Had a client's old Dell Optiplex 9020 refuse to boot after a simple RAM upgrade

Swapped in a matched pair of 8GB sticks, standard procedure, and it just gave me a blank screen with a single beep code. Spent an hour checking seating and cleaning slots before I found a forum post from 2018 saying the BIOS on some of those models is picky about specific RAM timings. Flashed the latest BIOS from Dell's site and it posted first try. Anyone run into similar BIOS quirks with older business machines?

2 comments

2 Comments

anderson.spencer1mo ago

Remember reading about that... those old Optiplex BIOS updates sometimes even lock out certain RAM brands entirely. Might be worth checking the support page for a qualified vendor list if you ever need to swap it again.

brian_murray1mo ago

My old 2012 HP laptop did the same thing after a Windows update. It just refused to boot with the third-party SSD I had put in. Honestly, it feels like everything is getting locked down now. My buddy's tractor has software that blocks him from using generic parts. They build the cage and then sell you the only key.