Vista won't boot after installing extra ram

[PhilB]

Hi everyone,
I have a problem that i have encountered with a dual boot
machine.First i will give the details of my computer:
ECS NF650iSLIT-A motherboard
Intel Core 2 CPU [email protected]
2gb Ram (2xGeil Ultra 1gb DDR2 PC6400)
2xNvidia GeForce 8500GT graphics cards both with 1gb on board)
700w jeantech modular PSU
Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio Sound card
Windows XP Home on 120gb HDD PATA
Windows Vista Home Premium on 320gb HDD SATA
This all works fine including in SLi
mode.All the latest drivers are installed and both O/S's are up to date.My
problem started when i purchased another pair of Geil Ultras (same spec as
above) to make my total ram 4gb.I installed the ramas per instructions,then
powered up the computer.Vista is my default O/S and it refused to boot up.Got
past the P.O.S.T screens then got a black screen with no computer activity
whatsoever.Powered off with power button turned off at mains waited a moment
or two then powered up again,At the choose O/S screen chose XP,got as far as
the windows XP logo screen and it just locked up on that screen.Turned off
again,removed the new ram and tested on my sons machine to find they are
working perfectley.Can anybody help,as i thought that XP could support up to
4gig and Vista even more.
Am fast losing what hair i've got left
Cheers Phil

 

[John Lechmanik]

I assume you are using Vista 32 bit program? Either way, Vista 32 or Vista
64 has a bug when it comes to 4 megs. You need to make sure you have all
the updates. I know Vista64 fixed itself with the updates, but I'm not sure
about Vista32. I would check mickeysoft webpage about hotfixes for 4 meg
problems. Unfortunately I don't the number in front of me, but a bit of
research on the microsoft board will find it. This problem has been around
for some time now.....

So take the memory out, check the support page for microsoft searching for
the hotfix for the 4 meg bug, then install the hotfix, then reboot with your
new memory. Keep in mind if you are using Vista32 you will NOT see all 4
megs of it. You video memory and system memory will be taken out of the 4
megs. I ended up seeing 2.5 megs before upgrading to Vista64......

John

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

This is a fairly common problem with pc6400. It happens on a lot of
consumer grade mobos. Especially on ones using nVidia chipsets. The
simplest resolution is to use pc5300 or run pc6400 at 667 (not always
effective). It is not the amount of ram beding used but the presence of a
dimm in the fourth dimm slot. It happens on my mobo, which uses the 650i
chipset. It has been reported using nForce 4 and 680i chipsets as well.
Unless you at least lower your dram speed your ram will not work.

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

It isn't Vista. It is Windows. It happens with XP Pro x64 as well. It
also isn't 4GB (I know you meant to say gigs instead of megs). It is
timings and the use of all four dimm slots on some motherboards. It happens
with 8GB as well. It is pretty spedific to pc6400 and the MS hotfix is not
effective in all cases. The issue is the result of certain combinations of
factors and does not have a single cause.

 

[PhilB]

This is a fairly common problem with pc6400. It happens on a lot of
consumer grade mobos. Especially on ones using nVidia chipsets. The
simplest resolution is to use pc5300 or run pc6400 at 667 (not always
effective). It is not the amount of ram beding used but the presence of a
dimm in the fourth dimm slot. It happens on my mobo, which uses the 650i
chipset. It has been reported using nForce 4 and 680i chipsets as well.
Unless you at least lower your dram speed your ram will not work.


Thanks for the speedy and very helpful replies

I am going to try your solutions and see if i can get any joy.I have done a
bit of research since i made this post and have made some useful discoverys
about the way memory works,especially about addressing etc.Sorry i did not
state i was running a 32 bit system (totally slipped my mind)Once again
thankyou.I will post if i solve my problem
Cheers
PhilB

 

[PhilB]

This is a fairly common problem with pc6400. It happens on a lot of
consumer grade mobos. Especially on ones using nVidia chipsets. The
simplest resolution is to use pc5300 or run pc6400 at 667 (not always
effective). It is not the amount of ram beding used but the presence of a
dimm in the fourth dimm slot. It happens on my mobo, which uses the 650i
chipset. It has been reported using nForce 4 and 680i chipsets as well.
Unless you at least lower your dram speed your ram will not work.

Did a bit of research,Went to BIOS reduced to 667mhz,installed one at a time
and hey presto it works___________YIPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Thanks mate sound
advice
Phil

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

You're welcome.

Did a bit of research,Went to BIOS reduced to 667mhz,installed one at a
time
and hey presto it works___________YIPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Thanks mate sound
advice
Phil

 

[ATRIX007]

Colin,

I read the previous posts because I just bought some PC2-6400 for my HP
which has the ASUS P5BW-LA mobo, which is supposed to support this RAM, but I
am also experiencing the same symptoms. I m thinking that it might be the
same case but i tried installing the PC2-6400 1 gig with the original 1 gig
of pc 4200 and still nothing. If you have any suggestion I would love to hear
them.

Thanks,

Mike

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

How much ram did you buy? If you are filling all four dimm slots with 1GB
or 2GB pc6400 dimms and the machine won't boot then I would exchange the
pc6400 for pc5300 or go into the BIOS and reduce the dram speed to 667 and
then try installing ram in all four slots. All of the mobo test reports on
ASUS that I have read for my own mobo showed positve results for pc6400 for
512MB, 1GB, and 2GB but never listed results for 4GB or 8GB. I now
understand why.

 

[ATRIX007]

I purchased 4 x 1gig OCZ PC2-6400, and first installed all four... nothing,
then I installed just 2 gigs of the new ram in the exact same slots that the
original ram was in....nothing. I thought that it might be the speed of the
RAM so I installed one gig of the old RAM with 1 gig if the new RAM..thinking
that that would limit the speed of the new ram since the original RAM is PC
4200 still nothing. I called HP they were surprised that the RAM did not work
since the mobo is rated for PC2-6400. It is an ASUS board but made for HP.
They suggested to install the new ram but only 1 gig to see if that works and
if it does match it up the old ram. I guess I ll try that. I m guessing
switching to Windows XP will not solve this problem. I really don't see how
this is such a big issue, I built PCs before if the board says its good for
PC2-6400 it should work, especially since when I go to the BIOS it reads the
RAM fine but VISTA hangs. VERY FRUSTRATING!

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

I haven't seen any other reports of issues with HP machines. They even
recommend 4GB for their machines when running Vista Ultimate and will ship
that way. HP states that they support 8GB on your mobo,
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00748726&lc=en&cc=us&dlc=&product=3299181,
with a highlighted note, "Maximum HP/Compaq approved memory is 8 GB." The
reference to "Actual available memory may be less" no doubt applies to when
using a 32bit OS. Stay after them to get this resolved.

 

[ATRIX007]

I got the ram to work yesterday. Apparently the trick is to instal the ram
one at a time boot up and then shut down, install another gig. I got up to 3
gigs, once i tried the 4th gig windows vista would attempt to boot and then
my PC would restart. It did that every time so I might have to wait for that
fix you mentioned for the 32 bit Vista. Any way I thought I would post just
incase someone else is going through the same issues.

Thanks

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

This is not an issue that Vista can fix by itself so don't wait for a fix
from MS. You need to resolve at the hardware level first.

 

[ATRIX007]

My success was short lived, the HP kept giving me the blue screen of death
and beeping. After finally getting a tech form HP to look into it further he
found that I have a different revision of the P5WB-LA mobo which only runs at
PC-4200. He said that that’s why the system is so unstable, so now I have to
return my PC2-6400 and possibly sell this HP and build a system myself once
again.

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

Well at least you can stop driving yourself nuts with a problem you had no
hope of resolving. Good luck with your new system.

Vista is far more sensitive to hardware than any Windows before it.
Hardware nuances really make a difference. After my first experience at
selecting my own components for a new box for Vista a year and a half ago I
decided to seek the advice of the manager of my local computer store for a
new one now. He is very familiar with how I use my computers and came up
with the recommendations for a mobo, cpu, ram, and video card. As a result
of seeking his advice my new system is remarkable trouble-free and easily
the most responsive I have ever owned. He has the skill and experience to
spot potential bottlenecks to performance ahead of time and I am glad I used
him. He put me into proven components rather than the latests and greatest
than I would have picked myself. That also saved me several hundred
dollars.

I have learned over the years that you can get away with putting a green OS
on proven hardware and you can get away with putting a proven OS on green
hardware; but a green OS on green hardware croaks like Kermit.