PC lying about how much RAM installed

calleyw

I bought a desktop a year and a bit ago and knew that I bought it with 512mbs of ram in it as 2 X 256mbs.

As it was running slow did a quick check in windows-control panel and system it tells me I have 256mbs.

I am like take it apart and pull out the ram chips to make sure it was 2 X 256mbs of ram. According to the labels on them they are.

So I use the memory thing on cruical.com and it tells me I only have ram in one slot when both sets of ram are in it.

So I play around taking out all the ram and putting back one piece at a time it both slots works fine. Did it with both sets of ram to test that to make sure that the ram or slot is not broken.

I use another system checker that I down loaded and that again tells me 256mbs of ram in only one slot when both lots are in. I finally work out what slot it claims to have ram in which is the left hand slot when looking down on the mother board. Now if I put the ram in the right hand slot only re-boot the machine run the system checker it tells me I have no memory installed. That is impossible as with out any memory the blinking pc would not boot but just keep beeping at me.

Now I understand that the windows/control panel/system thing might not be the best in the world. But I have tried to other system checkers and they both say the same.

And I just don't get it. Is there something that I am missing that is really obvious.

Any ideas apart from 1Gb ram chip and whacking it in the slot that I know works.

Yours


Calley

niceguyrichy

odd.

like you say, if one slot had stopped working, the comp wouldn't boot with a stick only in that slot.

what do Belarc and Everest tell you is installed?? (usually sound progs)

run Memtest also, in case there's a prob with the actual RAM.

garcia

PC's don't lie on the whole (unless they've just shot a Brazillian in which case they lie through their teeth).

niceguyrichy

garcia wrote:

PC's don't lie on the whole (unless they've just shot a Brazillian in which case they lie through their teeth).

don't know about that..

I'm working on a PC atm that thinks that the cpu is running at a regular 90°C +, when in fact it's running at normal (30 - 40°C) temps.

these things can lie to you for sure.

calleyw

No.20 wrote:

It maybe bad ram, but I would take out the RAM and blow the slots out with some compressed air out of a can do this with the pC unplugged.

Also try PC Wizard (this file will open)http://img.moneysavingexpert.com/smilies/confused-smiley-013.gif


Dont forget putting too much RAM in if you buy new will not work as a PC has a top quota of how much ram it will take and Crucial are wrong sometimes.

Crucial say a Pavilion 7950 can take 1gig, It cannot it can take a max of 2x256 = 512 so get the mobo specs to make sure PC wizard will tell you the mobo make and model.

I was taking the amount of max ram from my paper work for the pc/mother board not from cruical. As I only used it to check if ram was installed. I am well awell even being a female how a computer works and how to put it together. And that putting too much ram in will not work.

How can it be bad ram when I have tested each piece of ram in the slot that I knows work and it says it has 256mbs of ram installed and in the other slot it say there is no ram installed . I have tried so may different combs.

Putting ram A in lefthand slot says it has 256mbs ram installed put ram A in right hand slot no ram installed.

Taking ram B put it lefthand slot tells me that I have 256mbs installed put it in the right hand slot and it tells me I have no no ram installed.

As I said if I put ram in the righthand slot that seem to not show up on any system checker the machine boots fine in to windows. If it was bad ram or bad slot then it would not boot as the pc would think it had no ram and would beep at me.

This why it make no sense. I willr try the compressed air but don't hold out much hope.


Yours


Calley

robnye

funny things blooming computers..... my cpu si 1.66 ghz, and the motherboard spec says it will run with it..... but it dont like it and keeps reverting back to 1.250 ghz..... as the machine appears to be happy at that speed i have given up trying to change it....

bit like my old fiesta..... come the traffic lights and a faster/newer pulls up... it thinks it a blooming ferrari.... (wel the exhaust makes the same noise...) he he

robnye

i agree, the bios should show if both memory modules are valid

niceguyrichy

robnye wrote:

i agree, the bios should show if both memory modules are valid

mobo's can malfunction in ways that mean the bios (and every prog you install inwindows) will lie to you. honest, I've seen it happen close up

wonderfullife_2

Hi
If I'm reading this right, what your saying is that the r slot is working but not showing to be working on your pc. Its definately not bad ram then as you say, I think even if you had a onboard graphics card and that was using 256mb ram it would still show up on your pc.
I would definately check my BIOS and see if you can spot anything odd.

dccarm

Is it not the case that some motherboards don't like RAM sticks to be of matching size? (Or did I dream that?) I remember vaguely somewhere once being told that if I wanted to upgrade my RAM with an extra stick I needed to buy one that was higher or lower than the stick presently installed.

gaming_guy

robnye: has the clock kept losing the time & date? if so the bios battery has run out