PC not recognising memory...sort of.

[Beaver Slayer]

I'm trying to update my ME to XP, but my RAM (acording to Everest 255mb) just meets the requirments, so I was looking up the memory types in the documentation and acording to it, I have 384 MB. So I look at the individual chips using Everest, when added up my RAM SHOULD be 384, but for some reason it's only recognising 255(I'd also like to know where that extra 1MB is going). I opened my case and there are 4 chips, 2 of one type, 2 of another (I also took this oppertunity to make sure that all four chips where secure in their slots, they where.)
So what is the problem?

Thanks in advance

 

[Abraxas]

Well, the extra MB moved into the other two sticks, because 256+128 = 384.
That Everest tells you 255 MB probably is due to the fact that 1 MB = 1024 KB.
If I had to take a guess I'd say that either Everest doesn't recognize the two 64MB sticks or they don't work together with the other two. But that should have caused problems before so I'd take the former reasoning.

I have never heard of Everest, by the way. Uninformed opinion if you want to say that...

 

[Beaver Slayer]

I'm not sure I follow you.

And Everest is just a program that Displays your hardware, finds clock speeds and things of that manner.

And It may well have been doing this ever since we go it. (I never really thought about memory until a few months ago.)

 

[Abraxas]

What I wanted to say is that your memory adds up to 384, but Everest might interpret 1 MB as 1024 KB and not 1000 as it usually is done for simplification purposes. Hence 256,000KB should technically go down to 250MB. Which means I'm probably not seeing the picture here.

I assume you have two sticks of one brand with 128 each and two others of another identical brand with 64 each, right?
As opposed to 128+64 of each brand.

 

[Beaver Slayer]

Ya, 2 Toshiba 128MB's and 2 Hyundi 64MB's.
And I don't think it's just the way Everest is looking at it, (though it probly does look at it as 1024) because Windows system information also reports it as 256 (I'm guessing the 5 instead of 6 was because I was moving my mouse when it was doing it's system analasis thingy.)

My dad is sugjesting that they are in and recognised, but somehow not intigrated.

 

[Abraxas]

Seems like the other two are not recognised by XP. Try different slots, maybe.

 

[Beaver Slayer]

Actually, I'm still on ME, we're not getting the other Xp lisence until we get all the lose ends tied up.

Ok, I Switched the bottom 2 chips (the 128's) with the top 2 chip's (the 64's) and I am still reading only 256MB, So it's probobly not my MoBo (unless the 64's are linked and the 128's are not or something bizare like that.) So eather both of the 64's (or one of the 128's) is out, or it's a software problem.

 

[Abraxas]

Well, if those are Dual RAM this could be possible. But I so have no clue about RAM these days...
Guess you might need Memtest or something to check your RAM. Never used any of this before.

But honestly, I don't get what the problem is in the first place...are you forced to have more than 256MB RAM to get a license or something? Because there is no problem with XP running with that amount of RAM, I do it myself.
Of course, it's never nice to have unused RAM lying around so you should get to the bottom of THAT problem, either way.

 

[Beaver Slayer]

We're just trying to make sure we don't have unused RAM.
I tried running add new hardware, no dice.(also if the MoBo is damaged((which I'm pretty sure it's not)) we are just going to get a new computer, a new Mobo would be pointlles, the RAM wouldn't fit the video card wouldn't fit, and probly lots of other stuff to.)

 

[Abraxas]

RAM is essential and won't be listed as hardware to add.