[karlos2009]

Hi there, hope you guys can help me, I'm not a complete novice, but no expert either - here's the situation:

I recently upgraded the RAM on my PC from a 1gb Kingston value ram module to a 2gb Kingston HyperX module. I realised soon after purchasing the RAM that by using a single module I'm preventing the use of dual channel memory so my system runs in single channel mode - no worries, my own stupidity...

My first mistake was to not reset CMOS, so I had initial problems booting the PC. I moved the RAM to a different slot and it worked OK and has been for 2 weeks. I recently loaded up and after the Windows loading screen I was displayed with what looked like a psychedelic version of a DOS error message (it wasn't displayed correctly - diagonal lines etc). I did some research and decided to reset CMOS. It worked! PC loaded fine and I used it for a whole weekend without turning it off.

I use the PC solely for producting music, and I have been offered the chance to have my track played next week by a DJ friend of mine in Denmark, but I need to finish it first!

Anyway, I booted it up this morning and was presented with a black screen. The power supply is fine - fans all work, it just through a cycle of accessing each CD-Rom drive and the hard drive light remains on constantly - but just a black screen.

I tried resetting CMOS several times and even removed the battery for an hour or so. No luck. I replaced the new ram with my old module and it booted into CMOS where I changed a few settings (probably a bad idea - but one setting which I enabled described itself as providing better support for different RAM - seemed logical to change it). I loaded into windows fine then shut down and put the new RAM back in without resetting CMOS. Again - the black screen.

So I resetted CMOS and put the old RAM back in and I still have the black screen!!! So nothing works now, not even my original setup!

What have I done and how can I fix it? Surely the new RAM is ok if it's been working for almost 3 weeks???

Please help!!!!

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Well the new memory may have been having a problem even though it "worked" for awhile.... what I'd try is remove everything except the cpu and it's fans, and one stick of memory ( I'd use the old as the common when you start having issues is the new ) and then pull the cmos battery and let it sit a bit... finally replace the battery and try booting up. If it works slowly add components until you are back up fully... personally I'd leave the new memory out... especially till you get your music done.... then, if you feel lucky try the memory again.... I think your memory is either bad or just plain not totally compatible with the motherboard.... this is an intel machine is it not? if it's amd then it's the processor that may be having issues...

[shard92]

Well the new memory may have been having a problem even though it "worked" for awhile.... what I'd try is remove everything except the cpu and it's fans, and one stick of memory ( I'd use the old as the common when you start having issues is the new ) and then pull the cmos battery and let it sit a bit... finally replace the battery and try booting up. If it works slowly add components until you are back up fully... personally I'd leave the new memory out... especially till you get your music done.... then, if you feel lucky try the memory again.... I think your memory is either bad or just plain not totally compatible with the motherboard.... this is an intel machine is it not? if it's amd then it's the processor that may be having issues...