BleepingComputer.com: Computer only boots with one stick of RAM

I have two 2GB sticks of Corsair XMS2 800MHz RAM and if I turn my computer on with both of them plugged in, whether single or dual channel, LEDs come on. fans spin up, etc. so I know everything is getting power but the monitor stays in standby suggesting it isn't receiving a signal. There is no POST or anything else to indicate the computer is running. If I take one out, leaving a stick in the first slot only, it boots and runs just fine. What does this mean? By the way, the motherboard is an MSI K9A2+ Platinum.

Id say thats a bad stick of memory you got there! Return it and get it swapped for another one.

Does it matter which stick goes into the 1st slot? If both work in slot 1, then the 2nd slot could be bad.

Check also to make sure they are similar sticks. Nonsimilar sticks do not always work together, especially if one is low density and the other is high density.

So, just make sure the sticks are the same.


Good luck.


DR

This post has been edited by rigacci: 04 August 2009 - 03:29 PM

I actually have this exact problem, and my ram and mobo are almost identical. However:

I know it's not a bad stick of ram.

All sticks are identical.

I know it's not a bad mobo because I've swapped out this mobo with a different one and the same problem occurs.

So now it's most likely either the processor (it was overheating recently from too much dust causing a system shutdown until I cleaned out the fan... might have damaged it), the psu, or windows vista 64, or some compatibility problem with the components of my computer.

Anyone know?