RAM problems

[thegman626]

I just installed a 512mb Kbyte ram into my computer making a total of 1 gig. Eversince i pu that ram in my computer randomly restarts.
Anyone know how i can fix this?

[saphalline]

What OS and what chipset? It could be that the RAM simply isn't compatible with the system, or the CMOS needs to be reset.

[thegman626]

My OS is windows xp home edition. How do i find out what chipset i have?

[hockey man]

Well if it is a store bought system, give us the manufacturere and model number. If it is a custom build, I belive you will need to open her up and look for a sticker on the MOBO.

[thegman626]

My computer is Sony PCV-RZ22G

[saphalline]

Oh what a surprise! Another SiS chipset! :rolleyes: I swear, this is almost getting comical.

Ok, just below and to the right of the bottom PCI slot, you'll see the "CLR CMOS" jumper. Put the jumper on pins 1-2 for 10 seconds, then put it back on pins 2-3. That will clear the CMOS. See if that helps your memory problem.

[hockey man]

Just a heads up- he is also has a video card problem:
http://pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?t=43140

[thegman626]

Ok i cleared the cmos and everything seems to being working. My computer doesnt tell me it has recovered from a serious error anymore. But for some reason when i check sytem properties is tells me i have 992 Ram. With what i added i should have 1024. Is this ok? Is there still a problem? Thanks for getting me this far.

[thegman626]

Wait i still have the problem where it tells me the computer has recovered from a serious error. Is this just a bad memory i phurchased?

[hockey man]

What manufacturer made the RAM you purchased? With the 992 MB, don't worry about that. RAM modules are never exact. My 512 is more like 496.

[thegman626]

The brand of ram i purchased os KByte

[hockey man]

Mmm, never heard of them. . . It could be fault RAM, but I'm not sure. If you bought it locally, try returning it, preferibly for Kingston, Crucial, Patriot, or Corsair RAM.

[thegman626]

I bought from bestbuy. If you want to check it out your self the site it KBytememory.com I will return this for kingston. Thanks

[saphalline]

With the 992 MB, don't worry about that. RAM modules are never exact. My 512 is more like 496.They better be exact!! :eek:

RAM is measured in pure MiB. There's no measurement error like with hard drives. Every single frickin' bit that you buy is present in a RAM module. If you have less RAM than you think, then something is wrong. Sometimes Windows counts it differently based on kernel usage (like Win2K) but WinXP is usually spot-on. Try measuring it in the BIOS or something, but all that RAM better be there! If it's not, then you've either got onboard video or faulty RAM.

[thegman626]

Ok i took out the new memory that wasn't working with my computer, and when i checked my memory it said i have 480MB of RAM. So this is bad? what do i do. I had 512 before i installed the ram taht didnt work

[saphalline]

Do you have onboard video? That's the only explanation for what happened to exactly 32MB of RAM. Nothing else would take such a nice round power of 2.

[thegman626]

Yes i believe that SiS 650_651_740 is my on board video. I also have NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500 running. Is the onboard the problem? How do i fix it?

[saphalline]

Ugh! I'm tired of SiS chipsets. Anyone else have any ideas?

(I'm not intending to be mean to you, thegman626, but I've been working with SiS chipsets for several weeks with absolutely no success. Based on this track record, I wouldn't be any help anymore even if I tried.)

[thegman626]

Well thanks for al of your effort to help me saphalline. If you ever come across a solution, please tell me. I'll also be trying to find a solution to my problem. If anyone else knows please reply! Again thanks alot i've learned alot from this site

[hockey man]

Have you fully disabled the onboard video in the BIOS?

[thegman626]

I only diabled it in the device manager. How would i disable it in the bios?

[hockey man]

Enter the BIOS. I'm not sure what key comand you will need. . .check the screen at start-up for on that says "Enter BIOS." From there look for something like "Primary Video" or something to that affect. You'll have to look around for it. . . then make sure it is set to use the video card.

[thegman626]

I have award bios and the only thing i could find was PCI Configuration and it lets me choose between PCI/AGP or AGP/PCI will changing it help anything

[hockey man]

If it is set on the right one, than the onboard should be disabled. . .mmm I'm out of ideas. See what Saph says.

[thegman626]

Bad news for me. I just found out to fully disable the on board video, i need to have a agp card. Having an agp card will diable my on board video and probably give me back the ram? I think i might exchange my card for an agp, i currently have a pci. Good idea?

[saphalline]

It's worth a shot, but there is no definitive answer when working with OEM systems. That mobo is far from standard with its BIOS, and Sony configured that system a certain way with that specific hardware. Upgrading OEM systems has always been problematic for me. I don't really even try anymore. In any case, if you want to make some changes, check with Sony. They made that system and wrote the BIOS, so if anyone has the answer it's them.

[thegman626]

Ok i returned my GeForce FX 5500(PCI) for ATI X700 Radeon PRO(AGP).When i put this card in, it fixed many problems i had after installing the PCI card. It fixed my 32mb loss of ram, it fixed my sound porblems in games, and it shutdown my onboard graphics( SiS 651). Now my computer is working great and my ATI RADEON CARD BLOWS THE GEFORCE CARD AWAY. Thanks for all the help!