Only 512mb of RAM in T30 is recognized with 1gb installed
Mullion Blasto
Here's what I have:
T30 (2366-92A), 40gb drive, Windows XP Pro SP1, Bios 2.05
Here's what I've tried:
1) Switching the RAM modules
2) Upgrading the bios to 2.05
3) Downgrading the bios
4) Different RAM brands
Looks like a new motherboard. Any ideas?
Rick James
That is interesting. I ordered my 2366-92U direct from IBM with 768 MB
RAM. At the time, the sales rep could not sell me a machine with the full
1 GB the motherboard is supposedly capable of. Makes me wonder if they
know of a problem.
Steven
installed?
>
> That is interesting. I ordered my 2366-92U direct from IBM with 768 MB
> RAM. At the time, the sales rep could not sell me a machine with the full
> 1 GB the motherboard is supposedly capable of. Makes me wonder if they
> know of a problem.
Hmmmm, indeed. I've had 1 gig on my T30, fully recognized at that, but it
poops out on me when it overheats; at least that's the latest theory on my
BSOD's. Not only will 1 gig fail, but also 768. The only way to maintain a
stable device, is with the shipped 256 meg in place.
Now, I am awaiting a 512 IBM SODIMM to enable me to get past first line
support if the IBM labelled RAM set also heats up and shuts down the
machine.
Rick:
What brand of SODIMM did IBM ship with your T30? I have a 2366-92U also that
shipped with a Crucial supplied SODIMM.
How's the 768 MB config been behaving?
- Steve
JHEM
A known problem. I can't give you a reference to a URL at IBM as it's only
available "in-house".
But, it says _something_ like this:
Symptom
Some ThinkPad T30 systems (MTM 2366/2367) may not recognize the memory
installed in the front (closest to the user) memory DIMM connector. The BIOS
Setup screen (pressing F1 after a cold boot) and the Windows System
Information/Device Manager programs do not display as much memory as is
installed. For example, the system has 2, 256MB DIMMs installed for a total
of 512MB of system memory, but the BIOS Setup reports that the system only
has 256MB of total memory.
Affected configurations
Any T30 with the front memory DIMM connector populated. If the system has
only one memory DIMM installed, the manufacturing default is that the back
memory DIMM connector is the one that is populated.
Solution
Either replace the system motherboard or have the system sent in to EZ Serve
Regards,
James
Rick James
> What brand of SODIMM did IBM ship with your T30? I have a 2366-92U also that
> shipped with a Crucial supplied SODIMM.
>
> How's the 768 MB config been behaving?
>
> - Steve
My 768 megs have performed flawlessly since purchase (Christmas '02). I've
never inspected it to determine what brand it is. I stably run
Linux and Win XP with it.
There is a GPL'd utility called memtest86 that performs excellent memory
diagnostics
Loreto Torres
I have a ThinkPad 600X and have a similar problem. I replaced the two
"old" SODIMMs that came with the laptop. I was surprised that I got
two 128MBs and not two 64 MBs as I was expecting. (The system config
utility that I have says I had two 64 MBs). I replaced them with two
256 MB RAMs and only half of the memory space is recognized.
Anybody know how much does it cost to replace the mother board?
And what is EZ Serve? I searched the net and what came back are links
to LA convenience store chains and one computer service company (in
LA) that is _not_ highly recommended because of lousy service ( I hope
you are not referring to the same place).
Is there any place in NJ where I can bring my 600X for repair?
Loreto
JHEM
>
> I have a ThinkPad 600X and have a similar problem. I replaced the two
> "old" SODIMMs that came with the laptop. I was surprised that I got
> two 128MBs and not two 64 MBs as I was expecting. (The system config
> utility that I have says I had two 64 MBs). I replaced them with two
> 256 MB RAMs and only half of the memory space is recognized.
More likely a problem with the RAM you used than a MB problem on a 600X,
they're _very_ finicky about RAM. What make and model sticks are you using
and what make were the 128s you removed? Are the sticks you have discretely
marked as 128MB and 256MB? Or are you calculating the capacity based on
configuration, e.g. 32X64, 16X32, etc.? Are they PC100 sticks or
PC100/PC133?
All of my 600Xs are maxed out with two sticks of 256MB installed and show
576MB on BOOT.
> Anybody know how much does it cost to replace the mother board?
Unless you're willing to do it yourself, more than the unit is worth.
> And what is EZ Serve? I searched the net and what came back are links
> to LA convenience store chains and one computer service company (in
> LA) that is _not_ highly recommended because of lousy service ( I hope
> you are not referring to the same place).
EZServe is the IBM factory service facility and, no, it's not in LA.
> Is there any place in NJ where I can bring my 600X for repair?
My place if you're near Medford.
Regards,
James
Ronald Blaschke
> Mullion Blasto <mullion...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> Can anyone tell me why my machine only recognizes 512mb RAM when 1gb
>> is installed?
> available "in-house".
>
> Some ThinkPad T30 systems (MTM 2366/2367) may not recognize the memory
> installed in the front (closest to the user) memory DIMM connector. The BIOS
Our company owns several T30 with 1GB memory. All of them worked well in
the beginning, but after two to four weeks some machines lost half the
memory (four up to now). In other words, be prepared that your memory may
work at the beginning, but fails later on, when one half of the DIMM
connector dies. A simple guess would be that some connection fails, eg a
bad soldering joint.
This seems to be limited to T30s manufactured in the US ('99' in the
machines serial number); but then again, it may not.
Thus, watch your memory. Half of it may be gone after you come back from
lunch. (No, I am not kidding).
Regards,
Ron
Loreto Torres
Thanks for the reply. I would like to make a correction to my opening
paragraph. (I made the email while I was at work and I did not have my
printouts at that time; the numbers may be wrong that the essence of
the problem is the same). My system analyzer, AIDA32, reported that I
have two 32MBs on slots 2 and 3. When I looked under the hood, what I
pulled out were two 64MBs. Each were manufactured by different memory
companies but have "IBM Approval" sticker on them.
"JHEM" <James@ESAD_SPAMMERS.thinkpads.com> wrote in message news:<ePzPa.1$qn...@nwrddc04.gnilink.net>...
> Loreto Torres <LoretoTo...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> >
> > I have a ThinkPad 600X and have a similar problem. I replaced the two
> > "old" SODIMMs that came with the laptop. I was surprised that I got
> > two 128MBs and not two 64 MBs as I was expecting. (The system config
> > utility that I have says I had two 64 MBs). I replaced them with two
> > 256 MB RAMs and only half of the memory space is recognized.
>
> More likely a problem with the RAM you used than a MB problem on a 600X,
> they're _very_ finicky about RAM. What make and model sticks are you using
> and what make were the 128s you removed? Are the sticks you have discretely
> marked as 128MB and 256MB? Or are you calculating the capacity based on
> configuration, e.g. 32X64, 16X32, etc.? Are they PC100 sticks or
> PC100/PC133?
I have Thinkpad 600x, Model 2645-4EU, with 638MHz (nominally 500MHz)
Pentium IIIE. The BIOS version is 1.11 (Nov. 30, 1999). I've read
somewhere in another thread (Newsgroups: fa.linux.kernel;[PATCH] e820
memory detection fix for ThinkPad -- Marc Joosen (mjo...@us.ibm.com;
Date: 2000-12-28 23:52:10 PST ) that the problem is in the BIOS. His
issue is wrt Linux in Thinkpad; however, I think that my current
problem may be related. Any thoughts?
>
> All of my 600Xs are maxed out with two sticks of 256MB installed and show
> 576MB on BOOT.
What brand of memory did you use? I used 256MBs SODIMMs from KingMax
which I ordered on-line from 'memorysuppliers.com'. My bootup memory
count is 327104 KB.
>
> > Anybody know how much does it cost to replace the mother board?
>
> Unless you're willing to do it yourself, more than the unit is worth.
>
> > And what is EZ Serve? I searched the net and what came back are links
> > to LA convenience store chains and one computer service company (in
> > LA) that is _not_ highly recommended because of lousy service ( I hope
> > you are not referring to the same place).
>
> EZServe is the IBM factory service facility and, no, it's not in LA.
The thread I read refers to one in LA (Louisiana). The writer was
ranting and raving the extrememly bad service that he got on his
laptop.
Loreto Torres
Thanks for the reply. I would like to make a correction to my opening
paragraph. (I made the email while I was at work and I did not have my
printouts at that time; the numbers may be wrong that the essence of
the problem is the same). My system analyzer, AIDA32, reported that I
have two 32MBs on slots 2 and 3. When I looked under the hood, what I
pulled out were two 64MBs. Each were manufactured by different memory
companies but have "IBM Approval" sticker on them.
"JHEM" <James@ESAD_SPAMMERS.thinkpads.com> wrote in message news:<ePzPa.1$qn...@nwrddc04.gnilink.net>...
> Loreto Torres <LoretoTo...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> >
> > I have a ThinkPad 600X and have a similar problem. I replaced the two
> > "old" SODIMMs that came with the laptop. I was surprised that I got
> > two 128MBs and not two 64 MBs as I was expecting. (The system config
> > utility that I have says I had two 64 MBs). I replaced them with two
> > 256 MB RAMs and only half of the memory space is recognized.
>
> More likely a problem with the RAM you used than a MB problem on a 600X,
> they're _very_ finicky about RAM. What make and model sticks are you using
> and what make were the 128s you removed? Are the sticks you have discretely
> marked as 128MB and 256MB? Or are you calculating the capacity based on
> configuration, e.g. 32X64, 16X32, etc.? Are they PC100 sticks or
> PC100/PC133?
I have Thinkpad 600x, Model 2645-4EU, with 638MHz (nominally 500MHz)
Pentium IIIE. The BIOS version is 1.11 (Nov. 30, 1999). I've read
somewhere in another thread (Newsgroups: fa.linux.kernel;[PATCH] e820
memory detection fix for ThinkPad -- Marc Joosen (mjo...@us.ibm.com;
Date: 2000-12-28 23:52:10 PST ) that the problem is in the BIOS. His
issue is wrt Linux in Thinkpad; however, I think that my current
problem may be related. Any thoughts?
>
> All of my 600Xs are maxed out with two sticks of 256MB installed and show
> 576MB on BOOT.
What brand of memory did you use? I used 256MBs SODIMMs from KingMax
which I ordered on-line from 'memorysuppliers.com'. My bootup memory
count is 327104 KB.
>
> > Anybody know how much does it cost to replace the mother board?
>
> Unless you're willing to do it yourself, more than the unit is worth.
>
> > And what is EZ Serve? I searched the net and what came back are links
> > to LA convenience store chains and one computer service company (in
> > LA) that is _not_ highly recommended because of lousy service ( I hope
> > you are not referring to the same place).
>
> EZServe is the IBM factory service facility and, no, it's not in LA.
The thread I read refers to one in LA (Louisiana). The writer was
ranting and raving the extrememly bad service that he got on his
laptop.
>
Mullion Blasto
Will a bios update fix this? How about a different type of RAM?
This problem cost me a bunch of credibility points with my team since
I insisted on T30s and half of the ones I got have required this
ridiculous fix.
-Mull-
Ronald Blaschke <TGVCDP...@spammotel.com> wrote in message news:<13r04dgwqnxav.psmsh374vjnk$.d...@40tude.net>...
Loreto Torres
free. It's a pure physical connection problem.
The second 256 MB SODIMM memory is really not detected. It was snug
but was not tight enough. I did some SODIMM musical chair and found
out which one is not being detected. I tighten up the the clip of the
miscreant receptacle and pushed in the SODIMM just a little but.
Voila!
LoretoTo...@yahoo.com (Loreto Torres) wrote in message news:<f2c8bbd7.03071...@posting.google.com>...
Ronald Blaschke
> Ronald Blaschke <TGVCDP...@spammotel.com> wrote in message news:<13r04dgwqnxav.psmsh374vjnk$.d...@40tude.net>...
>> On Tue, 08 Jul 2003 15:40:24 GMT, JHEM wrote:
>>> Mullion Blasto <mullion...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Can anyone tell me why my machine only recognizes 512mb RAM when 1gb
>>>> is installed?
[...]
>> Our company owns several T30 with 1GB memory. All of them worked well in
>> the beginning, but after two to four weeks some machines lost half the
>> memory (four up to now). In other words, be prepared that your memory may
>> work at the beginning, but fails later on, when one half of the DIMM
>> connector dies. A simple guess would be that some connection fails, eg a
>> bad soldering joint.
[...]
> So - is there any workaround apart from a motherboard replacement?
> Will a bios update fix this? How about a different type of RAM?
Nope, there isn't. We are talking about hardware damage here. A different
type of RAM may have worked in the beginning, before the connector died -
if the problem is related to the extra power requirements of the larger
RAM.
Beware that I am mostly guessing here. Your mileage may vary.
Ron
JHEM
> So - is there any workaround apart from a motherboard replacement?
> Will a bios update fix this? How about a different type of RAM?
No, no and no. Send the affected units in to EZServe, you'll get them back
in 48 hours or less.
> This problem cost me a bunch of credibility points with my team since
> I insisted on T30s and half of the ones I got have required this
> ridiculous fix.
Shit happens.
Regards,
James
Richard A. Wells
I had this problem with 512+256 and hadn't realized it, but for some
number of weeks had been missing the 256. Not aware of this mobo
problem, I ordered another 512MB SODIMM (Kingston, from PC Connection,
to match the other one) thinking perhaps the 256MB board was at fault.
No dice. BIOS always reported only the first slot's board (even with
the 256 board).
Read this thread and called up IBM and used EZServe for a mobo swap
(easy, efficient service). However, I did NOT send them my hard
disk---didn't see why they'd need it for this.
System is back and I see all 1GB now, but now I'm getting BSODs,
randomly. XP system dump to Microsoft and back just says "Device
Driver" problem. Running BurnInTest of RAM alone doesn't crash it,
but back-to-back 15 minutes tests of all features with (shareware
version of) BurnInTest causes system crash.
Ugh. Suggestions? I, too, am suspicious of temperature issues, but
can't find a monitor program that works with a T30 (or any ThinkPad,
for that matter).
Cheers,
Richard
--
*** Richard A. Wells, r...@raw.com
*** Reality And Wonder, http://www.raw.com/
Steven
> problem, I ordered another 512MB SODIMM (Kingston, from PC Connection,
> to match the other one) thinking perhaps the 256MB board was at fault.
</snip>
> System is back and I see all 1GB now, but now I'm getting BSODs,
> randomly. XP system dump to Microsoft and back just says "Device
> Driver" problem. Running BurnInTest of RAM alone doesn't crash it,
> but back-to-back 15 minutes tests of all features with (shareware
> version of) BurnInTest causes system crash.
Been there! As unpleasantly expensive as this sounds, the only cure I found
was to buy the memory from IBM.
In this thread, you'll find a link to a picture of the memory that IBM sent
and the Crucial dimm that zonked out my T30. Tell me if you can spot the
difference.
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=lang_en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&th=ac2a2e4339b982f3&rnum=2
I know you used Kingston, but Kingston was another brand that spoiled my
machine.
See if you recognize yourself in this thread .
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=lang_en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&th=ed3f7674f687cdec&rnum=1
> Ugh. Suggestions?
Take it on the chin and buy the memory from IBM. If it still doesn't work,
at least then they'll begin to help.
> Cheers,
> Richard
- Steve