4 free slot, I can only use 2

[Claudio Agresta Il Trap]

Hello everyone, I'm new to the forum. I am here because no one seems can help me from TH Italyan forum (and others).
I have a motherboard "Pegatron ipmel prc". The board has 4 slots for RAM ddr2. From left to right: blue, black, blue, black (i do not know if the colors are important).

I have 4 sticks of ram ddr2 - 1GB each one - (667 brand "Nanya") perfectly identical.

If i put two stick in the two blue it's OK. Two blue + 1 or 2 blacks = black screen and BIP (1 long and 2 short and obviously does not start anything).
I read about this signal sequence... "RAM problem"... WOW!

I updated the bios to "0704A", i found it in this page but the problem remains the same...

http://www.mmnt.net/db/0/0/ftp.wortmann.de/TERRA_Computersysteme/PCs/Mainboards/PEGATRON/IPMEL-PRC/

This is the only decent page on the web that comes out... in the other pages there are only driver detectors sponsored

I would to use all sticks (4GB)... advices?

THANKS!

 

[Darkbreeze]

Put all four sticks in, enter the bios and press whatever key is necessary to reset the bios to default or optimal settings. Save settings and exit. Reboot.

 

[Claudio Agresta Il Trap]

Hi darkbreeze. Thanks for answer.

If i put at last 1 stick in different "colours" i I can't access to the bios. Monitor is dead...
1 black + 1 blue
2 black + 1 blue (and opposite)
2 black + 2 blue
= biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiip bip bip

The system goes only with 1-2 black or 1-2 blue

here the video (1:44 sec.) http://youtu.be/R5aq-IPVqjc

 

[Darkbreeze]

That website you linked to in your first post throws malware flags like a muthu^%# on my computer. I would be very careful downloading anything from that site.

What is the model of your motherboard? I'd like to see if perhaps I can find you a better BIOS version.

I would try every module, one at a time, by itself to see if any of the modules cause a failure to boot. This might be a problem of only one module being bad. Perhaps not, but it's worth checking. You could also run memtest86 on each individual module, not together, to see if one of them is throwing an error and causing you to have a failure when all the sticks are installed. Some modules will work by themselves but have errors when used in dual channel with other memory due to problems with the module itself.

 

[Claudio Agresta Il Trap]

The motherboard is "PEGATRON ipmel-prc"
I'm testing the 4 sticks with memtest86...

I will take a picture at monitor for each stick (about result)...
however the software seems very understandable: pass, errors...
according to you, how many pass a stick needs?

 

[Darkbreeze]

Test each stick, by itself with no other modules installed, for at least two passes in this case and preferably the closer to seven passes the better. Considering your system fails to boot immediately though, one pass per module to start might be good enough. It will probably error out immediately if one of them has a hard fault.

 

[Claudio Agresta Il Trap]

I tested all 4 sticks... 7 passes. About 4 hours for each one.
I used all slot one at a time... a stick at time.

0 errors!

RAM are Ok. I think it's very difficult to find an original bios because Pegatron is not manufacturing motherboard or it manufactures for ASUS (i don't know how things are). In your opinion, can we try a compatible bios (for another similar motherboard)?

Here are two snap for first boot, and bios home... could help

http://digilander.libero.it/bigdrill/Snap1.jpg
http://digilander.libero.it/bigdrill/Snap2.jpg

 

[norsestar]

All four DIMMs work and all four slots work, but sometimes the memory controller can't handle two DIMMs per channel at full speed. With one pair in, go into BIOS and see if you can change memory frequency down from 667 to 533. If so, set it to 533 then power down and install the other pair.

 

[Claudio Agresta Il Trap]

I had already thought this option, but in that damned BIOS there is nothing about RAM... The word "RAM" does not appear. D'OH!

anyway... perfect! i found this, It never rains but it pours...

https://www.bios-mods.com/forum/Thread-pegatron-ipmel-prc

♫♫♫♫ No safety or surprise, the end ♫♫♫♫

 

[Claudio Agresta Il Trap]

since I speak very little English, I hope I have misunderstood text of that topic

 

[Darkbreeze]

Any modified BIOS is a big risk. Of course, you probably have little to risk at this point but still. Hope that works out for you.

 

[Claudio Agresta Il Trap]

let me get this...
<<<< Attached File(s) RM.ROM (Size: 512 KB / Downloads: 1) >>>>

Is it a modified bios that solved the problem?
I know risk about a modified bios

 

[norsestar]

The thread says the motherboard only supports 2 double-sided or 4 single-sided DIMMs (4 sides total). If yours have chips on both sides (8 sides total with all 4 DIMMs in) then that's probably the problem. To get 4GB total, you'd need either a pair of 2GB double-sided or a set of 4 1GB single-sided DIMMs.

 

[Claudio Agresta Il Trap]

It' hard to accept, 2 X 2GB is the best way. Thank you both.