Can virus damage ram

[hawkinore]

Hello,
I had 4 GB of RAM in my Dell E520, now the system clogs up. I checked the info on "My Computer", and it lists that the computer has 1GB of RAM. Can this change be done by a virus, or are my dimms loose?

 

[scout_03]

loose stick or defective one

 

[photonboy]

I agree.
Hardware can't be damaged by software (unless you ran a stress app and had inadequate cooling).

As said, remove and reinsert your RAM and test using Memtest. If it fails, or reports the amount incorrectly only insert ONE stick at a time.

Read your motherboard manual as to which slot you insert ONLY one stick into. You can't just choose any one. The same applies to which two slots to use for two sticks.