Help !!!

[BarryS]

Interesting puzzle. I am running WinXP pro on a Gateway 700 XL.
Recently increased the RAM from 512 to 1024 and it worked OK for a week or
so and then burned out the new modules. Gateway replaced them and now I
am confronted with a different put definitely repeatable situation.

When all the memory is installed and I try to do a SHUTDOWN/RESTART the
computer shuts down OK but immediately on restart I get 3 Beep code which
indicates that the first 64KB of Ram can't load and the system dies on the
spot. This is an intermittent problem. However if I restart from a cold
start, it boots up every time. I have tried it with everything shut down
in MSCONFIG and also from SAFE MODE and it is the same thing. Intermittent
inability to restart.

However if I remove 512 RAM (doesn't matter which 2 of the 4 modules I
remove or from which pair of connectors), the problem goes away.

In summary, with 512 RAM I am having no problem and with 1024 RAM the
problem comes back intermittently. I also removed all programs I
recently installed and all updates I recently installed but it made no
difference. Virus program is always up to date and Windows Update was
current.

It is my thought that for some reason, on a shutdown/restart, the power is
not completely turned off to the memory and it is not able to completely
unload the memory before the restart is attempted.and therefore can't load
the 64K...........or something like that. Possibly it is a timing thing
where the hard disk is not yet back up to speed to load the bottom 64K.

Any help would be appreciated.


Thanks,

Barry

 

[Dominick C]

Just to see if it is not unloading all the memory as you
said, shut down the computer, unplug the power cable from
the back of the "box" and press the power button on the
computer. This should discharge all of the power. Then
plug back in the power and turn it on. See what happens.

 

[Bob Day]

Interesting puzzle. I am running WinXP pro on a Gateway 700 XL.
Recently increased the RAM from 512 to 1024 and it worked OK for a week or
so and then burned out the new modules. Gateway replaced them and now I
am confronted with a different put definitely repeatable situation.

When all the memory is installed and I try to do a SHUTDOWN/RESTART the
computer shuts down OK but immediately on restart I get 3 Beep code which
indicates that the first 64KB of Ram can't load and the system dies on the
spot. This is an intermittent problem. However if I restart from a cold
start, it boots up every time. I have tried it with everything shut down
in MSCONFIG and also from SAFE MODE and it is the same thing. Intermittent
inability to restart. < snip >

There is often a limit on the number of memory chips
a mainboard will support. For example, if each of your
four modules has eight chips per side, the total number
of chips would be 64. That could be more than your
mainboard will support. Try to find out what mainboard
is in your computer, and post it here. Maybe we can
look up any memory chip restrictions it has. Possibly
Gateway could give you a decent answer, but my
experience with Gateway is that they don't know jack
about much of anything.

-- Bob Day

 

[BarryS]

When the system crashes on restart, the power light is still on. I hold
it in and let the unit shut down completely and then immediately push the
button to restart and it starts up OK. Only time it doesn't restart is if
I don't shut the power off completely and allow it to try to do an automatic
restart. Therefore, I already know that when the power has been off, even
for a few seconds, it will boot without problem.

b