🚀 go-pugleaf

David Firth <david@signus.demon.co.uk> wrote:

>I have just bought two 8MB SIMM modules hoping to add it to my existing
>4MB SIMM, giving me a total of 20MB. My motherboard's manual states
>that it can accept a "combination" of 256K, 1M, 2M, 4M, 8M, 16M, 32M
>and 64M SIMM modules but the maximum the BIOS (AMI WinBIOS) reports is
>16MB.

>The (no-name) motherboard manual has a few inconsistencies with
>regard to memory configuration. It starts by saying that it supports
>four banks of DRAM in four 72-pin SIMM sockets, and later says that
>it supports eight banks of DRAM in four 72-pin SIMM sockets (Does
>one SIMM have one or two bank(s)?).

I think what it means is that there are single density simms and double 
density simms. You're 8mb simms are double density (2 * 1Mb * 32bit)
and you're 4Mb simm is single (1 * 1Mb * 32bit).

>The last thing it says is: "If you have 1 bank of DRAMs, you may put
>them in any slot. But, when you use 2 bank of DRAMs, they must be
>installed in sequence, for example, SIMM 0+1, SIMM 1+2, SIMM 2+3."

My motherboard manual is for a PI4/PI4T PCI which I presume is the
correct one for my mainboard :) and according to this, you can't mak 20 Mb 
the way you're trying.  it lists :-   1x16Mb + 2x2Mb OR 1x16mb + 1x4Mb.

>I have tried the following combinations (consecutive SIMM sockets):-

>8MB + 8MB        BIOS reports 16MB
>8MB + 8MB + 4MB  BIOS reports 16MB
>8MB + 4MB        BIOS reports 12MB
>8MB + 4MB + 8MB  BIOS reports 12MB

>Does anyone have any ideas how I can get the full 20MB?

Try taking you're two 8Mb simms to a nice computer shop and exchanging
them for one 16Mb simm.
I had the same problem as you when upgrading from 8Mb to 12Mb. I just bought
another 4Mb simm and plugged it in, as per mainboard manual, but I could only
ever see 8Mb.  I went to a shop, and the nice man told me that you should never
believe 100% of what you're manual reads. He charged me a tenner to exchange
two 4Mb for one 8Mb. It did the trick though.

>Thanks in advance

I hope it is.

bri.
____________________________________
Brian Polkinghorne.
brian@polycomp.demon.co.uk
All round hell of a nice guy.