Ubuntu won't boot with over 4gb ram

Question

When booting Ubuntu 14.04 server LTS with more than 4gb Ram the computer displays a black screen. I have an Asrock D1800B-ITX motherboard. The processor is an Intel Celeron J1800 (64 bit processor) it boots fine when I only use one stick of ram but when inserting the other Ubuntu just shows a blinking line.

The 2 GB stick's model number is HMT351S6CFR8C-H9 The 4 GB stick's model number is HMT125S6DFR8C-H9.

I have 1 4GB stick and 1 2GB stick neither of which are faulty.

It is in fact 64 bit I ran uname -m and it returned: x86_64

It doesn't work with 15.04 (desktop and server) either.

I have the latest version of the BIOS (I guess nowadays they call it "UEFI") from Asrock

Results of dmidecode -t memory (With 4GB stick)

# dmidecode 2.12
SMBIOS 2.8 present.

Handle 0x000A, DMI type 16, 23 bytes
Physical Memory Array
    Location: System Board Or Motherboard
    Use: System Memory
    Error Correction Type: None
    Maximum Capacity: 64 GB
    Error Information Handle: Not Provided
    Number Of Devices: 2

Handle 0x000C, DMI type 17, 40 bytes
Memory Device
    Array Handle: 0x000A
    Error Information Handle: Not Provided
    Total Width: 64 bits
    Data Width: 64 bits
    Size: 4096 MB
    Form Factor: DIMM
    Set: None
    Locator: A1_DIMM0
    Bank Locator: A1_BANK0
    Type: DDR3
    Type Detail: Unknown
    Speed: 1333 MHz
    Manufacturer: Hynix Semiconduc
    Serial Number: SNIP!  
    Asset Tag: A1_AssetTagNum0
    Part Number: HMT351S6CFR8C-H9  
    Rank: 2
    Configured Clock Speed: 1333 MHz
    Minimum voltage:  6.296 V
    Maximum voltage:  -21.482 V
    Configured voltage:  Unknown

Handle 0x000E, DMI type 17, 40 bytes
Memory Device
    Array Handle: 0x000A
    Error Information Handle: Not Provided
    Total Width: Unknown
    Data Width: 64 bits
    Size: No Module Installed
    Form Factor: DIMM
    Set: None
    Locator: A1_DIMM1
    Bank Locator: A1_BANK1
    Type: Unknown
    Type Detail: Unknown
    Speed: Unknown
    Manufacturer: A1_Manufacturer1
    Serial Number: A1_SerNum1
    Asset Tag: A1_AssetTagNum1
    Part Number: Array1_PartNumber1
    Rank: Unknown
    Configured Clock Speed: Unknown
    Minimum voltage:  -21.061 V
    Maximum voltage:  Unknown
    Configured voltage:  Unknown

The second memory bank is empty as I can't boot with it connected which is the issue

Output of lsusb

Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 05e3:0608 Genesys Logic, Inc. USB-2.0 4-Port HUB
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub

Output of lspci

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation ValleyView SSA-CUnit (rev 0e)
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation ValleyView Gen7 (rev 0e)
00:13.0 SATA controller: Intel Corporation ValleyView 6-Port SATA AHCI Controller (rev 0e)
00:14.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation ValleyView USB xHCI Host Controller (rev 0e)
00:1a.0 Encryption controller: Intel Corporation ValleyView SEC (rev 0e)
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation ValleyView High Definition Audio Controller (rev 0e)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation ValleyView PCI Express Root Port (rev 0e)
00:1c.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation ValleyView PCI Express Root Port (rev 0e)
00:1c.2 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation ValleyView PCI Express Root Port (rev 0e)
00:1c.3 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation ValleyView PCI Express Root Port (rev 0e)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation ValleyView Power Control Unit (rev 0e)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation ValleyView SMBus Controller (rev 0e)
02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL8111/8168/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Controller (rev 11)

I've tried booting dozens of versions of dozens of different Operating Systems and they all do more or less the same thing (Including Windows)

On Windows 7, it just shows "Starting Windows" (Without the logo)

Could be bad ram, take out the first stick and put in the second on its own and see what happens — Mark Kirby, Jun 13 '15 at 09:35
I did it boots fine then. I had installed windows with both sticks in and it worked. Then I reinstalled Ubuntu. Booted. But "free -g" said that in total I had only 3GB ram. I tried memtest86 which freaked out with self adressing for 4096m when both sticks are just under that (Stupid labels) they're ~100mb less (at least on the 4gb stick). After I tried to boot it and got stuck back at square 1 — Grammargeek, Jun 13 '15 at 18:59
WOW loads of comments here, did you try the sticks one at a time ? What does bios say about them ? PAE sucks and will probably make your system unstable — Mark Kirby, Jun 14 '15 at 08:33
Can you try windows diagnostics if it is working there, follow this http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows7/diagnosing-memory-problems-on-your-computer look at the bottom of the page for manual execution, also try this 3rd party tool (on windows) http://www.memtest.org/ get the + version too confirm that there is no bad sectors in your sticks. — Mark Kirby, Jun 14 '15 at 08:56
@markkirby Yes it will work with one at a time. The bios recognizes them perfectly as expected. — Grammargeek, Jun 14 '15 at 15:10
@markkirby Windows no longer boots with both sticks (I think that one of them may not have been pushed in all the way so it booted fine) — Grammargeek, Jun 14 '15 at 15:15
@markkirby When I run memtest x86 (Which is the one thing that boots with both sticks besides entering UEFI) with both sticks it spits out all kinds of errors (Specifically when it tries to address itself with 4096mb) but separately it does not. I think I may need to get two sticks of equal capacity (another 4gb stick). — Grammargeek, Jun 14 '15 at 15:16
I'm going to delete the useless comments and put the transcript on pastebin :) Transcript — Grammargeek, Jun 14 '15 at 15:19
Could be a faulty ram slot, try one stick in both (or however many you have) slots. Unlikely to be ram stick size, I have a 4 gig and a 2 gig in the very computer I am writing this from, it works fine. — Mark Kirby, Jun 14 '15 at 16:40
@markkirby the system does not work if there is no stick in slot 0 (This is the intended behavior according to the manual) — Grammargeek, Jun 14 '15 at 19:13
This is not about Ubuntu, but about your motherboard and memory sticks compatibility and configuration. — Pilot6, Jun 14 '15 at 19:19
@Pilot6 Actually it kind of is. I think that it is a bug that the OS doesn't handle the memory properly — Grammargeek, Jun 14 '15 at 19:20
No. It is the motherboard that does not accept this combination of memory sticks. You can look into motherboard manual. — Pilot6, Jun 14 '15 at 19:21
@Pilot6 The motherboard boots fine the OS does not as I can access the UEFI setup and GRUB as well as memtest86 — Grammargeek, Jun 14 '15 at 19:23
UEFI does not use much RAM. It could be a Ubuntu bug, if any other OS loaded OK. — Pilot6, Jun 14 '15 at 19:28
@Pilot6 It may have something to do with the way it shares memory... I'm sorry however this is compatible according to the manual "Supports DDR3/DDR3L 1333/1066 non-ECC, un-buffered memory" which this ram is. I think I may try installing a PCI-E graphics card to see if that works. — Grammargeek, Jun 14 '15 at 19:37
Does your system boot with only the 2GB stick inserted? If not, then that memory stick is faulty. — , Jun 14 '15 at 16:15
If you update the question with model numbers of your RAM sticks and the motherboard, maybe I can take a look. Also Include your laptop model. — daltonfury42, Jul 05 '15 at 20:05
Sweet! Editing it brought some attention! But it's not a laptop. However, the RAM model number is in the uname output (for one of them). I don't have access to them at the moment — Grammargeek, Jul 05 '15 at 20:11
@daltonfury42 The 2GB stick's model number is HMT125S6DFR8C-H9 — Grammargeek, Jul 06 '15 at 22:17
Are you sure the RAM blocks are marked as compatible with the motherboard? There always is a chance two types of RAM sticks will work separately but not altogether. Try them on another machine. — aastefanov, Jul 06 '15 at 22:28
@alb3rtano0012 1. Twiddles thumbs and whistles 2. They work together on another machine — Grammargeek, Jul 06 '15 at 22:32
@Grammargeek you said that there must be RAM inserted in slot 0. What if the other slot is faulty? — aastefanov, Jul 06 '15 at 22:35
@Grammargeek Are you sure they are working in single-channel mode (I had this problem on one PC where the mode isn't detected properly and has to be changed manually)? — aastefanov, Jul 06 '15 at 22:42
@Grammargeek, your RAM mixing is perfect. Just give me the model of your mother board too. — daltonfury42, Jul 06 '15 at 22:42
@daltonfury42 As stated above it is an Asrock D1800B-ITX motherboard (The "-ITX" can be dropped and often is online) — Grammargeek, Jul 06 '15 at 22:44
Add all the relevant informations and findings from the comments to the question. Also mention if windows boots or not currently. — daltonfury42, Jul 07 '15 at 08:24
Forget that! My wireless must have crapped out! Now it does seem to work! Sorry!!! :/ — Fabby, Jul 07 '15 at 21:37
Try booting to memtest86+ and running it for a while. Also tell us what the "Settings" line says (may confirm the answer of @Fabby) — Walter Tross, Jul 07 '15 at 22:39
Made it worth your while deleting that answer: For the record: I did not downvote! — Fabby, Nov 06 '15 at 22:19

score 1 · Accepted Answer · edited Jun 12 '20 at 14:37

1

Both seem to be Hynix memory chips but on the Hynix web site, I can only find the technical specifications of the HMT351S6CFR8C and not the HMT125S6DFR8C, so I cannot compare tech specs to see whether they even can work together there...

However, I found a product catalog on the Hynix web site and that confirms my suspicion: the HMT351S6CFR8C-H9 has a timing of 1333-9-9-9 and the HMT125S6DFR8C-H9 a timing of 1600-11-11-11, so individually they work, (probably because you've got a motherboard that supports both timings) but they're most likely not compatible with each other on your motherboard!.

Sorry to be the harbinger of bad news.

If I were you, I would get 2*4GB HMT351S6CFR8C-H9 chips. That way your motherboard will have chips with identical timing: it's not so much the size that matters ... but the timing of the chips must be equal!

edited Jun 12 '20 at 14:37

Community

1

answered Jul 07 '15 at 22:01

Fabby

34,259

Thanks, Is there any possibility of lowering the timing of the HMT125S6DFR8C-H9? (If not, I need to go give the guys at the computer store a sterna talking to :)) – Grammargeek Jul 07 '15 at 23:09
Not with current technology... Take the laptop to them and ask them to test 2 identical chips. And don't thank me! ;-) If you like my answer, just click the little grey ☑ under the "0" now turning it into beautiful green. If you do not like my answer, click on the little grey down-arrow below the 0, and if you really like my answer, click on the little grey checkmark and the little up-arrow... If you have any further questions, go to http://askubuntu.com/questions/ask – Fabby Jul 07 '15 at 23:13
Take the PC/Motherboard to the store... – Fabby Jul 08 '15 at 10:08
Alright should be able to do it today (hopefully) – Grammargeek Jul 08 '15 at 11:49
Actually they are both 1333 timing, this didn't work. – Grammargeek Jul 08 '15 at 22:09
Should I just give you the bounty even though I got it myself? – Grammargeek Jul 08 '15 at 22:16
Well, what I said is exactly the same as you: don't use these two kinds of memory together! (=use the same kind of memory IMHO) So up to you whether you give the bounty (and the accept) or not... :P (And if you don't give me both I will stop defending you when you're not even aware of it... ;-) :D – Fabby Jul 09 '15 at 20:28
Favour returned! ;-) (And thanks!) And that's why there are smileys in there.... Oh, and please do continue editing grammar and spelling instead of just formatting or worse: just adding tags (like some users do around here)... – Fabby Jul 10 '15 at 06:27
P.S. And if you wouldn't have given the bounty to me, it would have been lost forever as you can't give bounties back to yourself... (I know, because I've tried as I never got an answer on my question with a bounty ) – Fabby Jul 10 '15 at 06:41
1

We were thinking the same thing... I sometimes assume that what's in my head is also in the OP's... ;-) – Fabby Jul 11 '15 at 12:40
Haha, Yeah. I thought I had asked if this was a possible answer (Needing equal capacities of RAM) and I thought I was answered no. But now that I look I don't see it (Maybe I just thought about asking and deemed it un-neccesary) – Grammargeek Jul 11 '15 at 12:42
:D :D :D drop by the AU General Chat Room – Fabby Jul 11 '15 at 12:45
Instead of discussing all this here... – Fabby Jul 11 '15 at 12:46
Let us continue this discussion in chat. – Fabby Jul 11 '15 at 12:46
Ah, Ok that would probably be wise :) – Grammargeek Jul 11 '15 at 12:49
Hmm... Strange... Is it normal that different capacity sticks have different timings? I find it weird that all the 2GB sticks in the store wouldn't work with my 4GB stick and all the 4GB sticks would... – Grammargeek Nov 06 '15 at 23:52
you're Fabby, right? – Grammargeek Feb 26 '16 at 02:09
Yeah.... I'll be going back to Fabby on 6 March because there are a lot of people hating my new name... – Fabby Feb 26 '16 at 07:28

Ubuntu won't boot with over 4gb ram

1 Answers1

If I were you, I would get 2*4GB HMT351S6CFR8C-H9 chips. That way your motherboard will have chips with identical timing: it's not so much the size that matters ... but the timing of the chips must be equal!