[MJR]

I just got another GB of RAM and that makes 3. I needed to do the 3GB switch so I can actually use all of it, but every time I turn my computer on the screen is either black or doesn't find my graphics card. Here is the string. Is this right? How should it look?

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOW S
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Windo ws XP Media Center Edition " /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Windo ws XP Media Center Edition 3GB" /fastdetect/3GB /userva=3030

[blane]

Sounds like a defective memory chip. You should try them out one by one (Either you have 3x 1GB RAM or 1x 2GB and 1x 1GB I guess). Another possibility is that one of the RAM slots is defective.

Testing those components one by one should give you a clue what is causing the problem.

Hope that helps.

[MJR]

Alright. I'll take them out one by one and see if any of them are causing the problem. BTW, one is a 2GB module and the other is a 1GB module.

---------- Post added at 06:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:29 PM ----------

Actually, it only does that with the 3GB config shown above. So I think that it has to do something with wrong syntax somewhere among the lines.

[Scrooge McDuck]

Do you have an ASUS motherboard?
I've had this multiple times after adding/changing RAM on PC's with an ASUS motherboard. The power led and fans go on (not the display), but after a very short time turns itself off again.
Always try all possible combinations for the RAM slots.

The solution for me was to do a CMOS reset, for better details on how to do this look in your mobo manual.


[EDIT] After seeing your new posts, I think it's indeed a problem with the RAM combination itself, so ignore my post

[MJR]

Let me go and see if it is indeed a bad combination. Thanks. I'll come back with results.

[Nerull]

While not booting sounds like a bad memory combo, are you actually doing anything that would benefit from /3GB? You do *not* need the switch for your system to use 3GB of memory, the switch determines how virtual address space is divided up between processes and the kernel.

[Vanguard]

Any luck yet? Since both are working independently, I'd try a couple of things:

1) Did you try putting the 1GB in the first slot, and the 2GB in the second?

2) My mobo has 4 RAM slots, 2 blue ones, 2 grey ones. Putting both RAM chips in the same color slot assumes you are putting them in dual-channel mode and requires them to be the same size and speed. Try different configs like slot 1,2, or 1,3, or 1,4.

[orb]

This RAM configuration may not also work due to slower timings or/and clock speed of second RAM module. Most motherboards set the same clock and timings for all RAM slots.

If in BIOS setup it's set to autodetect RAM timings, then it usually detects only first module timings and clock speed, and it may also not detect correct timings (like in my case it detected 5-5-5-15@667 MHz instead of 4-4-4-12@800 MHz - at least it detected slower RAM so it worked, but with lower speed). If you can enter the BIOS configuration setup program, then try to change RAM clock and timings from auto to the parameters of the slowest RAM module.