256Mb DDR memory consistently detected as 128Mb

[MaxSiren]

This is a piece of Corsair XMS2400 DDR ram, that has been running in a system 24/7 for over 3 months with no problems. Last week, the PC crashed for the first time, and had a hard time rebooting. After turning the power off and then on again, it booted normally. Only a few days ago did I notice that Windows was now only detecting 128Mb of memory. Checked using a few diag apps, and within the BIOS itself, everything says 128Mb. No memory errors are detected, and the system runs just fine.

On reboot, the system freezes with audio error:

BEEEEEEEEEP.................BEEEEEEEEEP.................BEEEEEEEEEP.................BEEEEEEEEEP.................BEEEEEEEEEP..................

Power down and back up, everything works, but still 128Mb ram.

Basically I'd like to know if the RAM stick went bad, or if it may be something else. I tried changing the memory slot, with no difference. This is the only DDR system I've got, so no extra parts handy. Any ideas?

 

[DaiShan]

have you tried a RAM diagnosing program?

 

[bruincal]

you should try removing the RAM, and reseating them into different sockets (or swap sockets) ..

pertaining to DaiShan's recommendation for a RAM diagonistic program, www.simmtester.com has one for free that's very good. It creates a boot floppy and tests your memory. download it here: http://www.simmtester.com/PAGE/products/doc/docinfo.asp

one important thing to do before you test is to diable the processor's internal cache. If you don't disable the internal cache, the memory tests will not be performed on the actual RAM, but instead on the internal cache. all stuff is written to the cache first, and will not be written to the physical RAM.

you should also check your motherboard manual or the manufacter's site for the details on error codes. since there are a series of 5 beeps, you can tell what kind of error you have.