How do I increase computer's memory?

[AnOther]

I wonder if your CMOS battery has failed.

Is the date correct, if it's defaulted to something years out a dead giveaway that it has.

How old is the PC ?

[Pommier]

The date is still right. The computer is about 3 years old.

Many thanks for any ideas.

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

Try removing the new memory you have put in and switch your computer on again.

See what happens, does it boot normally.

If so, switch off again and put the new memory in again and see what happens.

What memory do you have now by the way? And in how many modules?

[Pommier]

[quote user="Bob T"]

So you need two DDR2 sticks. You should be able to fit either two 512Mb sticks or two 1Gb sticks. These will cost you about €10 for two 512s from here - top one on the list, or €18 each for two 1Gb ones - third one down.

[/quote]

This is the memory we bought - the two 512MB sticks.

We've tried removing the memory. When we do that the computer works normally.

[Lehaut]

Just out of interest, did you take out the old memory before you put the new stuff in?  How many memory slots do you have.  I have just done the same thing on three machines in the house, if you mix the old and the new in the slots it might not work, and you must (at least in my case) put the new memory in the same coloured slots.

Just a suggestion.

[Pommier]

Right, there are 4 slots in total, 2 of which already had memory in them. They were left as they were and the 2 new lots of memory were put in the 2 remaining slots.

The computer says the memory has been added as does the BIOS, but it's still necessary to press F2 each time the computer is started plus it randomly does a restart every now and again.

With the new memory removed it doesn't do the restarts (but it still asks for F2 to be pressed at start up.

[Sunday Driver]

Am I reading this correctly...?

You started off with 1gb of memory - probably a 1gb stick in slot one, leaving you with one slot to fill - and you've gone and bought two 512mb sticks?  If you've taken the original 1gb stick out and filled the two slots with the 512mb sticks, then you've still only got 1gb and you're no further forward....

 

[Sunday Driver]

Ignore - post crossed with yours....[Www]

 

[Lehaut]

I think the mother board has 4 memory slots, colour coded (for example) two yellow and two green.  You need to populate either the two green or the two yellow with RAM.  If one of either of the one of the two colours was already  populated with 1GB  OR two of the same colour were populated with 512mb of RAM,  then you have not progressed in actual physical RAM (ie you have still 1 GB).  If you have populated one yellow with the original 1GB and added  two lots of 512 in the other two green slots  hoping to get 2GB of RAM- the system will not work!  You can get different speed RAM (PC2 4300, PC2 5300, PC 6400, 200Mhz, 333 Mhz, 400Mhz etc, but you cannot mix them) but it sound like you have exchanged 1 GB of RAM for 1GB RAM.

But, COD 4 (SAS/USMC in Russia today, rather than COD 2 which is WW2 Russia)  (not COD Modern warfare 2 ie COD6) does not seem to be very  demanding on the system anyway!  By the time you have solved all the RAM problems, you could have finished the game on single player COD 4 (which is longer evidently than single player in COD 6, but thats another subject). 

 

[AnOther]

Clearly the additional memory is being recognised so I don't think compatibility is the issue.

Random problems would seem indicative of a faulty memory module or a bad connection in a socket, or some such thing. If it were a compatibility problem in all probability the machine would just not boot.

I would suggest that you go back to the 2 original modules and

establish that everything is OK and as was. Then remove them and fit

the 2 new ones in the same slots and check again. If that works it

proves that the 2 new modules are OK.

Next take them out and put the original modules in the 2 spare slots

and test that, this will eliminate those slots as the problem. Finally

put the 2 new modules in the spare slots and check again. You have now

proved all possible combinations of the pairs of modules and slots and

if you now refit all 4 and still have problems then there may indeed be some

weird incompatibility going on but I have never encountered such a thing myself, faulty modules aside memory upgrades invariably work - or they don't.

Note: Some motherboards will not let you populate the expansion

slots without the primary slots being in use first but you'll soon find

out if this is the case with yours, they just won't work.

The 'Automatic adjustment' message you are getting will be from the

monitor itself and as a result of the PC's video output changing though

I cannot really imagine why it would do this, again not a fault I have ever

seen before in relation to a memory upgrade.

[Pommier]

Many thanks for the suggestions. The original memory was also 512MB - I think it's the same as the new memory. Husband just went upstairs to try new memory in old slots (I think he's tried each of the other permutations) and a message had appeared on screen saying the computer wants to reload it's system back to as it was from the factory and we'll lose any programmes we've installed since we bought the computer.

As we're half way through moving house and all the programmes are at the new house I think we'll have to put up with it as it is (and use the laptop!) until we move at the end of January.

Thanks again for all the help.

[AnOther]

[quote user="Pommier"]a message had appeared on screen saying the computer wants to reload it's system back to as it was from the factory[/quote]WOT [:-))]

I don't know what he's done to provoke that but I fear you're now going to have little choice but to follow through with it.

Bizarre [:'(]

[Pommier]

Yes, I'm going to stick with the laptop!

I'll try reloading the computer once we've moved (and I can reinstall all the other programmes)

Lots of thanks for the help. Happy Christmas.

[Pommier]

Sorry to resurrect this problem - just hoping one of you can help!

I did the re-load of the system (although I didn't need to use any of the back up disks as the computer did it itself so it was back as it had been when new. The problem is that when it's switched on it now says 'press F2 to continue to load'. Once F2 is pressed it works fine, but is there any way of getting rid of this message so it switches on properly?

[Quillan]

When does this happen, when the bios is being checked at the very start of switching it on or afterwards as it starts to load Windows?

[Quillan]

I forgot to ask does the Bios count the memory correctly, you often see this in the top left or right corner of the screen when it boots, does it count all of the memory installed? Is there any other message linked to the Press F2 message?

[Pommier]

Thanks for replying so fast!

The message comes as the Bios is loading. The Bios does count the memory correctly (at present we've only got the original memory installed because every time the new memory is installed the computer crashes)

[Bugsy]

[quote user="Pommier"]Sorry to resurrect this problem - just hoping one of you can help!

I did the re-load of the system (although I didn't need to use any of the back up disks as the computer did it itself so it was back as it had been when new. The problem is that when it's switched on it now says 'press F2 to continue to load'. Once F2 is pressed it works fine, but is there any way of getting rid of this message so it switches on properly?[/quote]

Some computers show that F2 message briefly giving you the opportunity to enter alternative ways of booting up. Ignore it and the normal boot takes place.

If this is not so in your case I would suggest, as a first step, that you check what format the Bios launch mode is set to. (Floppy - CD - HD). Disable the Floppy, save and try again.

Report back for next suggestion [:D]

.

[Pommier]

I went into the Bios screen but I couldn't see anything about disabling floppy. I did though see it said 'press F5 for default settings' so I did that and it seems to have cured it!!!!!

Fantastic - we'll try putting the new memory in again next.

Many thanks all.

[Quillan]

Memory should always be installed in pairs so that it exactly the same. Most people ignore this and just buy the same 'spec' memory, 90% of the time this works OK but I have had problems in the past especially with cheaper memory.

Assuming you already have one card in the machine I would replace it with the new memory card then see what happens. If thats OK the add the old memory to the second slot. If that fails then you need to buy another memory card from the same place that you got your new one from and it needs to be exactly the same as your other new card.

On some machines its normal after adding or removing memory that it will stop at the F2 prompt and ask you to go in to the Bios, it then picks up the changed memory configuration and by 'saving' and continuing you wont get the F2 message again (well you shouldn't). Basically the Bios does find the memory automatically but you still has to add it the memory map although some of the newer Bios's can also do that automatically.

Good luck.

[Gardener]

I was given an old computer some time ago and I want to see if I can have a play and make it good enough for my sons to use as a gaming PC.

These are the specifications afaik.

Microsoft xp prof

system manufacture: Via technologies model vt8363

processor AMD athlon MMX 3DNOW 1.0 ghz

memory 1024 mb ram

direct x version 9.0

Display NVIDIA Ge force 3.

I don't know what parts would need to be upgraded to play the kind of games that they want.

Is the VT8363 the motherboard? ? I have looked at Via technologies website and I think I could insert only another 512 mb which would take the memory up to 1536?

If I have got that right so far, then I don't think that will be enough.

So do I need to ( or can I ) change the motherboard?

[AnOther]

Forget it, no PC with a 1gb processor will ever play the games any child would want to in any meaningful way - if at all  - nor can it be economically upgraded !

I'm afraid I have to slightly disagree with Q, yes if you are fitting 2 sticks of RAM then they should be of equal size and equal, or very similar, spec which is not the same as saying exactly the same, a small distinction but an important one. Even then some machines will be more tolerant of differences than others so fitting a new second stick with better specs might still work but only at the performance of the lowest one.

It is not always necessary to fit RAM in pairs and not all laptops will have more than one slot anyway. If you had only say 512kb but 2 slots you could either upgrade to 1gb with a second stick of 512kb or, if the motherboard supported it, throw the 512kb away and fit one or two sticks of 1gb potentially giving you a total of 2gb.

RAM can be a bit of a minefield and the best way to be sure that what you are buying will be compatible is to go to http://www.crucial.com and download their system scanner. It will scan your machine and tell you what you have and what is possible. Once you know that you can go shopping [;-)]

[Quillan]

I did say 90% of the time You won't have a problem and like I have said I have come across mashines that need exactly the same memory as a pair. I seem to remember some of the old Dell Optiplex (or something like that) had this problem.

[Clarkkent]

[quote user="Gardener"]So do I need to ( or can I ) change the motherboard?[/quote]

Buy a motherboard/processor/memory bundle from a firm such as Dabs  - you shouldn't need to pay more than about £150 or so. So long as you are reasonably methodical it is not a particularly difficult job. You can upgrade storage and optical drives later.

If I can do this anyone can!

[Gardener]

Thanks for the advice. The computer is old and very shabby looking so I wasn't looking at spending a lot of money on it. I am quite keen to have a go at building one though, I will keep googling and see if it is a feasible winter project for a computer numpty.