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Amoris692001
This thread is worthless without pics
Premium Member
join:2003-08-18
Brooklyn, NY
Netgear CM500

Amoris692001

Premium Member

[memory] dell optiplex 755 sff - lights 3 and 4

Hey guys. Having issues with my mom's dell.

At first when I checked it out last week lights 3 and 4 were lit on the indicator. The system was running two 1Ghz sticks. I took one out and the system was able to post into windows.

I figured the other stick must be bad. I bought ram, used but should still be covered under g skill warranty. Installed and then nothing. No post.

I switch around the ram, and it posts but then I get a BSOD. Something about bad pool header. I try switching in and out the old ram, the new ram, in various configurations.

Right now, it's running one stick of 1Ghz, the old ram. Some dell diagnostic "preboot system assessment" is running.

How can I see whether I have a motherboard problem or a ram issue? I do not have another system to test ddr2 ram on.
asdfdfdfdfdf
Premium Member
join:2012-05-09

asdfdfdfdfdf

Premium Member

When you say you switched around the ram did you swap the stick you took out for the stick that was able to boot (i.e. did you try both sticks individually in the first slot)? Did they both boot alone in that particular slot?

Did you try both sticks in the other 2 slots that were not used before?

Amoris692001
This thread is worthless without pics
Premium Member
join:2003-08-18
Brooklyn, NY
Netgear CM500

Amoris692001

Premium Member

Yes. I took out the stick that did work and put in the new ram.

Originally it was DIMM 1 and 3. The good stick was in 3.

I put the new ram on 1 and 3 also 2 and 4.

Sometimes when putting only one stick in 4, I was prompted to install in Dimm 1.

I think the computer is shot but don't know what else to check. I come by my mom about once a week.
Amoris692001

Amoris692001

Premium Member

Also could not do a System Restore:
An unspecified error occurred during System Restore. (0x8000ffff)
asdfdfdfdfdf
Premium Member
join:2012-05-09

asdfdfdfdfdf to Amoris692001

Premium Member

to Amoris692001
What I mean is that you should take the stick out that did work and put only the other original stick in the same slot and see if it works. This will give you more insight into whether you likely have a bad stick or might have a bad slot. If both the old sticks work in that particular slot then try both the old sticks, one at a time, in the other slot of the set of slots they were originally in. Then try both sticks together in the other set of slots that was unused originally.

captokita
Premium Member
join:2005-02-22
Calabash, NC

captokita to Amoris692001

Premium Member

to Amoris692001
More info would help.

When you say lights on - were they green? Or amber? Do you get any beeps?

Have you run Memtest86 or WMD on the RAM installed on the system? That should be first on your list of things to do. If the RAM is bad (which is likely from the bad pool BSOD) testing it with either of those tools will tell you for sure. If/when it fails with 2 sticks, try 1, then if it fails again, try THAT stick again in another slot, so you can rule out the slot as being faulty too, which is also possible. Once all have been tested, you'll have a better grasp on what needs to be replaced.

Amoris692001
This thread is worthless without pics
Premium Member
join:2003-08-18
Brooklyn, NY
Netgear CM500

Amoris692001

Premium Member

They were green. While tinkering last week there were some beeps. I tried counting it but couldn't get it. Sometimes I could reproduce it sometimes not.

The machine would keep trying to post, the fans would blow but nothing would appear on screen, then restart over and over again.

I'll be back there in a couple of weeks to try each memory stick and see if I can get into Windows.

norwegian
Premium Member
join:2005-02-15
Outback

norwegian

Premium Member


Used ram from where?

Also when you get the system to boot with one stick of ram into Windows, boot using memtest or microsoft's memory test utilities.
Check the ram that is working and see if it will pass extended tests.
Go from there.