Computer Thinks a 256MB stick is 128MB. What do I do?

[Eli]

A week or so ago I had some guy from a computer store install a new video card and a new fan for the processor. I was at the dorms so I didnt wittness the whole process.

When I came back I noticed a significant slowdown in the computer, to the point of opening Windows windows slowly, long times of loading Outlook, etc.

Today I noticed that the Control Panel->System thingie says I have 128MB of RAM when I had 256MB when I bought the computer. The BIOS says the same.

A suspicion of memory theft was discarded with a quick look to the innards that brought up the original stick with the very clear words of "256MB DDR 266MHz" on it. I removed the stick, pretended I understand something and sticked it back. Still 128MB. Sticking it into the other slot didnt help.

So what do I do? How the hell can that happen?

 

[marioh]

Maybe the guy was slick and took the sticker off of the 256, and put it unto the 128 ?
If you have another PC (or know someone that does) that's compatible with the type of RAM you have, you can try it in it to see if it is indeed only 128.
Or, check the RAM itself, and take down any numbers on the actual stick itself (not the sticker). Then check the manufacturers web site to see if it is indeed a 256MB module. I'm not sure if the stick (or the manufacturers website) will have enough pertinent info to find out that type of info, but it wouldn't hurt to try.

 

[Eli]

There are 8 chips on each side of the stick and on all of them it says :

C128_________2-2
MT___________46V16MB
TG____________-75A

Bolding mine. Since 16*16=256 I think it is safe to assume that the stick is 256MB.

 

[marioh]

There are 8 chips on each side of the stick and on all of them it says :

C128_________2-2
MT___________46V16MB
TG____________-75A

Bolding mine. Since 16*16=256 I think it is safe to assume that the stick is 256MB.

It sounds like you may have to muck around in the BIOS to see if there's any settings in there that relates to RAM. Since it worked previously, we can just about rule out needing a BIOS upgrade. A new video card and fan for your CPU should not in any way affect your RAM and the ability of the BIOS to determine the amount of RAM in your system.
Check google for RAM test and see if you can find any free ones, and run it on your RAM to see if there are any problems with it. It is possible that the RAM is either bad or slightly damaged somehow.

EDIT : The following link is for the Microsoft RAM test :
http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp

 

[Ohkrana]

A week or so ago I had some guy from a computer store install a new video card and a new fan for the processor. I was at the dorms so I didnt wittness the whole process.

When I came back I noticed a significant slowdown in the computer, to the point of opening Windows windows slowly, long times of loading Outlook, etc.

Today I noticed that the Control Panel->System thingie says I have 128MB of RAM when I had 256MB when I bought the computer. The BIOS says the same.

A suspicion of memory theft was discarded with a quick look to the innards that brought up the original stick with the very clear words of "256MB DDR 266MHz" on it. I removed the stick, pretended I understand something and sticked it back. Still 128MB. Sticking it into the other slot didnt help.

So what do I do? How the hell can that happen?

Flash the BIOS - but I don't think that will help you. I had a similar problem and didn't take me long to realize why.

Check the motherboard you have on their manufacture site and I think you'll find the mother board you have wont support 256 MB sticks. That was the problem I had.

 

[Eli]

Check the motherboard you have on their manufacture site and I think you'll find the mother board you have wont support 256 MB sticks. That was the problem I had.

But it supported that stick for 3 years.

 

[Ohkrana]

But it supported that stick for 3 years.

Ok I'm making an assumptions here that - one that it's strictly a hardware problem and no Hijinx occured.

www.snapfiles.com

From here (has lots of downloads) - search for Belarc advisor it's a freewware program that probes your system and will give you your system specs - hardware/software etc. Your going to want your Motherboard details and the RAM details it picks up (save you from opening the case to find out).

When you have the motherboard specs then you can look for a BIOS upgrade if their is one aviailable to FLASH the bios (although I don't think it will make a difference).

Check your BIOS settings see that their ok - I can't see why they wouldn't be.

If you need to FLASH the bios www.bootdisk.com there is some utils and should be instructions for BIOS flashing which isn't hard. I think it's under Utilities?

If you can try out that 256 MB stick in other machine see how it goes. It's very doubtful your mem stick is damaged. More likely it seems some settings are off somewhere.

 

[Eli]

This Belcar thignie says :

Main Circuit Board
Board: ASUSTeK Computer INC. A7A266 REV 1.xx
Bus Clock: 133 megahertz
BIOS: Award Software, Inc. ASUS A7A266 ACPI BIOS Revision 1004 04/30/2001

Memory Modules c,d
128 Megabytes Installed Memory

Slot 'DIMM 1' is Empty
Slot 'DIMM 2' is Empty
Slot 'DIMM 3' is Empty
Slot 'DDR 1' is Empty
Slot 'DDR 2' has 128 MB

 

[Comraddict]

Download EVEREST Home Edition ( previously known as AIDA32)http://www.lavalys.com/products/download.php?pid=1&lang=en&pageid=3


and look into motherboard -> SPD and tell us whole line what you see.

 

[Eli]

I ran the MS memory test marioh linked to, and there were no problems.

The EVEREST thingie says nothing in MB->SPD. And in MB->Memory it says that I have 127MB.

 

[ainwood]

Try putting the RAM stick into another slot. It might be that the shop moved it to fit the video card in (they have to sometimes, because of teh motherboard layout)