new ram makes computer unable to boot

[KaiRamiel]

i just bought two sticks of 256mb DDR RAM for my comp today, and after installing them, when i turn the computer on, my monitor will not 'activate' with it, like it usually does, and the computer does nothing. sometimes though, the computer will boot up, but will only display the amount of ram in the first slot. i have 3 sticks of 256 total. so when it boots, it only says i have 256 meg of ram, even with the other sticks installed. i have an ABIT KG7 mobo.

also, i ran a system information program, and looked under memory, and it actually shows the other 2 memory sticks information, so the mobo is clearly able to read that they are there, it's just not using them! i have tried switching them around in every way i can think of, and nothing seems to get this to work. can someone pleeeease help me?

and i have also tried updating my bios, which did nothing

 

[Rob423]

what kind of ram, what brand?

Is THG Slightly Slacking??

 

[KaiRamiel]

it's 256MB DDR RAM (PC2100) and i believe one is made by "Elixir" and the other "Nanya". they both also say Centon electronics on them.

 

[jlanka]

when you say "switch them around" did you also try just 2 sticks instead of 3, and try just 1 of the new ones? Helps to narrow down the problem.

<i>It's always the one thing you never suspected.</i>

 

[heffeque]

Puuuuuu... You're going to start to go more often to the store you bought the RAM. I had to go 6 times to my store to find RAM that acualy <font color=red> WORKED </font color=red> on my computer.

I got frustrated and decided to go WITH my computer to the shop and test EVERY RAM module they had untill I found the best one for my computer.

Now my RAM workes perfectly.

Hint: When you test the Ram don't just see if "it turns on and that's ok", once it's on and workes try opening two or three very Ram intensive using programs (such as WarCraft and Sims at the same time) to see if the whole stick is ok.
I tested a Ram module that seemed ok and was fu**ed up just when you presed it with hard work.

----
PII 266
256 RAM
GeForce2MX 32MB + Sony Trinitron
4+3GB
Benq 56x + TDK 12x10x32x
<font color=green> ISA Sound card </font color=green> (¡Now that's old! )
Windows 98SE (System too slow for XP)

 

[KaiRamiel]

yeah, i tried all the different combinations. i tried each stick by itself, and they all worked, and when i added any more than 1 stick, it wouldn't work.

 

[KaiRamiel]

by the way, this exact same thing happened when i was at a friends house, and tried to pop in his RAM, which is exactly the same as mine (PC2100). it worked in his comp, but not mine

 

[WingDing]

Using different brands of RAM is not recommended, even if they have the same specification. I'd return to the shop and ask to swap them so that you're using the same brand for all three sticks.

Santa gives good head

 

[Civilized]

check your bios to see what timings are you running on these sticks of ram?....are their capabilities the same?...you say they work seperately but not together....try using the lowest memory timings to see if it works then....the kg7 is a board loaded with memory tweaks...i loved this mobo...I got a 1.2tbird to 166fsb on this mobo using pc2400 corsair ram....if you search around you will find some great bios settings that unlocks alot of potential in this mobo

 

[KaiRamiel]

just got back from the computer store, and guess what the guy did? all he did was clear the CMOS on the mobo, and stuck em in and they worked! hopefully if anyone else ever has this problem, this can help them out! thanks for your support guys!

 

[Civilized]

Yes resetting the cmos will reset all memory timings, etc back to default (the same as loading default settings in the bios)....most of the time the clear cmos jumper is just used when the computer will not boot due to improper settings (when overclocking etc...)...so my guess is that there was something set wrong in the bios that was preventing the one stick from working....well its good to see that you got it working

 

[WingDing]

That's a solution worth noting. Glad you got it sorted and thanks for posting the answer.

I'd rather have a full bottle in front of me than a full frontal lobotomy