rytimz

I installed 2 x 512MB Kingston PC270 memory sticks and only 480MB is being recognized by both Windows XP and the BIOS. I matched the specs of the 512MB sticks to the 256MB stick that came with the computer. (DDR 333)

To diagnose the problem, so far I have:

-tried installing only one stick at a time and booting with only one stick installed. I alternated between the two and both worked but still only registered 480MB
-Installed one stick successfully, booted up the computer and then powered down and installed the second stick in the second slot.
-Tried switching sticks with either slot so that both were installed in reverse order.
-Made sure MAXMEM was unchecked in the system configuration utility
-Verified the motherboard RAM capacity - it holds up to 2GB
-I ran MEMTEST - the memory test utility and it recognizes only 480MB and tests only 480MB of RAM - successfully.
-I checked the DRAM Timing setting in the BIOS and set it to By SPD.

I purchased DDR 333 speed memory but the specs (below) say that it runs only at 226 speeds. I don't understand much about this. Could it be the cause of this issue?

Is it possible that the second slot is damaged?

System specs:
OS: Windows XP SP2

Motherboard: Albatron PM266A Pro
Intel Pentium® 4 Processor (Celeron/Willamette/Northwood)
Socket 478 with FSB 400/533MHz
2 DDR266/200 Memory Sockets
6 channel AC 97 Audio
VIA 10/100 Ethernet LAN
2 ATA133 Channels, up to 4 ATA 133 IDE Devices
6 USB 2.0/1.1 Ports (4 ports by optional cable)
Integrated ProSavage8 2D/3D Graphics ( Share memory maximum 32 MB )
Support Hyper-Threading Technology

NOTES on DDR Speeds:
2 * DDR Sockets
DDR266/DDR200 NON-ECC DDR SDRAM up to 2GB
Note1: (If you do install DDR 333/400 memory, it will perform at DDR 266 speeds)

Full motherboard specs link:
http://www.motherboard.cz/mb/albatron/PM266A_PRO.htm

belfasteddie

I don't know if this helps:http://www.memoryx.net/alpmpromome.html