Only half RAM recognized - need help!

[ElvisS]

Hi!

A strange thing is happening with my RAM. I tried to upgrade my
computer's RAM by adding another 512 MB SDRAM 133 modul. The system
didn't recognized it, I guess because of incompatibility between two
modules. They are the same type (512 MB SDRAM 133), but not from the
same manufacturer.

I read on the net that the usual problem in that case is in
incompatibility with two RAM modules.
OK, so I put the other module out, and then the system saw just half of
the original RAM, which worked just ok!
I tried 3 different modules of RAM (all 512 MB SDRAM 133, from
different manufacturers), and it's the same story, there is only half
of the size of RAM being recognized.

I can understand the incompatibility issue, but why isn't the old RAM
working as it used to (now it's 256 instead of 512 MB)?

It's an older computer (CPU - Celeron 600, Motherboard - FIC FA13, BIOS
- Award Modullar VAC44, OS - Win XP SP2) but it was working just fine
untill now.

Can anybody help me?

 

[adsci]

incompatibility

thats right. thats the reason.

incompatibility between ram1 and ram2,
incompatibility between ram and mobo

solution:
new mainboard, other rams, other ram combination

 

[spodosaurus]

Hi!

A strange thing is happening with my RAM. I tried to upgrade my
computer's RAM by adding another 512 MB SDRAM 133 modul. The system
didn't recognized it, I guess because of incompatibility between two
modules. They are the same type (512 MB SDRAM 133), but not from the
same manufacturer.

I read on the net that the usual problem in that case is in
incompatibility with two RAM modules.
OK, so I put the other module out, and then the system saw just half of
the original RAM, which worked just ok!
I tried 3 different modules of RAM (all 512 MB SDRAM 133, from
different manufacturers), and it's the same story, there is only half
of the size of RAM being recognized.

I can understand the incompatibility issue, but why isn't the old RAM
working as it used to (now it's 256 instead of 512 MB)?

It's an older computer (CPU - Celeron 600, Motherboard - FIC FA13, BIOS
- Award Modullar VAC44, OS - Win XP SP2) but it was working just fine
untill now.

Can anybody help me?

I wonder if this a low density vs high density issue, and the board
needs low density and the chip is high density...

 

[Graham]

Hi!

A strange thing is happening with my RAM. I tried to upgrade my computer's
RAM by adding another 512 MB SDRAM 133 modul. The system didn't recognized
it, I guess because of incompatibility between two modules. They are the
same type (512 MB SDRAM 133), but not from the same manufacturer.

I read on the net that the usual problem in that case is in
incompatibility with two RAM modules. OK, so I put the other module out,
and then the system saw just half of the original RAM, which worked just
ok! I tried 3 different modules of RAM (all 512 MB SDRAM 133, from
different manufacturers), and it's the same story, there is only half of
the size of RAM being recognized.

I can understand the incompatibility issue, but why isn't the old RAM
working as it used to (now it's 256 instead of 512 MB)?

It's an older computer (CPU - Celeron 600, Motherboard - FIC FA13, BIOS -
Award Modullar VAC44, OS - Win XP SP2) but it was working just fine untill
now.

Can anybody help me?

You could help yourself.
By going to the Fic website and downloading the manual for that board,
whereupon you will see that the board is only designed to recognise 256MB
Dimm modules.
If it ever recognised more in one module then you were plain lucky.

I have a similar situation with an even older motherboard here.
It has a single 128MB Dimm installed, but every diagnostic program I run
tells me there are two 64MB Dimms installed! (It is only designed to take
64MB Dimms)

Cheers!

 

[isaiah6113]

I wonder if this a low density vs high density issue, and the board
needs low density and the chip is high density...

Very likely. My ABIT-BF6 get very grumpy with high density ram, i.e. it
only recongnizes "half".

Once I switched my ram to low density the board recognized the full
capacity of each module.

Of course, if your board only recognizes a max of 256 in each slot then
all the low densitiness in the world won't give you more!

 

[ElvisS]

Thanks folks, the problem is maximum DIMM size of the motherboard,
which is 256 MB.
The funny thing is how did the motherboard recognized one 512 MB modul
in the past and it worked for at least one year.

Thanks.