Gateway BIOS problem

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gkearns

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Hi All.
I am hoping someone with more experience than I can help me out. I am dealing with a Gateway MX3210 Notebook. I ordered the correct type of RAM (1 GB) and installed it with no problem. Here is the trouble, the system only recognizes 512MB . The BIOS is the most basic I have ever seen and is missing most of the usual settings. The BIOS does not see any more than the OS (Win XP Home SP3) but CPUZ sees all of the RAM. I have tried setting MAXMEM to 1024 with no change. It originally had no set value. I tried contacting Gateway with no usable results, just a link to paid tech. I tried looking for a BIOS update (current one is Phoenix Version 73.03 Date: 01/06/2006). Phoenix's website was no help, just offers a software application for $34 Canadian to check on updates. Likewise, the Gateway website has pages of BIOS updates but none for this machine. Any advice would be appreciated.:confused:
 
The website will be great for anything other than a Phoenix BIOS. The utility they suggest is the same one from the Phoenix website. You have to pay to use it. I may have to resort to that but it bothers me that I have to pay to get a "free" update.
 
I'd first check to make sure you KNOW its the BIOS that isn't reading it properly before you buy anything. Im pretty sure that even though its last updated in 2006 that it would still recognize it. Theres a setting in boot.ini to allow for more RAM but I think thats for XP /3gigs
 
I am assuming the machine has two memory slots and you bought a 1 gig chip, is that right ?. I notice that some sites say this machine has a max of 1 gig of ram. With two slots I think that might be a max of 512 per slot. Otherwise why would it take a 1 gig stick in only one slot and not allow another gig in the other?.

A program might interrogate the sodimm and find its reporting back as a 1 gig stick but the system might only talk to the first 512mg because thats the limit it will handle.
 
Do you have the DDR or DDR2 version of the MX3210? Do you have a link to the memory you ordered?
 
I agree with NYJimbo here... older notebooks have some funny limits and specific configurations on RAM. Get the manual for the laptop and check it out. That would explain the issue. I ran into this with an older Sony VAIO.

-Rance
 
It's not uncommon at all in laptops for there to be limits on the max amount per slot.
 
Dumb question: I guess there are no bios updates available that would enable all the settings? If I encounter this in the future, would it be possible to inject a more adaptable bios?
 
This will not help but its just an opinion on gateway.

They are (or used to be) a San Diego based company. Everyone in SD was all about gateway. I see their PCs everywhere, Their showrooms rooms were on Par with the Apple store and the men and women that worked their looked like Abercrombie and Fitch models. Just a bunch of clueless muscle heads and blonde bimbos. They developed a reputation for being awful at actually selling PCs it became a joke. Nobody goes looking for Brad Pitt to sell them a PC im looking for Erkel. They even had sawdust on the ground like if it was some soft of Steak house. WTF I would even see their Moo Cow boxes everywhere. (Moving boxes, Trash, etc)

Gateway!
Gateway!
Gateway!

Just one prob thier PCs are junk and when a friend or family member gives me a call 3 out of 5 times its an old gateway.

Gateway to hell.......
 
more info

Thanks for all the replies. I have been unable to locate a 2nd RAM slot. The only obvious one is located in a well under the notebook. Yes it is a DDR2 machine. Trying to find anything other than the original basic manual is very frustrating. I am starting to think it might be a wise idea to recommend a new machine. The BIOS upgrade was the first idea to try, but it seems to be the most frustrating, as well. All tech info that I found on this type of problem suggested a BIOS upgrade as the first step. Unfortunately, they were not all dealing with Gateway!
 
gkearns said:
Thanks for all the replies. I have been unable to locate a 2nd RAM slot. The only obvious one is located in a well under the notebook.
Click to expand...

Not to be a smart ass, but you do know that on many laptops the ram slots are stacked on top of each other, right?. Sometimes they are offset so you can easily see each chip but some are right on top of each other. I just thought I would double check with you.
 
Pardon my laptop ignorance. ( I dont mess with notebooks )
They can only have one slot sometimes.... So you always wind up tossing the other stick if that is the case?

Does CPU-Z show a second slot connector by chance? What does it list in the drop down menu.
 
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