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I am trying to find out how to tell if my sons computer is using the extra stick of RAM (128) I installed as it is not showing it when I look at properties in "my computer" . Aida shows both sticks of RAM but I can not tell if it is being used by the computer. Can someone tell me how to definativly test the motherboard to see if it is using the RAM? The Motherboard is a A-OPEN AX6LC.
My thanks for any assistance
KennJ
When you first start the computer, what shows in the first window. There should be memory count there. I believe you can press the "pause/break" key to stop boot up, then look at the top of the screen, will show how much ram is installed. To continue the boot up, just press enter.
195584k is what it is reading out of 2 128's and a 64 so for some reason it is only reading 1 of the 128's. Aida sees all three sticks and it does not seem to matter where they are so my guess is the mobo has a problem.
KennJ
Could be the new stick of ram isn't compatible too. Try putting the two 128's in the first two slots then the 64 in the last slot. I had a Dell I was working on that refused to see the new 128 I tried to add, so it could be a conflict in type/manufactuer of the new ram also.
The 2 128's are exactly the same make and I have tried them without the 64 to see if somehow it was causing the problem.Both sticks are good and either one will work fine. Just not both for some reason. Strange thing as I know they can be seen by Aida so the slots are at least partialy OK
Could be one stick is bad too. There's a couple of tests you can run to check to make sure the RAM is good. Even new RAM can be bad at start. So here's the sites to get the testers from:
http://www.memtest86.com/
http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp
If you have not done so, try going in to bios setup, then simply do a Save and Exit. See if the mem gets picked up properly then.
All three of the sticks of RAM are fine and I went into the BIOS to see if there was anything relevant to the issue although I had checked the MoBo book allready and it should accept the RAM no problem.
The strange thing is that Aida shows all three sticks of RAM and reads them correctly.
KennJ
You say the sticks are the same. Are they the same in all respects, ie, CAS, voltage, ns etc? Are you using SDRAM or EDO?
One other thing just for my sake, are they seated correctly. Even one side up a bit can cause it not to register.
The two 128's (SDRAM)are exactly the same in all respects down to the mfg. and , yes they are seated correctly .They were seated properly in all the variations I tried .
KennJ
Ok, just checking. Could be a motherboard problem then. One dead slot. :( You could try blowing some air in the slot with canned air, might be some dust bunnies in there or other objects that could cause problems too.
I guess it is a posability but considering that Aida can see all the RAM my guess is it is a motherboard issue. I am going to try putting in a 256 to see if it is being limited for some reason. Thanks for the help.
KennJ
Ok, I think your motherboard manual states that 128mb is highest you can add to a slot though. Might want to check that also. I downloaded the manual for this board and it states that when using SDRAM maximum allowed/accepted is 128mb sticks.
I just discovered that this board is only seeing 128's as 64's for some reason. Could this be a problem in the BIOS ?
KennJ
Yes, the mobo may actually have a limit to how much ram it can use in each slot. Which tells me that you may have a OLD mobo. Post teh make and model of the computer, or mobo if you can not find the other.
I had a old Compaq that was that way. A Bios flash fixed that though. Just a Compaq thing, but others may have done the like.
In the manual, I found something that may or may not be relevant here. It says:
BIOS Features--> OS/2 select for DRAM-->64mb
I'm wondering if this is setup that way in your BIOS. If it is, that may be why it's only reading the chips as 64mb.
Train, "The Motherboard is a A-OPEN AX6LC."
The MoBo is a A-Open AX6LC and although it is a bit old it is supposed to take 128 per slot. I looked through te book and it says it will see them and gives no instructions for fixing this type trouble.
KennJ
BIOS Features--> OS/2 select for DRAM-->64mb
I do have this setting and it gives 2 options but they do not seem to make a difference unless I am not doing the correct thing. the options are OS2 and NON-OS2
KennJ
The problem seems to be in trying to decifer your BIOS is, in the manual it doesn't say "default" settings. Windows is not OS/2. So try setting it to non-OS/2 and see what happens.
Here is a definition of OS/2:
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/O/OS_2.html
I found the site but can not figure out how to properly inquire as to fixing the problem. Ideas anyone? The page is
http://english.aopen.com.tw/products/mb/AX6LC.htm
KennJ
The "OS/2 select for DRAM-->64mb" setting should be left at non-OS2 (it's not at play here though).
Forgive me if I am getting confused here, but... You make mention of something about the 128mb stick(s) being seen as 64. Are you saying that if you, say, had one of the 128 sticks and the 64 that the total memory reads as 128? In other words, whatever the combination, each 128 stick is being read as 64?
If the above is what's happening then its caused by either a chip density (amount of memory in each chip) issue related to the memory sticks (the 128s), or an issue that the sticks are whats called "double sided" and your board can only handle single sided sticks. If one of these is the case then there's no setting or bios update that will correct it. The only thing that will help is different (proper) memory?
After reading some posts at A-Opens' site I believe that what you have said is the problem most likely though there is a Bios update that deals with correctly reading various memory moduels that I will try . It looks like this motherboard will only work with double sided memory according to what I have just read. Unfortunatly I came away from this last reading with no understanding of double sided unless it simply means the physical placement of the chips on the stick.
Much thanks all
KennJ
If the board only can handle modules that size in the double sided variety then it is really an issue of the individual chip density. I would bet (though it doesn't apply here) that single sided dimms would work in your board as long as their indivdual chip densities were below a certain threshold.
In terms of what double-sided is... In the absolute strictest sense a memory module being single or double sided doesn't pertain to, or have to pertain to, whether it has chips on both its sides or not. But by convention, the way most dimms happened to be made, it is generally pretty safe to assume a single sided dimm will have chips on only one side and a double sided dimm will have chips on both sides.
PC 66 ram
Hope you are not mixing memory types either.
Anyway what Crucial has to say about the ram that is needed.
Information on the
A Open AX6LC
168-pin DIMM Banking: 3 (3 banks of 1)
AGP Support: 1x and 2x
Chipset: Intel 440LX
Error Detection Support: ECC and non-ECC
Max EDO: 768MB
Max Unbuffered SDR SDRAM: 384MB
Module Types Supported: Unbuffered only
SDR SDRAM Frequencies: PC66
Supported DRAM Types: EDO and SDR SDRAM
Quote:
Originally posted by kenn jolemore
I just discovered that this board is only seeing 128's as 64's for some reason. Could this be a problem in the BIOS ?
KennJ
As photolady said, your motherboard can only regognize up to 128 MB sticks. I don't understand how that software can regognize all the ram and yet windows does not see it. I think you are right though, I think it is a motherboard issue, maybe for some reason it can't regognize above 192 MB of ram.
The reason why a program like Aida is showing the sticks and amount of ram properly vs what the bios is showing is likely because of difference in the way the are getting the info that they are reporting. The bios, while it does read the SPD (serial presence detect) chip on the sticks of ram for some info (like timings and such), relies on being able to actually address the rows/columns (the memory cells) on the sticks in reporting the available/useable amout of memory. So if the bios has some issue that prevents it from addressing all the cells (such as an inability to handle chips of a given density) it will report only what it can address. On the otherhand, a program like Aida is probably relying solely on SPD info it gets (from querying the sticks). And since this info will always reflect the real size of the sticks, that's what it reports.