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Toshiba Memory Upgrade Problem

post #1 of 17
4/17/05 at 9:14pm
Thread Starter 
I have an old Toshiba Satellite 1100. It has 256M RAM in slot 2, slot 1 being empty. It can be expanded to 1024M RAM. I purchased a 512M memory module. If I put the 512M in slot 1, the computer does nothing. If I remove the 256M from slot 2 and install the 512M in slot 2 instead, the computer starts up fine. If I leave the 512M in slot 2 and place the original 256M in slot 1, then I get an error message that WinXP can't start or I get nothing.

Does anyone have any idea what the deal is? The memory modules are good, but only seem to work in slot 2.

Confudged
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post #2 of 17
4/17/05 at 10:14pm
Confirm your new memory module is SDRAM PC133.
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post #3 of 17
4/17/05 at 10:56pm
Thread Starter 

Right Memory, Could it be for the wrong slot?

The new memory is correct type. Old memory and new memory only work in slot 2. Neither will work in slot 1. To put the memory in slot 1 means you have to turn it over. It's as if the machine takes a "left" and "right" or slot 1 and slot 2 memory board.
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post #4 of 17
4/17/05 at 11:13pm
i had a problem where both modules worked in slot 1, but only one worked in slot two. So i simply put the one that did work in slot two, and the other in slot 1. I'm not sure how to help you, except recommend that you buy a different brand of RAM. Sometimes, certain mobos can have problems with certain ram.
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post #5 of 17
4/17/05 at 11:23pm
Are you sure it supports 1024mb? I have a Satellite 1410 (i845D; Celeron 1.8M) that would only recognise 512MB no matter which slot and how much I throw at her.
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post #6 of 17
4/17/05 at 11:56pm
Thread Starter 

According to Toshiba...

I can upgrade my machine to 1024M. The machine has two RAM slots. Again, according to Toshiba, each slot can take up to 512M of PC133 SDRAM 3.3V.

In theory, I should have been able to leave the original 256M module in slot 2, add the 512M new module into slot 1 and have 768M physical RAM.
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post #7 of 17
4/18/05 at 1:10pm
Maybe the slot one is dead. The same thing happened on my tecra 8100, but with slot B (when I had ram in slot B the computer would not boot, but would work fine with ram only in slot A). Since my tecra was long out of warranty, when I took it to a Toshiba premier shop, they wanted to replace the mobo and charge me for a new one (yea right!!). In the end, I found an PC shop whose techs were quite savvy and one of them resoldered the slot back onto the mobo for me for a decent price.
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post #8 of 17
4/18/05 at 2:35pm

RAM Slot solder joints

Its a common fail on the Toshibas as well. It is 100% repairable and isnt too complex. Yell if you need help.
www.ikenfixit.com
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post #9 of 17
4/19/05 at 12:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ejay22
I can upgrade my machine to 1024M. The machine has two RAM slots. Again, according to Toshiba, each slot can take up to 512M of PC133 SDRAM 3.3V.

In theory, I should have been able to leave the original 256M module in slot 2, add the 512M new module into slot 1 and have 768M physical RAM.
I stand by my previous post (#4). Each of my Satellite 1410 memory slot supports up to 512MB, but the system is still limited to total of 512MB.

eg:
256 + 256 = 512
512 + 0 = 512
0 + 512 = 512
512 + 256 = 512
1024 + x = no boot
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post #10 of 17
4/19/05 at 3:11pm
Bejing: that's for your satelite 1400, this guy has a 1100 and even according to kingston it can support a total of 1gb.

ejay: Have you tried either the 512 or the 256 ALONE in the slot 1 (nothing in slot 2) to see if it'll boot? If it doesn't, then it's probably a problem with the slot.
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post #11 of 17
4/19/05 at 7:26pm
Thread Starter 
Yes, I've tried every possible combination on the slots. I'm inclined to agree that slot #1 is defective in some way. I'm no computer repair guy, so I'll probably take it in for repair. Any recommendations? IKENFIXIT sounded good on pricing and I looked at that web site.

I'm still troubled with the loss of sound though. I need to figure out where the card is in this laptop. I wonder if I screwed it up getting into the memory. There is some little 1x2 inch card that is right under slot #1.
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post #12 of 17
4/19/05 at 8:32pm
If your warranty is still alive, send it or take it to a Premier service place (check Toshiba's web page for one near you). I've seen horror stories with the non-premier places, so make sure to take it to a premier. If it's out of warranty, I have no idea where you could send it. I imagine that the job isn't that difficult, but I figure if it's using 144 pin ram, each slot's got to have about 144 pins that need to be resoldered or at least checked, so it could be tedious. I also saw ikenfixit and you never can really know without trying, but they seem to be on the level. You could also ask around your office/school or friends with notebooks if any of them know anybody reliable. I could recomend my local shop, but I doubt they'd do you much good since they're in Santiago, Chile. Good luck.
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post #13 of 17
6/19/05 at 2:29pm
I got my slot working last night by putting the memory card in the slot and a couple of small pieces of hard plastic on top of the card to get the connection back, If you push down while starting up the computer at the same time you will see where the bad connection point is. Mine works great now with 512mb.
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post #14 of 17
6/19/05 at 2:35pm
When I had the problems in mine I tried something similar with no luck. Glad it worked for you let's hope it lasts!!
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post #15 of 17
6/23/05 at 2:32pm
Is 512mb ram too much for a tecra 8100 600mhz? Seems like 256 was sort of the same as far as being fast.
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post #16 of 17
6/23/05 at 6:48pm
According to the Toshiba.com site, a Tecra 8100 will take up to a maximum of 512MB. One slot contains the base memory, the other is for expansion . If your base memory was 256MB, it will take another 256MB stick of SODIMM PC100 SDRAM 3.3V 100MHZ and thats it.
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post #17 of 17
6/23/05 at 7:19pm
Mine came with 2 x 64 & both slots are accessible by revoving a single pannel from the bottom. It'll take 512. I have a 256 and a 128 in mine right now and I can definatley tell the difference in comparison to when I had 2 x 64 and 64 + 128. Mt gf has a dell lattitude and I popped her 256 chip in the other day and could tell that it was faster at 512.
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