Blinking lights on my Inspiron 3891 After RAM Upgrade

For starters, exactly what error code are you getting, counting blinks by color?

Did Crucial specifically recommend that 32 GB RAM module you bought for the Inspiron 3891?  May have been better to get 2x16 so RAM would run in dual channel mode.

In which slot did you install the 32 GB module, first or 2nd from CPU?  Did you try the other slot?

Did you try clearing BIOS after installing the new module?

1. Power off, unplug power cord from rear of PC
2. Press/hold power button for ~15 sec
3. Open case and remove motherboard battery (check Service Manual for details)
4. Press/hold power button for ~30 sec
5. Install 32 GB module, if not already installed
6. Reinstall battery (Time for a fresh CR2032 3-volt coin cell battery? ~$3)
7. Close up and connect mouse, monitor and keyboard
8. Reboot

You should be able to re-install the original RAM and PC should work, but you may  have to clear BIOS again after swapping in the original 12 GB of RAM at step #5.

@RoHe​ It was 2 blinks of orange light, then 4-5 blinks of white light. I found the crucial.com RAM here -

https://www.crucial.com/compatible-upgrade-for/dell/inspiron-3891

I googled "RAM upgrade For Dell Inspiron 3891", and got this link. It showed (2) 16GB RAM sticks - for 32GB total - for $79.99. I contacted Dell.com's online chat and chatted with a person who stated they could sell me one (1) 16GB stick of compatible RAM for $119.99 each. Obviously I felt the crucial.com deal was by far the better deal, so I checked with that Dell rep on the chat if the DDR4 3200 UDIMM RAM that crucial.com was selling would work with my PC, and she said that it should. So I purchased the crucial.com RAM.

After I installed the crucial.com RAM and got the blinking lights, I contacted Dell.com technical support, and they suggested that I should mail my PC to them for a diagnostic and repair, and that most likely my motherboard was "fried". This was minutes before I posted my above post, so I was greatly frustrated to say the least. But then as you can read the above post, I questioned if I should re-install my 12GB RAM that came with the PC, and so I did after posting this post.

After I re-installed the original 12GB RAM, the Inspiron turned back on like nothing had ever happened. So obviously the crucial.com RAM was incompatible with my PC, despite what everyone stated to me. I returned that RAM back to crucial.com and they just refunded me my money back.

So I then chose to purchase 32GB - in two (2) 16GB sticks - of RAM straight from Dell.com, which cost me $259.18. Big difference from the $79.99, right? The Dell RAM was received at my house Friday, and I installed it Saturday morning. The 32GB RAM is working fine and the PC started up and now my system info shows I have 32GB (31.7GB usable) of RAM.

So the bottom line for all of this? I STILL won't buy another Dell PC in the future - this is my last one. All the questions and complaints about the Inspiron 3891 about ONLY Dell RAM being compatible for it IS TRUE - despite what everyone here - including Dell.com Reps which have posted and closed those past threads stating that other RAM is compatible. My own experience has proven this to ME.

Forgot to post this: After I re-installed the original 12GB back into my PC, and it turned back on like it was fine, actually a "Memory Error" screen popped up before the Windows "start" screen opened up. It gave options like "Continue", "Run BIOS" or something like that, then "Run Diagnostics". I chose "Continue" and it started right up.

I also chose "Continue" after I installed the new 32GB of RAM - although it didn't specifically say "Memory Error" - it said something like "Memory Upgrade/Change", then gave those same three options again. After again choosing "Continue", it started up the Windows "Start" screen, and everything was fine.....

Glad you got the RAM update to work...

The message you got is to be expected because the system detected a change in amount of RAM installed each time, and you hadn't cleared BIOS yourself which would have forced it to see/accept the change, so you wouldn't get that message.

Assuming Crucial specifically listed the RAM you bought as being compatible with Inspiron 3891, it's possible one/both of those modules was faulty. 

And FWIW, others have also had issues installing RAM in this model PC that wasn't purchased directly from Dell...

I checked every where - watched several youtube "How to" videos, found several 3rd-party websites - NO ONE ever instructed that any BIOS adjustments needed to be made in order for a RAM upgrade to work. My previous personal experience with a PC was when I had my Dell Dimension E310 - it came with 512MB of RAM. I personally upgraded it to 2GB RAM myself, and had no issues with it accepting the upgrade - that 2GB RAM was 3rd-party too, but cannot remember if it was from crucial or from someone else.

I checked the user manual that came with my Inspiron PC - it shows how to replace/upgrade RAM and what the blinking lights meant, but it did NOT give BIOS instructions at either the replace/upgrade section (Page 17) OR the Troubleshoot section (Page 72), and when I called Dell support, they just instructed me to mail my PC to them at a very costly and inconvenient method, instead of trying troubleshooting options myself.

I gave the link to the RAM crucial was elling above, and on that link page, it specifically states the RAM in quetion was compatible for a Dell Inspiron 3891 PC. So I'm not sure what "assumptions" you are making above in your responses.

I also typed the S key properly on my Dell KB216p keyboard that came with my Inspiron. The keys on this keyboard are more low-profile than older keyboards with the big "pebble" keys on them, more like a laptop keyboard. Im sure they all look more stylish and all, but this keyboard is not as sensitive to my key presses as the older ones were, and when I type on the keys sometimes they don't register and type the letter I intended to. So this has created a result in where Im now having to slam my fingers down on the keys harder to make sure they register, which is physically a harming feature to anyone using this product.

It surely seems to me that Dell now manufactures inferior and cheap personal computer products than what they once did 10 yrs ago. The Dell mouse that came with the Inspiron (MS116c) broke not even 2 weeks after I got it, where the alternative button stuck and wouldn't work. Im left-handed and always reverse the button settings on my mice, so the "alternative" button for me would be the primary button for most everyone else.

Maybe I just got a lemon product that everyone always gets of something or another from time to time, but this purchase really soured me on Dell products, which is a shame because my experience with the Dimension E310 was nothing but great.....

I heard of Crucial RAM not being compatible in some newer Dell's, but there's other name brands that work like Hynix (Dell's usual OEM), Micron, and Samsung.  I've been using A-Tech (lifetime warranty) for years in my previous Optiplex's and now in my Precision along side Hynix.