Upgrading RAM problem, very strange

Okay, I have an Acer 5601. It has a pair of 512mb sticks installed from the factory, maximum is 4gb.

I buy two new 1gb sticks and install them. In one configuration, the computer loads to a black screen. I can hear the HDD spinning and then it shuts itself off and turns itself back on again. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. I turn it off and change the sticks to the other configuration.

It loads to the Acer screen but then I get a message saying a Windows OS file is either missing or corrupted and I need to use my Windows XP CD. I don't have that here with me, it's quite a distance away until Friday.

I put the factory memory back in, it boots up fine.

What the hell is up? Bad memory? Everything was installed correctly both times. I even repeated the entire install process in both configurations, testing them both, only to get the same results.

Has anyone ever had a similar problem????

 

Update to the newest BIOS and try again.

 

Okay, will do. Let you know in a little while.

 

I cannot tell if you have tried this already, but if you haven't, go ahead and install one of your new sticks with an old stick. See if you have a problem. Then try with the other new stick. It's possible that one of the modules is bad.

What kind of memory did you purchase? A link would be nice.

 

PowerRAM is the label on the chip. I'm here in Austria, not the USA. If the BIOS update does not work, I am going to go back and pay more to get Kingston.

 

Okay ... no luck. I tried to update the BIOS from Acer Europe's website and it goes to flash the BIOS and I get error code -144. I used the 3216.zip file it downloads and use the Flash utility there and the ZR1.wph file inside the zip file. Help????

 

Tried to update to 3214 ... got a blue screen and it shut down and restarted. Took a while to restart, too, and BIOS still shows as 3122.

I am about to try and swap a new stick with the old stick and see what happens ... stay tuned.

 

Okay, I think one of the sticks is bad. Put one in with an old stick and it got all the way to Windows (After the XP screen, since I did that BIOS ****! it hangs on a black screen for about a minute) and the log in screen. Shut down and put the second stick in while keeping an old stick in, and it got to the Windows loading screen and didn't even load the image the whole way before it just stopped. Shut it down, put the factory stick back in and it boots. Still §&/§% hangs with a black screen after the Windows screen ...

So tomorrow I am going to get the Kingston RAM and plug it in and see if it works. If so, fabulous. If not, taking it back and getting my money back and just going to suck it up and deal with having only 1 GB of RAM.

 

HORRIBLE advice. Good thing I didn't completely ruin the machine. The damn Acer BIOS Flash for the Acer 5600 series doesn't even work properly for the two most recent versions.

I am never buying Acer again. Ever.

 

Your problem might be related to cheap ram modules. I know that most of the newer acers don't like the cheap stuff they require you to use one of the mainstream brands like crucial, OCZ, corsair, kingston etc for you not to get problems.

As for the BIOS flash issue; acer doesn't release a BIOS unless it has been tested to work with no issues. Remember if you are flashing the BIOS from inside windows you need to turn off any antivirus and antispyware as these can interfere with the process. Plug-in the notebook and don't ever try to flash a BIOS while on battery power.

 

The only virus thing that I had running was Symantec ... think that might have been the problem? It was only running in the taskbar in the bottom right. Please reply soon.

Would I have to install an old BIOS first, then the next recent, then the next recent, and finally the latest? Or can I get the absolute most recent and update from a retail version????

 

Okay, I got the Kingston installed and it booted fine.

But I still want to flash to latest BIOS. I try with version 3216 and the WinPhlash gives me "Error code: -144 BIOS not flashable"

What is that error code? How do I get around it? Windows still hangs at a black screen before going to the login, but my BIOS says it's still version 3122. Please help???