PC133 read/write errors on Dell GX1

[ObiWan_Kenobi]

Ok, I am working on a Dell Optiplex GX1 for a friend.
It came factory with 128MB of ram(100 MHz). i pulled the stick, and read the label.
It was 128MBs, Synch, PC100, CAS Latency of 2, ECC. The brand was Infineon.

So i got on Dells website, the top end for this thing in ram is 768 MB. It supports up to a 256MB stick. the board has 2 of 3 rams slots open.

So we get onto newegg and buy a stick of crucial PC133 ECC with the same cas lat.

i install the new ram in slot 1, the old 128 in slot 2, and push the power button. it boots, but it tells me it has a read write error in 08000000 and decreases the ammount of available memory back down to 128. i make sure the ram is seated, and attempt again, same thing. i reseat the ram this time the other way around, with the new stick in slot 2 and the old in slot 1. same thing.

I try the system with just the new crucial 256 stick in, and i dont even get a post. black screen, no beeps.

So i assume the ram was bad, i got another identical 256MB stick. Same issues read write errors at the same address. then something funky happens that i cant explain.

im looking over the system, i verify the ram is seated. it was. the i hit the power button one last time. Boom it works. i get into bios to disable that stupid chassis intrusion alarm. bios also reports the correct ram size of 384MB. i restart the computer from bios, i did not touch anything except the keyboard.
back to square 1. no post. i hit the restart button about 15 times and got it to boot 1 more time, but once restarted it died again.

WHATS UP WITH THIS???

any and all help is greatly appreciated!
-Scott

[meese]

You mean ObiWan doesn't know?..... Use the force....


I would just get 3 sticks of 128M PC100 and be done with it.

[Peter M]

Did you watch the registered- or non-registeredness of the DIMMs you were trying to add? They all must be of the same type; the speed grade doesn't matter.

[dunbar]

Aside from Peter Ms suggestion which is the first priority, I've had dust problems on the contacts in SIMM sockets that were left unused for long spells, and I had the same kind of problems you have.
Now, whenever I add ram to a PC, I blow out all the dust before hand, then I seat the SIMM, then unseat it, repeat that about 3 times. Then, after the last time I seat it, I rock the SIMM a bit (gently).
Got rid of my problems, but I always matched register types.