Gateway computer won't recognize all my RAM??

Calman

Hi,
I have a Gateway2000 Pentium1 133MHz with 16Megs of SD RAM- DIMMs (is SD RAM always DIMMs or can it be SIMMS?).
Anyway I think it's PC-100 it's defintely not PC-133 (is there anything less than PC-100 like PC-66 maybe? ).
So anyway I got 128Megs of PC-133 SD RAM (cause 133 can run at lower bus speeds) and I tried it in the two DIMM memory banks -the 128 in the first and 16 in the second and vice versa (there's only two memory banks)- and the 128 is registering as only 32Megs, giving me a total of 48Megs when I should have a total of 144Megs.
Can anyone help me with this?
Any help appreciated.
Calman

Stephen

Uh, i'm not sure about this, but I thought a machine that old would be using EDO SIMMS rather than SDRAM. I know my P200 had 4x16mb SIMMS.

Anyway, if i'm wrong there, you might need a bios update or something to recognise all of the ram.

marauder

Wrote this before I saw the above post....


AFAIK, Pentium 1 only supports EDO/FP RAM. which came in 72 pin SIMM packages. PC100 and 133 SDRAM is in 168 Pin DIMM. So my question to you is how did you get the 168pin module into the 72 pin slot.....

I suspect you actually have a 128mb EDO SIMM.

If thats the case then

Your motherboard may not support a 128MB Bank check your documentation

Your bios may need to be set to tell it how much memeory was in the slots

Also EDO ram usually needed to be in pairs again check your documentation.

You could try just popping in th 128 on its own and leaving out the 16 to see if you get the 128 to work.....

_CreeD_

It's a dimm, or at least 'could be'. Gateway started using DIMMS on their first batch of MMX pentiums, from 166Mhz up. The bad news is there was no adhered to standard for DIMM types back then and each board would only take certain types of ram (buffered/unbuffered , registered/not etc. there were something like 17 different factors determining compatibility from board to board and no one in the company knew them all). Contact Gateway themselves and see if you can get the part number for the original ram and motherboard, some vendors out there used to stock them based on the mother part number per manufacturer so you might still be able to find one.
TBH though I don't think you're going to be able to find any, it'll save a lot of time and hassle if you just upgd the system to something that does take PC100 at least.

Calman

Good suggestions lads
Marauder- you're gravely mistaken about Pentium 1 only supporting SIMMs, as I said initially it IS a Pentium 1 133MHz with 2 memory banks for DIMM chips!!
Anyway, I rang gateway and they said my motherboard only supports 64Megs of RAM- 32Meg DIMM chips in each bank, so I'd have to get a new motherboard if I wanted more.
It was a good suggestion to update the BIOS Steve, I tried it but it didn't make a difference- but it's always nice to have an updated BIOS.
Cheers lads,
Calman

Gerry

Yup, you just got unlucky with that particular motherboard. You can get ram from www.crucial.com for it, just enter the machine name on their website. But its probably not worth your while.
Marauder, wtf are you talking about. The intel vx and tx chipsets, along with plenty of third party chipsets like the via mvp3, ali aladdin V all supported sdram. There wasn't much improvement over edo ram performance wise, because the memory controllers were not very optimized, and the p1 was not very bandwidth hungry, but it gave more headroom for overclocking.

marauder

Hmm,
Thas interesting. I never knew that those chipsets supported SDRAM. I guess it never occured to me that they would as the Pentium 1 has only a 66MHz Bus so putting 100MHz capable SDRAM doesn't give you any benefit. Well don't I feel like the fu(king idiot You learn something new every day....

Typedef

Ok first try putting only the 128 mb into the first bank on it's own, is it seen ? If so then you can't use both simms together, ok so it "might" be a dimm but...... I don't know if I remember any Gateway mobos in the p1 class having dimms...??

If above doesn't work. Again w 128 mb in bank 0 (or first bank) set the defaults in your bios and save changes and reboot. After reset and save and reboot is the ram found? If so try adding the 16mb if bothered.

If above does not work. Again w 128 mb in bank 0, open system, make sure it is turned off, earth your self to protect pc from electrostaticdischarge (ok?) and move the bios jumper, power up pc and allow it run for 10-20 seconds with the jumper moved right? Power down and replace jumper into normal position, power up and check for the ram now ok?

If that doesn't work then you will probably have to flash your bios ok?
Ok I don't know which motherboard you have and it is almost a year since I left Gateway tech so I don't think it would be appropiate for me to recommend a specific bios flash, however you probably have either a zappa, mailman, aladdin or tigereye motherboard.

Here is a link to a number of bios checksums
http://ie.gateway.com/esupport/bioses/desktop/desktop_bios.asp which you may find useful.

If I were you I would compare the number my bios professes to have and/or get some part numbers from my motherboard and put them into google and make sure I was updating my bios checksum with the correct image before I went flashing the bios, but I suppose that is just me.

Yes some of the first pentium boards may have some issues "seeing" ram over 48mb.

Before you go blaming me for fscking up your bios please be next-to-sure you are flashing with the right version ok?

In fact if you can get the part number off of your motherboard and post it I will look up the right bios flash for you as I used to work as a Tech Support rep for Gateway ok?

So post the part number of the mobo or the bios version that you have and I will get the appropiate version for u and stuff ok?

DO NOT guess at a flash version. Be Warned, allow me suggest a version, take advantage of the fact Gateway used to pay me for this kind of stuff ok?

Victor

Used to have a 486 33MHz (originally 4 MB RAM!) and a Pentium (not Pentium 1) 75MHz (originally 8 MB RAM!) at work - the older one would be 8 this month if it's still around. They were gradually upgraded to 16/32 MB RAM.

The reason I raise this is that they are only marginally older than your machine.

Certainly those 2 machines would only recognise the larger chip 'first' and it had to be put in the lowest numbered slot.

However, I suspect that machines of that era weren't designed to recognise 128MB chips (I can't comment on upgradability of the recognition ability), so it might be a fruitless exercise. Perhaps try getting a 32 or 64 MB chip .... or new computer

Pentium standards went something like 66 / 75 / 90 / 100 / 120 / 133 MHz, Pentium 2 / MMX something like 166 / 200 / 233 / 266 / 300 / 350 ... MHz). I understand each chip was identical, but quality control got better as time went on. A 50MHz upgrade (overdrive chip???) was also available on the early chips.

My this brings back memories.

Calman

Maybe you people didn't read the whole thread before you posted. The issue is resolved! And if you're thinking of posting on this thread again, make sure you've read the whole thread at least once.... maybe 2 or 3 times would be better for some of you

Typedef

Good suggestions lads
Marauder- you're gravely mistaken about Pentium 1 only supporting SIMMs, as I said initially it IS a Pentium 1 133MHz with 2 memory banks for DIMM chips!!

I read exactly that much of your post.
The least you can do is be grateful that anyone even bothered to read it you little twerp.

po0k

Well hang on a second.......
It may be resolved, but I have an FX at home (busted now but never mind -accident with screwdriver slipping 'into' the side of the northbridge) and it could take up to 128MB EDO ram, ie 4x 32MByte SIMMs. I had 256KB L2 cache aswell, but it would only cache the first 64MB. THis *may* be where the Gateway lad is geting the idea of it only supporting 64MB.
Try it with the 128 DIMM in the first slot (DIMM 0), and nothing in the second (DIMM 1). I reckon it should work, but then again there could be a "quirk" with the way Gateway implemented the SDRAM.
Did you downgrade the cpu by any chance? Or get the mobo/whole thing second hand/for free?
It's damn strange to have SDRAM on a P133. Put a nice 80mm case fan blowing air in front of it and it should overclock nicely to 150Mhz
Also, you could get a P100 witha 50Mhz FSB (2x multiplyer) and a P120 with 60Mhz FSB (again 2x mulitplyer).
I have a P200 (non MMX) running on a VX chipset, 48MB EDO ram all on a FSB of 75Mhz.
Just need to scab a VooDoo Banshee off a mate and I'll be sailing.
She's a fecking noisey bitch though.........

bkehoe

He may have a 440TX. If I remember correctly, these supported SDRAM, but had issues with ram amounts over 64MB; something to do with caching I think.

Brendan

Gerry

Yes, basically the vx (not sure about the tx) had a cache setup which could not address more than 64 megs of ram, which made any memory over that slower to access.

_CreeD_

The TX was the same. In fact no Pentium-1 chipset could cache above 64mb. The only pre-pentium-2 that could was the HX (and afaik that was pentium pro only), but it was rarely used.

As for the board not handling more than 64mb, I couldn't say, it's been nearly 5 years since I even saw one of those. But I do remember they were finicky as hell and had a very short production-life, so it wouldn't surprise me (Gman and Lawman (intg sound/vid version) I think they were called, then the Gman2 etc. for TX. They were the only non-intel boards Gateway had ever used by the time I left anyway).

m1RV

The first pentium pro chipset was the 440lx which was shared by the original pentium twos, wasn't it?

Gerry

nope, it was the 440fx, which used edo ram. The 440fx also supported the p2, and was used in early p2's until the lx came along.

Calman

Ok first I wasn't gonna bother, but the stupidity just bugs me.

Originally posted by Typedef
Good suggestions lads
Marauder- you're gravely mistaken about Pentium 1 only supporting SIMMs, as I said initially it IS a Pentium 1 133MHz with 2 memory banks for DIMM chips!!

I read exactly that much of your post.
The least you can do is be grateful that anyone even bothered to read it you little twerp.

You read that much of my post??
(above) "as I said initially it IS a Pentium 1 133MHz with 2 memory banks for DIMM chips"

You read that much of my post???

Originally posted by Typedef
Ok first try putting only the 128 mb into the first bank on it's own, is it seen ? If so then you can't use both simms together, ok so it "might" be a dimm but...... I don't know if I remember any Gateway mobos in the p1 class having dimms...??

If you had read exactly that much of my post you would know that they were DIMMs like I said so many times. Maybe u thought my gateway computer was a laptop- laptops take "SO DIMMs" and if there are laptops that take SIMMs... IT DOESN'T MATTER CAUSE I NEVER SAID IT WAS A LAPTOP, u fu(king moron!
By the way, what's the definition of a twerp??

_CreeD_

I sense Much anger in you..Anger leads to.... Oh never mind, you're right....:)

Calman

Originally posted by _CreeD_
I sense Much anger in you..Anger leads to.... Oh never mind, you're right....:)

Yep I was angry about that alright. But I haven't sucumb (spelled wrong possibly) to dark side yet. Cheers