Maurice discusses installation of computer memory, on Microsoft News server - microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion
While monitoring Microsoft and the supposed "end of life" of Windows 98, Millennium, and other, on Microsoft, Maurice discusses problems associated with computer memory installations.
Improper installation of memory may cause numerous problems on computers.
The forum has had numerous questions related to issues which may find their roots in memory errors.
Memory corruption can cause loss of data. Improper memory installation may cause data loss, file corruption, disk errors, disk corruption, and at the extreme, hard drive failure.
Additionally, installation of the wrong memory can cause device load failures, and in the extreme, motherboard, video card, sound card, and "disk controller" hard drive failures.
From: "MEB" >meb@not real@hotmail.com<
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion
References: >uEjY8TzeGHA.3900@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl<
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>eegWdf0eGHA.5088@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl<
>#kc$NFyiGHA.456@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl<
>ORDhbk4iGHA.3496@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl<
Subject: Re: PC100 v PC133 ram
Date: Fri, 9 Jun 2006 15:54:58 -0400
Keywords: memory corruption,improper memory installation,disk
corruption,bad memory configuration,overclocking.memory
errors.disk errors
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One of the lucky ones.. Glad it turned out OK.. [or did it]
I still wouldn't recommend indiscriminate mixing of memory, unless the person or you are prepared for that time when the memory may seem to have installed, but when accessing the disk with read/writes you end up with corrupted MBR and other corruptions.. or when starting up it immediately corrupts the hard disk..
There were others in this forum who had those problems.. I monitored several of them, at times for weeks (without comment), and no one seemed to have noticed the reasons for the problems. [I did make corrections in a few].
Always remember that HDs (and many other devices) use DMA, that's "D"irect "M"emory "A"ccess... memory failures will eventually show up, but by then you may have assumed that your problem is associated with some other device failure or installation, and run around in circles ignoring the fact that is was the incorrect memory installation which has caused the errors.. it may occur many days/weeks/months later, when Windows finally needs to use that extra memory that the errors or corruption occurs.
Let's see why this memory may have supposedly installed [simple versions without resort to extensive discussions of RX, RAS to CAS, etc..] or what may happen:
SCENARIO 1
The installed 133mhz sticks use CAS 3.
The 100mhz used CAS 2, but supported CAS 3 at 133mhz.
No BIOS/CMOS change was necessary as the 100mhz stick COULD
support 133mhz but at the slower CAS.
[The next two are problems which have been documented repeatedly by "overclockers", e.g. those who deliberately attempt processor and memory "fixes" and speed enhancements. Think 66mhz attempted at 75mhz or above, 100mhz or 133mhz at or over 133mhz, or even the older 33mhz at 45mhz or above, and yes, I was (am) one of those..]
SCENARIO 2
The installed 133mhz use CAS 3.
The 100mhz stick does NOT support CAS 3 at 133mhz but it passes
the extremely simple POST because it ALMOST can.
Here's how I consider POST; "P"re "O"perating "S"ystem "T"est.
Just tests for basic device access and simple memory access [does
it accept writes to it, then ok, passed, who cares if it can do
it repeatedly or reads improperly; who cares at this stage,
whether that written "bit" is maintained or degrades].
All seems well until the operating system attempts to use the
extra memory, when suddenly the Xs and 0s [tripped bits] begin to
return as errors either through HD access, program running
crashes, write failures, corrupted swap file, registry
corruption. etc..
SCENARIO 3
The installed 133mhz uses CAS 2 or CAS 3.
The 100mhz uses CAS 3 or CAS 2 but NO support for 133mhz at CAS
3 or CAS 2; mem crashes; fails POST; system refuses to boot;
resets; defaults to setup/default settings; downgrades the CAS 2
to CAS 3 or resets to 100mhz; mem sticks (and processor) are in
conflict; attempts to load; corrupts HD. 100mhz stick is removed
but TO LATE, the disk is corrupted.
Basic loader starts OS but goes to safe mode or demands
re-install.. or OS will not start and disk appears as corrupted
giving the impression HD is bad, bits and pieces of files are
scattered all over the disk or segments are missing; or MBR is
corrupted, disk seems empty or segments are missing. DMA has
caused repeated read/writes or overwrites with corrupted
info.
Now if scenario 2 and 3 are acceptable to you, then switch or
add memory without checking. If not, then search out the memory
stick info BEFORE attempting, and properly setup the
computer.
BTW: you can switch this to around to installed 100mhz and
attempted 133mhz installation which does NOT support 100mhz on
the controller chip and receive the same corruption. You can also
get this corruption when installing mem sticks which the mother
board does not support, e.g. 256 meg mem stick on a board which
only supports 128, etc.
Hence you find motherboards which only support SPECIFIC memory,
perhaps from only one vendor. A good indication are the new
boards which DEMAND distinct and STRICT types of memory. Anything
else and it will not work (an overclockers nightmare).
So unless: you have a number of friends who you don't need (they're not going to appreciate trashed systems regardless of your free memory)(best have some hard drives and mother boards available for free also, as you may burn out a HD controller or trash the motherboard); or, your not attempting to sell or work at computer repairs; or, you have a number of systems you just "love" to constantly reformat, best re-think the idea.
"Gekko" >address removed< wrote in message
news:ORDhbk4iGHA.3496@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> It did work just fine. I gave the guy the stick and he said
it didnt
> work in one slot so he put it in another and it
worked.
> Gekko
>
>
> "MEB" >meb@not real@hotmail.com< wrote in
message
> news:#kc$NFyiGHA.456@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
> >
> > "Ron Badour" >Sorry@NoAddress.com< wrote in
message
> > news:eegWdf0eGHA.5088@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> > > In theory (I seem to use that word a lot with your
questions >G<), it
> > should
> > > work. In reality, sometimes different brands of
ram will not work
> > together.
> > > Just stick it in the slot and see what happens. If
the system does
not
> > > recognize the additional ram or problems start
occurring, then you
know
> > the
> > > ram is probably not compatible. You could then try
placing the ram in
> > > different slots to see if that has any
effect.
> > >
> > > --
> > > Regards
> > >
> > >
> > > Ron Badour, MS MVP for W98
> > > Tips: http://home.satx.rr.com/badour
> > > Knowledge Base Info:
> > >
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=kbinfo
> > >
> >
> > UHMM, the FSB is apparently presently set at 133 for
his computer.. the
> > 100mhz mem may not work unless it can handle the faster
FSB speed of
133..
> > just mixing the two will not work.. and depending on
the age of the ram,
> the
> > voltage requirements may not be the same.. or mixing
newer and older mem
> may
> > cause conflicts between the two "on chip"
controllers..
> > Many of the newer mem sticks do NOT support different
memory speeds and
> > timings..
> > If he intends to attempt the use, he would have to
reset the cmos/bios
to
> > the proper supported speed, timings and other..
> >
> > >
> > >
> > > "Gekko" >address removed< wrote in message
> > >
news:%23LCykL0eGHA.4892@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> > > >
> > > >> I am not sure what you mean by
interchangeable. If you mean, can
100
> > and
> > > >> 133 ram be commingled, yes it can. The
133 ram will run at the
> slower
> > > >> speed.
> > > >
> > > >> Ron Badour, MS MVP for W98
> > > >
> > > > Thanks Ron, I never knew that; I may be able
to help yet
> > > > another friend out with a gift of a spare
stick I have.
> > > > His is a pentium2 which has pc133 sticks in
it, albeit only a
> > > > 64 & 32, and I have a spare 64meg pc100
stick that is
> > > > doing nothing at the moment; his comp has a
spare slot.
> > > > Is this still ok?
> > > > Gekko
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>