Need help Installing RAM under WinXP!

I don\'t know if its an XP compatability problem, or what, but, I tried putting in another DIMM of 256MB RAM, and I kept coming up with an error message.

It kept telling me that Windows recovered from a serious problem, then it lists that it tried to dump into the temp folder, and also something else had encountered problems.  Sysdat.xdl, or something.  Damn, I wish I wrote it down.

Anyway, switching the old RAM and the new RAM around did nothing to correct the problem, and I checked the BIOS.  Can\'t figure it out.

Can ya he\'p a brothuh out?

we need to know what motherboard and chipset yer running

what was old ram specs and new ram specs

[videoholic]

I doubt if it has anything to do with XP.  Aren\'t memory problems resolved in bios?  I just added 128 to my computer no sweat.

Go MM\'s route. Have you ever added to this board before?  With/without Problems?

I\'ve never installed RAM on this comp before.

The chipset is an Intel 845.

I checked the BIOS, but, after the fact.  I\'ll give it another shot and tell you what I find out later!

Sorry for the previously terse answer, the baby started crying.

Anyway, I\'ve never installed RAM on this system before.  I would like to know what I would have to do to bump up the RAM limits in the BIOS, if anyone could tell me.  Also, I would like to know why, if there is a why, HP or Intel would limit the BIOS to 256, in this day of 1GB of RAM.

Ok, here\'s what I came up with:

I installed the new RAM, and checked the BIOS.  Viola, it appears in the RAM check section.  It won\'t let me mess with it.

Then, Windows starts, and I get the message again.

Here are the files it told me are involved:

C: \\Windows\\Minidump\\Mini112501.01.dmp
and
C: \\DOCUME~1\\Owner\\Locals~1\\temp\\WER.tmp.dir00\\sysdata.xml

Never had this problem before with any comp.  Anyone have any ideas?

take the "new" ram back out, and reboot

does the problem still exist?

does this error prevent windows from loading?

The problem only exists when the new RAM is in there.

Windows loads, it was what was telling me there was a "serious error".  Everything loaded on the toolbar, and then the windows error message popped up.  This even occurs when swapping the two out ie, when putting the new RAM in the first, and the old in the second.

[videoholic]

How about you just install the new ram.   IE, replace the old ram with the new and see what happens.

You should always get an error right away when you turn the computer on.  The computer sees the new ram and fixes it and then it boots again and all is well.

Yeah, I was gonna do this, but, I got too damned lazy!  I gotta take out my vid card, which now blocks the first two rows of the DIMMS locking mechanism.

Lemme give that a shot and get back to ya.

Welp, here I am, on the net with my brand new RAM...

What the hell gives?  This is with the new DIMM.  Ok, I\'ll put the other one in and see what transpires...

Mmmmkay.....

For some reason, it works now... I don\'t get it, and I guess I never will...

[videoholic]

It can be many things.  Sometimes you think they are all the way in the slot when they aren\'t really.  Sometimes they need to be in certain slots as pairs.  Whatever, it doesn\'t matter.  They work!!!  Rock on!!!

Make sure you aren\'t mixing EDO with non-EDO memory.