Proper RAM Configuration

[lisagauss]

so what would u recomend i do?????? other than getting a better mobo...(thats what i get for being cheap!!!)

[Visentinel]

Well i dont know, i am simply adding ideas into the mixing pot lol. but if u give me some time i "might" find a cure :D

But if u really want 512 meg of ram, i think the best thing u can do is use 2 separate 256 meg sticks and see if that cures the problem.

[lisagauss]

Visentinel

so should i reinstall without sp1 ?????

[lisagauss]

thanx alot Visentinel , any input is greatly appreciated!!!!

thatas what i was thinking of doing, but what if i wanted more ram later, could only get to 512MB,????

[Visentinel]

Yes give that a try !!

Another speculation i have is maybe your mobo supports 1 gig of ram via 2x sticks of 256 meg ram in DDR, and 2x 256 meg ram in SDram.

Maybe your mobo see's 512 and just allocates it but it screws up since it might be able to tell the difference.

[lisagauss]

i don't think so cause i went to the crucial website and put in my info for MB and they said that a single stick of 512 mB was supprted....

[sunnyy4]

Put all your settings into fail-safe mode and see what happens. If this does not solve the problem, then you may have a bad windows installation.

If this works, then slowly tweak your way up, and if you get a BSOD again, then go back to your previous setting.

[Visentinel]

I have an old mobo in my draw that only supports 256 meg sticks, yet the manual and site says 512 :s so i dono.

Sometimes strange models come out and get given generic manuals.

[lisagauss]

sunnyy4 tried that already, have installled xp like 4 times already....the bad thing is that pc chips wesite has no contact info,..uighhhh!!!!!!!

[jalliz]

You can update your Bios. It can be that you need a newer bios versjon to use 512 mb stick. And generaly a bios update never hurts

[Visentinel]

Lisa do u know how to do a bios update ?

[lisagauss]

trying to update BIOS but was having problems doing it...dies anyone know a good site to update bios??? i have an AMIBIOS 2000 version1.21.10...is that the latest????

[Visentinel]

Wouldent that depend on what motherboard u have, since each mobo has its own bios revision.

[thexxend]

lisagauss-

you keep answering your own question. The problem started when you put new ram in, right? And you've tried other ram? and the same thing has happened?

Answer-

Its your ram.

You keep saying that you've tried different sdram..?

Is that pc66, pc100, pc133, pc166 or numerous others?

Once again... the problem is your ram.

Thexxend

[Visentinel]

  Quote

Originally posted by thexxend

lisagauss-

you keep answering your own question. The problem started when you put new ram in, right? And you've tried other ram? and the same thing has happened?

Answer-

Its your ram.

You keep saying that you've tried different sdram..?

Is that pc66, pc100, pc133, pc166 or numerous others?

Once again... the problem is your ram.

Thexxend

Yes Thexx it is the ram, but it helps to know exactly why the ram wont work o nthe mobo, its possible the mobo has some kind of limitation, or some kind of problm with the ram configuration lisa has chosen to use.

[lisagauss]

thexxend

yeah but 3 different pc133 512 MB sdram were placed on the mobo...i don't disagree with u, i really think its the ram, but i think that its the mobo that needs some setting that needs to be changed or i need to flash my bios, but when i try to, it says the following-"This program can not be executed i real mode!" what does this mean????

then i try another flashing program and it reads-"Chipset/Flash part isn't available. the function will be invalid"...what does that mean????

[Visentinel]

Are you booting of a windows 98 disk or running the flash program from a windows XP Console ?

[thexxend]

Stupid question...

whats the specs of the original ram that was in the system?

Thexxend

[Visentinel]

  Quote

Originally posted by thexxend

Stupid question...

whats the specs of the original ram that was in the system?

Thexxend

Excuse me ?

[lisagauss]

never flashed BIOS so i am a first on that:

(1) it is a DOS program and im trying to open it from windows xp.

(2) the SDRAM that worked b4 putting in the 3 512 was a 256 PC133 SDRAM from crucial.

should i boot up from a floopie and try to flash the bios from there????

[thexxend]

Just curious as to the specs on the original ram that was being replaced...

I think I missed it if it was posted..

Thexxend

[lisagauss]

weirdest thing just happened, used this program from AMIBIOS to identify MOBO, this is what i got.....

"AMIBIOS Motherboard Manufacturer Identification

Version 1.2 (02/07/2001) Copyright 2000 American Megatrends, Inc.

This file has recorded information useful in identifying the manufacturer

of this motherboard. The information is listed below:

Please contact Compaq for motherboard support ... http://www.compaq.com

Please do not contact AMI for support concerning this product."

[Visentinel]

ok see that thexx, Helps to ask!!!! it can save SO much time figuring out a problem when a simple "stupid" question is asked.

Lisa you cant run a bios flash from windows XP, try to get your hands on a boot disk made from windows 95/98/me

[lisagauss]

it says that it was identified as a compaq BIOS???? the only thing on my pc that belongs to compaq is the dvd player that i put on it from my old compaq.!!!

[jalliz]

you have to youse a win98 start up disk. so you start up in dos and run the bios update prog from there. If you format a floppy in xp and mark the Create an MS-DOS startup disk. After you have rebooted and started up in Dos. Then you run the bios update prog.