moving memory stick makes program changes

I was reading an article in the lastest issue of Computer Shopper
about swapping MBs. Though I usually have no problems installing new
MBs, I was reading it to see how it compared to what I did. I did find
out something I didn't know: the meaning of different colored RAM
slots. My Biostar MB has 4, two green and two white. The article
stated that if there were two RAM sticks to put them into like colored
slots to take advantage of the dual-channel architecture.

I'd put them in the two closest to the CPU - that I'd been taught to
do - one in a white slot, the other in green. I'd read the MB's manual
about installing multiple RAM sticks about eight times, but couldn't
make heads or tails of the Chinese to English translation. I shut down
my system and moved one RAM stick, so they both occupied like-colored
(green) slots.

Thinking the computer would recognize the move without any changes, I
fired it up and was surprised to notice right off that Firefox had
lost some of the extensions and the custom theme I'd installed.
Reinstalling the missing theme and extension was a breeze, but I found
it curious that moving a RAM stick would cause that. I assume it had
something to do with Firefox, or the OS, thinking there should be a
RAM stick where now it was empty?

So far, I haven't noticed any other program changes.
--
Biostar GeForce 6100-M9 939
AMD 4200+ 2.2G X2
EVGA nVidia 7600GT 256MB PCI-e
2 gigs Kingston RAM
D-Link AirPlus G DWL-G510 wireless PCI adapter
450W PSU

"sillyputty" <karmictaragem@2die4.com> wrote in message
news:1186918884.992023.247460@x40g2000prg.googlegr oups.com...
>I was reading an article in the lastest issue of Computer Shopper
> about swapping MBs. Though I usually have no problems installing new
> MBs, I was reading it to see how it compared to what I did. I did find
> out something I didn't know: the meaning of different colored RAM
> slots. My Biostar MB has 4, two green and two white. The article
> stated that if there were two RAM sticks to put them into like colored
> slots to take advantage of the dual-channel architecture.
>
> I'd put them in the two closest to the CPU - that I'd been taught to
> do - one in a white slot, the other in green. I'd read the MB's manual
> about installing multiple RAM sticks about eight times, but couldn't
> make heads or tails of the Chinese to English translation. I shut down
> my system and moved one RAM stick, so they both occupied like-colored
> (green) slots.
>
> Thinking the computer would recognize the move without any changes, I
> fired it up and was surprised to notice right off that Firefox had
> lost some of the extensions and the custom theme I'd installed.
> Reinstalling the missing theme and extension was a breeze, but I found
> it curious that moving a RAM stick would cause that. I assume it had
> something to do with Firefox, or the OS, thinking there should be a
> RAM stick where now it was empty?
>
> So far, I haven't noticed any other program changes.
> --
> Biostar GeForce 6100-M9 939
> AMD 4200+ 2.2G X2
> EVGA nVidia 7600GT 256MB PCI-e
> 2 gigs Kingston RAM
> D-Link AirPlus G DWL-G510 wireless PCI adapter
> 450W PSU
>
Complete coincidence! More to the point, did you notice on the POST
screen if you were running in dual channel mode? The manuals are very hard
to understand. Best to try one arrangement, if no message, try the other. If
each channel a different colour, should be one module in each colour.

Mike.