Problem upgrading memory on Dell Inspiron 5100

[Greg Rundlett]

I bought a couple memory modules from newegg for a Dell Inspiron 5100.
 Prior to installing the memory, I updated the BIOS from A06 to A32
and seem to have no problems with the BIOS or function of the system.

Memory modules:
WINTEC AMPO 512MB 200-Pin DDR SO-DIMM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820161011
http://www.wintecindustries.com/orderdesk/products/productInfo.aspx?category_id=1766&product_id=19280&searchstring=ampo&Op=2

According to 3rd-party websites, crucial.com
(http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.aspx?imodule=CT12864X335), and
newegg's own 'comments' section, this memory should be compatible

I've inserted these memory modules in every possible configuration,
but when one or both of them is present, the system fails to boot.
The system starts the power on process and shuts down almost
immediately without any screen message, no audible beeps or anything.

I'm not that familiar with how to troubleshoot this problem.  Is there
anything that I can try aside from returning the memory?  I do not
have another system to test the memory in.  Based on the fact that I
have the proper BIOS installed and that the memory slots are known to
work, I'd have to say the RAM is defective.

Dell's support site gives no information about the upgrade of the
BIOS.  they simply say 'download and click'
http://support.ap.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/dsn/en/document?c=au&cs=audhs1&dl=false&l=en&s=dhs&docid=F37D37A3F4C8ABE1E030030ABD627DF7&doclang=en

According to the forums,
http://www.dellcommunity.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=insp_upgrade&thread.id=43296&view=by_date_ascending&page=4
You can actually install up to 2GB of memory once you have the A32 BIOS.

But perhaps the problem is with the BIOS?  Since I don't have Windows
on this machine, I used an ISO found online for the BIOS rather than
Dell's .exe installer.  I could retry installing the BIOS - either by
using a Windows XP boot CD or actually installing Windows to a
partition.

Thanks for any advice,
Greg