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jtupper

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All memory not recognized

I have a pentium 200 on a socket 7 motherboard. i put 2 32mb 72 pin memory chips in the board, but under system configurations it says i only have 16mb of memory. what could be causing this???
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Davy070599

Hi,

What does it report when you startup your pc?

Propably faulty RAM but there are a lot of other possibilities.

Byeee...
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ASKER

b4 i loaded os it showed 16348K, after i loaded os (WIN98) it doesn't show at startup any longer. the chips are brand new, purchased 2 days ago.
the SIMMs could still be bad.
I had to return 2 of 4 32mb SIMMs that were bad when I received them.
Try swapping the positions of of the two SIMMs and see what that does.
Hopefully you are aware that you should never touch the connectors unless you are properly grounded (even then it's a good idea to avoid touching them). You can jump a static spark that will blow out their little brains. It can be such a low volt spark that you would never notice it but the SIMMs will.
This is true of all static sensitive devices.
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1cell
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ASKER

i've tried swapping positions and banks with the same result. when i use only one chip the machine only beeps at me. i checked the bios and it shows 16384K. is it possible that i need to update the bios in order for it to recognize all the ram???
possible but I would most likely subscrice to the "incompatable memory" theory
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ASKER

ok so what are my options?
do you know exactly what motherboard you have?
manufacturer? model? chipset? anything?

basically, if I'm correct, your option is to return the RAM and find some that's compatable

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ASKER

no, i don't know that info, can i find it on the motherboard? P.S. i left something for you in the lounge. also will edo and non-edo ram matter in this case?
I would say it all matters, Fast Page, EDO, SDRAM, speeds, physical size, parity, non-parity, error correction.

that's why it would really help to know what the motherboard is.  If you open the system, look around at the chips and see if you can identify anything.
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not really just a bunch of jibberish to me. i see Holltek, Award Software, Intel, TM Tech, ISSI, anything ring a bell? here is what i put in, (2) 32MB 72-pin 60NS Non-EDO/FPM. should i have used EDO RAM?
OK, so it's an intel chipset most likely.  

how about an fcc id?
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ASKER

where would i find it?
I can't say which RAM you should have without knowing what board/chipset it is.  I would assume that if EDO works, Fast Page would also but timing and parity is an issue.  Also, it might not take different types as far as mixing EDO, Fast Page, timing, parity, etc.
ummm, on the motherboard, other than that, possibly between the RAM modules but it could be anywhere
since it only beeps at you when one simm is in, it would appear that your memry needs to be added in pairs.  as for which pairs, that depends on the motherboard.  some mother boards will ONLY accept a certain amount of memory in bank 1.  it is important to know what kind of motherboard you have.  who made it, what's the model of it?
72 pin SIMMs are 32 bits "wide". The data bus for your Pentium is 64 bits "wide". You need (2) 72 pin SIMMs for your 'puter to even boot up.
The Fast Page Mode could be an issue. It's not a very good configuration and some systems might (maybe, possibly, perhaps) have problems. Can you exchange them for EDO?
You shouldn't have any problem with EDO 60n (nanosecond) RAM. Any faster MIGHT present problems.
Parity or non-parity is never an issue in the eyes of the motherboard/bios (in my experience). You can check to see if your bios can handle parity (in Setup). If it can, it can be disabled but I don't see that it will help.
Some bios's want you to set the size of your RAM (again in Setup). Look around in the menu's for RAM settings. Also look for any FPM settings.

Both SIMMs need to be identical. This is very important!!

If you can't find any bios settings that do the deed I recommend that you find someone who has some RAM diagnostic software (local computer repair store, a friend, whomever) and have the SIMMs checked. It might cost you $15-$20. Or it might cost nothing. Smaller stores tend to be more friendly. Call around.
The other alternative is return the SIMMs to the seller and tell them that you believe them to be defective, and want replacements.
What does Win98 report for RAM size?                           Control Panel>System>Performance
Agreeing with jimat for the most part, I must comment on a few points.  First, I am not aware of any problems which will arise with RAM faster than 60ns.  Most problems occur if the RAM is actually too slow for the system, causing timing problems.  Also, some systems will only take Fast Page RAM even though it is definately not the superior of modules. Not trying to knock your info.

In my opinion your problem is simple :
you have 2 * 8 Mo that's all.

Please give me all informations about your Simms ( reference on chip, number of chips ).With this informations, i can determine size.  
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ASKER

well guys, i came in this morning to find many comments on this issue, unfortunately (or fortunately for me)the issue was resolved last night going on 1cell's theory of the RAM being incompatible. i exchanged the non-EDO for EDO RAM and everything registers properly now, and oh what a difference. my applications were running unbelievably slow untill the proper RAM was installed. 1cell, your the man!!!!
1cell,

I am humbled in your presence.
lol, glad I could guess correctly