Posts by dcc

The BIOS is stored in a IC on the motherboard, it's a EEPROM which means that you can update the BIOS.

Did you change the boot order so that the CD-ROM is the first item in the boot order?

The BIOS doesn't discriminate between a CD-ROM or a DVD, they're the same to it, you DVD will read the CD just as well.

Read this to learn about the LS120. Google is your friend.

What motherboard are you using that has a BIOS that old?

Qwazil...when the operating system was first installed it searched out all of the drivers it would need and recognized the chip set, when you installed the other motherboard with its different chip set you basically confused the heck out of it. When I did that my OS very quickly got worse and worse to the point it wouldn't open.

If you have the installation disc and product code I would suggest using a utility like Wipe Drive and do a fresh installation. After you download the program you will need to make a CD of it as you computer will boot from it. This means that you will need to make sure that the CD-ROM is the first device in the boot order.

That information is a little thin to base any opinion on, care to provide us with a little more information, like the make and model of your rig, the make and model of the RAM that you are trying to use.

If your using a module that's only 128MB I'm guessing that you are using an older computer, like PC100 OR PC133?

I thought I posted the following information last night, oh well...things happen.

You may need to go into you BIOS and set the boot order so that you Cd-ROM is the first boot device in order for the computer to boot from the mem86 CD.

I missed the 01 when I first read this, are you running raid 0+1? If so try running on just the hdd you have the OS on.

I actually was able to find your RAM, but no spec other that 512 PC400 DDR, weird that they don't mention it being DDR2 much less PC2. I was able to find your motherboard which shows that it support DDR2 533 and 400 with two expansion slot with a max capacity of 2GB, but there was no reference to being able to run in dual channel.

You wrote that under heavy usage that the pair fail, what happens if you run just one of the modules under the same load?

This is weird, but it sounds like you may have a problem with the motherboard. Try downloading and run Memtest86, . This will either show that there is a problem with your RAM or point toward the motherboard.

Edit: Just curious here, the instructions for you motherboard were originally in Russian, is this where you are?

How is the BIOS set to recognize the hdd?

Please provide the make and model of you RAM.

How do you have the RAM install, in slots 1 and 3?

It would help to know the make and model of your computer and RAM. And what did you reinstall, and do you have sp2?

Which Crucial modules did you use? ASUS can be a little picky about what RAM it likes.

If you are this obsessive you should be removing programs that are in the add/remove list from there and then you shouldn't have these problems.

You might try going to start> search> for files or folders, enter the program that you that you are trying to delete and go from there. Be careful what you delete.

Your are not going to go to Tiger Direct or Newegg and purchase a hdd with a OS installed. I'm not talking about oem computers with a OS installed, you're splitting hairs.

If you have done this before and survived then the chip set had to be close or the same. If the OS system becomes corrupted enough you will have to reinstall the OS.

Have you ever asked your self why hdds don't come with an OS already installed?

When a hdd is installed the OS will look at a couple of things and add what is needed, one of these things are the drivers needed for the motherboard and its chip set Because the hdd has "customized" itself to this motherboard it will experience a great deal of confusion which can be fatal when introduced to another motherboard with differences.

I thought you were excommunicated.

Google is your friend.

Change it and we will start beating you like a rented mule.

Check to see if autorun is enabled, there is a good trouble shooting article here.

video cards make the difference.

Graphics cards make a difference, but unless you have the other components to support it that card isn't going to make any difference. No one device is the key.

Take the person who decided to up grade their graphics card so that they could play BF2, they purchased it and installed it only to discover that their PSU wasn't large enough to support it. After purchasing and installing a hefty PSU they then found out that the 512MB of RAM was being sucked up like it wasn't even there, another purchase of another 512MB of RAM finally got their game going.

Do you have another PSU that you can try? It does sound like the PSU may have a problem, then again it could be the motherboard.

Actually it is the sum of the parts in that is important, gaming computers do rely heavily on the graphics card, but without good RAM and a good CPU you still ain't playing up to speed.

The simple answer is it's all about speed, and a large amount of RAM equates to speed with games, but that's only part of the equation.

Here's everything you wanted to know about that error message but were afraid to ask.

Erika...Those Kingston modules are not included in the ones suggested at Kingston.

In order to run you RAM in dual channel the modules have to have the exact same specs.

The RAM that you bought is what Kingston calls "value" RAM which doesn't have the best reputation for dependability. As with most everything else you get what you pay for.

What is the model of your computer?

In terms of construction, a bank of RAM is any number of chips put side-by-side to build a 64 bit wide array of memory. The most popular widths of memory chips are 8 bits and 16 bits.
That means you could construct an array with four or eight chips.

Modules with less chips and the same amount of RAM generally are faster modules and will overclock better.

It doesn't look like they're identical as there are differences of the chips.

Would you please list the make and model of the different modules?

IDE doesn't limit the recognition of the size of the hdd the BIOS does. The SP2 for XP and SP4 for W2k will allow you to recognize the larger size hdds.

To understand this better read about the 48 bit LBA.

Have you tried running the system recovery disc?

That card has some good reviews, looks like it will do what is advertised. It list a transfer rate of 150kbps for SATA, but the is no SATA2.

If the reviews can be trusted it looks like an elegant solution to the addition of a SATA drive.

What disc came with the computer?

Chaky...you beat me to the response. I agree, it would not be cost effective to repair the drive.

Then it's not the hdd that is causing the black screen.

If it's the OS you will be able to boot from the CD, go into the BIOS and set the CD-ROM as the first boot device. If you can't do this then your problem isn't the hdd.

If you have the installation disc with the product code for your OS wipe the hdd and reinstall the OS. Use a utility like WipeDrive to wipe it. This makes a CD that you boot from. Do this with the computer that you are working on, not on another.

If it didn't take it out introducing the hdd to the chipset of another motherboard could corrupt the OS.

Make and Model isn't necessary. I already know its specs. It takes PC 2100 DDR-266 SODIMM RAM.

I know it can take at least up to PC2700 DDR RAM, the question is, will DDR2 RAM function in the slot as long as the RAM is keyed the same for the slot.

Well congratulation then. Since you know the specs I won't need to look them up for you, and you will already know what the chipset is and whether it will be compatible with DDR2.

How about the make and model of that laptop.

Have you run any security scans?

Try downloading Asquared and run it in safe mode. This is free.

Please provide us with the make and model of you computer, or motherboard if it's a home brew.

With the known good PSU installed and its fan doesn't spin up it looks like the motherboard. The PSU requires the motherboard to make contact between the green power on wire and ground in order to turn on the PSU.

Another thought here, try jumping out the on/off header and see if that works, it could just be a bad momentary switch.

You should be able to copy and paste from one partition to the other, after that follow the instructions to delete the partition. That is the beauty of the second partition, you don't have to reformat to change the OS or in this case to delete one.

If your hard drive is installed in a PC running Windows XP, you can go to Control Panel - Administrative Tools - Computer Management - Storage - Disk Management. You can then right click and remove the partition that you want. You then can right click on that and restore the partition.

TT4Titans...we need to quit meeting this way. I was actually partitioning part of my hdd and had to wait to post this, so you beat me.

SATA hdds don't need jumpers and are not run in master and slave configurations.

The SMART feature of the hdd is a self testing program that monitors a number of parameters, if it reports that there is a problem you should be prepared to replace it because it is going to or has already died.

Having already filled one 400GB hdd it's obvious that you are going to need a second, so cut you losses and go for it.

What program did you get to check the temps.?

Everest Home Edition is pretty accurate in reporting what is being seen in the BIOS, how ever accurate they are.

90 degree C is like 194 degrees F, that should be shutting down the computer in a hurry. have you checked to make sure that the case fan and the CPU heat sink fan are running. Have you cleaned out the computer recently, accumulated dust on the CPU heat sink will cause overheating. Also check the intake to make sure it's no restricted, mine gets filled with cat hair. You should look at the HSF on the CPU and make sure that it is seated properly.

When you say that you settings are changed are you referring to the settings in the BIOS? If it is change the CMOS battery.

Your problem could be your RAM or PSU. You could download and run Memtest 86 to check out your RAM.

As for the PSU, if you know how use a voltmeter and are comfortable poking around inside the case you could check the voltages of the different rails. With the power off, either by the switch on the back of the PSU or unplugged not the switch on the case, disconnect the 20/24 pin PSU connector. In the bundle you find one green wire, place a jumper between that green wire and any black wire, this bypasses the motherboard. Turn on the PSU either by its' switch or plug it in.

To test the different rails you will need to know the different color codes and their associated voltages, you can get those here.

The message regarding the SMART being bad means an eminent failure of your hdd.

Are these hdds PATA or SATA?

If they are PATA and you had them connected as master and slave with the hdd with the bad SMART it may have died and is no longer being recognized.

If the second hdd that you took out and placed in another computer has a OS you may have messed up the OS. Hdds recognize the chipset of the motherboard that they are installed with, and when you introduce the hdd to a new motherboard with a different chipset it confuses the hell out of the OS...some times fatally.

If this is the case and you have the installation CD with the certificate of authenticity you can do a repair. This site has pretty clear step by step instructions for this procedure.

PSUs will degrade over time, and yours may have been marginal from the start. The PSUs that come with cases don't enjoy the best reputations.

Glad to hear you have it sorted out. The PUS is the heart of the system, if you go cheap it will come back to haunt you.

A week later they reply.

How about giving us the whole low down on this, what equipment exactly are we talking about here?

Do you have another computer you could install the hdd as a slave to see if it works? Do not place this in another computer with a different motherboard or more specifically a different chip set as a master, it will cause the OS not end of troubles.