Ram compatibility with i440BX in Toshiba Satellite 4090XCDT

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dalebarber
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My Toshiba Satellite 4090XCDT is severely memory challenged even with the maximum manufacturers specified memory installed, this being 64MB internal + 128MB sodimm = 192MB total.

Since the i440BX chipset in this notebook is capable of handling MUCH more memory ie 4 x 256MB, I've tried installing a number of different types of 256MB sodimms, including a 16 chip low density module with 4K refresh, but the laptop won't boot.

Can anyone advise me here? Is the BIOS possibly limiting the maximum memory to 192MB....if so, do 3rd party patched BIOSes exist to increase this to 64+256=320MB ? I'm currently running Toshiba's latest BIOS V8.2.

I've consulted the "i440BX RAM Compatibility FAQ" but still I'm stuck at 192MB ! Thanks for any light you can throw on this issue.

Cheers...Dale
Sharedoc
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Propably it is BIOS code limiting the amout of RAM banks detected.

Do you have two SODIMM sockets?

Just thinking if you knife-off the RAM chips on the motherboard and connect the chip select signals to the second free SODIMM ...
dalebarber
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Hi, thanks for your input.

There is only one sodimm slot on this laptop, so with the 64MB motherboard ram plus the one sodimm, the i440BX chipset is surely well within its four bank limit.

I'm suspecting more and more a BIOS limitation.

It seems like in their BIOS, Toshiba have also limited the functionality of the graphics chip to prevent it from doing such things as Dual Display, which normally the Cyber9525DVD graphics chip can do.

They can't stop users from updating the driver but it's in the BIOS where they have all the control. This way they can force consumers to go and buy another lapto!

Do you know of third party Laptop BIOS providers or patchers?

Cheers...Dale
Sharedoc
Notebook Genius
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Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2003 8:46 pm
Location: Finland

Nope. Don't know any bios for that laptop. Maybe someone can help here?

As far as I remember BX chipset supports 6banks of memory. You just need to hardwire another SODIMM socket in parallel to the SODIMM socket and find the necessary hardware bank chip select signals from BX northbridge. And hope that the bios supports additional banks.
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