laptop RAM mystery

I had posted here about initial upgrade attempts I'd made with my
laptop's memory. This is a Toshiba Equium L40 17M that originally came
with Vista and 2 x 1gb of pc2-5300. I took one stick of 1gb RAM out
and added a 2gb stick of pc2-5300 (that I don't now have) and that was
fine, though Toshiba themselves think 2gb is the limit. I've since
bought two sticks of pc2-6400 and though even a mix can work and has
worked on this laptop of pc2-5300 and pc2-6400 and though the Crucial
site and test program says I can have 4gb, using both sticks together
has not worked. Windows doesn't boot and there is a blue screen.

Doesn't it seem odd that the laptop can take a 1 or 2 gb stick, and
two different speeds, but can't manage 4gb?

One thing I didn't try is to run a 64 bit Linux live cd and see if
that works, but as I'm using 64 bit Windows 7 you wouldn't think that
the operating system would be the bar would you.

Any ideas? I'm not too fussed as 2 or 3gb is plenty for me but if
there's something simple to do in Windows then I'd like to know.

Thanks.

On 1/11/2012 8:34 AM, poachedeggs wrote:
> I had posted here about initial upgrade attempts I'd made with my
> laptop's memory. This is a Toshiba Equium L40 17M that originally came
> with Vista and 2 x 1gb of pc2-5300. I took one stick of 1gb RAM out
> and added a 2gb stick of pc2-5300 (that I don't now have) and that was
> fine, though Toshiba themselves think 2gb is the limit. I've since
> bought two sticks of pc2-6400 and though even a mix can work and has
> worked on this laptop of pc2-5300 and pc2-6400 and though the Crucial
> site and test program says I can have 4gb, using both sticks together
> has not worked. Windows doesn't boot and there is a blue screen.
>
> Doesn't it seem odd that the laptop can take a 1 or 2 gb stick, and
> two different speeds, but can't manage 4gb?
>
> One thing I didn't try is to run a 64 bit Linux live cd and see if
> that works, but as I'm using 64 bit Windows 7 you wouldn't think that
> the operating system would be the bar would you.
>
> Any ideas? I'm not too fussed as 2 or 3gb is plenty for me but if
> there's something simple to do in Windows then I'd like to know.
>
> Thanks.
I'm unsure how you found 4GB at Crucial. It told me 2GB is
the Max. Are you sure that your 3 GB registered as 3GB and
not as just 2GB.

On Jan 11, 1:45*pm, Pen <nos...@spam.none> wrote:
> On 1/11/2012 8:34 AM, poachedeggs wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > I had posted here about initial upgrade attempts I'd made with my
> > laptop's memory. This is a Toshiba Equium L40 17M that originally came
> > with Vista and 2 x 1gb of pc2-5300. I took one stick of 1gb RAM out
> > and added a 2gb stick of pc2-5300 (that I don't now have) and that was
> > fine, though Toshiba themselves think 2gb is the limit. I've since
> > bought two sticks of pc2-6400 and though even a mix can work and has
> > worked on this laptop of pc2-5300 and pc2-6400 and though the Crucial
> > site and test program says I can have 4gb, using both sticks together
> > has not worked. Windows doesn't boot and there is a blue screen.
>
> > Doesn't it seem odd that the laptop can take a 1 or 2 gb stick, and
> > two different speeds, but can't manage 4gb?
>
> > One thing I didn't try is to run a 64 bit Linux live cd and see if
> > that works, but as I'm using 64 bit Windows 7 you wouldn't think that
> > the operating system would be the bar would you.
>
> > Any ideas? I'm not too fussed as 2 or 3gb is plenty for me but if
> > there's something simple to do in Windows then I'd like to know.
>
> > Thanks.
>
> I'm unsure how you found 4GB at Crucial. It told me 2GB is
> the Max. Are you sure that your 3 GB registered as 3GB and
> not as just 2GB.

Hello, thanks for the reply. I used their scanner software to
ascertain 4gb. The 3gb showed up in at least three different operating
systems while I was using it (W7, Vista, Ubuntu & derivatives),
whether in the OS' own listings e.g. in Control Panel > System in W7,
System Monitor in Ubuntu or a program like Speccy. I think actually
Crucial may even have updated their database after my enquiries and
some dialogue last year so that they're currently wrong, whereas the
scanner ostensibly deals with a specific analysis, though this is
still wrong. Ha.

The 3gb was seen in BIOS back then too, and even today 4096 mb was
shown in BIOS with both sticks in, only for Windows to crash within a
couple of seconds of beginning to boot. Strange.

I'm wondering if two sticks of pc2-5300 would work though the laptop
can apparently take either. It seems the BIOS has locked speeds to
that of pc2-5300 as this is what Speccy said was in use even when I
had at one point 3gb of pc2-6400.

I did run two different Linux live pendrives too and they both
crashed. Anyway all this jargon and numbers is frying my brain. I'll
look back for any ideas but I'll keep my eyes open for cheap 2gb
sticks at the original speed.

On 1/11/2012 12:48 PM, poachedeggs wrote:
> On Jan 11, 1:45 pm, Pen <nos...@spam.none> wrote:
>> On 1/11/2012 8:34 AM, poachedeggs wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>> I had posted here about initial upgrade attempts I'd made with my
>>> laptop's memory. This is a Toshiba Equium L40 17M that originally came
>>> with Vista and 2 x 1gb of pc2-5300. I took one stick of 1gb RAM out
>>> and added a 2gb stick of pc2-5300 (that I don't now have) and that was
>>> fine, though Toshiba themselves think 2gb is the limit. I've since
>>> bought two sticks of pc2-6400 and though even a mix can work and has
>>> worked on this laptop of pc2-5300 and pc2-6400 and though the Crucial
>>> site and test program says I can have 4gb, using both sticks together
>>> has not worked. Windows doesn't boot and there is a blue screen.
>>
>>> Doesn't it seem odd that the laptop can take a 1 or 2 gb stick, and
>>> two different speeds, but can't manage 4gb?
>>
>>> One thing I didn't try is to run a 64 bit Linux live cd and see if
>>> that works, but as I'm using 64 bit Windows 7 you wouldn't think that
>>> the operating system would be the bar would you.
>>
>>> Any ideas? I'm not too fussed as 2 or 3gb is plenty for me but if
>>> there's something simple to do in Windows then I'd like to know.
>>
>>> Thanks.
>>
>> I'm unsure how you found 4GB at Crucial. It told me 2GB is
>> the Max. Are you sure that your 3 GB registered as 3GB and
>> not as just 2GB.
>
> Hello, thanks for the reply. I used their scanner software to
> ascertain 4gb. The 3gb showed up in at least three different operating
> systems while I was using it (W7, Vista, Ubuntu & derivatives),
> whether in the OS' own listings e.g. in Control Panel > System in W7,
> System Monitor in Ubuntu or a program like Speccy. I think actually
> Crucial may even have updated their database after my enquiries and
> some dialogue last year so that they're currently wrong, whereas the
> scanner ostensibly deals with a specific analysis, though this is
> still wrong. Ha.
>
> The 3gb was seen in BIOS back then too, and even today 4096 mb was
> shown in BIOS with both sticks in, only for Windows to crash within a
> couple of seconds of tto see3ms. Strange.
>
> I'm wondering if two sticks of pc2-5300 would work though the laptop
> can apparently take either. It seems the BIOS has locked speeds to
> that of pc2-5300 as this is what Speccy said was in use even when I
> had at one point 3gb of pc2-6400.
>
> I did run two different Linux live pendrives too and they both
> crashed. Anyway all this jargon and numbers is frying my brain. I'll
> look back for any ideas but I'll keep my eyes open for cheap 2gb
> sticks at the original speed.
Well it seems Crucial is too conservative. It sounds like
you have a bad stick. Does windows boot ok with only one of
your modules. Try each one in each of the sockets?

On Jan 11, 5:59*pm, Pen <nos...@spam.none> wrote:
> On 1/11/2012 12:48 PM, poachedeggs wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Jan 11, 1:45 pm, Pen <nos...@spam.none> wrote:
> >> On 1/11/2012 8:34 AM, poachedeggs wrote:
>
> >>> I had posted here about initial upgrade attempts I'd made with my
> >>> laptop's memory. This is a Toshiba Equium L40 17M that originally came
> >>> with Vista and 2 x 1gb of pc2-5300. I took one stick of 1gb RAM out
> >>> and added a 2gb stick of pc2-5300 (that I don't now have) and that was
> >>> fine, though Toshiba themselves think 2gb is the limit. I've since
> >>> bought two sticks of pc2-6400 and though even a mix can work and has
> >>> worked on this laptop of pc2-5300 and pc2-6400 and though the Crucial
> >>> site and test program says I can have 4gb, using both sticks together
> >>> has not worked. Windows doesn't boot and there is a blue screen.
>
> >>> Doesn't it seem odd that the laptop can take a 1 or 2 gb stick, and
> >>> two different speeds, but can't manage 4gb?
>
> >>> One thing I didn't try is to run a 64 bit Linux live cd and see if
> >>> that works, but as I'm using 64 bit Windows 7 you wouldn't think that
> >>> the operating system would be the bar would you.
>
> >>> Any ideas? I'm not too fussed as 2 or 3gb is plenty for me but if
> >>> there's something simple to do in Windows then I'd like to know.
>
> >>> Thanks.
>
> >> I'm unsure how you found 4GB at Crucial. It told me 2GB is
> >> the Max. Are you sure that your 3 GB registered as 3GB and
> >> not as just 2GB.
>
> > Hello, thanks for the reply. I used their scanner software to
> > ascertain 4gb. The 3gb showed up in at least three different operating
> > systems while I was using it (W7, Vista, Ubuntu & derivatives),
> > whether in the OS' own listings e.g. in Control Panel > System in W7,
> > System Monitor in Ubuntu or a program like Speccy. I think actually
> > Crucial may even have updated their database after my enquiries and
> > some dialogue last year so that they're currently wrong, whereas the
> > scanner ostensibly deals with a specific analysis, though this is
> > still wrong. Ha.
>
> > The 3gb was seen in BIOS back then too, and even today 4096 mb was
> > shown in BIOS with both sticks in, only for Windows to crash within a
> > couple of seconds of tto * see3ms. Strange.
>
> > I'm wondering if two sticks of pc2-5300 would work though the laptop
> > can apparently take either. It seems the BIOS has locked speeds to
> > that of pc2-5300 as this is what Speccy said was in use even when I
> > had at one point 3gb of pc2-6400.
>
> > I did run two different Linux live pendrives too and they both
> > crashed. Anyway all this jargon and numbers is frying my brain. I'll
> > look back for any ideas but I'll keep my eyes open for cheap 2gb
> > sticks at the original speed.
>
> Well it seems Crucial is too conservative. It sounds like
> you have a bad stick. Does windows boot ok with only one of
> your modules. Try each one in each of the sockets?

Yes the stick on its own checked out fine in use. Maybe I'll give
MemTest a go with this stick I'd put in this morning. One thing I did
find when I had 3gb is that the 2gb stick had to be in the top slot
where I'd have assumed the bottom one if the order matters unless the
wiring is deceptive to the eye and common sense.

On 1/11/2012 12:39 PM, poachedeggs wrote:
> On Jan 11, 5:59 pm, Pen<nos...@spam.none> wrote:

>> Well it seems Crucial is too conservative. It sounds like
>> you have a bad stick. Does windows boot ok with only one of
>> your modules. Try each one in each of the sockets?
>
> Yes the stick on its own checked out fine in use. Maybe I'll give
> MemTest a go with this stick I'd put in this morning. One thing I did
> find when I had 3gb is that the 2gb stick had to be in the top slot
> where I'd have assumed the bottom one if the order matters unless the
> wiring is deceptive to the eye and common sense.

There is also the odd chance that 4GB of memory cause too much drain
on the power supply, rendering the entire system unstable.

I know in desktops, its sometimes a requirement when adding a lot of
RAM to tinker with the power voltage for the memory slots in the BIOS
settings, although I'm not aware of many laptops with these features.

In news:jekusu$f27$,
Ryan P. wrote:
> There is also the odd chance that 4GB of memory cause too much drain
> on the power supply, rendering the entire system unstable.
>
> I know in desktops, its sometimes a requirement when adding a lot of
> RAM to tinker with the power voltage for the memory slots in the BIOS
> settings, although I'm not aware of many laptops with these features.

Isn't each RAM module like only 2 or 3 watts?

--
Bill
Gateway M465e ('06 era) - OE-QuoteFix v1.19.2
Centrino Core Duo T2400 1.83GHz - 2GB - Windows XP SP3

On 1/11/2012 3:54 PM, BillW50 wrote:
> In news:jekusu$f27$,
> Ryan P. wrote:
>> There is also the odd chance that 4GB of memory cause too much drain
>> on the power supply, rendering the entire system unstable.
>>
>> I know in desktops, its sometimes a requirement when adding a lot of
>> RAM to tinker with the power voltage for the memory slots in the BIOS
>> settings, although I'm not aware of many laptops with these features.
>
> Isn't each RAM module like only 2 or 3 watts?

Yeah, but sometimes power supplies are spec'd out to supply only what
is required by the factory system, with very little power to spare. I
think its more a matter of voltage that wattage. I had a 600W power
supply that just wouldn't run my system solidly, but the replacement
530W did just fine because it supplied more voltage to the motherboard.

I'm just shooting in the dark, though. Speculating wildly.