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Extra RAM Installation Blues Vol 2
Thu, 05 Jan 2006 19:42:08 +0000
uk.people.silversurfers
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Hawkeye23...
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I Have still not solved the problem of installing satisfactorily a
second 256MB RAM memory module on my PC mobo to make a total of 512 MB
RAM about which I posted several days ago.
I do however have some extra information following up some suggestions
made to the earlier post.
pmj...
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Funnily enough, I was going to Post up shortly a sort of
"General Info" type Post with a pointer to a (another, different)
very handy "System Information" type Utility!
:-)
I know a lot of people often mention things like Aida32 (now Everest)
& Belarc Advisor, when ever anybody wants some more Information about
their System (over & above the stuff that msinfo32 (the micro$oft
System Information Utility) supplies...
SiSoft Sandra is another one, wit ha lot of Info.
& most of the Memory Manufacturers, such as Crucial also offer
various Motherboard & RAM Information Utilities.
But CPU-Z is one that I haven't seem mentioned in here.
It's available (Free!) from:
That shows you *exactly* what Processor is Installed, along with
a load of Information about the Motherboard, BIOS & also the *exact*
Type, of RAM - Make, Model etc & which (& how much) RAM is in each
Slot, along with various esoteric Info, such as the RAM Timings etc.
Flyiñg Ñuñ 2°°6 +...
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Just downloaded, installed and used it. It does describe the memory better
pmj...
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Was it the CPU-Z Utility?
Or the PC Wizard one, that you used?
Flyiñg Ñuñ 2°°6 +...
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than the others I've tried and even gives the manufacturer.
A0 (RAS 0) : 512 (Single Bank)
A1 : Empty
A2 : Empty
A3 : Empty
Information SPD EEPROM (A0) :
Manufacturer : Infineon
Part Number : AED660UD00-500B98X
Serial Number : 0B0200CE
Type : DDR-SDRAM PC3200 (200 MHz) - [DDR-400]
Size : 512 MB (1 rows, 4 banks)
It seems to suggest that there are 4 RAM sockets on the mobo, but as far as
I can see there are only two, or are the rows something within the memory
stick itself?
Funnily enough it doesn't give the mobo manufacturer, but I know that is a
Foxconn board:
Product : SiS-741
Version : Unspecified
Serial Number : UY7245000590
Support MP : Yes, 1 CPU(s)
Version MPS : 1.4
Chassis Information :
Manufacturer : Unspecified
Type : Desktop
Version : Unspecified
Serial Number : Unspecified
Asset : Unspecified
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Have a look at that?
It is a very small Utility - just Download it (it comes in a .ZIP
File), Save it, then just Open up the .ZIP File (using the WinXP
built-in .ZIP Utility) & Run the File cpuz.exe 9also, it's a good
idea to have a look at the Readme File & some of the Info on the
Website, so you know what to expect.
That Site also does a (Free), System Information Utility...
PC Wizard
pmj...
pmj...
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Yep.
& the Memory Timings etc...
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pmj...
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Was that the output from the PC Wizard thing then?
It looks like it to me.
Flyiñg Ñuñ 2°°6 +...
If so, have a look at the various other Sections.
(See below)...
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pmj...
pmj...
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I think that you will find that when it refers to "Size: 512 MB
(1 rows, 4 banks)", that is talking about the actual RAM Chips on
the RAM Memory Module itself & not the *Slots* on the Motherboard.
Flyiñg Ñuñ 2°°6 +...
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I thought that must have been it
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pmj...
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Again, that looks like the output from the PC Wizard thingy & not
from the CPU-Z Utility?
Flyiñg Ñuñ 2°°6 +...
In the "Hardware" Section of the PC Wizard thingy (on the left),
when you Select "System Summary", what does it say in the Top Pane,
on the Right?
Flyiñg Ñuñ 2°°6 +...
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I've added to your list what it says
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That lists...
Mainboard
Chipset
Processor
Physical memory
Video Card
Hard Disk
DVD (or CD) Rom Drive(s)
Monitor Type
Network Card
Operating System
DirectX
All (or most) of which should show the Manufacturer (or other
Identifier) as is stored in the actual Hardware ID Strings,
in their respective ROMs
Then, when you highlight each of those Sections (above), it shows
which Icon (on the Left) to Select, for some more detailed Info
for each Item.
Flyiñg Ñuñ 2°°6 +...
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When you do that and select Mainboard it says Manufacturer - Novatech and
Mainboard - unspecified
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When you Select the "Mainboard" Icon, the Top Pane (on the Right)
then shows the Manufacturer ID (as stored in the BIOS) & also the
Mainboard (Motherboard) Manufacturer, along with the BIOS & Chipset etc.
Highlighting any one of those Entries then shows you (in the
"Information" Tab in the Bottom Pane), yet more detailed Info about
each Item.
Flyiñg Ñuñ 2°°6 +...
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When highlight Mainboard the bottom pane shows:
General Information :
Product : SiS-741
Version : Unspecified
Serial Number : UY7245000590
Support MP : Yes, 1 CPU(s)
Version MPS : 1.4
Chassis Information :
Manufacturer : Unspecified
Type : Desktop
Version : Unspecified
Serial Number : Unspecified
Asset : Unspecified
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It looks to me like the Info "SPD EEPROM ()" you Posted was what
is shown for the "Physical Memory"?
There will be a listing for each of the Memory Slots that have
a RAM Memory Module in them - scroll down a bit & see if there
is more than one listed. (If you only have 512 MB RAM in total installed
in your Machine, then yes, that's all on one RAM Module
(in your particular Machine)
Flyiñg Ñuñ 2°°6 +...
You can confirm that (apart from actually *looking* at it!), by also
Running the CPU-Z Utility...
That shows some more detailed (& more specific) Info about what's what.
But only about the Processor, Motherboard, BIOS & RAM - nothing about
all the various other bits of other Hardware in the Machine
Look on the "Mainboard" Tab - That should show the Manufacturer
(Foxconn in your case), as well as the Model Number of it & the
Chipset & BIOS
Then, on the "Memory" Tab, it shows the basic Info about it & the
Timing that is Set (in the BIOS) for it.
But now look on the "SPD" (Serial Presence Detect) Tab - That then
shows the specific Information for the actual RAM that is Installed
in each Slot on the Motherboard, which you can Select from the
DropDown List...
It shows not only the Manufacturer of the RAM, but also the Part
Number, along with the Serial Number & manufacturing Date.
It also lists the bandwidth (Speed) & the Memory Timings that the
RAM *Supports* (which may well be different from what is actually
Set in the BIOS)
If Hawkeye checks all those details (for both his RAM Modules)
I think he will see that they are different - which is prolly why
they don't work properly together, though they each work OK on
their own.
For his particular problem, it *may* possibly be that he can alter
some of the Timing Settings in the BIOS, so that they will work
together.
Not all BIOS Versions actually have the Options available to change
those Settings though - that depends on the particular BIOS
that is on the Motherboard.
All BIOS Manufacturers make the actual BIOS (& thus the Settings
that are available in it) customizable for/by each Motherboard
Manufacturer.
BTW - on the "About" Tab of the CPU-Z Utility, there are 2 more
useful Buttons...
:-)
[ Registers Dump (.txt) ]
&
[ HTML Report ]
The Text File gives a full Listing of what the various Tabs show
& the HTML one gives a brief summary of the Info.
All that he needs to know about the RAM & the Motherboard is in those
Files, so it would be worth Saving them out & looking through them.
Flyiñg Ñuñ 2°°6 +...
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I'll take a look at the CPU-Z facility then.
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Which gives all the usual (highly detailed) Info about not only
the Motherboard, BIOS, Processor & RAM etc, but also a whole load
of Info about various other bits of HardWare, Drivers & Software
that are on the System.
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pmj...
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Great!
Info is what's needed! - To be able to get to the bottom of it...
:-)
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The original and the new RAM modules are as far as I can tell
identical.They are both 16*8 256MB 168Pin 3.3v PC133 DIMM SDRAM.I have
pmj...
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Those may well be the broad Specifications, but they may actually be
incompatible (so they may not work together)
Check them each out with something like CPU-Z or PC Wizard, from:
Check them both out individually & also when Installed together.
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even more detail if anyone needs it.
pmj...
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Run that CPU-Z Utility (& also the PC Wi8zard Utility), to find out
the exact Type - Make, Model & the other specifications of it.
Look on the SPD (Serial Presence Detect) Tab, for Info.
You can Save the Info as a Text File (as well as Copying & Pasting it.
I'm going to Reply to the rest of your Post later - but I thought
that in the meantime, p'raps those Utilities mentioned above may Help?
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pmj...
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It all helps, so as to be able to arrive at an overall picture
of what's what.
& thus where to start looking (& what to try) to sort it out.
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The mobo is a QDI Advance 10F with VIA Apollo 133A chipset
VT82C694X,VT82C686B.
BoyPete...
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snip
I had wondered, depending on age, just how much RAM the mobo will support.
Spec here.....................
Seems no prob.
As said before, it seems likely that the two makes of RAM are incompatable
:(
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pmj...
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I dunno anything about that particular Motherboard.
Sorry - but someone will know, (or know where you can look (as well
as on the Manufacturer's Website) to find out more Info about it)
so the more Info you can find out & look up, the better.
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There are three 168Pin DIMM sockets on the mobo labelled 1/2/3 in
which the original 256MB module has always sat in DIMM1.
pmj...
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Yep.
normally, it is to be expected that the Slots have to be used in order.
Some earlier Motherboards didn't mind which RAM Slots were used,
but I gather that these days, you have to bung in the RAM Modules
in the right (correct) Slot(s)
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I have now done all the permutations and combinations of new and old
RAM modules in all 3 DIMM sockets with the following results.
With either the new or old module in DIMM1 on its own the pc works
fine and shows 256MB RAM in both Control Panel/System/General and also
in System Tools/System Info(MSI).
pmj...
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So that suggests that this new RAM isn't actually *faulty* as such?
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With the second module (whether old or new) in the second or third
DIMM socket with either new or old module in DIMM1 - the pc works fine
but still only shows 256MB RAM by the same tools.
pmj...
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So the new RAM may just be incompatible with the old RAM?
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If there is no module in DIMM1 and with either 1 or 2 modules in
either DIMM2 and/or DIMM3 either way round the pc will not boot and
emits a perpetual beep which web-search tells me is a 'memory error'.
pmj...
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Yep.
It sounds like that Motherboard has to have Slot 1 used first.
That5's not unusual.
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There is further confusing detail that I could add but perhaps it is
better to leave it at that for the moment.
What do the cognoscenti make of that.Clearly both old and new modules
pmj...
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It seems to me that this new RAm *may* just be incompatible with the
original RAM?
OK - It *might* be that you actually have a dodgy Connection on the
RAm Slot(s) on the Motherboard?
Can you try this new RAM in another, different Machine, (if you have
access to one? or know anybody who has one) to see if it works OK
with any other RAM?
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work separately but why won't they work together. Or is it they will
pmj...
both work in DIMM1 but neither in DIMM2/3.
pmj...
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They *should* alol work OK in the other Slots - providing the first
Slot is occupied.
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And whichever way it is, is there some setting on the mobo or in the
BIOS or elsewhere that needs changing.
pmj...
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You *may* find that changing the Memory Access Timings in the BIOS
Settings *might* help.
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Clearly something must be wrong to fit a mobo with 3 DIMM sockets of
which only one seems to work.
pmj...
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Yep.
But I reckon it's prolly not a prob with (or the fault of) the
Motherboard.
It's more likely to be just an incompatibility between the 2 types
of RAM (or a Speed/Timing issue).
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Anyway I am sure there are people out there who will be able to offer
advice.For which I will be most grateful.
pmj...
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See above!
:-)
It may not actually be an instant solution, but it will (hopefully) Help
to point you in the right direction.
BTW - Is this New RAM you have got been purchased relatively recently?
If so, how about asking the supplier of it to exchange it, since it
*appears* to be incompatible with either (or both of) your Existing
RAM &/or Motherboard.
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