or, at some point while the computer is starting up you get a message saying something like 'To enter setup/BIOS press whatever_key'

When in that you can do things like select whether you want to use the onboard (hardware present on the motherboard as opposed to a separate card) gfx and sound as well as specifying your boot drives and stuff.

I doubt that it's something in that though. Most likely to be a loose card or loose cable, been a few times too that I've been in at the back of mine and pulled the cable out by accident and plugged it into the mic or line-in socket.

[texasmr2]

One more question that I have been forgetting to ask? The Dell rep I spoke with helping me resolve my speed issue mentioned that jumping to 1gb from my stock 256mb would be better than jumping directly to 2gb, is this true? I cannot remember what issues he mentioned I MAY have but I have noticed one issue. When trying to bringup the forum I have been getting a few 'link appears to be broken' messages and sometimes the page is all funky and must be refreshed? I never had this issue before?

So should I remove 1gb or am I ok? I could not understand why I may have issues with jumping to 2gb yet I am a computer dummy.

Thanks again for all the help,
tex

PS,
I got the speakers working after messing around with the plugs again.

[stonemonkey]

Can't see any issues with jumping directly to 2gb, the speed is improved because the computer doesn't need to swap stuff between the memory and the drive. It uses part of the HDD as virtual memory when actual memory is low.

I think some computers can run better with paired memory, 2 * 1gb cards in the correct slots will run better than 1 * 2gb card. You'd probably need to look up the manual to find out about that though.

[texasmr2]

I am running on paired 1gb cards and actaully all of my issues are resolved. I believe my mouse or it's operator was the main instigator of the funky screens and the 'link appears to be broken' issue as with a firm single click instead of a double click, all is well.

Thanks alot,
tex

[headless]

I installed 2gb RAM.
Didn't really notice that much of a speed improvement though?

[Denthúl]

I installed 2gb RAM.
Didn't really notice that much of a speed improvement though?

What else was in the system? If there's a bottleneck elsewhere than upgrading the memory would make little difference.

[headless]

Aye that is true, although I am quite happy with its performance atm.

[stonemonkey]

I installed 2gb RAM.
Didn't really notice that much of a speed improvement though?

How much difference you notice can also be dependant on how much memory you had before, your OS and what apps and how many you have running at one time.