Hi!

I am using AMD Sempron processor 2500+ with 256MB DDR1 400 . It was working fine. Now I purchased a 1GB DDR 400 RAM and added with old one(256MB DDR1 400). I connected the new device in 2nd slot. XP used to boot normally but when ever I used the browsers or VLC, it will crash after some time(varying).

So I thought of testing the new DDR. I connected the new DDR alone in the first DDR slot. XP itself not booting up. Keep rebooting!

Any idea what is the problem. should I apply for the warranty?
Or is the problem with compatibility?

Note : In motherboard manual it is mentioned that DDR 400 is supported

Are 1GB sticks supported? Have you looked into the BIOS updates to see if maybe there were some fixes relating to memory?

Also the obvious: reseat the memory to make sure it's inserted properly, etc.

Hi,

I would run 'memtest86' for a number of passes, possibly over night. If you get errors then you have a problem. Replace the bad stick. If the memory is used with bad data/address problems then you will getting nothing but nightmares!

I would not rely on the memory test performed by the 'POST'. 'memtest86' performs several pattern tests that will exercise the cells. There are better test but 'memtest' has become a standard plus it's free.

I suggest re-insert the memory but this time make sure all power is off and the computer is disconnected from the AC outlet. Also make sure you ground yourself before reaching inside the computer. Though not all systems could use 1 GB memory modules, so check the manual if you can.

If you did the above and the motherboard manual saids you can use a gigabyte memory modules, manually set the settings for the memory because the motherboard is not reading the information from the memory correctly. Set the voltage at around 2.5 to 2.6 volts. Set the CAS higher than it was which could be at 3. You may have to set the memory speed to DDR-333. If you did all of this and it still gives you problems, send the memory back and go to crucial.com or kingston.com to know what memory type and density works with your computer.

Might need some bios setting for that ram.

Hi!
Thanks for the responses! There is no constrain on the size of DDR in my mother board manual. I am searching for it. Is it processor's constrain or motherboard's? (Don't have much knowledge on this, so please tolerate it )
Regarding BIOS setup I am not finding any configuration for DDR. where can i find?
I am going to do the memtest to find the DDR status.

It would be voltages, timings. You find that on the package for the memory. You have to set the lowest setting to the the lowest chip in the group.

Hi!

I used memtest application to test the DDR. It got failed!
So claimed the warranty!


Thank you for all your support!