2x DDR chips with MSI k7d master

I have an MSI k7d master MB, I tried to upgrade to 1gig but the bios wouldn't reconize both chips, would reconize each seperatly, but not both together, i'm not sure if they are registered or not as I bought them about a year ago, they are both kingston 512mb PC2100, would them no being registered cause the MB to not be able to reconize both? if so would I have to replace both with registered or could I just get 1 512 registered to add in with one of the ones I have?

I know it's not entirely an SMP quest but in the motherboard forum people weren't entirely sure but said that SMP usualy requires registered and I know quite a few people here have that MB.

This problem could be caused by a few different things.

If one stick is Registered and the other stick is Unbuffered, then they won't be able to run together, at all. Usually, registered memory will have REG somewhere in the part # or on the sticker.

Are you sure that one of the memory slots isn't the culprit? Make sure that just one stick will successfully run, by itself, in every slot.

Memory settings can cause problems like this, too, expecially if you have the BIOS set to Auto settings, but you are using two different kinds of RAM. Go into the BIOS and set manual memory timings. Use these settings: 16,16,6,2,2,2,3. They are the best settings for the K7D and will work with 99% of memory at 133 FSB.

If one stick is somehow damaged, you could have problems like this, too. Are both sticks able to boot right and run Windows without error? Run Prime95, set to 50% of your memory, on each stick, for about 30 minutes, to see if each stick (and the memory settings) are stable.

both sticks work, one has been in the computer for a year working fine, the other was in my other computer for a year working fine, the are both the identical type of ram, bought them at the same time, the computer with boot with each one seperatly and it will work fine with just one in slot 1 and just fine with just one in slot 2 so it's not the slots.

I belive that's the memory timings i'm using, had also tried changing it to auto but it didn't reconize the 2nd 512 still, judjing by the price I payed for them, $89 a year ago i'm guessing they aren't registered as i'm sure prices droped and that's what registed 512 is now, can't check the chips as I install heat spreaders on both of them.

Try slots 3 and 4, or try setting your memory timings to 16,16,7,3,3,2.5,3 (these are pretty relaxed settings.)

slots 3 & 4 I can't use, if I put either in those it won't boot and it starts beeping, in the manual it says resgistered for slots 1-4 and unbuffered slots 1 & 2.

don't really want to relaxed memory settings, would rather get one 1gig stick instead if I have to do that to get both to work, will try though just to see if that is the reason why.

Just do whatever cmcquistion says to do. Dont argue with the smp master....