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Subject:
From:
"Ethan T. Matthews" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
PCBUILD - Personal Computer Hardware discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 18 Dec 2001 12:29:47 -0600
Content-Type:
text/plain
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On around Mon, 17 Dec 2001 21:12:15 -0500, "Ian C." <[log in to unmask]> posted
this message in news:internal.mailing-list.computers.pc-build . . .

> Earlier today I attempted to upgrade a beige box (AMD800 w/128MB RAM, W98SE)
> with a 256MB DIMM (Viking PC133).  Successful memory check upon boot; but I
> get either a windows protection error when starting windows, or BSODs (vcache
> & vxd errors) if windows actually boots.  This occurs  whether the new DIMM
> is installed by itself or with the original 128MB (also PC133).  In the BIOS
> settings (Award) the options for the DIMM sockets are "Normal", "Fast",
> "Turbo" & "SDRAM 8/10ns".  Tried 'em all to no avail.  I thought bad memory,
> but that very same DIMM is causing no errors on my own AMD950; been playing
> Max Payne for the past 2 hours with it installed.  Any ideas?

Do you have an Abit motherboard?  Check to see if you have a different CAS
rating for one of your DIMM's.  If one of your DIMM's is CAS-2 and the other
is CAS-3, go into the BIOS and set the "SDRAM Cycle Length" to 3.  It won't
hurt to run a CAS-2 SDRAM DIMM at 3, but trying to run a CAS-3 DIMM at 2 can
cause instability problems.

If that doesn't work, go into the BIOS to load the fail safe defaults and then
try booting into safe mode.  If that works, reboot into regular mode.  If that
works, start setting your BIOS back the way you like it until you get the
error again, then you'll know what the problem is.

There are some things I can't enable in my BIOS.  It will boot fine much of
the time, but sometimes I do get blue screens as Windows starts, then Windows
never completely loads and I have to reboot.  But the more features you have
enabled in the BIOS, like enhanced chip performance, RAM bank interleave,
faster memory timings, etc.... the less stability you have.  As far as
performance, I have yet to see any real benefit performance wise from enabling
those features, yet since I'm pretty stable I have stuff like enhanced chip
performance enabled while memory timings are at 8/10NS.

I have one 512 meg stick of SDRAM.

Ethan

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