Disappearing RAM in laptop

[okrobie]

My laptop (HP Elite book 8440p) has 2Gb on the motherboard and one socket for DDR3. I previously had 4Gb in the socket for a total of 6Gb which showed up on the System screen. I wanted to increase the RAM so I installed an 8Gb DDR3 into the socket. When it booted up it only showed 2Gb in the Systems page. I tried reinstalling the original 4Gb in the socket, but it still shows 2. Did I screw something up?

 

[Barty1884]

Are you sure the modules are seated correctly?

Is this a 1st Gen i5/i7 laptop? Which variant specifically?

I suspect you might be limited to 8GB total (2x4GB) - looks like the "onboard" is actually upgradeable, just accessed from a different area...... but it's quite possible the 8GB (for 10GB total) won't work. Sometimes it will, despite officially supporting only 8GB max, but other times it won't.

 

[okrobie]

Yes Barty1884, I even sprayed some contact cleaner on it but no improvement.
Yes, it's an I5 M540 2.54Ghz. I don't know the memory limit on it.

Thanks for your input.

 

[Barty1884]

Can't find much on HP's website to confirm the max supported RAM (not unsurprising given the age), but CNet appears to note it's a max 8GB.
https://www.cnet.com/products/hp-elitebook-8440p-14-core-i5-520m-windows-7-pro-xp-pro-downgrade-2-gb-ram-250-gb-hdd-series/specs/

The manual does show how to access the 'primary' module on page 4-18:
http://www.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c02745864.pdf

While officially (according to CNet at least), the max configuration would be 2x4GB (for 8GB total, using both slots) - a lot of laptops will still accept the max RAM via only one slot. No guarantees of course, but I'd suggest following the instructions and removing the 2GB module from under the keyboard.

From there, try with only the 8GB module installed and see if it turns on. Won't get you your full 10GB, but 8GB is going to be better than the original 6GB.

As for the port that is no longer working, I'm not very sure. You could try unplugging power cords, removing the battery and then holding the power button down for 30 seconds to ensure it's fully drained. Clearing the CMOS would be another option, but I'm not 100% sure whether it can be done on that laptop - doesn't appear to be a removable CMOS battery anywehre.

 

[okrobie]

Thanks Barty1884, I appreciate all of your research. I finally got it to show 6Gb on the system Page and that will be good enough for now. I can use the 8Gb stick on another machine someday. Regards, Jim