[dragonqi]

Hello all! I recently made an attempt to upgrade the RAM in my PC and now I am having problems getting the computer to turn on. What happens is when i turn my com back on I get a series of beeps and my monitor will not turn on. I can only get my system to turn off by disconnecting the power. However, when I remove the new chip and replace it with the old one, everything starts up normally. I am currently running 640MB (1 512MB + 1 128MB). I am trying to replace the 128MB with another 512MB. I am sure the problem is with the new chip because I tried rearranging the order of the chips and each time I attempted to use the new chip I encountered the same problem. Here are my system specs as well as the specs on my new chip (all courtesy of Crucial Scan):

HP- Compaq Pavilion xt993
# Maximum Memory Capacity: 1024MB
# Currently Installed Memory: 640MB
# Available Memory Slots: 0
# Total Memory Slots: 2
# Dual Channel Support: No
# CPU Manufacturer: AuthenticAMD
# CPU Family: AMD Athlon™ Processor Model 4, Stepping 4
# CPU Speed: 1300 MHz


New chip:
512MB SDRAM PC133 DIMM 133MHZ


FYI, I am just starting out in computers and this is the most in-depth thing I have done to date. So to say that I am a noob is an understatement lol. Any help will be appreciated. If I am missing anything, just let me know. Thanks!

[Advertisements]

Hello dragonqi.... Welcome to GeeksToGo,

From your description you have the older style sdram.
This type had to be put in as matching pairs to work correctly.
If you are installing only one 512 meg stick the system will do exactly as you are describing.
I'm not sure how you have 640 megs of memory since memory comes in the following capacities

• 128
• 256
• 512
• 1 gig

My suggestion is since you can have a maximum amount of 1 gig I would say buy another 512 meg module and put just the two of them in.
take the other modules and put them away for safe keeping in case something ever goes wrong with the 1 gig of memory.

[rshaffer61]

Hello dragonqi.... Welcome to GeeksToGo,

From your description you have the older style sdram.
This type had to be put in as matching pairs to work correctly.
If you are installing only one 512 meg stick the system will do exactly as you are describing.
I'm not sure how you have 640 megs of memory since memory comes in the following capacities

• 128
• 256
• 512
• 1 gig

My suggestion is since you can have a maximum amount of 1 gig I would say buy another 512 meg module and put just the two of them in.
take the other modules and put them away for safe keeping in case something ever goes wrong with the 1 gig of memory.

[makai]

You may not have the correct ram. Ram comes in ECC and Non-ECC... ECC is error checking. If your system requires NON-ECC, and you put in ECC, the system may not boot. I would check the ram type you purchased to make sure its the right type of ram. Sometimes the ram type will be specified on the label. Most computers purchased from OEM manufactures use NON-ECC ram. The HP site does not indicate the type of ram used in your machine, so I'm going to guess it's NON-ECC.

[dragonqi]

Hello dragonqi.... Welcome to GeeksToGo,

From your description you have the older style sdram.
This type had to be put in as matching pairs to work correctly.
If you are installing only one 512 meg stick the system will do exactly as you are describing.
I'm not sure how you have 640 megs of memory since memory comes in the following capacities

• 128
• 256
• 512
• 1 gig

My suggestion is since you can have a maximum amount of 1 gig I would say buy another 512 meg module and put just the two of them in.
take the other modules and put them away for safe keeping in case something ever goes wrong with the 1 gig of memory.

My com currently has 2 chips installed. One is a 512MB chip and the other is a 128MB chip. The two together give me 640MB of RAM. I am currently trying to upgrade to 1024MB. To do that, I ordered another 512MB chip off of ebay to swap out the 128MB chip. When I make the switch, my com starts to give me troubles.

makai:
Thanks for the advice. I will attempt to contact the merchant I purchased my chip from and get more info. I'll keep you guys posted on what I find out.

[dragonqi]

Ok. I got some info. Apparently, the stick I am attempting to install is NON ECC. I have some more in-depth specs on the new stick here:

Product Details:
• 168-pin unbuffered DIMM
• Density: HIGH DESNITY
• PC133 133FSB
• 3.3 Volts
• 6 Layer unbuffered
• CAS Latency 3
• 4 Bank
• Off-chip driver (OCD) impedance adjustment, and on die termination (ODT)
Non ECC
Non Registered
UnBuffered
6 Layer
Non Parity


Does any of this help??

[makai]

The ram module may just be bad. You may need to contact the seller for a new module.

Does the other ram in the machine state what kind of ram they are... ECC, NON-ECC, Buffered, Unbuffered. Try checking the labels to see if you can verify what kind of ram they are. If they're Non-Ecc, then the new ram should work with them (providing it works). If they're ECC (unlikely, but not improbable), then the new ram is the wrong type. I've purchased ram from ebay myself in the past, and have not had a problem, however, this doesn't mean anything if the ram you got is bad or the wrong type.

[rshaffer61]

Maybe try installing new ram by itself and see if it boots. If not that would tell us for sure if the ram is good or not?