My laptop has two memory modules installed but only one of them is recognized
I have a Sony PCG-FX101 Laptop – standard memory was 64mb. I upgraded this sometime back by installing an additional 256mb module. This worked fine for a long time, but recently combined with some OS issues on my laptop, only the 64mb module is recognized.
I have swapped the modules around and both work in the same slot fine – I therefore suspect that 1 slot on the board is faulty / disabled.
Is it possible for 1 slot to become disabled? If it is faulty, I’m assuming there is little that can be done?
You cannot disable/enable the memory slot, at least I’ve never seen a laptop with such “feature”. Try cleaning the faulty memory slot with an alcohol wipe, maybe the contacts inside got dirty or oxidized. A while ago I got an email from a guy with exactly the same problem, one of his memory sticks disappeared. He cleaned up the memory slot and the problem was fixed. If cleaning the memory slot will not help, probably it’s bad and you are right, there is not much that you can do. The motherboard has to be replaced.
November 28th, 2007 at 3:54 am
Is a photo of the hole where I should put memory chips.
The chip in the foreground is a 64meg dimm that works fine.
The chip in the background is a different size from the working chip, the chips on the board are different as you can see – but – crucial.com and all those websites say there should be two slots, next to each other on my PCG-FX101
What do you think, are there two memory chips here? If so do you figure the other one in the background isnt working?
I want to upgrade this laptop’s RAM to the max 512meg, but I do not want to buy two 256s to find only one will work…
I figure I will buy one and then do some testing… but do you have any advice?
Guy
November 28th, 2007 at 8:38 pm
Guy Cross,
Yes, there are two different memory chips installed into two different memory slots.
I checked specs on your laptop and it looks like you can install up to 512MB of RAM, 256MB stick into each slot. If there is nothing wrong with the memory slots on the motherboard you shouldn’t have any problems.
Here’s how you can check if both memory slots work fine.
Remove one of the memory modules from your laptop and leave only the known good chip in there. First, test your laptop with the memory chip installed into the slot 1, then test the laptop with the same memory chip installed into the slot 2. If the laptop works fine with the same memory chip installed into both slots, most likely there is nothing wrong with the slots. In this case you can buy two 256MB memory chips and install them.
If the laptop works only with the memory chip installed into the slot1 but not into the slot2, apparently the slot2 is bad.
December 19th, 2007 at 5:53 am
Okay, phase 2.
As you advised I have about one 256 chip and I have tested all the slots and the chips.
It seems slot two isnt working, but all the chips are good. So now I have a working 256megs.
There is a lot of forums with fx101 users complaining about this fault, but no1 seems to offer a resolution – the sony website is no help
any ideas?
Guy
ps thanks for your original advice, it gave me the confidence to go ahead.
G
February 22nd, 2008 at 4:42 am
I have a bit similar problem.
I have Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo laptop with 256×2 RAM. I bough 2 512 RAMs. When I insert them, windows starts and when it comes the time to load the desktop nothing happens (black screen). One 512 (any of two I bought) + one old 256 work in any of slots together.
What can be a problem?
February 24th, 2008 at 9:39 am
Viktor,
I don’t want to scare you but last week I had a similar problem with one of my customers. He brought in a Toshiba laptop and two 1GB memory modules he just purchased.
The laptop was working fine with the original 512MB stick in both memory slots, but for some reason wouldn’t work with 1GB sticks. Both sticks were detected by the BIOS, I was able to enter and navigate the BIOS setup menu. I saw 2048MB total memory in there. But I wasn’t able to boot the laptop to the desktop. After the initial Windows loading screen (running bar) I was getting a black screen, nothing else.
I tested both memory module with another laptop an it worked fine and booted to the desktop.
Just in case I tried reflashing the BIOS but it didn’t help.
Finally, I had to replace the motherboard. Both memory modules worked fine with the new motherboard.
I think your situation is different because you laptop works with 512MB+256MB sticks. Try updating the BIOS, it might help.
August 15th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Hello, again, LF!
Working on another Dell Latitude C640 mobo and I have run into a memory-related issue. I think that I know the answer to this, but figured it wouldn’t hurt to bounce it off of you.
During basic testing (just taking the system into the BIOS proggie) I have found that when I have both RAM slots occupied (with known-good, matching SO-DIMMs) a list of mem errors is displayed on-screen and once I get into the BIOS I find that it only “sees” one of the 2 installed SO-DIMMs.
When I only populate ONE slot (and it doesn’t matter which), no mem error notices and BIOS successfully “sees” the one installed SO-DIMM.
I have tried this with pairs of 256MB modules and 512MB. modules.
I am thinking that the answer is that this particular mobo is now, for whatever reason, a one-module-mobo … I hope that you have a trick up your sleeve …
Thanks!
Kim
March 10th, 2010 at 11:44 pm
I have a problem with my old laptop. It’s 60 GB total space but it says that it only has 15.00 GB free space.
It has already been reformatted and there are no files available in any drive. What is wrong with the memory?
Where is the rest of the free space? What should I do?
Thanks
January 2nd, 2011 at 3:12 pm
Hi mates, just to tell you i bought the Vaio PCG-FX101 in 2001.
I had the same memory problem and I’ve never been able to get 512 MB working. Only 1 slot seems to work at a time.
I have 2×256 MB modules (exactly the same) and i can’t get them to work together.
Both slots work independently but never together. I updated the bios to the lastest R0232U0. Changed nothing.
I guess I’ll never get those 512 MB running. Win Me is very slow on 256 MB
January 20th, 2011 at 1:16 am
G’day – sorry to say but i am a real dill and need your help and advise.
Have a 10″ Dell lap top but the memory is very small.
I bought it to take away on trips so i need Skype,Picassa,Word and a couple of travel programs to do with travel diary.
I have an external hard drive but need help on how to set it all up.
do i loda the programs onto the external drive and open them by switching from the laptop.
I tried this but Picassa needs to be reinstalled each time.
would value some direction as to where i can search for the answersa i need.
regards
peter