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Author Topic: Upgrading to as much RAM as the OS can understand?! Andrew McCrea Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 645 From: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Registered: Nov 2000 posted 09-08-2007 10:11 PM                        Hello Everyone, I've always received really useful information on all of my computer questions, so here's a new one. I bought a PC from my dad's work for $50 ($100 with the HUGE monitor) in Christmas 2005. It is an IBM NetVista 6270-M2U, Pentium III, "Designed for Windows 98", 256mb (2x 128mb) RAM, 9GB hard drive, with no CD drive. I put a 160GB hard drive in, upgraded to Windows XP Home, put a HP DVD-RW burner in, 6 USB ports, and a wireless adapter. This was almost immediately. Its really a great system (since I already had the burner, etc.), especially considering the cost, and the satisfaction from doing it myself. I went to a computer store on Thursday, with a stick of RAM, talked to whom I assume is the owner, and he hooked me up with a stick of 512mb. He said, after looking at my stick of RAM "Whew, this system is old, eh?" and gave me the new stick for $79.99. He said it would work fine, since Windows XP could recognize up to 2GB of RAM, and that RAM was all about the OS recognizing it. I took the new stuff home, put it in my PC, in slot DIMM1, along with one of the other stick of 128mb. When I turned on the computer, it made a few loud beeps, and the screen stayed black. On IBM's website, it says it can recognize 512mb of RAM, maximum, but the guy at the computer store said Windows 98 could only recognize that much. As it is, the computer only recognizes 148GB of my hard drive, but its nowhere near half full, anyways. What can I do to make this computer use the 512mb effectively? Am I S.O.L.?  |  IP: Logged Phil Blake Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 558 From: esperance western australia Registered: Nov 2003 posted 09-09-2007 12:24 AM                        the guy at the shop is right accepting ram is mostly controlled by the operating system. The maximum amount of memory that your system can use is actually limited in two ways — not only is there a maximum amount of memory that your computer motherboard can accept, there is also a maximum amount of memory that your operating system (OS) can accept. Windows xp Home accepts 4Gb Your Pc may have an issue with not having matched pairs of memory installed. You say you installed the 512Mb with the 128Mb which is not matched , try 2 sticks of 128 or 512.  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 09-09-2007 01:02 AM                        Your motherboard will overrule your OS's RAM limit if the MB's limit is lower. Basically whichever's limit is lower will win. How much RAM can the top tier god-version of Vista handle? Surely more than 4GB.  |  IP: Logged Darryl Spicer Film God Posts: 3250 From: Lexington, KY, USA Registered: Dec 2000 posted 09-09-2007 01:13 AM                    quote: Andrew McCrea On IBM's website, it says it can recognize 512mb of RAM, maximum, but the guy at the computer store said Windows 98 could only recognize that much. As it is, the computer only recognizes 148GB of my hard drive, but its nowhere near half full, anyways. The recognizing only 148GB is normal. It is a calculation thing. HDD manufacturers choose to count in decimal, while computers use a binary number system. So... 160GB = 160,000,000,000 bytes Divide that by 1024 3 times it will = 149GB As far as the memory just don't use the 128mb since your motherboard can not recognize anything above that.  |  IP: Logged Andrew McCrea Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 645 From: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Registered: Nov 2000 posted 09-09-2007 01:38 AM                        Well, does this motherboard need to have two sticks of RAM in it at a time? If I just have the 512mb in, it still does the black screen with the three beeps when turned on and doesn't boot up. Does BIOS need to be changed or updated?  |  IP: Logged Anslem Rayburn Master Film Handler Posts: 476 From: Yuma, AZ, USA Registered: May 2002 posted 09-09-2007 01:57 AM                     According to the user manual on the link you provided, you can only install up to 256MB RAM into each socket, for a total of 512MB. Joe: According to what I have seen, 64-bit versions of Windows Vista Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate can handle up to 128GB.  |  IP: Logged Andrew McCrea Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 645 From: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Registered: Nov 2000 posted 09-09-2007 01:59 AM                        OK, that helps, so here's one more dilemma: The receipt says "FINAL SALE! NO RETURNS! NO EXCHANGES!"... Should I go say that the guy told me it would work, it doesn't, and I need two sticks of 256 each? Do I have a case, for an exchange, even if I didn't know it would be a final sale?  |  IP: Logged Anslem Rayburn Master Film Handler Posts: 476 From: Yuma, AZ, USA Registered: May 2002 posted 09-09-2007 02:01 AM                     I would think an honest business would exchange for 2 sticks (you may have to pay a little extra), but that is definitely something you would have to talk to them about and would be case by case.  |  IP: Logged Leo Enticknap Film God Posts: 7474 From: Loma Linda, CA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 09-09-2007 02:06 AM                        Also, you sometimes need to update your motherboard's BIOS in order for it to recognise memory sticks of a larger capacity than were the norm when the motherboard was made.  |  IP: Logged Andrew McCrea Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 645 From: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Registered: Nov 2000 posted 09-09-2007 02:37 AM                        I'm pretty sure that IBM provides a BIOS update for Windows XP... How do you go about installing a new BIOS? I tried to do it on my laptop to no avail.  |  IP: Logged Darryl Spicer Film God Posts: 3250 From: Lexington, KY, USA Registered: Dec 2000 posted 09-09-2007 02:52 AM                    Here is a link to some info... PCMechanic  |  IP: Logged Leo Enticknap Film God Posts: 7474 From: Loma Linda, CA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 09-09-2007 05:33 AM                        Some of the more modern motherboard BIOSs have a more user-friendly way of updating than is described in this article. For example, the one in my last PC would flash in an update from the BIOS interface itself, and you didn't have to boot into DOS to do it. It also had a safety feature that refused to flash in a BIOS that wasn't written for that specific model of motherboard. But for a motherboard the age of Andrew's, I'd guess that it would be a case of booting a DOS floppy and then running the flash utility. As a general rule, BIOS updates are issued very frequently during the first couple of years after a model of motherboard goes on sale, and then the frequency drops off. It's worth keeping an eye on the motherboard manufacturer's web page to see when new versions come out, and if each new version fixes a bug or adds functionality that directly affects you. I tend to only update if it does.  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 09-09-2007 08:21 AM                     Also make surre the ram speed is cmpatable with the mother board that can be more of an issue on old mb  |  IP: Logged Anslem Rayburn Master Film Handler Posts: 476 From: Yuma, AZ, USA Registered: May 2002 posted 09-09-2007 08:33 AM                     If you are able to run Windows XP on this system, I wouldn't update anything. I haven't seen anything that says that a BIOS update will allow the Intel 810E chipset (which this pc uses, according to tech specs) to utilize more than 512MB (256MB x 2). I think you have just hit a technology ceiling in terms of your system. Edited to add: Also realize that updating your BIOS may be risky and can kill the motherboard. I don't think this system has any real safeguards, and anything from using the wrong BIOS to a power failure would brick the system. Just learn to live within it's means or buy a new computer, that's my opinion.  |  IP: Logged Damien Taylor Master Film Handler Posts: 493 From: Perth, Western Australia Registered: Apr 2007 posted 09-09-2007 09:33 AM                     That not understanding large drives is a bios thing, flashing a mobo bios is a pain in the bum, but its worth it. Its good to see people putting legacy systems to use, one can never have too many servers.  |  IP: Logged

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