Yes, I had a similar situation on a computer that runs Windows. In fact, any reboot would cause the boot to fail with the RAM inserted.
The process became that the computer had to be completely shut down and the new RAM removed - then booted, then shut down and immediately insert the RAM and boot - then it would work. It was a major pain. And MS loves to take it upon itself to run updates, then auto-reboot the computer, which caused that computer to not be able to boot back up without the whole RAM Fiasco.
Windows doesn't work for me, I don't see any reason for it. ZorinOS runs fine on older computers...
Although: I'm thinking about buying a used M1 Macmini with 16GB if the prices fall a little. They should be really fast for hard disk recording.
And then the (few) software that I need and previously didn't like under WINE also runs. At the moment it's actually just the software for my BOSS Katana MK II - although maybe that will work with the new WINE 8.1 that I now have on it. Try it out now...
Did you match the RAM speed of the new stick(s) with the old one(s)? I see 1600MHz in there; just wondering. That could be a factor - a speed that your motherboard doesn't support, either too fast / slow..
Can you see the new ones in BIOS?
There shouldn't be any 'say' with how much RAM you can use by the OS; that's normally with your hardware limits, like your motherboard spec. Do like the idea of re-seating the new RAM sticks. Could also use a (clean) pencil eraser to clean off the contacts on the sticks. And maybe even a few shots of canned air / compressed air in the previously unused RAM slots themselves; could have gotten some dust build up in there while not being used.
At the moment two of the 4 new RAM modules are in there. I'm almost sure that these will fit the computer.
Lenovo Thinkpad W541 Intel® Core™ i5-4340M CPU @ 2.90GHz × 4
What size are the modules for each stick? I see on the spec sheet, 16GB RAM limit on dual-core CPU's, 32GB RAM limit on quad-core CPU's, and a cap for single sticks across the board - can't use single 16GB RAM modules with any of the dual-core or quad-core CPU's.
Also, from your CPU spec, the i5-4340M is a dual-core, so 16GB is the cap for RAM size. You may only have two 8GB sticks totaling 16GB; which is the max for the CPU / mobo combo.
So, it's not the memory chips and slots. I tried both combinations:
No matter which of the two opposite places I fill, it works with 2x 8MB.
If I then add 2x8 MB to it, the computer no longer starts up.
That's strange, because after inserting the memory for the first time, it booted up, even if it only recognized 16 MB. has. I have to look into this again...
Kapazität : 8192 MB
Typ : DDR3
Speed : 1600 MT/s
Manufacturer : Hynix/Hyundai
Form Factor : SODIMM
Locator : ChannelA-DIMM0
Bank Locator : BANK 0
Kapazität : No Module Installed
Typ : Unknown
Speed : Unknown
Manufacturer : Not Specified
Form Factor : DIMM
Locator : ChannelA-DIMM1
Bank Locator : BANK 1
Kapazität : No Module Installed
Typ : Unknown
Speed : Unknown
Manufacturer : Not Specified
Form Factor : DIMM
Locator : ChannelB-DIMM0
Bank Locator : BANK 2
Kapazität : 8192 MB
Typ : DDR3
Speed : 1600 MT/s
Manufacturer : 1315
Form Factor : SODIMM
Locator : ChannelB-DIMM1
Bank Locator : BANK 3
Well, that's quite misleading from the specs on Lenovo's site odd..
I do see there are two SODIMM slots, then two DIMM slots.. are the new sticks SODIMM or DIMM? That's also a little odd.. From the output it looks as if there are two different form factors for RAM...
Try using just one or the other new sticks to test - if one yields a boot and one doesn't, the stick may be bad; which is possible but, hopefully not. But, that's one way to test. I have one stick like that myself - just can't use it. But, they were handed down so, I'm sure they served their purpose.
