Ram upgrade problem

[pavermech]

Hi Everyone! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif
I'm doing an upgrade to a computer with a 200mgh MMX processor and 32mb SIMM ram. It has Award bios v1.0. The motherboard had 4 SIMM slots (all full) and 2 DIMM slots. I removed the SIMM memory and installed 2 64mb DIMM ram sticks. When the system boots, it still shows 32mb ram! Does anyone know what could be the problem? It also shows 32mb in the properties view of My Computer in Windows. I have no manuals or anything on this system. Also, how can I determine the manufacturer of the motherboard?
Thanks in advance for any help! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

------------------
"Beam me up, Scotty--no intelligent life here"

[bassman]

Hi Paver,
Have you taken a good look at the board? Since it is that old there may be no make and model ID on it (gotta love legacy).
My guess is the dimm slots only accept a max 16 megs, so.... thats all that shows up (gotta love legacy).Oh yea, I already said that http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif Watch for Pete to comment on this, he knows that stuff well.

------------------
If I tell you to think for yourself, then you're not doing it.
.
.
This is not directed at those asking questions in order to gain knowledge. That shows you are thinking.

[mjc]

Grab the BIOS id String...it sholud be a long string of numbers either at the top or bottom of the screen during the POST...


------------------
mjc
Links list:Computer Links (http://www.dreamwater.org/tech/mjc/index.htm)

Celts are the men that heaven made mad, For all their battles are merry and their songs are all sad.

Gun Control...hitting what you aim at!

[skhips]

Some boards have a jumper setting for when you want to change between simms and dimms, if you find your mobo book as mentioned above then just keep a look out. (You can sometimes change the bus frequency for the RAM seperatly from the CPU, this will also be in the manual).

http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

[pavermech]

Thanks for the quick replies! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif I think you are probably right bassman.
I guess the next step is to see what kind of board that I have (thanks mjc and skhips) and see if I can find any specs on it. I'll post back with anything new. May be after Labor Day weekend though. Thankis again! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

------------------
"Beam me up, Scotty--no intelligent life here"

[levifler]

Get the motherboard manufacturer from the bios string. During the POST, while it is counting memory, hit the pause key. This will allow you to write the bios string down exactly. then visit this page: http://www.wimsbios.com/ to decrypt the string.
.
An example of a bios string is: 06/13/97 - i430TX-NS336-2A59IQ1cc-00
.
Another possibly easier way that works for most systems is to download and run this file: ftp://ftp.heise.de/pub/ct/ctsi/ctbios15.zip This program will pull the bios string, often the motherboard manufacturer and more.
.
Once you have the motherboard manufacturer, visit their website for specs.

[pavermech]

Thanks levifler, I'll plan on doing that right after Labor Day weekend. Going to leave town and forget about the rat race for awhile first. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

------------------
"Beam me up, Scotty--no intelligent life here"

[Paleo Pete]

You also might just need to go into BIOS, save changes and exit, making NO changes. That's to let BIOS see the new memory amount. Try that first, and of course, go try and find a manual anyway, it's always nice to have.

Another thing to look out for, many of the older boards use the Intel i430xx series chipsets, which can cache no more than 64MB memory. If you add more than that it will actually slow the machine down. Look for chips on the motherboard about an inch square with Intel i430FX, TX, VX or HX on one of them. If you see one of those numbers, don't try for more than 64MB RAM in the machine. The chipset number will also be in the manual, as well as info concerning any jumpers that may need to be set to use DIMM memory. Some have a voltage jumper. The HX will accept more than 64MB, but only if you add a tag RAM chip.

------------------
Support the right to keep and arm bears.
Note: Please post your questions on the forums, not in my email.

Computer Information Links (http://www.geocities.com/paleopete/)

[pavermech]

Thanks Pete! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif
I'll try that first chance that I get. Right now I kind of got caught up in networking my two pc's at home together and got all snarled up with WinME! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/mad.gif I'm having to reformat one of my pcs and I won't be working on the ram problem until I get that ironed out. (The pc with the ram is a friend's). I will definitly post back and let all of you know what I find on it, though, cause I know you like to know when you've helped solve someone's problem. Thanks for all the great help! http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif

------------------
"Beam me up, Scotty--no intelligent life here"