System won't POST when more RAM added.

[ReefManiac]

I have an ASUS P4B mobo, P4 1.5GHz processor and 256MB PC-133 Generic Micron RAM. The system works fine but when checking the BIOS setup it is only running a FSB of 100MHz not 133MHz...but that is not the only problem.

I tried to add another 256MB PC-133 Generic Micron RAM and when I did the system would not POST. The power would come on and the fans would start to run but no beeps, no hard drive action. When I remove the new RAM, they system boots directly into the BIOS and askes me to adjust the settings. Everything looks the same as before the new RAM was inserted.

Exit the BIOS and the system POSTs and loads the O/S perfectly fine.

I have tried this RAM in another machine with a Celeron processor and it runs there just fine.

Any ideas what I can do next other than try another stick of RAM to see if it does the same thing...plus, what is the deal with the P4 running at 100MHz FSB...I thought the P4B mobo chipset allowed you to run the P4 at 133 FSB.

[Steve48]

Hello,

I am far from an expert but I hope I can help or at least point you in the right direction. Check the manual for your particular motherboard. If you dont have it, you can probably download it from their site. Be aware however, that most manuals come in a PDF format and you will need Adobe Acrobat to "decode" it. If you try to open a PDF file without Adobe Acrobat, you will have problems.
Check your jumper settings on the motherboard, some motherboards have jumpers that select 100 0r 133 MHZ FSB. Also some motherboards also will not read more than a pre-set amount of ram. I have an older pentium board that will not read more than 32 MHZ of ram. (I believe that this is extreemly rare these days)
One last suggestion, please read your motherboard manual slowly and carefully. It is very easy to miss something or mis-read something that may cause you hours of frustration.

Hope I was of some help.
Steve

[YODA74]

Definatly check your Mobo documentation, take out the old stick and insert the new stick in it's place see if that one boots if not then the stick of ram is bad if it does boot then leave it where it's at and stick the old ram in the other slot and see if it boots. if not post back with what you have done so far And what windows are you running PLS don't say Me http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif it does not like to run on 512MB

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YODA74@windows-sucks.com

CCMR (http://www.dreamwater.net/tech/yoda74/index.html)

[rond36]

Make sure that you are not mixing RAM types ie... ECC buffered non ECC un-buffered make sure it is all unbuffered non ecc PC133 SDRAM or all unbuffered ECC PC133 SDRAM

From Asus spec sheet for the P4B motherboard
Memory
3 x 168-pin DIMM sockets
Max. 3GB PC133/PC100 unbuffered ECC/non-ECC SDRAM DIMMS
Is your RAM generic or Micron? Micron is not generic RAM. If your Ram is buffered remove it this board can't use buffered RAM but it can use ECC RAM so counting the chips won't work unless you have an odd number of chips on one DIMM and a even number on the other one.

By trying to run your P4 1.5GHz at 133MHz front side bus with a locked multiplier of 15 = 1995 MHz 495MHz overclocked!!! Your motherboard can adjust the Front side bus from 100MHz(15 X 100 = 1.5GHz default for a P4) up to 200MHz(15 X 200 = 3GHz!!!) in 1MHz increments but this doesn't mean your system will operate at those speeds. When you increase the FSB it not only raises the CPU but also RAM, AGP, and PCI busses if your RAM can't handle those bus speeds poof there goes your RAM or video card or sound card if they can't operate at those bus speeds all of them can go poof along with your warranty if your system can't handle it. My 2.0A GHz P4 has a locked multiplier of 20 and it will not run stable at 133MHz(without a Vcore adj) if it could it would be running at 2.66GHz 660MHz overclocked. I think the best thing for you to do is check your ram to make sure it is all the same type. Reset your CMOS with the jumper on the mother board so the default settings are loaded in to the BIOS settup. Boot it up go to BIOS settup load optimal settings, disable or enable any devices that you need to, save and exit. For some informative reading. (http://www.virtual-hideout.net/articles/p4northwood_ocing_adventure/index.shtml)

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How to Use the Fdisk Tool and the Format Tool to Partition or Repartition a Hard Disk (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q255867)
WindowsBBS.com (http://www.WindowsBBS.com/index.php?referrerid=115) Is back online, check it out



[This message has been edited by rond36 (edited 04-12-2002).]

[bassman]

Hello ReefManiac and welcome,
To go along with Rond36, if you can adjust the mutiplier to the 11-11.2, with the FSB at 133, you are in the range of 1.5Ghz. I have not looked at the manule or specs for this board as Rond has, so in BIOS it may be locked at 15 as he mentions.
This may be one where you have to set jumpers on the board to get what you want.
I will threepeate, read the manule!! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif

Good luck http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/cool.gif

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A real Christian is one who can give his pet parrot to the town gossip.
Frank's Place (http://dreamwater.net/tech/frankscomp/)

[rond36]

Unless someone is lucky enough to find and buy an engineering sample all newer Intel processors multipliers are locked and can't be unlocked. This is just my opinion but I think Intel does this because all of the processors in a product line are the same CPU only the multiplier is changed. If this is true and I could change the multiplier on my 2.0A to 24 making it a 2.4A, Intel would loose $546.00 because I would not need to buy a new processor to upgrade.

------------------
How to Use the Fdisk Tool and the Format Tool to Partition or Repartition a Hard Disk (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q255867)
WindowsBBS.com (http://www.WindowsBBS.com/index.php?referrerid=115) Is back online, check it out

[This message has been edited by rond36 (edited 04-13-2002).]