How come my PC doesn't recognize a new DIMM?

P

PDX-DELL

New Member
I just installed a new PC133 256MB DIMM into a 4.5 year old Dell Dimension L1000R.

The computer seems to running quicker than it was on just 128MB, but when I click on "my computer" it still says I only have 128MB.

Why is this?

Is my computer really running faster, or is it just my imagination?
 
It doesn't matter

It doesn't matter what kind of speed is on the ram just, the module. If the ram is to fast for the motherboard and processor it will just slow down the the max speed of motherboard and processor.

But, to anwser your question I really don't know why it doesnt show up other than if you are using channels you may need to move to another channel. You motherboard will try to use the two ram in one channel at once if they are diffrent it may cause a conflict. (It has happened to me before with my old dell).

Just try moving it to another channel (module) and see if it reads it.

Good luck
 
Yeah i would agree with moving it to a different slot. See if that works. Also use CPUz to find out if the ram is actuly reconised.
 
umm.. actually the speed of the ram DOES matter on old computers if i remember correctly. new ram will just adjust on a new motherboard, like pc3200 will adjust itself to pc-2700 or something. in either case, you may need the same sized modules, and another thing-- what version of windows are you using? maybe thats why it isn't recognizing the new stick.
 
Some clarifying details...

So, I should clarify...

My Dell Dimension L1000R came from the factory with 128MB of PC133 RAM. There are two DIMM slots. The 128MB DIMM sits in one of them. The other was empty.

Also, it shipped with Windows ME. It has a P3 1.0GHz CPU.

I recently upgraded to Windows XP Pro. Is became so painfully slow, I wondered if I had too little RAM. So I purchased a 256MB PC133 stick for the second DIMM slot. I plugged it in and booted up. The computer seems to be running much quicker (opens programs quicker, etc.). However, when I look under My Computer / System Information, it says I only have 128MB. I think it should say 384MB total. It doesn't seem to be reading the new 256MB DIMM.

So my questions are the following:

1) Is it possible that the new DIMM is working (as evidenced by the improved responsiveness) but the OS is just not recognizing it?

2) How do I make that new memory total (384MB) show up under My Computer / System Information?

3) Is there a setup screen I have to go into before Windows boots?

This is the first memory upgrade I've ever done, so I'm not sure what's normal. Thanks for all your help.
 
try switching the order of the DIMMs, I know some older PCs don't like bigger DIMMs in the second slot
 
Also try removing the old 128MB stick of RAM and see if it boots properly with just the 256MB stick. It's possible that the new stick is defective.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top