CMOS Memory Type Mismatch

CMOS Memory Type Mismatch

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Explanation: Some motherboard BIOS’s store the total amount of memory as a BIOS setting and then compare that value against what is detected as physical hardware when the PC is started. If the BIOS detects a difference in these amounts of memory, a message is produced advising you that the values are different than what it was expecting. Most of today’s PCs ignore this process and use what they detect when the machine is powered up.

Diagnosis: Depending on the circumstances, this may not really be an error message at all. Many systems will produce this message the first time that they are booted after a memory addition or subtraction, and then the problem goes away thereafter. If this problem is occurring repeatedly, or after no change in memory, then there may be a problem.

Recommendation: Enter the BIOS setup program and verify that it shows the correct amount of memory. If your BIOS requires you to enter the memory total, make sure you specify the correct amount of memory in the system. Then reboot the PC; the message should not return. If it does, then you should treat this as a corrupted CMOS problem.

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