Member Avatar for vminjares2

I got a Toshiba satellite a105-s100 laptop. It has 2 memory cards in it right now. Both 256. I bought 2 2gig cards and put them in. When I start the laptop the power button lights up I hear the hard drive start then three little lights around the keyboard light up. It does this three times and then does nothing. I've taken them out and put them back in several times. I know I put them in right. Anyways I took them back and got two 1gig's thinking it was too much memory. Put them in and same thing. My computer says it's pc2-4200, ddr2, sodimm. every thing seems to mach. When I put the old cards back in it works fine. any suggestion would be greatly appreciated

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by manzo_banzo

Dani AI

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This thread already hits the two usual suspects: a firmware/motherboard limit (as suggested) and simple incompatibility between the new SODIMMs and the laptop (raised by , and ). The quickest way to stop guessing is a short, systematic set of tests that will tell whether the problem is the sticks, the slots, or a compatibility/BIOS issue.

  • Power down, remove AC and the main battery if possible, press and hold the power button 20–30 seconds to discharge. This clears residual charge and helps with slot detection on some laptops.

  • Test one new module at a time. Try it in each slot. Then try one new + one original. Boot outcomes narrow the fault: if a new stick never boots in either slot it’s likely incompatible or bad; if a slot fails with any stick, the slot may be bad.

  • If any new stick lets the machine POST, run a memtest (for example Memtest86) from USB to verify stability before changing the second module.

  • If no new stick works in another machine either, return/exchange them. If they work elsewhere but not in this laptop, the modules are likely the wrong type (density/rank/SPD/voltage) for that laptop’s memory controller.

Check compatibility details rather than only capacity: many older laptops reject "high‑density" SODIMMs or modules with different chip organization even if speed and form factor match. Look for modules sold as low‑density or explicitly listed as compatible with the laptop family. Before buying more modules, update the laptop BIOS with the original memory installed — vendors sometimes add support for larger modules in firmware.

Final notes: avoid mixing mismatched densities or ranks, observe ESD precautions when handling RAM, and keep the original working modules safe until the upgrade is confirmed. If model documentation is contradictory (as seen in prior replies), the slot-by-slot tests above plus a BIOS update are the most reliable ways to determine the true limit.

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Member Avatar for jermaghs07

some laptops are maxed out on memory when they come from the factory. i had a sony Vaio that had the same problem. it came with 2, 256 sticks of Ram and i replaced it with 2 X 512 and it wouldn't even turn on. i called sony and they said that the max memory was 512. so your motherboard probably won't support more that it was shipped with. they do that to cut back on cost and so you have to buy a new one in 2 years

Member Avatar for caperjack

couldn't find a a105-s101 but they have a a105-s100 listed ,and it only take 2x 1gig not 2 x 2 gig .

Member Avatar for starfireone

I believe that the Toshiba satellite a105-s100 will only take a max memory of 1 GB DDR2 667. You will need two 512meg cards.

Member Avatar for manzo_banzo

Well the manual says that it can take up to 2048mb, however you can only use 2 chips of 512mb, which however you count doesn't add up to 2048mb..Anyway, most likely the max is only 1 gig, so you'll probably have to get 2x512mb :)

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