Installed new memory on an old Dell E6410, but system won’t start Windows.
Installed new memory on an old Dell E6410, but system won’t start Windows.
Hey, I'm looking for a laptop for university. Instead of buying something new, I thought I could use my old family machine with a fresh battery. I also had a Packard Bell with upgraded RAM—two 4GB sticks instead of two 2GB. After swapping them, the laptop stopped booting Windows. TL;DR: x64, x86, Windows 7, changed from "Hynix Korea 01 - 2GB 2Rx8 PC3" to "SK Hynix 4GB 1Rx8 PC3". It recognized the new RAM and suggested a test, but everything worked fine until I hit the boot menu. When I pick how to start Windows, it just loops back to the same screen. (I’m not sure what the exact steps mean, but I see some photos.) If you can clarify what you meant by “the screen,” I’d appreciate any advice.
Could you confirm if you're referring to the current laptop and the old RAM being replaced? It depends on proper installation and compatibility.
Test the old RAM first and check if it boots. Try one at a time with the better RAM to identify any faulty stick. Verify that your motherboard and CPU support 8GB RAM, and confirm compatibility by looking up the numbers on both the RAM and laptop’s specs. Please share the laptop model so I can assist further.
Initially I attempted the suggestion to test each new stick separately, but I accidentally mixed them with an old one. :/ I’m hoping this didn’t cause any issues since the laptop quickly became very hot afterward. IMG 1 displays a blue screen after mixing 1x 2GB and 1x 4GB Then I managed to use the new sticks correctly individually, also avoiding the BAD_POOL_HEADER blue screen. IMG 2&3: BIOS indicated that the 1x 4GB Windows installation needed some restoration to return to the original 2x 2GB RAM (IMG 4&5) After that I reattempted the tests again, still encountering a blue screen. And when I combine them to 8 GB, the old Windows version still attempts to launch, just like before (IMG from original post). Unfortunately, I’m unsure how to verify compatibility with the motherboard because I can’t even locate its ID. At least it says you can use up to 8 GB: https://www.crucial.de/compatible-upgrad...tude-e6410
Also discovered: https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us...ory?lwp=rt DDR3L RAM is compatible with systems using standard DDR3 at 1.5V, which suggests it should function properly!