Hiya, my vaio runs Windows XP (SP3) MCE. It has [2 x 1GB RAM] config which I just upgraded to [1x2GB & 1x1GB] (both DDR2 667MHz). I did some research on that and turns out that my i945PM Chipset can support a max of 4GB RAM but only 3-3.5GB can be addressed. So I just bought one 2GB stick to replace one of my 1GB sticks, hence 3GB in total.After booting, BIOS displayed the 3GB and a Linux boot-cd was able to test the whole 3GB as working. My problem is the following: XP boots but blacks out on the login UI! Safe Mode does the same thing. But the hard-drive keeps processing though.If I remove the 1x1GB stick, then booting is normal. How can I fix that login UI with the 3GB RAM in place?I've tried moving the 2GB stick around and addidng "/PAE" or "/3GB" in boot.ini but no success. XP still won't show the login UI!

Will your Vaio accept different capacity sticks? You might want to check your documentation for that.Does the 2GB stick utilize the same timings as the other, such as latency, delay, and cycle times?If you have just the 1GB stick in, will it allow you to login then? If both sticks work installed separately, that leads me to believe they have different timings.SC Tom-There's no such thing as TMI when asking for tech support.

Vaio is a complete numb skull on hardware upgrades. I mean, I recently upgraded my CPU which according to them is something impossible or I shouldn't do. I used the information from i945PM Chipset sheet, and guess what I went from 1.83GHz to 2.33GHz (without any overheating). I even followed the steps for hacking their locked BIOS and now I have intel VT-x activated! Vaio does nothing to help us.The problem is with the RAM. Vaio says it's 2GB max but I know other Vaio users have upgraded to 3.25GB (using 2x2GB). Since they were losing out on that last gig, I just went for 3GB [2GB + 1GB]. They are both from Crucial and share these characteristics: DDR2 PC2-5300 • CL=5 • Unbuffered • NON-ECC • DDR2-667 • 1.8V ...The 2GB is made in China and 1GB is made in Singapore :)I changed the boot.ini from /3GB to /PAE but no luck. I've tried XP on that 2GB stick alone and it works (just like on the default 2x1GB setting).My problem is the following: BIOS detected the 3GB. A bootable Linux CD ran fine with it (even tested the full 3GB). Windows XP shows its startup logo but then doesn't show the Login screen. So even though the computer is working, I have a blank screen. Does the Login UI do a hardware check or how can it lock up?

Even though the chipset supports 4GB doesn't mean that the motherboard design will allow it, and it looks like Sony has locked that particular MB at 2GB. If you know others with the exact same model and revision level as yours that are using 3GB, I'd ask if you could put your RAM in their machines and see if it works OK. My guess is that even though theirs run it, yours may have an earlier revision MB that won't go as high as 3GB.Ask if you could put their 2x2GB in yours and see what happens. Yours may run 2 2's but not a 1 and a 2. Besides, if you put 3GB in and you can get it to login and run, you probably won't see all 3GB anyhow. Some of that will be reserved for overhead, and you won't see it.SC Tom-There's no such thing as TMI when asking for tech support.

Did u read the other stuff I wrote? BIOS detects it. A bootable Linux CD tested it and loaded up. XP shows its startup screen (with the dotty things moving), and then does not show a Login Screen!? That is weird.Why would 3GB of RAM suudenly affect the login user-interface. What is the connection between that and Sony's lock on the motherboard? Did Sony include a hardware or software lock? Clearly my laptop is booting and BIOS is detecting it.I'm pretty sure it's an XP problem.

Of course I read all your "other stuff." The point I was trying to make is that if the MB is locked to 2GB and you have more than that installed, then Windows is probably confused and that's why it locks at the login screen- that's as far as it can get. Or it may be the video chip that's confused trying to write to or read from a memory address it thinks is there, but isn't because of the MB limitations.And by hacking the BIOS and making changes there, you may have hosed it yourself that's preventing it from reading the rest of the RAM correctly.Good luck with it :-)SC Tom-There's no such thing as TMI when asking for tech support.

So BIOS detecting the RAM is not good enough? The MB could be locked?A bootable Linux CD running on the 3GB RAM is not good enough? The MB must be locked and the GPU is confused.I even had a bootable MSDOS usb-stick running but I don't think it counts.I don't know what other tests I can do. It seems weird that [2GB,1GB] config won't work in XP.As for the BIOS hacking, it just required changing one register value from 0 to 1. Once you do that, Virtual PC will ungrey the hardware virtualization option.Am pretty sure XP is at fault here. The XP Welcome screen shows up and then blanks on the Login Screen. Same thing goes for Safe Mode. So the GPU got confused just before the Login screen was initiated.

Hey Put your Old RAM back.1- Go to virtual memory and press change.2- On (C:) drive, let system manged size and press set.3. shutdown your pc and replace your RAM with new once.Byway what kind video card do u have? isn't build-in? if so, deductible that from you total RAM. as long you have RAM 4GB you should on range.Life is easy, live and die what else?!.

hey! Unfortunately due to lack of answers, I returned the 2GB stick I bought, so now I'm back to my old setting of [1GB, 1GB].My laptop's GPU is nvidia Geforce Go 7600 128mb.On another website, someone suggested I go for 2*2GB, but the resulting visible ram will be 3GB, what would you advise?

With winxp I wouldnt expect much in the way of better performance even if you managed to go to 3gb

My advise is, If you really wanna add extra RAM use any Flash drive as RAM(USB,SD..etc.)........ simple. Just format Flash drive and then put in drive.1-Go to start menu click on right click My computer go down to Properties.2-On system Properties go to Advance and click on Performance click settings.3-Now at Performance Options go to Advanced and click on Virtual memory click Change.4- Find which driver your flash driver located at and selected and then choose system managed size or custom size(2000mb or 4096mb) Press Set. I normally choose system managed size cause I really don't need to the flash drive space for later saving files. The down side is speed MAYBE. Byway if can remember that date and time that you had problem, check your event log at Administrative Tools it should show your error massages. 4GB (2*2) stick wouldn't work. 1GB+2GB make show there ddr2 533mhz/ddr3 667mhz and total should be 3GB otherwise it won't work for windows xp. Also your GPU isn't 128MB, is 256MB.Good luck tho. Also don't let anyone tell you it can't be done.Life is easy, live and die what else?!.

My advise is, If you really wanna add extra RAM use any Flash drive as RAM(USB,SD..etc.)........ simple. Just format Flash drive and then put in drive.1-Go to start menu click on right click My computer go down to Properties.2-On system Properties go to Advance and click on Performance click settings.3-Now at Performance Options go to Advanced and click on Virtual memory click Change.4- Find which driver your flash driver located at and selected and then choose system managed size or custom size(2000mb or 4096mb) Press Set. I normally choose system managed size cause I really don't need to the flash drive space for later saving files. The down side is speed MAYBE. Byway if can remember that date and time that you had problem, check your event log at Administrative Tools it should show your error massages. 4GB (2*2) stick wouldn't work. 1GB+2GB or ddr2 533mhz/ddr3 667mhz and total 3GB should work for windows xp. your GPU isn't 128MB, is 256MB. your sticks should be around.Good luck tho. Also don't let anyone tell you it can't be done.Life is easy, live and die what else?!.

Hii Know this is an old post but i have a similar except i haven't made any changes hardware wise all i know is that the night before it started locking up it was producing virus faster then anything. any suggestions