Someone Please HELP?!?!

[Aaron619]

I have a Dell (mistake, I know, I know) Inspiron 2650 laptop that's about 14 months old. It had 128 Mb RAM onboard, and an additional 128 Mb in the upgrade slot. I bought a 512 Mb card, pulled the additional 128 Mb out, and replaced it with the new 512. So, now the computer has 128 Mb onboard and another 512 Mb, for a total of 640 Mb of RAM. After installing the RAM, I powered up, but screen was blank, power light flickers, but nothing comes alive. After this, I pulled the new RAM out and put the original 128 back in, but no luck....same thing. I opened the computer up and gave it a quick visual, and noticed no burnt traces or burnt smells.

Now I'm a typical guy, so who needs the instructions or user's manual, right? Hindsight is 20/20, ladies and gentlemen. I checked the manual, and there as clear as day in the specs it said "...512 Mb total RAM max...". Questions for those willing to help are:

1. What could've crapped out on me due to installation of more than 512 Mb RAM? Motherboard? If so, how do I check?

2. If it is a motherboard or some other component that I'll have to purchase, is there anyplace that sells aftermarket parts that are compatible with a Dell? If it is a motherboard, Dell wants upwards of $340.00 for one, plus shipping and labor if I have them repair/replace it. I could buy a new laptop for that.....

3. What else could I check?

I'm willing to do the work myself, but need to know where to start....Help?

[Budfred]

Welcome to

Using more than the maximum amount of RAM is very unlikely to have caused any damage, it simply is likely to make the computer fail or run badly. Once you replaced the 128 Mb, it should have run adequately. Since it didn't, these are things to consider:

You may not have seated it properly, so try again.
You may have hit the board with a static charge if you weren't propely grounded and that may be it for that board.
You may have knocked something loose, check all connections on the board and in the case.

Rebuilding laptops tends to be a difficult proposition. Replacing a motherboard, if you can find one, may not help anyway. If you can't fix it, it is probably time to go shopping....

[Aaron619]

Budfred,

I appreciate your reply! I changed the RAM at work on an ESD mat with a wrist-strap, so I'm confident the board was protected. As far as inadvertently unplugging or disconnecting an connections, I think I'm safe there as well. There's a small plastic cover on the bottom of the laptop where you access the RAM expansion slot and the modem, and that's all you can see/touch there.

Any other ideas or suggestions?

Aaron

[Whyzman]

"power light flickers but nothing comes alive"

Hmmm...I don't own a laptop, but I would assume that it probably would beep during POST just as a desktop would??

If it appears that it needs CPR I would reiterate Budfred's observation regarding checking all connections...ever mindful of the Power Connector...

[saphalline]

Reset the CMOS. Usually laptops only do this when you remove the battery for a few minutes (lack of jumper - arrgh!). If that doesn't work, I agree, time to go shopping.

What about the warranty, tho? It's only 14 months old!

[Aaron619]

Whyzman,

Q: "Hmmm...I don't own a laptop, but I would assume that it probably would beep during POST just as a desktop would??"

A: I would think so as well, but this computer never made a sound when booting, except for the fan. Once you log into Windows, then the sounds start.

Syphalline,

A: "Reset the CMOS. Usually laptops only do this when you remove the battery for a few minutes (lack of jumper - arrgh!). If that doesn't work, I agree, time to go shopping.

Q: How exactly do I reset the CMOS?

Q: What about the warranty, tho? It's only 14 months old!

A: Ahhhhh yes - the wonderful Dell 1 year warranty. They cover what they advertise - <b>1 Year!!!!</b>

[Budfred]

Usually you reset the CMOS by using the Clear CMOS jumper or removing the battery for a while. However, I doubt that a laptop has a Clear CMOS jumper and I am not sure where to find the battery. You would need to remove the power, the main battery and the battery on the motherboard (usually a button battery). You would then push the power on button to discharge the capacitors in the laptop and then wait about 30 minutes or so just to be sure. Replace the batteries and the power, then try to boot...

[Paleo Pete]

Ahhhhh yes - the wonderful Dell 1 year warranty

As much as those things cost you'd think all that money would include a better warranty...most local shops I've talked to all offer two year warranties (sometimes three) on their own builds...why can't the big boys???

One thing worth checking is the power supply itself. If you have a multimeter or know someone who does, check the AC Adapter (wall wart) to be sure it is actually producing voltage. I've seen more than one go bad. In one case I just had to solder on a new connector. Talk about one happy customer... Think about it...walk in expecting to replace a $1200 laptop, walk out for $10...

The CMOS battery is inside the case, you don't want to go there...trust me, I've opened up several. You might also try it without the main battery plugged in, you could have a bad battery, sometimes that will cause strange problems. There is also a chance the fan stopped while in use and the CPU is fried...all it takes is 10 seconds.

[superdrumr]

I had a client with a similar model Dell. Unfortunately the CMOS battery on with was buried (I mean i had to completely disassemble the computer). You can try it (it might have different placement in your model). Or you can head over to eBay, pickup a new or used one cheap and put your HD in it.