Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Hardware and Software => Topic started by: Cobra on January 13, 2003, 08:24:32 PM

Title: How Bad is This?
Post by: Cobra on January 13, 2003, 08:24:32 PM

My Computer has been acting up alot lately.....mostly on boot up.

I've got a 1.2 gig T-Bird, SB PCI128, GeForce 2 Pro, 1 40 gig hd partitioned into a 5 gig C drive and a 35 gig D drive

Anyway, on boot up now, it goes to safe mode.  Then when I hit re-start, it will go to a find a good registry then boot up.

It runs fine once up and going.

I've scandisked, de-fragged, virus scanned, registry cleaned, etc. but the same ritual on boot-up.

Tonight it gave this error message when trying to boot in safe mode... Himem.sys detected unreliable xms memory at address 0403B020.

How bad is it?  Am I looking at a Format weekend?

Cobra

Title: How Bad is This?
Post by: Innominate on January 13, 2003, 08:37:22 PM

Try swapping out the ram, see if it happens with different ram.  (Or if you have multiple sticks, try running with one removed,with each one)

Title: How Bad is This?
Post by: Eagler on January 13, 2003, 09:07:00 PM

Quote

Originally posted by Innominate
Try swapping out the ram, see if it happens with different ram.  (Or if you have multiple sticks, try running with one removed,with each one)

I second this :)

Reseating the memory sticks may fix it also

Title: How Bad is This?
Post by: AKDejaVu on January 14, 2003, 01:00:34 AM

Gotta third this... seems something is up with the memory.

AKDejaVu

Title: How Bad is This?
Post by: SOB on January 14, 2003, 01:15:59 AM

Unseat the RAM, then rub it (contact side down) briskly back and forth across some shag carpeting for about 5 minutes.  This will reset the static counter in the RAM.  Good luck!


SOB

Just in case...Do NOT do this, it was a joke son!  ;)

Title: How Bad is This?
Post by: straffo on January 14, 2003, 02:45:58 AM

SOB can I use a micro-wave instead ?

Title: How Bad is This?
Post by: JBA on January 14, 2003, 09:29:25 AM

I got rid of my shag with my 8-tracks..:)

Title: How Bad is This?
Post by: vorticon on January 14, 2003, 10:27:49 AM

try removing the hard drive in a drunken rage and throwing it across the room after that rip out the ram stick go to t0 a older computer (preferably a 8 bit) and find a stick of anything that fits into the slot and switch em...carefully (remember your still in a drunken rage) slam the hardrive back in there and boot it up...if it works CALL ME...joking of course


i gotta go with innominate on this


and as innominate has no name i hereby name im gregory von bonbon

Title: How Bad is This?
Post by: Cobra on January 14, 2003, 08:06:33 PM

I took SOB's advice, but now I must post from the neighbor's computer.

The unseating the RAM went well enough.  So did rubbing it across the carpet.  I only did it for 3 minutes though, so maybe that could have been the problem.

On my way back to the house to repeat those steps, but for 5 minutes this time.

I'll let you know the results!

Cobra

Title: How Bad is This?
Post by: Cobra on January 14, 2003, 08:41:49 PM

OK, back at my neighbor's house.

I did EXACTLY as SOB said, but it didn't work.  There was this odd spark when I connected the memory sticks back in.  I don't think that is the problem though, because I left the computer plugged in the whole time.  Of course, I assumed that the system should remained plugged in for the Static Counter to reset, or can it do this without power to the PC?

Cobra

Title: Perhaps this article will help
Post by: sprint on January 15, 2003, 05:07:09 AM

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q253912



sprint:cool:

Title: How Bad is This?
Post by: beet1e on January 15, 2003, 05:34:09 AM

Bring it over here, Cobra. We'll fix it on my carpet. :p

Seriously, folks. AKDV & Straffo got me thinking about static electricity. How cold is it where you live, Cobra? I found that the forced air heating in American homes made for very dry conditions - static.  LOL - "format weekend"!  I can tell a few of us have had one of those... ;)

Title: How Bad is This?
Post by: Cobra on January 15, 2003, 10:36:51 AM

Hehe Beetle,
Actually I am anticipating traveling to Guilford by late spring/early summer for business...also will be in Saw's neighborhood at that time as well...Mechalan (sp always gets me on this one).

I do live in the Midwest and we have Central Heating/AC.  But I do have 2 whole house Humidifiers attached to the ducts.  I set them both to between 35 and 40% humidity in the winter months.

It does look to be a memory stick issue.  I ran the diagnostics and the memory sticks failed.  Gonna pick up some new ones tonight hopefully.

I can get the machine to boot up, but it takes about 3 times of going to registry restoring routine to do so...then the machine runs fine.

Cobra

Title: How Bad is This?
Post by: beet1e on January 15, 2003, 10:51:23 AM

Wow!  Guildford?  Only about 30 miles away...

I lived in Springfield,IL, where it got perishing cold - very low humidity outside, lower with the heating inside. I shared a house with two guys working on the same project - for the state. The house had crappy nylon carpets, and a spiral staircase with a metal stair rail. I got zapped on that many a time. You could hear the crack across the room when one of us got zapped. We needed, but did not have, those humidifiers you speak of.

Title: How Bad is This?
Post by: maxtor on January 15, 2003, 11:57:56 AM

http://www.memtest86.com/

download to harddrive, run the install.  This creates a floppy to boot your computer with which will test your memory chips.

Title: How Bad is This?
Post by: Cobra on January 15, 2003, 08:18:59 PM

Thanks for all the help, especially SOB!

It was one of the memory sticks....got a new one and good to go!

Cobra

Title: How Bad is This?
Post by: Thorns on January 15, 2003, 08:38:05 PM

I love a happy ending. :D

Thorns