Boot with only 1 stick!?

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Joined
29 Aug 2006
Posts
43
Hey guys,

Iv just bought a pair of Corsair XMS2 DHX 4gb sticks, when I came to put them in it wasnt posting. It would start, almost insta turn off then power up but stop before post.

I then tried only 1 stick, and it posted but only in 1 of my 4 motherboard slots (Not even the A1 slot). This happened with my old set of ram, thats why I bought this new pair.

Is it sounding like a board issue or even a PSU error? Oh iv tried CMOS reset and nada, as well as stripping down to bare bones (no CD etc etc) and still nada - will only post with one stick in one slot.

Any ideas, driving my crazy!
 
Which board?

I had the same problem with my Abit ip35pro and the same memory. I needed to boot with one stick and set the voltage in bios to 2.1v before putting the 2nd stick in.

These ram really do not like booting up at 1.8v in a lot of mobos.
 
That it posts at all is reassuring, mine wont do that at present.
That it behaves the same with four different sticks of ram suggests the board is having problems. Have you ever had it running normally?

What psu is this with, and how old is it? That is posts with one slot but not the others largely rules out psu, but it still might be the problem

Probably lots of ideas in the thread in my sig, as I'm troubleshooting a p5q which wont post at the moment. Does it beep at you if there is no ram present? I'd also be very interested as to whether or not it beeps with no cpu present. Mine doesn't, but as I don't know if its working that doesn't help you much :(
 
It's unlikely to be a PSU problem, most likely a motherboard issue.

What slot does it post in?
 
Try 2.2v+, it's possible that the motherboards voltage settings are not accurate and it may be undervolting.

Is it the standard P5Q version? No Deluxe etc?
 
I assume it doesn't matter which module you use out of either the old set or the new set? It's possible that the memory slots are faulty, check for damage or dirt inside, might well be a motherboard RMA job if neither of the modules from either sets work in anything but slot B1 and increasing the voltage doesn't work.
 
Had a similar prob with my P5Q-E but putting one module in & setting the voltages fixed it for me.
 
Update: replaced the board still getting the same issue!!??

No idea what the issue is, im gonna try playing the voltages again but is it possibly a Windows error? Virus or just wins**t for you?
 
Nah, failing to post is nothing to do with windows. It's not a virus either. Unsure what to suggest, do you know the new board works? Checking the ram in another machine would be useful
 
Update: replaced the board still getting the same issue!!??

No idea what the issue is, im gonna try playing the voltages again but is it possibly a Windows error? Virus or just wins**t for you?

They definately switched the board? Do they have different serial numbers?

It is possible it is a motherboard memory incompatiablity problem. Purchase some different ram from another manufacturer. I'd recommend G.Skill or OCZ memory.
 
Have you tried updating your BIOS?

I don't think it would be your PSU that is causing this to happen..

Oh, and have you tried testing each module individually using memtest boot disc?
 
I have the P5Q Pro with that exact Corsair RAM. It works perfectly with the memory voltage at 1.86.

Try raising the northbridge volts a bit, and turning off the AI transaction booster if it's on.
 
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