Ram compatibility problem... BSOD HELP !

[Jay1080]

Hello everyone,
I'm new here, so apologies in advance if i'm posting this in the wrong section

I have a intel board DH55HC with 4 ram slots ( 2 blue, 2 black) with Kingston 2x2gb 1333 mhz of ram. I'm tried upgrading to 8 gigs in. I tried a single 8gb 1600 stick, did'nt work, gave me a BSOD ( worked fine at the shop), tried a 4 gb both with 1333 and 1600 mhz but to no avail BSOD every time.

I cant find any 2gb sticks, what should I do? Should I install a new bios ( is it easy ?) or something else...?

Please help I'm stuck real bad.

Regards,
J.

 

[gregbattis]

If it worked fine at the shop i suspect some kind of damage. It could be static that caused the damage.

 

[Tradesman1]

The mobo doesn't support 8GB sticks according to the Specs, with 4GB sticks might try resetting the CMOS then try with a single 4GB stick

 

[Jay1080]

If it worked fine at the shop i suspect some kind of damage. It could be static that caused the damage.

Thanks for the reply. No I took it back to the shop later, it worked on their pc just fine. I know there's nothing wrong with my slots either, my 2x2gb sticks are working fine.

 

[Jay1080]

The mobo doesn't support 8GB sticks according to the Specs, with 4GB sticks might try resetting the CMOS then try with a single 4GB stick

Thanks for replying.
Ok how do you reset the CMOS?
I heard that I should update my BIOS... is this the same thing?

 

[Tradesman1]

Updating the BIOS will have the same effect in that the BIOS will be a default, the BIOS update itself should have updates for DRAM compatibility

 

[brispuss]

Yes. Apparently this system supports up to 4 GB DIMM's only. Refer here for further details.

If wanting 8 GB of memory, then get 2 x 4 GB dual channel kit.

 

[Jay1080]

Updating the BIOS will have the same effect in that the BIOS will be a default, the BIOS update itself should have updates for DRAM compatibility

Ok so updating the bios will make my board more compatible with 4gb rams, Right?
Is updating the BIOS safe? Can direct me to a valid tutorial so I don't accidentally mess up my bios?

 

[Jay1080]

Yes. Apparently this system supports up to 4 GB DIMM's only. Refer here for further details.

If wanting 8 GB of memory, then get 2 x 4 GB dual channel kit.

Ok here is what I did step by step, let me know if I'm doing something wrong:

1. Update the BIOS from the Intel Express BIOS update setup.
2. It did its thing and restarted twice. Got the message that it was successfully installed.
3. I shutdown the computer and took out my 2x2gb 1333 ram sticks.
4. Inserted the 4gb 1333 ram, and locked it in.
5. Booted the pc, it went till the Starting Windows 7 screen, then before the colored glowing balls could show up, it restarted.
6. It restarted and instead of Starting Windows screen, it went to the Windows error recovery screen
7. Pressed enter on Launch Startup Repair.
8. It loaded for a little while, then gave me the Blue Screen error.
9. I shutdown, replace the 4gb stick with 2x2gb sticks
10. Booted. Selected the Start Windows Normally option.
11. Arrived at the desktop just fine.


What do I do?

 

[brispuss]

The 4 GB DIMM may be incompatible, or faulty, or maybe both?

Could try checking compatibility of the 4 GB DIMM at memory manufacturer website; most of them have memory compatibility search functions. But even if there is no listing for the 4 GB DIMM on search results for compatible memory with the DH55HC motherboard, the memory may still be compatible, as not all models of memory may have been tested (yet).

Test the 4 GB DIMM in another computer (friend or neighbor?). Try another 4 GB DIMM (preferably one that is known to be compatible with the DH55HC motherboard).

 

[Jay1080]

Maaan, I think my mobo doesnt support 4gb ram sticks at all....

I have'nt tried it at a friends yet, but I think I'll have to find another set of 2x2gb rams, this 4gb stuff aint working. This is so confusing.

 

[brispuss]

Your motherboard supports 4 GB memory.

If the 4 GB memory doesn't appear to be working, then either the particular brand/model of memory is not compatible, and/or the memory is faulty.

To find compatible (4 GB) memory, use memory manufacturer memory search here -

Adata

Corsair

Crucial

G.Skill

Kingston

Patriot

Samsung

Transcend

 

[Jay1080]

Ok I fixed this

The ram that I bought was a newer model of the Kingston 1333 4gb ram. It looked exactly the same as the older model, but its specific name was KVR13N etc, where as the ram that I have starts with KVR1333N9S etc. Also, the new ones have it written on them "Assembled in Tiawan", whereas the ones that work on my motherboard are all "Assembled in China", which dis continued now (according to the Kingston website).

I asked the shop keeper to change the ram and give me the older model that was compatible with my DH55HC mobo. The shop guy himself din't know that it was the model name that mattered the model, instead of the 1333s and 1600s. So got the the ram, installed it, and voila, it works with my 2x2gb rams to give a total of 8gbs

I've looked all over the internet, read tons of forums, but nobody seems to have solved this problem. I hope my post helps others who are in the same problem.

Cheers,
J.

 

[brispuss]

Good that the system now works!

Mixing old and new and different models of memory is always a gamble. Due to variations in memory chip architecture and in chip characteristics, there is often incompatibility between memory modules, and/or incompatibility with the system. That is why it is recommended that memory compatibility be checked before purchasing. And purchasing compatible (dual channel) kits is also recommended instead of purchasing individual memory modules separately and expecting them to work together with other individual (old/existing) modules.