BleepingComputer.com: added ram now laptop wont run

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hi there, i have a gateway mx3225 laptop runnin xp it came with 256MB ram stick in it, i looked up the max ram that i can use and everything showed 1GB so i bought a stick, but when i install it, nothing will run on my comp. the power light comes on, but that is all....... i had a 256mb so-dimm 200 pin DDR2 533 mhz pc-2 4200 stick in it, and i bought a 1GB so- dimm ddr2 pc2-5300 667mhz, which on the package showed would interchange. the guy at the store even pulled up my comp specs to make sure it would work. any info would be greatly appreciated.

If your computer doesn't boot, it's not detecting any ram installed. Are you positive you snapped it in securely? You do need to use a bit of force, and you'll want to make sure it is in snuggly. Have you put the old stick back in yourself and got it running?

You could have gotten a bad stick of ram to. Can you try it in another computer?

i put the stick in several times just to try it, it seemed to be seated in good and the lock tabs were engaged.it will work when i put my 256 stick back in.basically everything i read tells me that a 1 GB will work, except for the 1gb manufacturers site, they state that a 512k is the biggest my comp will take.

Posters here reported it was hard to get 1G to work in that model but two had success with a specific Kingston module.

It may be that system is just picky about memory.

after reading that, i dont know which way to go. i thought about just trying a 512 and see what happens i dont really want to spend $100 for ram on a machine this old.

That topic was from 2007, it Googles from about $29 now.

i figure i would post this so people could see what kingstons take on this is.


We no longer make 1GB modules that will work in this computer. We can no longer get the low density chips that are compatible with this and similar computer. You should return this memory to your place of purchase and see what parts Gateway recommend for this computer.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to reply to this e-mail with full email history. Thank you for using Kingston on-line technical support.

Regards,

Glenn Neumeister
Kingston Technology
Technical Support

Looks like your options for that system may be either settle for the 512MB that the manufacturer states will work as per your Post #3, or try to source one of the low-density 1GB DIMMs second-hand.