msconfig royal screwup

[gristle]

Product Name: HP EliteBook 8440P
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 (64-bit)
I installed a new, larger hard drive and 8MB (2x4) memory in the laptop yesterday. I did a full image restore with Macrium and everything was perfect.

In noticed that only 2.something MB of the RAM was usable and went online to find out how to configure the system to recognize the rest of the available 8MB. I stupidly tried the following, found on Microsoft's website:
MSCONFIG
Advanced
Boot
Click to clear the Maximum memory check box, and then click OK.
restart

Well, I seem to have just about bricked the whole computer with this stupid stunt. When I tried to restart Windows wouldn't even load.

Worse, I can't get the Macrium Reflect bootable rescue disk to load so that I can restore the system to before I did the MSCONFIG. I can get into boot mode - all the function keys work, but I really don't know how to get this thing going again.

Does anyone know how I can get this system back up and running? I really need step-by-step instructions at this point. Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[USAFRet]

Change the RAM back to what it was originally.
What happens?

 

[gristle]

Change the RAM back to what it was originally.
What happens?

Hi USAFRet, and thanks for the response.

I'm not sure what you mean by changing the RAM back. I started with 4MB RAM, and all I did was add another 4MB memory board to the system. Before the msconfig, Windows recognized the 8MB total RAM, but only a little over 2MB was usable. That was what I was trying to correct.

 

[memadmax]

Reset bios to "manufactuers' default" whereever that may be in the bios.

Pull battery, unplug charger.

wait about 5 mins.

Put battery back, plug in charger.

Start computer, hit F8 for safe mode before windows logo starts up.

After safe mode starts up, run msconfig, reverse ur screw up.

 

[memadmax]

Oh, and he wants you to pull the extra stick of ram...

 

[USAFRet]

Change the RAM back to what it was originally.
What happens?

Hi USAFRet, and thanks for the response.

I'm not sure what you mean by changing the RAM back. I started with 4MB RAM, and all I did was add another 4MB memory board to the system. Before the msconfig, Windows recognized the 8MB total RAM, but only a little over 2MB was usable. That was what I was trying to correct.

Go back to the original hardware config.
Mixing RAM often does not work. Even among seemingly identical sticks.

 

[gristle]

Thank you everyone! I removed the new RAM board, inserted my Macrium Reflect boot rescue disk, restarted, got a hinky Windows loading bar that I've been getting all day, but the Macrium disk finally loaded! I'm doing a sys image restore right now.

Now, my final question. Once the system is back to normal can I reinstall the new 4MB RAM? The system had no difficulty with it being installed, and recognized the full 8MB. The only problem occurred when I did the stupid msconfig to try and figure out why only 2.98 (or whatever it was, I can't remember) of it was usable.

Thank you all again for your help. I was losing my mind.

 

[USAFRet]

Once the system is back to normal can I reinstall the new 4MB RAM?

Completely unknown.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

If it doesn't, there is not much you can do.