different coloured RAM slots

OK if you are getting an error in identifying the RAM capacity then there is a problem possibly related to the difference between using only one slot and the 2 expected by the MB?
Yes 64x8 = 512 so that makes sense that you have 512Mb SIMMs

512's are quite old in the scheme of things, but it may be that Window$ is detecting all of your RAM as a single block perhaps?
Unfortunately I'm nor a Window$ person, Linux these days!, so when assembling PC's I use the Bios for all of this rather than rely on installed Operating Systems...
What does the Bios say you have as the detected RAM?

Edited by audiomik - 07 September 2010 at 12:58pm

OK, Have found what appears to be the ASUS Support page for you at:
http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=lWkFWt6I1Nykye1b&content=download

you should find many answers here, it states it supports DDR Ram, at 3 different clock rates, which I'm sure is what you have - with all 4 SIMMS fitted at 512Mb each then you have 2048 MB or 2 Gb

So i you have all 4 SIMMS in place, they should be properly working - just make certain each type of SIMM is in the same 'colour' socket.

The MB info from ASUS states:
Dual channel memory architecture
4 x 184-pin DIMM Sockets support max. 4GB PC3200/PC2700/PC2100 non-ECC DDR SDRAM memory so looks like you could upgrade to 4 1GB DDR PC3200 SIMMs for maximum performance if you want to!

Hope this assists
Mik

Edited by audiomik - 07 September 2010 at 12:53pm

just a final point, often you need the 'memory test' function enabled in the Bios for it to detect changes in how much system memory is present and this might also be why you are getting 512Mb reported as 2GB if this option isn't enabled.....

Always difficult to describe these things in text form, but ever so easy and quick if the PC is on the bench in front of me!
Mik

Re: "your windows operating system (if 32bit) will only detect approx 3.6gb of ram,"
a while ago there used to be a really useful utility program called QEMM which ran from boot with a command in 'config.sys' - it accessed as much RAM as the system had for the OS - MS DOS or Window$

isn't there a more up to date version of something similar?
Mik

audiomik wrote: Re: "your windows operating system (if 32bit) will only detect approx 3.6gb of ram," a while ago there used to be a really useful utility program called QEMM which ran from boot with a command in 'config.sys' - it accessed as much RAM as the system had for the OS - MS DOS or Window$ isn't there a more up to date version of something similar? Mik

its basic computer maths.. basically on a binary system, which is what PC's operate on, the total addressable memory is linked to the operating system

on a 32bit Operating system, the operating system can address (read: address, basically means 'use') 2 ^ 32 bytes of ram, which equates to 4GB.
The reason 3.xx GB of ram is quoted as useable on a 32-bit operating system, is because there are various deductions, the various cache's on motherboard, cpu, gfx card, gfx memory, etc etc. so in reality on a modern day PC is somewhere between 3.4gb anfd 3.6gb with a 256mb gfxcard installed.

The program you speak of would effectivly do nothing, yes it may make the operating system 'read' the memory, however the nature of a 32-bit operating system means it cant write to the extra memory, this program was useful say, on older machines to break windows 3.1 and 95 locks on memory capacities and utilise the full 32-bit nature of the machine.  so even if you could make your 32-bit os read 16gb of memory, it would only every use the 3.xx gb anyway because it wouldnt even  know the rest of it existed, infact this program can break things further, because programmes running on a 32-bit os only know the 2^32 memory locations, when it starts writing and the memory is almost full, it may accidently write into a memory space that it can never access because it doesnt know how.

this is why 64-bit operating systems were introduced, and also why most programmes you download will ask you if you have either or operating system platform, because programmes written for 64-bit operating systems, will have the knowledge of memory addresses upto 2^64 bytes, which is something like 16 trillion GB, in the PC wodl this is considered infinite, and if we ever get upto that memory capability, a 128bit platform would have to be developed.

/end essay.


Edited by LondonTowers - 07 September 2010 at 5:39pm

nope. the most reliable way to do it , is just install a 64bit os and be done with it :)