Added more RAM and now monitor displays missing/distorted/colored characters.

[charvey]

I added 128MB/PC100 to an open slot on my Dad's Hewlett Packard and now the monitor displays some characters as black boxes, purple colored when they should be black, missing letters in the middle of a word, and sometimes when you click on a desktop icon, a ghost of the icon will follow the pointer around the screen. Pull out the memory card and all is well again. The only other card on the MoBo is a PC100/64MB. ANY help would be appreciated. The 'puter is running Win 98SE with an AMD-K6 333.
Happy New Year!
Ken

 

[Peddant]

How many memory slots have you got ? You might have to add in pairs ie 2 times 64MB or 2 times 128MB. Is it exactly the same type of memory ? http://www.techiwarehouse.com/cms/articles.php?cat=12

 

[charvey]

There are 2 slots. One has the original 64MB Siemens card and the other I installed a 128MB PNY card.

 

[Peddant]

Assuming your 128MB is new and not faulty,there could two possible issues-

1.The pairs issue outlined above.

2.The density issue.Your old memory is low density,and the new is high density
You need to use low density RAM instead of high density ones.
High density RAM is less expensive(PNY) but WON`T WORK on some
OLDER MOTHERBOARDS. The amount of chips on the module
tells one if it's high or low density.For a 128MB low density module,
there should be 8 chips.Single sided and double sided adds more
complications http://www.crucial.com/systemscanner/

 

[charvey]

Thanks for the help. I think the best bet is to scrap the 64 and just get a 256 so there's no mis-match problem.

 

[Peddant]

Yes,but don`t forget the density issue,it`s tripped me up before.You have to get both issues right,or else no go.