Vista x86 wont recognize 3gb RAM

Status
Not open for further replies.
Hi I hope someone can help me out, I have an asus a7n8x-x, amd xp 3200+ and 3 1gb
sticks or pc3200 ram, all bought from crucial together. running vista ultimate 32 bit.
The problem I have is vista runs fine with just 2gb in but as soon as I put the 3rd stick in it doesnt recognize the ram and the mouse icon dissapears, the mouse still moves around the d/top and is useable I just cant see it?
my mobo only has 3 slots for ram and isn't dual channel. is there anything in sys config i can change, ive tried upping maximum memory in boot advanced options but it wont save over 2048, I appreciate that up to a gig can be taken for other processes but in task manager it should still recognize 3gb then take out whatever leaving me with available memory - right?
any help is greatly appreciated
rob
 
Have you swapped around the RAM sticks yet, to eliminate the possibility of a bad one?
The mobo may only recognize up to 2GB. IE; 1GB + 2 512MB or 2 1GB and ignore the 3rd slot.

The issues about Vista (or any 32 bit OS) not recognizing the full amount of installed RAM would not occur until AFTER 3GBs. Actually somewhere between 2.9 and 3.3GB. You would need to install 4GB to hit this wall.
 
Time to hit Asus website and download the manual. The 3 socket board sounds like it might be expecting 3 256MB or 3 512MB DIMMs. Many chipsets do max out @ 2GBs, it's not that unusual.
 
yeah i checked b4 buying the ram and its stated as accepting up to 1gb per slot, and i did a crucial memory scan to ensure full compatability, i can put the ram in slots 1+2 =ok 1+3 = ok 2+3 = ok just not all 3, the mouse disapearing is really wierd as well
been googling all afternoon and found probs like but not the same, and no remedies thus far have worked
 
It is likely not VISTA x86 that won't recognize all the memory. Rather, it could be the ASUS board... ASUS is very picky on the memory for that board... even recommending memory it considers workable from their tech support people. Be sure the memory you use is on the ASUS list of acceptable memory... and timings.
 
just read it, its the same as everyhing i read b4 updating m ram, any ideas as to why it will recognize the ram in xp pro but not vista ultimate? and why my mouse disapears with 3gb in?
 
The BIOS will tell you how much memory, by slot, is recognized as usable... but it will not necessarily tell you anything useful if what is recognized is not the amount of memory you have installed. That is up to the motherboard and the Chipset to determine. They will decide what is usable, not what the number should be if the modules and the chipset are correct.
 
ok, so as i understand it, bios will detect 2.88gb of useable memory, xp pro will/can use 2.75gb rest on graphics other stuff, fine by me, but not vista
 
yeah from what ive read 32 bit vista will take 4gb using anything up to 3.75 of it i just cant get mine to accept the last gig
 
Has the BIOS been updated to a version compatible with Vista?
The 2.88GB you see in BIOS makes sense, since BIOS stashes some RAM for it's own nefarious purposes.
The failure to detect the mouse correctly, could be one of several issues; wrong receiver version, wrong software version. These ideas if wireless. When I get into this positions I jack in a wired PS2 mouse, just for a process of elimination. If you're already using a wired mouse, please accept my apologies.

But, basically it does seem that you have the wrong BIOS version or a faulty install of Vista. I know this doesn't narrow it down to where you would like it, sorry.
 
just updated to latest bios, but still same problem, gonna get the vista install disk out and see if repair option comes up with anything.
 
What did you learn from the ASUS site information on that motherboard and memory requirements?
 
Also, take a look at this thread on this forum:

The ASUS A7N8X-X / A7N8X / A7N8X Deluxe Thread

It appears that memory issues have been a difficulty for perhaps two years on this board.

Also, Crucial and others report this board as a 3 GB board:

"Manufacturer Specifications - ASUS A7N8X-X
Number of Slots:
Slot 1 Slot 2 Slot 3
Each memory slot can hold DDR PC2700,DDR PC3200 with a maximum of 1GB per slot. Not to exceed manufacturer supported memory.
* USB Support: 2.x Compliant
* Error Detection Support: Non-ECC only
* Chipset: nVidia nForce2 Ultra 400
* Supported DRAM Types: DDR SDRAM only
* Module Types Supported: Unbuffered only
* Max Unbuffered DDR SDRAM: 3072MB
* Max Component Density: 512Mb
* 184-pin DIMM Banking: 3 (3 banks of 1)
* Graphics Support: AGP 8X
 
ok sorry for delay been oon holiday
after running extensive memtest86 i found all 3 sticks pass multiple times in slots 1 + 2
whether paired or single, but as soon as i put a stick in slot 3 it fails at test 5 on all 3 sicks, gonna run more tests with higher voltage and relaxed timings and see what happens
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back