Hi- 8 giga ram won't load windows but 6 does? part 1

rozroz

Hi- searched the threads but couldn't find exact answer.
if this was discussed before please link me, thanks.

i run windows 7 ultimate x64 on a gigabyte ga-p35-ds3p MB, geforce 8600 gt.
i had 4 giga kingston 800 hrz running fine. (2x2g)
i bought another identical 2 so i'll have 8 giga, supported by the MB.
so now, when i have 3 of them inserted, windows uploads fine with 6 giga.
but somehow when i add the last 2giga stick, it has a problem with it.
(all stick are perfect, re-checked in shop).
i get start up screen with windows starting logo, and from there-
it stays like that for a minute at least, afterwards screen gets black and it cannot proceed. waited a long time.have to shut down manually.

is this bios issue? or windows 7 tweaking?

thanks in advance,

Roei

DirtyElf

how did you check the sticks in the shop? are 100% certian you dont have a bad stick of ram?

rozroz

Yup.. He checked this stick and it uploads windows just fine

brady

bad slot?

Phone Man

Could be a ram voltage issue. Try tweaking the bios and increase the ram voltage maybe 1/4 v at a time and see if it helps. I have seen some boards that the extra ram will drag down the voltage just a tad.

Jim

rozroz

is that such a rare problem? where do i tweak the voltage?

thanks

*not a bad slot. tried it already.
tried increasing ddr voltage by 0.05- no go.
all the sticks are 1.8v, so why should there be a voltage problem?

maybe something with the geforce 8600 not calibrated ?

Phone Man

�� Quote: Originally Posted by rozroz

is that such a rare problem? where do i tweak the voltage?

thanks

*not a bad slot. tried it already.
tried increasing ddr voltage by 0.05- no go.
all the sticks are 1.8v, so why should there be a voltage problem?

maybe something with the geforce 8600 not calibrated ?

What voltage and timing are you running? My ram also runs at 1.8v to get the best timing values. They default to 1.5v but at slower values. Try using CPU-Z and post the SPD and Memory information.
CPUID - System & hardware benchmark, monitoring, reporting

Jim

rozroz

thanks:

rozroz

so i can rule out bios update?
this board is from 2007 and never been bios updated.
but it seems like a risky business - unless there's a very safe way to do it and it MIGHT solve the ram issue..

Phone Man

On the SPD tab does all you ram match? Swap out one of the ram sticks and run CPUZ again and see if the SPD matches on all four ram sticks.

Jim

rozroz

�� Quote: Originally Posted by Phone Man

On the SPD tab does all you ram match? Swap out one of the ram sticks and run CPUZ again and see if the SPD matches on all four ram sticks.

Jim

i checked the slots tab on the SPD- all 3 have exact match

Phone Man

Can you swap out one of them to be sure the new one you put in also matches. It probably will but just want to make sure.

Jim

rozroz

the new one is already on board
one of the working ones is out.

Phone Man

If you put all four in what does the bios post show. Does it show all the ram?

Jim

rozroz

checked it earlier- bios shows 8 giga ...

Phone Man

I would suggest you download Memtest86+ as an ISO and burn it to a bootable CD and then boot from it and run the test on all 4 sticks. If that works then its not a hardware problem.

Memtest86+ - Advanced Memory Diagnostic Tool

Jim

rozroz

ok, i'll do it.
but suppose they come out fine, and it's not a bios thing,
what do i need to tweak in windows ?

Phone Man

I'll have to call for more help. At least that will prove the ram and motherboard slots are ok.

Jim

rozroz

you mean you calling for more help on the forum?
or me calling for a tech guy?

yowanvista

Go to Msconfig and uncheck Max memory(Start>Run>msconfig>Boot>Advanced Options)

You could also post a screenshot of the memory tab in Resource Monitor

Phone Man

�� Quote: Originally Posted by rozroz

you mean you calling for more help on the forum?
or me calling for a tech guy?

No I would call for more help on this forum. There are some very knowledgeable people on here.

Jim

EDIT: Looks like we have a couple guys helping already.

brianzion

hi and hello my first check would be to check memory in msconfig

1. type msconfig in start menu and click on result
2. go to boot and click advanced options
3. in maximum memory make sure the box is UNTICKED
4. click ok
5. click apply
6. click ok
7. reboot if asked by windows

brianzion

Also could you post a pic from resmon and we can see what windows has allocated your ram to

1. type resmon in start menu search box
2. enter on keyboard
3. left hand pane in results click on resmon
4. click on Memory in the top tab bar

Phone Man

Your in good hands at the moment so I'll say goodnight. Its 2AM here and I need to get an early start on a project in the morning.

Jim

brianzion

Here is a link to a very good free program to test your ram RAMMON by passmark (choose 64BIT download)
PassMark RAMMon - Identify RAM type, speed & memory timings

rozroz

I'll get right to it
Thanks for your help and care until now.

rozroz

[QUOTE=yowanvista;1109830]Go to Msconfig and uncheck Max memory(Start>Run>msconfig>Boot>Advanced Options)

You could also post a screenshot of the memory tab in Resource Monitor

there you go: (sorry for the dual monitors view)
max memory was unchecked

rozroz

[QUOTE=brianzion;1109858]Here is a link to a very good free program to test your ram RAMMON by passmark (choose 64BIT download)


i ran rammon and all three sticks passed ok and identical
(i know that the 4th one is used for a few days and works perfect)

brianzion

looks like you have a bad slot not working does any ram work in suspected bad slot?

rozroz

�� Quote: Originally Posted by brianzion

looks like you have a bad slot not working does any ram work in suspected bad slot?

yup this slot is working, checked that already. all slots and all sticks are ok.
remember i cannot upload windows with the 8 giga (when 4th stick inserted)

brianzion

i expect you have tried removing all ram and replacing them by moving the ram around in different slots?

brianzion

have a read of this The usable memory may be less than the installed memory on Windows 7-based computers

Windows 7 memory reporting
Windows 7 reports how much physical memory is currently installed on your computer. Windows NT-based operating systems before Windows Vista Service P1 report how much memory is available to the operating system. The available memory reported in these earlier versions of Windows does not include hardware reserved memory. This is a reporting change only.

You will see this reporting change in Windows Vista SP1 and later versions of Windows in the following locations:
The RAM value in Welcome Center
The Memory value at the bottom of the My Computer windows
The Memory value in the System Properties windows
The Total amount of system memory value of the View and Print Details page of the Performance Information and Tools item in Control Panel
Additionally, the System Information tool (Msinfo32.exe) displays the following entries on the System Summary page:
Installed Physical Memory (RAM)
Total Physical Memory
Available Physical Memory

Msinfo32.exe type this in start menu search box and click on it in results

rozroz

�� Quote: Originally Posted by brianzion

i expect you have tried removing all ram and replacing them by moving the ram around in different slots?

yes.. when i use 6 giga, i changed slots when experimenting and all worked perfectly.

* listen, the one thing i haven't checked yet is all this bios business.
can you please tell me or link me on how to deal with all that? i suspect that it all comes from there. (i'm a noob to dealing with bios and afraid to harm the MB- BUT i will make changes if i know exactly how. the tech shop i went to just want to make money from this. i recon i can manage dealing with bios + i have USP )

brianzion

�� Quote: Originally Posted by rozroz

�� Quote: Originally Posted by brianzion

i expect you have tried removing all ram and replacing them by moving the ram around in different slots?

yes.. when i use 6 giga, i changed slots when experimenting and all worked perfectly.

look at post 32 also have a look in bios settings

brianzion

Check BIOS settings

The problem may occur because some BIOS settings are incorrect.
Enable the memory remapping feature

Check the BIOS settings to see whether the memory remapping feature is enabled. Memory remapping gives Windows access to more memory. You can enable the memory remapping feature in the BIOS by booting to the system setup. See the User's Guide for your computer for instructions on how to boot to system setup on your computer. The name for the memory remapping feature may be different for different hardware vendors. This can be listed as memory remapping, memory extension, or something similar. Be aware that your computer may not support the memory remapping feature.
Change the AGP video aperture size in the BIOS settings

Check the BIOS settings to see how much memory that you have allocated to AGP video aperture. This is the memory that the system is sharing with the video card that is used for texture mapping and rendering. This memory would not be used by the system, because it is locked by the video card. You can adjust the AGP video aperture size in the BIOS. Standard settings are "32MB,""64MB,""128MB,"and "Auto." After you change this setting in the BIOS, restart your computer, and then check the usable memory. You can test each setting to see which offers the best results.

rozroz

i will check those features now.. so you saw all the info i uploaded and it looks ok?
is it worth doing a bios update on this ga-p35-ds3p? the bios shows f4.
what is the safest way of doing that? with @bios? i hope i won't ruin everything.

brianzion

�� Quote: Originally Posted by rozroz

i will check those features now.. so you saw all the info i uploaded and it looks ok?
is it worth doing a bios update on this ga-p35-ds3p? the bios shows f4.
what is the safest way of doing that? with @bios? i hope i won't ruin everything.

Procedures vary depending on the BIOS manufacturer. If you think you need to update your BIOS, check the information that came with your computer or go to the computer manufacturer's website.

Warning

Be careful when changing BIOS settings. The BIOS interface is designed for advanced users, and it's possible to change a setting that could prevent your computer from starting correctly.

Updating BIOS should only be done if necessary (to solve a compatibility problem, for example). It can be a complicated process, and if an error occurs, your computer could be rendered inoperable. Be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions exactly.

rozroz

ok
updated the bios.
before i start checking the ram, why is my fan suddenly works on max power (& noise) after the bios update?

rozroz

YES!!
updating the bios solved the ram problem. 8 giga up and running.
thanks guys for all your help

now just to solve this horrible fan that works max power like crazy

stormy13

Look in the bios under "PC Health Status" for these 2 settings,



Probably find that both have been set to Auto; I would start with changing the first one to "Intel QST" and see if that quiets it down. If not and the fan is a 4 pin (doesn't work with 3 pin) change the second setting to PWM.

rozroz

i'll check, thanks!
and how do i check if it's a 3 pin or a 4 pin fan?

stormy13

Count the wires coming from the fan.

brianzion

well done on the bios glad it sorted the ram out as for the fan i leave you in stormy13 good care(but check the bios settings for the fan if any)

rozroz

thanks for all the tips brianzion..
hey stormy, i don't have the intel(R)qst on the smart fan option. just enabled or disabled.
should i download a driver from gigabyte?

brianzion

�� Quote: Originally Posted by rozroz

thanks for all the tips brianzion..
hey stormy, i don't have the intel(R)qst on the smart fan option. just enabled or disabled.
should i download a driver from gigabyte?

no problem anytime i can help ok

stormy13

If it isn't set it to eenabled, and if it is a 4 wire/pin fan set that to PWM.

And no you don't need a driver, drivers don't do anything for bios settings.

rozroz

so how come i have intel(R)qst on the manual but not on the board itself ?

brianzion

Download SpeedFan - Access temperature sensor in your computer
program to change the speed of the fan but read the instructions carefully

stormy13

�� Quote: Originally Posted by rozroz

so how come i have intel(R)qst on the manual but not on the board itself ?

It's quite possible that they removed it in one of the 9 bios updates that board has had since it was released. Would explain why the fan speed went up after you updated the bios if that is the case.

rozroz

well, somehow the fan went down so i think it's ok now.
thanks !

Phone Man

Glad you got it fixed. Had to leave last night but I knew someone on here would step up.

Jim

rozroz

�� Quote: Originally Posted by Phone Man

Glad you got it fixed. Had to leave last night but I knew someone on here would step up.

Jim

thanks, but listen...:
now i REALLY need your help.
look at my other thread please...

brianzion

�� Quote: Originally Posted by rozroz

�� Quote: Originally Posted by Phone Man

Glad you got it fixed. Had to leave last night but I knew someone on here would step up.

Jim

thanks, but listen...:
now i REALLY need your help.
look at my other thread please...

whats up? post the other thread here

rozroz

whats up? post the other thread here[/QUOTE]

thanks!
oh no- updated some drivers - to HD's turned unallocated !

brianzion

�� Quote: Originally Posted by rozroz

whats up? post the other thread here

thanks!
oh no- updated some drivers - to HD's turned unallocated ![/QUOTE]

im in the other thread ok