[linux-help] Re: hardware help Off Topic

[ironrose <ironrose@xxxxxxx>]

Very good detective work Bruce and sounds like a viable, but maybe not 
the most desired solution.  Since it is a socket 7 mobo, Win98 would run 
much better anyways.  I like WinXP, but it is a much larger OS than 
Win98.  Someday I'm still hoping to ditch M$ completely, but that day 
hasn't come yet.

So many people think that memory upgrades are the simpliest upgrades, 
but not always.  Every upgrade, no matter how simple can have secret 
trap doors, and unfortunately you got stuck in one.  Contratulations, 
you survived the "trial by fire" of upgrades.  ~Anne

bruce wrote:

>On Sunday 06 April 2003 12:42 am, you wrote:
>  
>
>>What exactly are the dimms? you said 2 were 128mb and one
>>unidentified. Try removing all but one, and make sure that one is in
>>the first slot and try powering up to see if it is the dimm, or the
>>slot.  then try 2 matched in slots 1 and 2.  Then swap dimms and try
>>the various combinations of dimms and slots to see if any other one
>>or combination will work.
>>    
>>
>
>Two of the dimms are marked pc133 sdram 16x64 128mb.  I have the mobo 
>book and it says start with dimm slot 3.  These two are in slots 3 and 
>2.  In slot 1 is a dimm marked 4x64 pc100-322-620.  I assume the first 
>two dimms are 128MB and the other is 32mb.  Bios reports 64MB with 4mb 
>shared with the video (leaves 61440K).
>
>If I swap the two boards in slots 2 and 3, the computer just beeps and 
>won't boot, so I assume the dimm I swapped into slot 3 is bad.  If I 
>remove the suspected bad dimm and the 32 Meg, the bios reports 61440 + 
>4096 shared.  When I added the 32MB dimm back in the bios reports 91+MB.
>
>The owner of the machine didn't like XP pro and preferred Win98.  Since 
>it was reporting "ntldr not found," and I couldn't get by that, I used 
>DOS (ugh) to save her documents and formatted the disk and loaded 
>Win98.  Win98 runs quite well with 91mb.
>  
>
>>Sometimes you must use the slots in the order they are numbered.  If
>>it is an older pentium it may need a matched pair of dimms in order
>>to even work. (for example I had one that required 2 32mb dimms (or
>>simms??) paired in slots 1 and 2 in order to see 64mb of memory. 
>>Using one 16mb and one 32mb did NOT work)
>>
>>    
>>
>It is my understanding that simms (72 pin) must always be matched 
>pairs, but that dimms (168 pins) need not be.  In my limited 
>experience, dimms have worked singly.
>  
>
>>What is the actual MOBO and CPU?  it appears to be ATX, but that can
>>be pentium, pII, PIII, or something else.
>>If you know the make and model of the MOBO you often can go to the
>>manufacturers web site and get specs, settings, and even manuals for
>>the board.
>>    
>>
>
>I was fortunate that the owner had the MOBO manual.  It is a microATX 
>with K6-2 - 450MHZ.  However, finding the mobo maker is not easy.  For 
>some reason, very few mobo makers put their names on their books or 
>motherboards.  Award bios reports 10/13/99-530-2a5IMC3AC-00 on boot - 
>this may be a clue.
>  
>
>>What about bios settings?  have you tried the defaults in case some
>>weird setting is causing the problem?
>>
>>    
>>
>Since the box was built from "used parts by a friend" of the owner, I 
>hesitate to try defaults with the bios.  He may have done something 
>special.  One other thing I just noticed: the MOBO book says a 200 watt 
>power supply is required and the one in the box is only 180 watts.
>
>Again, thanks to everyone.  Hope I never see another Microsoft machine.
>bruce
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>
>  
>


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