ami bios beeps

Hi Everyone...
I was just reading about the AMI Bios beep codes and I saw that if you have 2 beeps then you are having memory problems. When my computer loads up I get 2 beeps. But there are no errors or anything. So I read that

"Your computer has memory problems. First, check video. If video is working, you'll see an error message. If not, you have a parity error in your first 64K of memory. Check your SIMMs. Reseat them and reboot. If this doesn't do it, the memory chips may be bad. You can try switching the first and second banks memory chips. First banks are the memory banks in which your CPU finds its first 64K of base memory. You'll need to consult your manual to see which bank is first. If all of your memory tests good, you probably need to buy another motherboard."

First of all I don't know what SIMM is and what is a "Parity error"? Also it says that i should try switching the "first and second banks memory chips". But I Only have one chip of 256 DDR.

Also I was just looking at Sisoft Sandra 2002 and I saw that it said this:
"
< Physical/BIOS Memory Banks >
ROW-0: Empty
ROW-1 (RASL-3 RASL-2): 256MB DIMM SDRAM double-bank
ROW-2: Empty
ROW-3: Empty
"
I looked inside my computer and first of all, I saw that my ram is in the DDR slot and not in the DIMM so why does it say DIMM?
Second of all it says that ROW-0 is Empty, but again I looked inside, and I saw that it was on DDR1 slot. So why is SISOFT saying this stuff?


Ok back to the beeps problem...
I was thinking that maybe I should take out my ram and put it into the other DDR slot. But I want to know, is there a point in doing so? And more importantly, will I lose any data on my computer if i do so?

Thank You in Advance

 

You won't loose any datas of your computer only checking the SIMMs or DIMMs (what you have are DIMMs). You put the sticks starting with the first slot (usually the one next to the processor - but take a look in your motherboard manual). In your case you can check all slots and see what happens, you also can run a memory diagnostic tool from here

 

Thank you for your reply. You said that I have DIMMs but my RAM is in the DDR slot. So how do I have DIMM?

 

I ran the memory diagnostics tool and it didn't find any problems.
So what else could be causing the two beeps?
Thank You

 

SIMM ....... single inline memory module
DIMM ....... dual inline memory module
That's only the design and it can be SDRAM or DDR-SDRAM (yours).
More here

 

Thanx for the info.
But can you help me further.
I ran the memory diagnostics tool and it didn't find any problems.
So what else could be causing the two beeps?
Thank You

 

You would have to replace the memory by another one to find out if it's the problem.

 

Ok Thank you hw45.
I want to do as you said and try and replace the memory with another one. But I have a question...
How can I tell exactly what kind of RAM I need? I was thinking maybe my RAM is not compatible with the motherboard or something like that. So how can I be sure of what kind of RAM I should be getting? For example, 168 Pin or the type. I just need to know how I can find out the specific details about the RAM that I need.
Thank You

 

You can find out in your motherboard manual.
When SiSoftSandra tells you it's SDRAM, then probably it is and you can use PC133 SDRAM, it's down-compatible. You can get noname and brand name memory (price is higher but here is the possibility of compatible with your system also higher).

 

Thanx
But before I go out and get new RAM...
I'm not having any problems from what I have seen. I was just curious about those two beeps. Do you think I should go out and get new RAM even thought I am not having any problems?
Do you think this problem can get worse over time?
Thank You

 

Maybe you can get help from your motherboards support page and/or tech. service. If it's an known issue they can tell you. To tell the truth I never heard of two BIOS beeps and everything is ok, usually it's one short beep at AWARD and one long at AMI.

 

Well, nothing is wrong as far as I can tell. I don't see any problems to do with RAM or any problems generally. But maybe there is problem that I can't see. However, I remember that before I installed Windows XP I was having a problem. I formatted many times, tried with Windows ME (At the time I had Windows 98 SE). But even with ME I still had the problem. The problem was that one in four time (approximate) that I started my computer the mouse wouldn't move and the keyboard wouldn't work. When I moved the mouse I got this noice from the computer (Not from the Speakers). Maybe this was a problem to do with the two beeps but somehow XP is managing to cover it up? So could that have been the problem?

Oh BTW. This problem was from the very begining when my computer was put together.

Thank You

 

What you still can try is a BIOS-upgrade (flash). But it also can be a defective motherboard (maybe the chipset). If there is still warranty you can try to change it.

 

Ok thank You HW45...
I will look into the bios upgrade.
Thanx a lot for your help

 

Thanx...
I just realized this...
I looked in SiSoft Sandra and it said:
"Maximum Installable Memory: 512 MB
Maximum Module Size: 128 MB"
But right now I have a 256 MB chip...
Could that be the problem why I am getting the two beeps?
Also, why should it be only 128 MB maximum if it is a new motherboard?