I need help with pc problems.

I have no idea what machine you have but ram is usually inserted into a computer in matched pairs of equal value. So to get 8 gigs you must have 2 sticks of 4 gigs each. 16 gigs would be 2 sticks of 8 etc. I'm surprised your machine is even working. I would revert back to what you had and see if it resolves the problem.

Added, a single stick of 4 as it was by default (on it's own) would not be a problem. But, if you wanted 8, you would buy another 4 gig (same specs and speed) To get 16 you would have to go out and buy 2 8 gig modules.

I have a 4 gb and an 8 gb. So you think I should have 2 that are the same GB?
I did ask the computer guy in the shop and he said it shouldn't make a difference.

I just did another Google about uneven memory and found this:

With equal amounts of memory in both slots, memory can be interleaved so that successive chunks of memory alternate slots. That way, memory access gets distributed to both slots almost perfectly evenly, allowing their bandwidth to combine.
With uneven amounts, memory cannot be interleaved and has to be mapped first to one stick and then the other. A program that is accessing a large contiguous chunk of memory will find almost all of its access going to one stick and there will be no bandwidth combination.



Can anybody confirm if this is true?

If so, I could just take out the 4GB and work with the 8GB and I still get double what I originally had. Thoughts?

I have an 8GB and a 4 GB right now. I had a 4 GB to begin with.
I would rather NOT spend more on Ram unless it is worthwhile.

I think I will take the 4GB out and see how it goes with the 8 GB before I do anything else.

I do appreciate the tips.

I started with 4GB. and then bought an 8 gb.
I have now removed the 4 GB and my email problem remains.
I don't know about the antivirus scan.

Ian, how do I know FOR SURE what RAM is right?
What info do I need?
I am rather lost now, seeing these problems appeared. The email thing in Thunderbird only started yesterday so that is weird.

Ian, I have gone to your crucial.com site. According to the scan I did, it says I can use an 8GB and a 4 GB...so maybe one isn't a match in a different way?

I use Malwarebytes and Super antispyware but they are not antivirus programs.
Is there a better free one than avira?

I am thinking of removing the 8GB and putting the 4 GB back...for now.

First of all, Antivirus programs DO have several modes, and the most thourough mode on a large system can take a LONG time.

Mozilla won't explain this kind of change.

You can NEVER do simple math on a computer to determine what memory can be used, ESPECIALLY with less than 2 banks. Ideally, you should have ALL banks filled with the LARGEST size memory allowed that can be distributed evenly. It ALSO should be rated at the same speed. WHY?

1. The motherboards are made a certain way so that using larger sizes MIGHT work, but that doesn't mean all the memory will be used. Make a mistake, and you waste money, and memory. So 8+8 likely equals 16. 4+12 could equal 12, or even 8!
2. The boards may be setup to interleave in certain ways. If you do it RIGHT, the memory could run up to 2,4, or even EIGHT times as fast! Do it WRONG, and it could run SLOWER!
3. Memory has different levels of quality(speed). If a particular bank has slower memory, it will likely slow down ALL banks interleaved with that memory.

Another thing, the interleave may be settable, so you might be able to change these changes a bit.

Manufacturers generally tell you how to populate the board. And some companies, like crucial, DO illustrate it if you give them enough detail. In short, adding the wrong memory COULD explain the slowdown.

Steve

Thanks for your input Steve. I have now only got a 4 GB RAM in the PC. Email seems ok right now. I am going to see if the antivirus runs faster with the restored settings and ram. Then I will know one issue.
Maybe I need to get another 8 GB stick so I have 2 x 8 GB.
But is there a way to know for sure?

#1 Use an offline virus scanner like

15 Free Bootable Antivirus Tools (March 2016)

It's much more effective to get a virus off a computer when the operating system is not booted, the virus can call system functions to hide itself and not even antivirus software can always detect it.

#2 Hard to say

#3 You are never suppose to mix up memory. I have no idea what motherboard you have but most motherboards are dual channel, meaning the motherboard can read and write from each channel independently and simultaneously, but this will not work if you mix the memory up. If you mix memory on the DC motherboard you can still use the memory but you have to change settings in BIOS and this will slow the memory performance by 50%. Depending on which slots you put the memory in, this could cause some extremely bizaare behavior and could lead to a fatal crash every time your OS tries to access certain memory ranges. The only way you should ever add more memory is by adding more of the exact type of memory you already have or replacing the matching pairs with new matching pairs.

Do you know what motherboard you have by chance? If you can give me the motherboard model, I can most likely get a copy of the manual offline and tell you the optimal memory configuration.

Edit: I responded without reading the responses, it seems like some others explained the memory issue to you. And yes, the wrong configuration can range from not working at all to being 8x (or more) slower if the speeds are not identical.

If this is too difficult, I would personally just use the single 12gb ram stick.

Yes, you can be 100% certain the memory will work if it says it works in the manual's QVL. I made the mistake once of buying memory that was not on the QVL and the machine froze 2-3 times a day and I had to screw with the ram timings endlessly. I never got the machine stable and I decided to ebay the memory.

I don't have a 12 gb. I have an 8 and a 4.

@Joe, I am now back on the original 4 GB RM stick.
My emails seem back to normal again.
I don't know about the Avira yet.

So now I need to find out if I can use the 8 GB stick either on its own or with another 8 GB. On its own, it wasn't very good.


@irawr...What is QVL?

@Joe, I have tried all that already.

I have a program called Belarc Advisor which tells me lots about my computer.
Maybe I have to get a second 8 GB but am not sure and don't want to buy it if unnecessary.

It is 39 C here and I am melting (and so is my brain) so it's rest time but I will be back later to see if anybody has ideas that haven't been suggested already. I appreciate ALL your help so far, people.

For me it could be a hardware or software issue. Try doing the basic troubleshooting steps. Since you added an additional memory or RAM. I would guess you want to speed up your PC, that means it could probably the current specs you have can no longer take the load. This means it could be either your HDD or memory is reaching max. remember consuming 80% of your hard disk space can also slow your PC down.

So with that, try go doing these. Are you on Windows btw?
1. Hit "Start"
2. Accessories
3. System tools
4. Defrag
5. System cleanup

Defragmenting your hard drive is a great way to consolidate files and speeding up your PC. It basically organizes files and putting them nicely in a neat way.

System cleanup is basically deleting the ff:
Cookies
Saved files
Temp installation files
Recycle bin. (yes you have to empty it to add space)

but never interfere with your rgistry. especially system32. haha

hope i helped.

You did give me ideas BUT I have already done them all. Yes I am on Windows 7 64 bit.

My drive is about 20% full so no issue there with space.