ThinkPad 770X/Z The Maximum Memory Saga Continues

[cmarti]

430TX can only support up to 256MB so that doesn't make sense either.

What happens if you remove the 64MB removeable and put in a 256?

I don't have the 64m ram anymore i installed i have in the third slot a 256mb ram and on other another 256ram.
My BIOS recognize both and also the OS. So i am running at 512mb.

But if i install a third ram nothing happens it is like it is invisible.

Note on the three i use the same brand and model of ram.

These:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... highlight=

[Sharedoc]

Propably the memory banks overlap somehow. Maybe you can figure it out if you have one smaller memory an try it in each possible slot with the other slots being occupied byt 256's, and report the amount of memory detected by the bios.

[cmarti]

Propably the memory banks overlap somehow. Maybe you can figure it out if you have one smaller memory an try it in each possible slot with the other slots being occupied byt 256's, and report the amount of memory detected by the bios.

I try that this what i found;

128+128+256=works recognizes 512
64+64+256=works recognizes 384
256+256+256=only recognizes 512

It is like there is a restriction on the max memory allowed.

If i could only make to work the three slots with 256mb at the same time to get the maximium of 768.

[cmarti]

430TX can only support up to 256MB so that doesn't make sense either.

What happens if you remove the 64MB removeable and put in a 256?

I don't have any 64mb rams installed i use two slots with 256mb each, the third is empty, no matter what ram i install there is the total amount exceeds 512 it just ignores the amount over 512mb.

[beatoem]

sound just like the problem i got with my 765d thinkpad!
HAS 16MB ONBOARD
ADD 64MB
+64MB AND IT REGISTERS MAX 104MB


ADD 32+64+16= 104MB AGAIN


ADD 32+32+16=80MB
ATLEAST THTS RIGHT
ibm deliberately deployed a bios to limit the future use of the 765d thinkpad,that doesn't stop me though running xp pro nince and smooth
once i kill off the excess microsoft parasite background junk

[cmarti]

ADD 32+32+16=80MB
ATLEAST THTS RIGHT
ibm deliberately deployed a bios to limit the future use of the 765d thinkpad,that doesn't stop me though running xp pro nince and smooth
once i kill off the excess microsoft parasite background junk

Xp pro on a 760D?

What are the specs of your machine?

Hardrive/Speed/capacity
Processor speed
Ram

I am playing with a 760EL now and im really interested in running xp in it.

[SilentDude56k]

I'm having a similar problem with my ThinkPad 770, however DIMM 0 is soldered on the motherboard.

I recently installed two identical 256 MB PC133 RAM sticks to get 512 MB, and my system only lets DIMM 1 have up to 128 MB. DIMM 2 is able to use all 256 MB. I figured that disabling DIMM 0 (the soldered on 32 MB) would allow DIMM 1 to use all 256 MB. I found out that the 770X/Z BIOSes are similar enough, and byte 2B had the same function in controlling the DIMMs as in my 770. I changed 2B from 80 to 81, and it successfully disabled DIMM 0, but now instead of having 416 MB of RAM, I now have only 384 MB...

I set B2 back to 80 and checked the "Memory" selection in the "Config" menu. To my surprise, all the RAM is detected!

Installed: 557056 KB
Usable: 425408 KB

What's up with that? How can the BIOS see the RAM and not be able to use it?! Does it think it's damaged, or is the chipset really incapable of handling that much?

I'll play around with the values of 2B a bit and see if anything interesting comes up. Until then, I'll watch this topic, very good info here.

[SilentDude56k]

Very interesting...

I changed 2B to 82, and my 770 still sees all the RAM, but only 288 MB is "usable". This could be a good start...Wow, ok. EVEREST reports that DIMM 0 doesn't exist, and DIMM 1 shows 32 MB. DIMM 2 still shows 256 MB. I think that the old DIMM 1 was disabled, and DIMM 0 took its place.

2B is now set to 83, and only 256 MB is "usable". Now, EVEREST only sees one RAM stick, and I'm assuming it's the one that used to be DIMM 2.

2B is now 84, and 288 MB is usable again. Ah HA! Now we're getting somewhere! All 3 DIMMS are available. Everything is just like it is when 2B is set to 80, except now DIMM 2 only has 128 MB of RAM usable. 32 + 128 + 128 = 288.

2B at 85 gives me 256 MB of usable RAM. Now, both 256 MB sticks are being used, but only 128 MB on each. The onboard 32 MB is disabled.

2B at 86 gives me 160 MB of usable RAM. 32 MB onboard is enabled, and one of the two 256 MB sticks is enabled at 128 MB.

Whuh oh, 2B set at 87 gives me only 128 MB of RAM. The onboard 32 is disabled, and one 256 stick is being used at 128.

88 gives 288 again. 32 + 128 + 128.

89 gives 256...128 + 128.

90 gives 416. 32 + 128 + 256.

00 gives 416. I think the only thing that matters is the second part of the number. What does the first part do then?

Tried something with a letter in the second part, and now I have to reset CMOS. I think I'll stop, because it seems 2B won't help enable any more RAM. I'm thinking that there's either another byte that we should be editing, or the chipset just can't handle the extra RAM.