Greetings from Denver (need help)

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Wendy

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Nov 10, 1999
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Well I'm in Denver for the next few days (working on my Dad's computer). How bout this one:
He has a Cyrix 266 with 32MB ram. When I went to install 32mb more of ram it only saw 8mb if the new RAM. If I put only the new RAM in the computer only sees 8MB.
What up with that?

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You walk the thin line between glory and despair, soon you shall cross over it.
 

UpYours

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If you are using Dimms there shouldnt be a problem...might wanna check the Dimm you bought. If you are using Simms then sometimes the modules have to be staggered in the banks....
You need to check the manual on the sys bd to be sure where they are supposed to be inserted.
Also, take out the dimm/simm thats in there..put the new one in its place...boot up an see what the memory counts to.
If its still 8mb you have a bad simm/dimm or its only an 8mb mod.
 

Wendy

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The new RAM is DIMM. I returned one module because I thought the same thing. The guy tested it and said it was 32mb, CompUSA gave me a new one anyway. New module, same thing.
(Only 2 slots on this mobo BTW)
This is wierd it must have something to do with the Cyrix mobo. (Packard Bell comp)
P.S. highly doubt RAM is ECC

[This message has been edited by Wendy (edited 12-10-1999).]
 

Wendy

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Mobo specs: should recognize 128mb.
But why does the new RAM by itself only show as 8mb? (Total System RAM)
2 things:
1. Why is some RAM comp. manufacturer specific?
2. I've heard sometimes a computer just doesn't like certain RAM for no good reason.
 
There used to be issues between different contacts on the chips. Some motherboards liked gold, others like tin or whatever. I think that has been fixed for 5 years. I think that the RAM advertized for a specific manufacturer is a matter of testing on that specific manufacturer's products, and marketing hype. Most RAM is very generic.

When you begin to boot, does the system find just 42M, or does it just show 42M from inside Windows?

One more idea: what speed does his motherboard operate at? I remember that some Cyrix chips operated at funny FSB speeds (75MHz and 83MHz, I think). Is it possible that the memory is 66MHz, but you need 75MHz?
 

UpYours

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Wendy,
Post the numbers on the dimms here so I can look at them. Also the PB model#....do you have a sys bd manual?
Theres also a setting in the BIOS that can affect installing new Dimms on some sys bds. You have to disable it but I cant remember what it is.
Are you the same Wendy I know or another one?
If you are the Wendy I know then get me on ICQ..I'll give you my phone number and I can walk you thru the bios setup...I'll recognize that setting if I hear it


[This message has been edited by OFUY (edited 12-11-1999).]
 

Wendy

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same Wendy (there can be only 1 - I hope)
Went to packard-bell website, put in serial# and it tells me the board is a PB810.
For memory specs: Max 128MB, 2 DIMM sockets, Burst Mode Read-Write Support, 8 16 32 64 mb (no parity) 60ns EDO or SDRAM.
New chip: SDRAM, 168p DIMM 32M, 3.3V
4x64 32mg SDRAM
403AS w.o.r3866
module has 4 Siemens chips:
HYB39S64160AT-8
New chip is seen as 8MB no matter what
(even all by itself).
My dad doesn't have ICQ yet, and I have all kinds of utilities with me (including TweakBIOS) By the way this is Unreal related since I got Unreal for him (14.99 at compUSA) and I'm trying to get the UT demo to work well. (UT demo really chugs with 32mb) Whew, my biggest post ever. Thnx in advance.
 

MRHYDE

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Wendy,

This post will in no way help you with your dad's machine other than qwasn't there a Cirex patch for unreal?

MOre to the point, WELCOME TO DENVER!!!!!

Jim
 

UpYours

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OK Sweet Thang..now that I know its you.. /~unreal/ubb/html/smile.gif
Compusa gave you an 80ns DIMM..tell em you need a 60ns plain jane Dimm....either EDO or SDRAM...the leads should be tin colored..not gold. Dont let em tell you that one is ok...20ns off from what the sys requires might cause a problem....
If you put the original dimm in either dimm socket and the sys sees 32mb then it HAS to be the dimm they sold you or a bad sys bd that cant allocate the two dimms together (rare)
 

UpYours

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Ok I went to the website...the PB810 mb I couldnt find so I went with the PB805 which has 3 dimm sockets....
The dimm needs to be a 3.3v "gold" plated ( I was incorrect on the tin) connectors. Unbuffered SDRAM or Ecc. It should be equivalent to an Intel 4 clocked 66mhz.
Hope this helps....funny, they had the PB805 and the PB 850 but no 810...I'm gambling the mem requirements are thsame for the 805 as 810.
 

Wendy

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Well UY I think U were on the right track with the RAM. But we gave up on that, so I'll just put in my comp to go from 128 to 160mb. Installed a Voodoo3 2000 and a 8.4g hard drive. System is ok now. Had a bitch of a time getting Unreal classic working, (Original version not compatible with VooDoo3). After DL the patch glide wouldn't work for some reason so we use DirectX. Anyway I think he's all set. Still in Denver for only 1 more full day.

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You walk the thin line between glory and despair, soon you shall cross over it.
 

UpYours

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Well sorry I couldnt be of more help sooner. If I could have just got it in front of me...its difficult trying to troubleshoot like this... /~unreal/ubb/html/frown.gif
And thanks to T-boy for his help /~unreal/ubb/html/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by OFUY (edited 12-11-1999).]
 
Anytime UT crashes...
Anytime your video card sucks...
Anytime your ram isn't recognized...

No, that sucks.

Faster than a Cyrix 233.
Able to leap small powerups in a single bound.
Look! Up on the ledge! It's camper! It's a sniper! No, it's T_boy!

No. That is just as bad. I need a drink. Happy to help, OFUY.



[This message has been edited by Tanqueray_boy (edited 12-14-1999).]
 

Wendy

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Interesting postscript to this story,
I'm home now (NYC), Dad's computer is kicking arse (even at 32MB). The VooDoo3 is working very nice in his comp.
So I figure I'll use the RAM myself. (I also have a 66mhz bus.) I put the module in, boots up, recognizes the 160mb, okay, then the computer shuts off b4 windows loads. This friggin' RAM is cursed.

bullet2.gif

You walk the thin line between glory and despair, soon you shall cross over it.

[This message has been edited by Wendy (edited 12-14-1999).]
 

forge

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I had a similar problem with some brand new kingston ram recently. Every time we tried to put it in my machine it fragged the windows kernel32.dll file. We had it tested pin 2,4 shorted and pin1,3 shorted. This was the case with 3 sets of 64mb upgrades. It finally got put in worked in a couple of other machines, and ended up living in my dads Mac. Go figure.
 

Wolf Blackstar

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That has happened to me before with CompUSA RAM, I tried it on 3 different machines and it wouldn't work. I exchanged it for a different chip and it worked fine. You might just have a defective chip. I never buy anything from my CompUSA (San Diego) again. I haven't had problems with Kingston RAM, but more friends of mine are having RAM-related problems. Weird.

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-Wolf Blackstar

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Voyd-

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sometimes, the actual order of the RAM in the DIMM slots makes a diffrence. for example, my brother had 32 MB and he bought a 64MB stick. he installed the 64MB stick in teh 2nd slot, yet the computer would only recognize 64 (the one he just put it). he had to switch the 64 to the 1st slot, and the 32 to the 2nd slot. the bigger RAM module needs to be in the 1st slot. anyways thats what happened on his p233 TX mobo.