Overhauling a Dell Dimension 8400

[Paul]

I had already followed the steps you listed. With no ram installed. No drives connected. And no cards in any slot, the only thing attached to the motherboard were the main power cable and the CPU(+12V) cable.

There are no diagnostic lights and no beeps. (There is no cabling involved with the diagnostic lights. It's basically a hard plastic case/connector attached to the mother board).

There are no bulging capacitors and I the board has a brand nwe CMOS battery.

There is only that little tiny green light near the main power cable connector that stays on if the power supply is plugged into an outlet, but when I power on nothing else outside of the power supply fan coming on happens. (And I also tried a brand new power supply).

So the only question left is if not having a CPU fan plugged into the motherboard a possible reason for this. (I assume this is the one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/261056206863).

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island,New York.

On some motherboards, they power up, the BIOS checks for pulses on the
tacho signal from the CPU fan, and then, the BIOS shuts down the
computer if no fan pulses are detected. So you would notice the computer
going off after five seconds or less (PSU fan goes off).

Since your machine stays powered up, that implies the BIOS is not
running. If the BIOS was working, it can do a few safety checks, and
shut down if it is not happy.

The CPU has a THERMTRIP signal. If you run the CPU without
proper cooling, and temperature goes above 105 to 130C or so,
the computer will shut off due to THERMTRIP. The THERMTRIP
method, eliminates the need for the BIOS to be running,
to protect the computer. So that's a secondary form of
protection.

If there is no CPU plugged into the CPU socket, there is no
THERMTRIP. And then, no way for a THERMTRIP event to be involved.
But if you plug in a modern CPU, forget to install the cooler
on top of it, it should shut down in about 2 seconds (because
the temperature will shoot up that quickly).

If the CPU is plugged in, the CPU gets extremely hot, and the
computer continues to run, I'd really be surprised if
THERMTRIP did not work. It would take a jammed-on PS_ON# signal
for that to happen.

If the CPU is *not* getting hot, you have a +12V failure (2x2 connector)
feeding VCore, or your VCore regulator circuit has failed (bad caps etc).
The VCore circuit is protected against overcurrent - if the CPU
presents a dead short to VCore, it shuts off the current flow,
and the CPU will remain cold afterwards. A modern VCore, doesn't
run in "putt-putt" mode. One overcurrent event, and it latches off
(PSU fan remains spinning, but VCore no longer delivers current
to the CPU).

Some older regulators, they continue to retry, and will attempt
to power the CPU, multiple times per second ("putt-putt" mode).
Whereas on the modern VCores, a fault latches off the VCore ~1V power
output, and only power cycling the ATX PSU at the back, recovers it
to make another try. It's harder to debug a modern VCore, because
of the short time it may remain running. There is no status
indicator, to tell you when VCore is latched off (they should have
put a yellow LED on the motherboard for that, just for fun). If
you can identify the VCore chip, you may be able to probe the
fault pin and see it's tripped.

For example, this is the VCore chip on my S478 P4 motherboard.
On page 9, figure 1 and figure 2, it appears that PWRGD is the
pin to check, as an indication of operating state.

http://web.archive.org/web/20040331...oadedFiles/Data_Sheets/129783535ADP3180_0.pdf

"PWRGD Power Good Output.

Open-drain output that pulls to GND when the output voltage
is outside of the proper operating range."

So a reading of zero volts on the PWRGD pin on that regulator,
tells you it's shut off or not working right. Each regulator
will use a slightly different scheme. Some have a separately
labeled "FAULT" pin.

Paul

 

[Searcher7]

(e-mail address removed)2.com wrote:








On some motherboards, they power up, the BIOS checks for pulses on the

tacho signal from the CPU fan, and then, the BIOS shuts down the

computer if no fan pulses are detected. So you would notice the computer

going off after five seconds or less (PSU fan goes off).



Since your machine stays powered up, that implies the BIOS is not

running. If the BIOS was working, it can do a few safety checks, and

shut down if it is not happy.



The CPU has a THERMTRIP signal. If you run the CPU without

proper cooling, and temperature goes above 105 to 130C or so,

the computer will shut off due to THERMTRIP. The THERMTRIP

method, eliminates the need for the BIOS to be running,

to protect the computer. So that's a secondary form of

protection.



If there is no CPU plugged into the CPU socket, there is no

THERMTRIP. And then, no way for a THERMTRIP event to be involved.

But if you plug in a modern CPU, forget to install the cooler

on top of it, it should shut down in about 2 seconds (because

the temperature will shoot up that quickly).



If the CPU is plugged in, the CPU gets extremely hot, and the

computer continues to run, I'd really be surprised if

THERMTRIP did not work. It would take a jammed-on PS_ON# signal

for that to happen.



If the CPU is *not* getting hot, you have a +12V failure (2x2 connector)

feeding VCore, or your VCore regulator circuit has failed (bad caps etc).

The VCore circuit is protected against overcurrent - if the CPU

presents a dead short to VCore, it shuts off the current flow,

and the CPU will remain cold afterwards. A modern VCore, doesn't

run in "putt-putt" mode. One overcurrent event, and it latches off

(PSU fan remains spinning, but VCore no longer delivers current

to the CPU).



Some older regulators, they continue to retry, and will attempt

to power the CPU, multiple times per second ("putt-putt" mode).

Whereas on the modern VCores, a fault latches off the VCore ~1V power

output, and only power cycling the ATX PSU at the back, recovers it

to make another try. It's harder to debug a modern VCore, because

of the short time it may remain running. There is no status

indicator, to tell you when VCore is latched off (they should have

put a yellow LED on the motherboard for that, just for fun). If

you can identify the VCore chip, you may be able to probe the

fault pin and see it's tripped.



For example, this is the VCore chip on my S478 P4 motherboard.

On page 9, figure 1 and figure 2, it appears that PWRGD is the

pin to check, as an indication of operating state.



http://web.archive.org/web/20040331...oadedFiles/Data_Sheets/129783535ADP3180_0.pdf



"PWRGD Power Good Output.



Open-drain output that pulls to GND when the output voltage

is outside of the proper operating range."



So a reading of zero volts on the PWRGD pin on that regulator,

tells you it's shut off or not working right. Each regulator

will use a slightly different scheme. Some have a separately

labeled "FAULT" pin.



Paul

I've all but given up on teh 8400, but my bad luck with computers is continuing. I spent last evening putting together a system around an ASUS A7V8X motherboard, only to end up with the same symptoms. (No image to the display, even though it powers on). So that's two DELL PCs and now an ASUS. (Though there is a slight chance the power-on connections may be at fault with one DELL).

And then there are my two laptops. A Compaq Presario 1200 that has screen problems (and only a CD player), and an IBM T22 with a password I don't haveanymore.

I'll have to look into what I can do with an old HP 7955. My last resort isgoing back to an ASUS CUV4X. (If I can find the ram for this). Or a DELL OptiPlex G110 that gives me the blue screen and recycles. (But this might bebecause it only has 256k of ram installed and the hard drive I plugged into it has Windows XP.)

I can avoid all this if I could just get the BIOS updated *and* it correctsmy problems with playing DVD or or video formats on my Mini-ITX PC. (I *should* know by tomorrow).

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

 

[Paul]

I've all but given up on teh 8400, but my bad luck with computers is continuing.

I spent last evening putting together a system around an ASUS A7V8X motherboard, only
to end up with the same symptoms. (No image to the display, even though it powers on).
So that's two DELL PCs and now an ASUS. (Though there is a slight chance the power-on
connections may be at fault with one DELL).

And then there are my two laptops. A Compaq Presario 1200 that has screen problems
(and only a CD player), and an IBM T22 with a password I don't have anymore.

I'll have to look into what I can do with an old HP 7955. My last resort is going
back to an ASUS CUV4X. (If I can find the ram for this). Or a DELL OptiPlex G110
that gives me the blue screen and recycles. (But this might be because it only has
256k of ram installed and the hard drive I plugged into it has Windows XP.)

I can avoid all this if I could just get the BIOS updated *and* it corrects my
problems with playing DVD or or video formats on my Mini-ITX PC. (I *should* know by tomorrow).

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

On the A7V8X, I would spend extra time making sure the CPU cooler is fitted properly.
The bare die on my Athlon, always bothered me - fear of chipping the edges...

I don't know if your board is well protected against thermal failures or not.

My A7N8X-E has a separate chip to monitor CPU temp, producing the equivalent
of THERMTRIP. Some of the other motherboards of that era, they aren't protected
by a purely hardware overtemp mechanism. If the cooler isn't fitted properly,
the CPU can overheat before the BIOS can use firmware to turn off the computer.
(Basically, those crash due to the overheating, and don't have a chance to
turn off their own power.) That's why some of the later motherboards, they use
a separate chip to check for overheating. It may be tied to a substrate
diode, and provide a logic signal if the diode temp registers as being
too hot. An Athlon can shoot up to the boiling point of water in about
a second or two, if the cooler falls off (or if the paste is missing).

In this picture of the A7V8X, the red LED at (7) is the "AGP Warn".
What that does, is it prevents the front power button from working,
if the user plugs a 3.3V only video card into the AGP slot. That's the
only thing out of the ordinary. The board has no ATX12V 2x2 power, and
the processor would get power from +5V instead. At least, that's what
powers the AthlonXP-M on my A7N8X-E, which doesn't have an ATX12V either.
Some other brands of Athlon boards, they run the processor off +12V
instead.

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/1786/a7v8x.jpg

You should make sure your CLRTC jumper is on pins 2-3, and not
in the 1-2 "Clear" position.

Also, review your System Panel Header wiring, and make sure there is
nothing goofy there. For example, if you had a reset switch and cable
which was broken and shorted, disconnect it from the Panel Header so
it cannot prevent the computer from starting.

There is a PDF manual on the support.asus.com site, if you no longer
have the paper manual to refer to. That's what I'm reading right now.

Paul

 

[Searcher7]

(e-mail address removed)2.com wrote: > > I've all but given up on teh 8400, butmy bad luck with computers is continuing. > > I spent last evening puttingtogether a system around an ASUS A7V8X motherboard, only > to end up with the same symptoms. (No image to the display, even though it powers on). > So that's two DELL PCs and now an ASUS. (Though there is a slight chance thepower-on > connections may be at fault with one DELL). > > And then there are my two laptops. A Compaq Presario 1200 that has screen problems > (and only a CD player), and an IBM T22 with a password I don't have anymore. > >I'll have to look into what I can do with an old HP 7955. My last resort is going > back to an ASUS CUV4X. (If I can find the ram for this). Or a DELL OptiPlex G110 > that gives me the blue screen and recycles. (But this might be because it only has > 256k of ram installed and the hard drive I plugged into it has Windows XP.) > > I can avoid all this if I could just get the BIOS updated *and* it corrects my > problems with playing DVD or or video formats on my Mini-ITX PC. (I *should* know by tomorrow). > > Darren Harris > Staten Island, New York. On the A7V8X, I would spend extra time makingsure the CPU cooler is fitted properly. The bare die on my Athlon, always bothered me - fear of chipping the edges... I don't know if your board is well protected against thermal failures or not. My A7N8X-E has a separate chip to monitor CPU temp, producing the equivalent of THERMTRIP. Some of the other motherboards of that era, they aren't protected by a purely hardware overtemp mechanism. If the cooler isn't fitted properly, the CPU can overheat before the BIOS can use firmware to turn off the computer. (Basically, those crash due to the overheating, and don't have a chance to turn off their own power.) That's why some of the later motherboards, they use a separate chip to check for overheating. It may be tied to a substrate diode, and provide a logic signal if the diode temp registers as being too hot. An Athlon can shoot up to the boiling point of water in about a second or two, if the cooler falls off (or if the paste is missing). In this picture of the A7V8X, the red LED at (7) is the "AGP Warn". What that does, is it prevents the front power button from working, if the user plugs a 3.3V only video card into the AGP slot. That's the only thing out of the ordinary. The board has no ATX12V 2x2 power, and the processor would get power from +5V instead.. At least, that's what powers the AthlonXP-M on my A7N8X-E, which doesn't have an ATX12V either. Some other brands of Athlon boards, they run the processor off +12V instead. http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/1786/a7v8x.jpg You should make sure your CLRTC jumper is on pins 2-3, and not in the 1-2 "Clear" position. Also, review your System Panel Header wiring, and make sure there is nothing goofy there. For example, if you had a reset switch and cable which was broken and shorted, disconnect it from the Panel Header so itcannot prevent the computer from starting. There is a PDF manual on the support.asus.com site, if you no longer have the paper manual to refer to. That's what I'm reading right now. Paul

Apparently the reason my first DELL wouldn't start is because a ram chip migrated slightly out of it's slot. Now I can power it up, but it still will not send an image to the monitor, just like the DELL 8400. And the problem is definitely not the monitor becuase it works with my Min-ITX and the DELLOptiPlex G110. (I tried an AGP and a PCI video card with my A7V8X).

Yes, I also noticed that the A7V8X board didn't have an ATX12V 2x when I was looking for aplace to plug it in.

No, the jumper is not on the "clear" position where I put it briefly when changing the CMOS battery.

And all F-Panel leads are in there definitely in their correct positions.

Nevertheless, like the two DELLs it will power up, but not send an image tothe monitor.

I didn't know that these CPU could get that hot that fast. From what you are saying, perhaps I should dismantle the heat sinks on these board and havea look.

I wish I could find a manual for the HP 7955. All likes that promise a manual turn out to be site looking for you to sign up or buy something else.

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

 

[Paul]

ed *and* it corrects my > problems with playing DVD or or video formats on my Mini-ITX PC. (I *should* know by tomorrow). > > Darren Harris > Staten Island, New York. On the A7V8X, I would spend extra time making sure the CPU cooler is fitted properly. The bare die on my Athlon, always bothered me - fear of chipping the edges... I don't know if your board is well protected against thermal failures or not. My A7N8X-E has a separate chip to monitor CPU temp, producing the equivalent of THERMTRIP. Some of the other motherboards of that era, they aren't protected by a purely hardware overtemp mechanism. If the cooler isn't fitted properly, the CPU can overheat before the BIOS can use firmware to turn off the computer. (Basically, those crash due to the overheating, and don't have a chance to turn off their own power.) That's why some of the later motherboards, they use a separate chip to check for overheating. It may be tied to a substrate diode, and provide a logic signal if the
diode temp registers as being too hot. An Athlon can shoot up to the boiling point of water in about a second or two, if the cooler falls off (or if the paste is missing). In this picture of the A7V8X, the red LED at (7) is the "AGP Warn". What that does, is it prevents the front power button from working, if the user plugs a 3.3V only video card into the AGP slot. That's the only thing out of the ordinary. The board has no ATX12V 2x2 power, and the processor would get power from +5V instead. At least, that's what powers the AthlonXP-M on my A7N8X-E, which doesn't have an ATX12V either. Some other brands of Athlon boards, they run the processor off +12V instead. http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/1786/a7v8x.jpg You should make sure your CLRTC jumper is on pins 2-3, and not in the 1-2 "Clear" position. Also, review your System Panel Header wiring, and make sure there is nothing goofy there. For example, if you had a reset switch and cable which was broken and shorted, disconnec
t it from the Panel Header so it cannot prevent the computer from starting. There is a PDF manual on the support.asus.com site, if you no longer have the paper manual to refer to. That's what I'm reading right now. Paul

Apparently the reason my first DELL wouldn't start is because a ram chip migrated slightly out of it's slot. Now I can power it up, but it still will not send an image to the monitor, just like the DELL 8400. And the problem is definitely not the monitor becuase it works with my Min-ITX and the DELL OptiPlex G110. (I tried an AGP and a PCI video card with my A7V8X).

Yes, I also noticed that the A7V8X board didn't have an ATX12V 2x when I was looking for aplace to plug it in.

No, the jumper is not on the "clear" position where I put it briefly when changing the CMOS battery.

And all F-Panel leads are in there definitely in their correct positions.

Nevertheless, like the two DELLs it will power up, but not send an image to the monitor.

I didn't know that these CPU could get that hot that fast. From what you are saying,
perhaps I should dismantle the heat sinks on these board and have a look.

I wish I could find a manual for the HP 7955. All likes that promise a manual
turn out to be site looking for you to sign up or buy something else.

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

The HP Pavilion 7955 has a pretty sad-looking support page. I don't see
anything there to help with the hardware.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/manualCategory?cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&os=228&product=62740&sw_lang=&

When I search for "HP Pavilion 7955 motherboard", I get this, P4B-LA.
So this will tell you something about the motherboard (look for
white lettering on the motherboard, to verify the model name). P4B-LA
would be manufactured by Asus, but Asus doesn't provide a support page
for boards like that. The documentation has to come from HP.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en&docname=bph07293

I would try it with just one stick of PC133 RAM in it.

You can also try it, with zero sticks of RAM, then listen to the "buzzer" on
board, for an audible error code. Instead of a case speaker, there is a
buzzer in the lower right hand corner, to beep an error code. If you're
getting a beep code, that's a *good* sign. To beep, it can't be
completely dead. The CPU programs the beeping noise.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf-JAVA/Doc/images/238/c00619135.gif

*******

I wouldn't take the CPU cooler off your other board, unless you really suspected
that was the problem (someone did a poor job of fitting it the last time).
If the heatsink is tilted and on crooked, then by all means, disassemble
and apply fresh paste. If the silicon die of an Athlon is discolored (burned
or cooked looking), check it visually for further damage (cracks).

Paul

 

[Searcher7]

ed *and* it corrects my > problems with playing DVD or or video formats on my Mini-ITX PC. (I *should* know by tomorrow). > > Darren Harris > StatenIsland, New York. On the A7V8X, I would spend extra time making sure the CPU cooler is fitted properly. The bare die on my Athlon, always bothered me- fear of chipping the edges... I don't know if your board is well protected against thermal failures or not. My A7N8X-E has a separate chip to monitor CPU temp, producing the equivalent of THERMTRIP. Some of the other motherboards of that era, they aren't protected by a purely hardware overtemp mechanism. If the cooler isn't fitted properly, the CPU can overheat before the BIOS can use firmware to turn off the computer. (Basically, those crash due to the overheating, and don't have a chance to turn off their own power..) That's why some of the later motherboards, they use a separate chip to check for overheating. It may be tied to a substrate diode, and provide a logic signal if the

diode temp registers as being too hot. An Athlon can shoot up to the boiling point of water in about a second or two, if the cooler falls off (or if the paste is missing). In this picture of the A7V8X, the red LED at (7) is the "AGP Warn". What that does, is it prevents the front power button from working, if the user plugs a 3.3V only video card into the AGP slot. That's the only thing out of the ordinary. The board has no ATX12V 2x2 power, and the processor would get power from +5V instead. At least, that's what powers the AthlonXP-M on my A7N8X-E, which doesn't have an ATX12V either. Some other brands of Athlon boards, they run the processor off +12V instead. http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/1786/a7v8x.jpg You should make sure your CLRTC jumper is on pins 2-3, and not in the 1-2 "Clear" position. Also, review your System Panel Header wiring, and make sure there is nothing goofy there. For example, if you had a reset switch and cable which was broken and shorted, disconnec

t it from the Panel Header so it cannot prevent the computer from starting. There is a PDF manual on the support.asus.com site, if you no longer have the paper manual to refer to. That's what I'm reading right now. Paul








The HP Pavilion 7955 has a pretty sad-looking support page. I don't see

anything there to help with the hardware.



http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/manualCategory?cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&os=228&product=62740&sw_lang=&



When I search for "HP Pavilion 7955 motherboard", I get this, P4B-LA.

So this will tell you something about the motherboard (look for

white lettering on the motherboard, to verify the model name). P4B-LA

would be manufactured by Asus, but Asus doesn't provide a support page

for boards like that. The documentation has to come from HP.



http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en&docname=bph07293



I would try it with just one stick of PC133 RAM in it.



You can also try it, with zero sticks of RAM, then listen to the "buzzer"on

board, for an audible error code. Instead of a case speaker, there is a

buzzer in the lower right hand corner, to beep an error code. If you're

getting a beep code, that's a *good* sign. To beep, it can't be

completely dead. The CPU programs the beeping noise.



http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf-JAVA/Doc/images/238/c00619135.gif



*******



I wouldn't take the CPU cooler off your other board, unless you really suspected

that was the problem (someone did a poor job of fitting it the last time)..

If the heatsink is tilted and on crooked, then by all means, disassemble

and apply fresh paste. If the silicon die of an Athlon is discolored (burned

or cooked looking), check it visually for further damage (cracks).



Paul

Well, if I'm at the point where I'm taking off the CPU heatsink to check, then the motherboard is pretty much garbage anyway.

As for the HP 7955, there is nothing on my board that says, "P4B-LA".

But I plugged some other numbers I found into Google and found the board onEbay: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/320941579293

 

[Paul]

Well, if I'm at the point where I'm taking off the CPU heatsink to check, then the motherboard is pretty much garbage anyway.

As for the HP 7955, there is nothing on my board that says, "P4B-LA".

But I plugged some other numbers I found into Google and found the board on Ebay: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/320941579293

There's a manual here for your Dublin.
It uses the same chipset (NB+SB) as the P4B-LA.
The OEM that makes the board is Trigem.

http://www.elhvb.com/mboards/oem/hp/manual/dublin_manual.pdf

That board might pre-date the "bad cap era". You can visually
check the caps, but I wouldn't expect a problem there.

When I ran all the search terms together "HP 7955 trigem dublin",
I get a reference to 7955US. So perhaps there's more than
one version of 7955 ?

http://h30499.www3.hp.com/t5/Home-PCs-Pavilion-Presario/CPU-Upgrade-on-Pavilion-7955US/td-p/705095

Paul

 

[Searcher7]

(e-mail address removed)2.com wrote: > > Well, if I'm at the point where I'm taking off the CPU heatsink to check, then the motherboard is pretty much garbage anyway. > > As for the HP 7955, there is nothing on my board that says, "P4B-LA". > > But I plugged some other numbers I found into Google and found the board on Ebay: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/320941579293 There's a manual here for your Dublin. It uses the same chipset (NB+SB) as the P4B-LA. The OEM that makes the board is Trigem. http://www.elhvb.com/mboards/oem/hp/manual/dublin_manual.pdf That board might pre-date the "bad cap era". You can visually check the caps, but I wouldn't expect a problem there. When I ran all the search terms together "HP 7955 trigem dublin", I get a referenceto 7955US. So perhaps there's more than one version of 7955 ? http://h30499.www3.hp.com/t5/Home-PCs-Pavilion-Presario/CPU-Upgrade-on-Pavilion-7955US/td-p/705095 Paul

Those "manuals" give little information. I'm not sure anymore what processor I have in the HP 7955. I do have a faster processor that I never got around to installing into it.

Mystery DELL:
This is a DELL pc inside of a Gateway case. (Mmotherboard: http://www.ebay.com/itm/221173516149) It died in January and began these attempts to get one pc working out of all the hardware I have. It will power up, but will notsend an image to the monitor.

DELL 8400:
Powers up, but will not send an image to the monitor, and diagnostic lightsdon't work.

ASUS A7V8X:
Powers up, but will not send an image to the monitor.

HP 7955:
Powers up, but will not send an image to the monitor. I do get beeps. (1,3,3,1).

Via Epia Mini-ITX M-10000:
A variety of issues. The most important being video and audio problems whenI attempt to play DVDs or video files from my hard drive.

ASUS CUV4X:
Powers up, and reaches desktop with a "C" drive I installed XP on while it was attached to my Mini-ITX. I had to swap the ram between slots to finallyget it to send an image to the monitor and boot to the desktop. It Will accept no more than 256mb of ram with the sticks I have.(More than one stick results in numbers like 258mb and 268mb depending on which slots I use). This pc can't play video files. But it plays mp3 files at low volume. Not sure about the CPU, but I get these screens on boot up and when I enter BIOS:
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll257/Statenislander/Computer/CUV4X1_zps8eccad11.jpg
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll257/Statenislander/Computer/CUV4X2_zpsccea01ef.jpg

DELL OptiPlex GX110:
Powers up but will only go as far as a blue screen that appears for a fraction of a second. The one that I think says that there is a problem with windows and it was shut down to prevent damage. (Or something like that). It then re-boots.

Then there are the IBM T22 and Compaq Presario 1200 laptops I hope to get back to this week.

Wish me luck.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

 

[Paul]

Those "manuals" give little information. I'm not sure anymore what processor I have in the HP 7955. I do have a faster processor that I never got around to installing into it.

Mystery DELL:
This is a DELL pc inside of a Gateway case. (Mmotherboard: http://www.ebay.com/itm/221173516149) It died in January and began these attempts to get one pc working out of all the hardware I have. It will power up, but will not send an image to the monitor.

DELL 8400:
Powers up, but will not send an image to the monitor, and diagnostic lights don't work.

ASUS A7V8X:
Powers up, but will not send an image to the monitor.

HP 7955:
Powers up, but will not send an image to the monitor. I do get beeps. (1,3,3,1).

Via Epia Mini-ITX M-10000:
A variety of issues. The most important being video and audio problems when I attempt to play DVDs or video files from my hard drive.

ASUS CUV4X:
Powers up, and reaches desktop with a "C" drive I installed XP on while it was attached to my Mini-ITX. I had to swap the ram between slots to finally get it to send an image to the monitor and boot to the desktop. It Will accept no more than 256mb of ram with the sticks I have.(More than one stick results in numbers like 258mb and 268mb depending on which slots I use). This pc can't play video files. But it plays mp3 files at low volume. Not sure about the CPU, but I get these screens on boot up and when I enter BIOS:
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll257/Statenislander/Computer/CUV4X1_zps8eccad11.jpg
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll257/Statenislander/Computer/CUV4X2_zpsccea01ef.jpg

DELL OptiPlex GX110:
Powers up but will only go as far as a blue screen that appears for a fraction of a second. The one that I think says that there is a problem with windows and it was shut down to prevent damage. (Or something like that). It then re-boots.

Then there are the IBM T22 and Compaq Presario 1200 laptops I hope to get back to this week.

Wish me luck.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

The Ebay item in your mystery item, could be a Gateway Tabor series board.
(A paper label with the word "Tabor" on it, is present.) The board is
440BX with Slot 1 for Pentium III etc. The one in the Ebay picture is missing the
mounting hardware, to hold the Slot 1 upright.

I have a similar board here, P2B-S, and I use a slocket in mine. That's
a Slot 1 board, with an S370 socket on it. It allows me to retrofit S370
processors. My original processor was a 300MHz Celeron, and the fastest
processor used in the board was a 1.4GHz processor.

I changed out the VCore regulator chip on my motherboard, and used a regulator
chip that will produce 1.5V. It required soldering. A nasty little repair. But
it worked. Now, I can run up to a Tualatin 1.4GHz FSB100 in it (Tualatin needs 1.5V).
Currently, it has a Tualatin 1.1GHz, due to the regulator getting a bit warm
when the 1.4GHz processor is present. The regulator is only single phase, and
a bit limited on power output.

On your Tabor model, Gateway has several models. You can take the part number off
the sound chip, to track down which Tabor it might be.

On the Slot 1 I have, mine is not jumper free. That means setting jumpers
for FSB speed (66/100/133), as well as setting a jumper for the AGP divider.
The AGP divider, divides the FSB clock, to make 66MHz for the AGP 1X slot.
I tried to run my ATI 9800Pro in it, but the board beeps when I do that
(video error). No video. I have some older video cards that run fine in it.
It's possible my FX5200 runs in there as well (AGP 8X compatible card, that
runs fine at 1X).

If you don't set the AGP jumper correctly, then the AGP clock can end up
too fast. Some older video cards, tolerate that just fine. More modern
cards get annoyed, if the 66MHz clock goes over 75MHz. The older AGP cards,
can support 89MHz, 100Mhz, or even faster. Some people use the wrong AGP
divider on purpose (because, overclocking is fun).

So to get your Tabor running, I'd need to investigate what it needed
for clocking/jumpers. And also make sure the right kind of processor was
stuffed in the Slot 1 slot. The VCore regulator may also place a limit,
on what processors should be used.

There's a BIOS bug in some of that old stuff, involving CPU clock divider.
On my P2B-S, Asus released a BIOS that fixed that for me. All I had
to do, was use CTMC to add some microcode. The processor is still
mis-declared by the BIOS (BIOS calls it a P2), but the system runs
fine otherwise. Just by today's standards, it's slow as molasses in spring.
A museum piece.

Your processor could be a 550MHz or lower, in which case, there's no
worry about BIOS bugs. The BIOS bugs are for something like a 1.1GHz or 1.2GHz
processor, something like that.

*******

Your HP 7955US Trigem Dublin motherboard has a Phoenix BIOS, according
to the web page I posted in a previous posting. Going to BIOScentral,
1-3-3-1 is "Autosize DRAM". So there's a RAM problem there right now.
Exactly what that means, I haven't a clue. Just that it is a RAM problem.

http://www.bioscentral.com/beepcodes/phoenixbeep.htm

Paul

 

[Patrick]

ASUS CUV4X:
Powers up, and reaches desktop with a "C" drive I installed XP on
while it was attached to my Mini-ITX. I had to swap the ram between
slots to finally get it to send an image to the monitor and boot to
the desktop. It Will accept no more than 256mb of ram with the sticks
I have.(More than one stick results in numbers like 258mb and 268mb
depending on which slots I use). This pc can't play video files. But
it plays mp3 files at low volume. Not sure about the CPU, but I get
these screens on boot up and when I enter BIOS:

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll257/Statenislander/Computer/CUV4X1_zps8eccad11.jpg

This says that you have not got a Floppy-drive connected or perhaps the
cable is connected wrong (is the Floppy's light on all the time, IT
SHOULDN'T BE (light-on, only when it is reading/writing)). Also there may be
an option in the BIOS to tell it 'not to look for a Floppy'. You can
actually ignore the error and just press F1 to continue.

Suggest that you perhaps (until you get things working), turn-off the
'Trend' AV.
And BTW, the number at the bottom is your BIOS-string.

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll257/Statenislander/Computer/CUV4X2_zpsccea01ef.jpg

What MoBo is this?

 

[Searcher7]

The Ebay item in your mystery item, could be a Gateway Tabor series board..

(A paper label with the word "Tabor" on it, is present.) The board is

440BX with Slot 1 for Pentium III etc. The one in the Ebay picture is missing the

mounting hardware, to hold the Slot 1 upright.



I have a similar board here, P2B-S, and I use a slocket in mine. That's

a Slot 1 board, with an S370 socket on it. It allows me to retrofit S370

processors. My original processor was a 300MHz Celeron, and the fastest

processor used in the board was a 1.4GHz processor.



I changed out the VCore regulator chip on my motherboard, and used a regulator

chip that will produce 1.5V. It required soldering. A nasty little repair.. But

it worked. Now, I can run up to a Tualatin 1.4GHz FSB100 in it (Tualatin needs 1.5V).

Currently, it has a Tualatin 1.1GHz, due to the regulator getting a bit warm

when the 1.4GHz processor is present. The regulator is only single phase,and

a bit limited on power output.



On your Tabor model, Gateway has several models. You can take the part number off

the sound chip, to track down which Tabor it might be.



On the Slot 1 I have, mine is not jumper free. That means setting jumpers

for FSB speed (66/100/133), as well as setting a jumper for the AGP divider.

The AGP divider, divides the FSB clock, to make 66MHz for the AGP 1X slot..

I tried to run my ATI 9800Pro in it, but the board beeps when I do that

(video error). No video. I have some older video cards that run fine in it.

It's possible my FX5200 runs in there as well (AGP 8X compatible card, that

runs fine at 1X).



If you don't set the AGP jumper correctly, then the AGP clock can end up

too fast. Some older video cards, tolerate that just fine. More modern

cards get annoyed, if the 66MHz clock goes over 75MHz. The older AGP cards,

can support 89MHz, 100Mhz, or even faster. Some people use the wrong AGP

divider on purpose (because, overclocking is fun).



So to get your Tabor running, I'd need to investigate what it needed

for clocking/jumpers. And also make sure the right kind of processor was

stuffed in the Slot 1 slot. The VCore regulator may also place a limit,

on what processors should be used.



There's a BIOS bug in some of that old stuff, involving CPU clock divider..

On my P2B-S, Asus released a BIOS that fixed that for me. All I had

to do, was use CTMC to add some microcode. The processor is still

mis-declared by the BIOS (BIOS calls it a P2), but the system runs

fine otherwise. Just by today's standards, it's slow as molasses in spring.

A museum piece.



Your processor could be a 550MHz or lower, in which case, there's no

worry about BIOS bugs. The BIOS bugs are for something like a 1.1GHz or 1..2GHz

processor, something like that.



*******



Your HP 7955US Trigem Dublin motherboard has a Phoenix BIOS, according

to the web page I posted in a previous posting. Going to BIOScentral,

1-3-3-1 is "Autosize DRAM". So there's a RAM problem there right now.

Exactly what that means, I haven't a clue. Just that it is a RAM problem.



http://www.bioscentral.com/beepcodes/phoenixbeep.htm



Paul

My "mystery" board is actually a DELL. (Since "DELL" is screen printed on it). I didn't take and post a picture of it because it is still secured in the case. And the process is 866mhz or thereabout.

This is the machine I was surfing the net with over the last year, so thereare not settings or connections causing the problem of it not sending an image to the monitor.

To prove how cursed I am when it comes to PCs, I knocked over the 500Gb USBencase drive attached to this system.(Lost a ton of irreplaceable data). The "C" drive died a couple days later. I managed to get plug the "C" drive into my Mini-ITX system and get the data off it a couple weeks ago, but as if out of spite the "Mystery" board won't send an image to the monitor now.

As for the HP 7955, I copied that page you posted. I might have inserted the wrong ram.(I took the two sticks out of my "mystery" machine).
http://www.memoryten.com/pc/000693/SDRAM-168p-PC100-256MB/ and
http://www.amazon.com/HYNIX-PC133U-333-542-MEMORY-MODULE-HYM71V32635HCT8R-H/dp/B009IUV00C

(I'm stills searching for a decent manual so I can put the 7955 together).

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

 

[Searcher7]

This says that you have not got a Floppy-drive connected or perhaps the

cable is connected wrong (is the Floppy's light on all the time, IT

SHOULDN'T BE (light-on, only when it is reading/writing)). Also there may be

an option in the BIOS to tell it 'not to look for a Floppy'. You can

actually ignore the error and just press F1 to continue.



Suggest that you perhaps (until you get things working), turn-off the

'Trend' AV.

And BTW, the number at the bottom is your BIOS-string.






What MoBo is this?

This is the ASUS CUV4X.

I'm guessing I'd have to go into BIOS to turn off Trend AV.

No the floppy isn't attached.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

 

[Paul]

This is the ASUS CUV4X.

I'm guessing I'd have to go into BIOS to turn off Trend AV.

No the floppy isn't attached.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

You could look for a

"Halt On" [No Errors]

BIOS setting, which will bypass popular errors such as no keyboard
or mouse connected, something is up with the floppy, fan speed too low,
and so on. There is some risk with selecting [No Errors] as a setting,
because you could miss a critical condition (like the fan stopped spinning),
but it will get you past the "Press F1" prompt.

Paul

 

[Patrick]

This is the ASUS CUV4X.

Sorry, my mistake, I was thinking both pictures were a BIOS screen, the
first was of course the POST screen.

From having had a glance at the Manual, it may seem that you had just
changed the CPU, so just press F10 and hopefully it won't occur again when
it reboots.

I'm guessing I'd have to go into BIOS to turn off Trend AV.

Yes, it would entail going into the BIOS..
See page 75 (75/104)
And page 76 (76/104)
of the Manual
Though, it is just a vauge idea of mine, so don't worry about it.

No the floppy isn't attached.

Well that explains why the error report, I didn't see anything in the Manual
to 'stop it looking for the Floppy-drive'.

 

[Searcher7]

On Tuesday, March 26, 2013 7:30:55 PM UTC-4, Paul wrote:
You could look for a "Halt On" [No Errors] BIOS setting, which will bypass popular errors such as no keyboard or mouse connected, something is up withthe floppy, fan speed too low, and so on. There is some risk with selecting [No Errors] as a setting, because you could miss a critical condition (like the fan stopped spinning), but it will get you past the "Press F1" prompt. Paul

That's the least of my problems since it only means I have to take the extra step of pressing F1. Or I can just connect the floppy drive.

(I still don't know what the processor is on this machine or why BIOS is givine me the option of setting it to "Manual", "500Mhz", "750Mhz", or "1000Mhz").

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

 

[Paul]

On Tuesday, March 26, 2013 7:30:55 PM UTC-4, Paul wrote:
You could look for a "Halt On" [No Errors] BIOS setting, which will bypass popular errors such as no keyboard or mouse connected, something is up with the floppy, fan speed too low, and so on. There is some risk with selecting [No Errors] as a setting, because you could miss a critical condition (like the fan stopped spinning), but it will get you past the "Press F1" prompt. Paul

That's the least of my problems since it only means I have to take the extra step of pressing F1. Or I can just connect the floppy drive.

(I still don't know what the processor is on this machine or why BIOS is givine me the option of setting it to "Manual", "500Mhz", "750Mhz", or "1000Mhz").

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

The following assumes we're still talking about the Slot 1 based motherboard.

*******

The Intel processors, have had several pins called BSEL or
Bus_Select on the bottom of them, for many years. These
are digital pins, that encode a bus clock selection for
the processor. (I.e. Intel knows what bus clock they
should be using, and BSEL tells the motherboard.)

The BSEL pins, indicate a clock speed.

If you select Manual, then the BSEL pins instruct the
clock generator what frequency to use. The Manual method
means the hardware talks to itself - CPU send BSEL to
clock generator, and automatically the clock generator
uses the correct clock.

If you select one of the other three options, then the
clock generator can be programmed by the BIOS, for the
desired (user-controlled) speed. (There is always some
means, for the motherboard to override what BSEL says.)
Using the wrong speed, might constitute overclocking.

Your processor has a bus multiplier of 7.5. These are
the options

66MHz * 7.5 = 500MHz core clock
100MHz * 7.5 = 750MHz
133MHz * 7.5 = 1000MHz

If you can't be bothered to examine the surface of the
processor PCB, for a hint about the model number (SLxxx code),
then just select Manual.

To select any other speed, consider these factors:

1) A processor which is really 500MHz, may not particularly
like to run at 1000MHz. It could crash instantly.

2) The FSB clock and the memory clock, have a relationship
to one another. It's possible, that you'll end up running
the memory too fast. If you own PC133 memory, then this would
not be an issue (FSB133 and PC133 speeds would be OK). If you
are using PC100 memory, and try the 133MHz FSB option, then
the memory may throw errors (and the BIOS or OS could crash).
(Note that one of the regulars who used to post here, managed
to run his system at FSB 150MHz And his was a dual socket
motherboard as well. Other single socket motherboards, have
been run faster than that.)

3) The AGP divider should be set properly, as a function of FSB
clock choice. I presume the BIOS is doing this chore for you.
The AGP slot clock should be 66MHz, if you need to know the
actual numerical value desired. If the FSB was 100MHz, then
the BIOS will probably set the AGP divider to 2/3rds. If the
FSB is 133Mhz, then a divider of 1/2 would be good (to make
66MHz).

4) The PCI bus clock is also derived from the chosen clocks.
Since your BIOS is offering you only the canonical values
(derived from the standard 66, 100, 133MHz), the PCI bus
will not be an issue with those choices. PCI is supposed to
be 33MHz. If you select FSB100, then 100/3 = 33MHz will be used.
The PCI bus works up to 37.5MHz without a problem. Any higher
value, is the luck of the draw. At FSB133, the motherboard is
smart enough to use 133/4 = 33MHz.

You can select Manual for now. That's the best option.

Intel makes a PUI (Processor Identification Utility), which
you could run after you get the system up and running. But
I don't know if it can unambiguously tell you what is installed
on that board right now. It might still require a visual
inspection, and look up the SLxxx number on ark.intel.com .

If you are using a Slot 1 processor and not a Slocket, then
the SLxxx code might be printed visibly on the module. Look
for a holographic label, and examine it for model information.

For example, I have my old Slot 1 Celeron 300 in hand. It's the
processor out of my first PC. There is a white label 1.25" by 0.25"
on the back. In small print it says SL2WM.

And when I run that code through Ark, it says:

http://ark.intel.com/products/spec/SL2WM

Intel Celeron Processor 300 MHz, 128K Cache, 66 MHz FSB

The BSEL on that processor, would say "66MHz" to the motherboard.
But, I can override that value. I've run that processor at FSB100
or 100MHz bus clock. The processor core then runs at 450Mhz. So
it is possible to overclock them. Since I was switching up to
a faster processor anyway, I didn't run it that way for more
than 5 minutes (because, I wasn't planning on using the
Celery any longer - too slow). That particular processor
was known for tolerating that speed (lots of people got it to
work that way).

The Celerons were gutless, but they would tolerate overclocking.
Some of the Pentiums, they'd have more cache, but might resist
overclocking (need a bit more VCore and so on).

Just select Manual for now, and move on. If it works,
you can run CPUZ or Intel PIU or some other utility, and
see what it says. But looking for the white label affixed
to the PCB of the slot 1 processor, should identify the
processor for you. I can see my label, without removing the
fan. But my processor, doesn't have the plastic casing
around it right now (the plastic shell). That shell was
removed and put around the replacement processor. And that's
why I can read the label on my Celeron.

HTH,
Paul

 

[Searcher7]

(e-mail address removed)2.com wrote: > On Tuesday, March 26, 2013 7:30:55 PM UTC-4, Paul wrote: > You could look for a "Halt On" [No Errors] BIOS setting,which will bypass popular errors such as no keyboard or mouse connected, something is up with the floppy, fan speed too low, and so on. There is somerisk with selecting [No Errors] as a setting, because you could miss a critical condition (like the fan stopped spinning), but it will get you past the "Press F1" prompt. Paul > > That's the least of my problems since it only means I have to take the extra step of pressing F1. Or I can just connectthe floppy drive. > > (I still don't know what the processor is on this machine or why BIOS is givine me the option of setting it to "Manual", "500Mhz", "750Mhz", or "1000Mhz"). > > Darren Harris > Staten Island, New York. The following assumes we're still talking about the Slot 1 based motherboard. ******* The Intel processors, have had several pins called BSEL or Bus_Select on the bottom of them, for many years. These are digital pins, that encode a bus clock selection for the processor. (I.e. Intel knows what bus clock they should be using, and BSEL tells the motherboard.) The BSEL pins, indicate a clock speed. If you select Manual, then the BSEL pins instruct the clock generator what frequency to use. The Manual method means the hardware talks to itself - CPU send BSEL to clock generator, and automatically the clock generator uses the correct clock. If you select one of the other three options, then the clock generator can be programmed by the BIOS, for the desired (user-controlled) speed. (There is always some means, for themotherboard to override what BSEL says.) Using the wrong speed, might constitute overclocking. Your processor has a bus multiplier of 7.5. These are the options 66MHz * 7.5 = 500MHz core clock 100MHz * 7.5 = 750MHz 133MHz * 7.5 = 1000MHz If you can't be bothered to examine the surface of the processor PCB, for a hint about the model number (SLxxx code), then just select Manual. To select any other speed, consider these factors: 1) A processor which is really 500MHz, may not particularly like to run at 1000MHz. Itcould crash instantly. 2) The FSB clock and the memory clock, have a relationship to one another. It's possible, that you'll end up running the memory too fast. If you own PC133 memory, then this would not be an issue (FSB133 and PC133 speeds would be OK). If you are using PC100 memory, and try the133MHz FSB option, then the memory may throw errors (and the BIOS or OS could crash). (Note that one of the regulars who used to post here, managed to run his system at FSB 150MHz And his was a dual socket motherboard aswell. Other single socket motherboards, have been run faster than that.) 3) The AGP divider should be set properly, as a function of FSB clock choice.. I presume the BIOS is doing this chore for you. The AGP slot clock shouldbe 66MHz, if you need to know the actual numerical value desired. If the FSB was 100MHz, then the BIOS will probably set the AGP divider to 2/3rds. If the FSB is 133Mhz, then a divider of 1/2 would be good (to make 66MHz). 4) The PCI bus clock is also derived from the chosen clocks. Since your BIOSis offering you only the canonical values (derived from the standard 66, 100, 133MHz), the PCI bus will not be an issue with those choices. PCI is supposed to be 33MHz. If you select FSB100, then 100/3 = 33MHz will be used.. The PCI bus works up to 37.5MHz without a problem. Any higher value, is the luck of the draw. At FSB133, the motherboard is smart enough to use 133/4 = 33MHz. You can select Manual for now. That's the best option. Intel makes a PUI (Processor Identification Utility), which you could run after you get the system up and running. But I don't know if it can unambiguously tell you what is installed on that board right now. It might still require avisual inspection, and look up the SLxxx number on ark.intel.com . If you are using a Slot 1 processor and not a Slocket, then the SLxxx code might be printed visibly on the module. Look for a holographic label, and examine it for model information. For example, I have my old Slot 1 Celeron 300 in hand. It's the processor out of my first PC. There is a white label 1.25" by 0.25" on the back. In small print it says SL2WM. And when I run that codethrough Ark, it says: http://ark.intel.com/products/spec/SL2WM Intel Celeron Processor 300 MHz, 128K Cache, 66 MHz FSB The BSEL on that processor, would say "66MHz" to the motherboard. But, I can override that value. I've run that processor at FSB100 or 100MHz bus clock. The processor core then runs at 450Mhz. So it is possible to overclock them. Since I was switching up to a faster processor anyway, I didn't run it that way for more than 5 minutes (because, I wasn't planning on using the Celery any longer - too slow).That particular processor was known for tolerating that speed (lots of people got it to work that way). The Celerons were gutless, but they would tolerate overclocking. Some of the Pentiums, they'd have more cache, but mightresist overclocking (need a bit more VCore and so on). Just select Manual for now, and move on. If it works, you can run CPUZ or Intel PIU or some other utility, and see what it says. But looking for the white label affixed to the PCB of the slot 1 processor, should identify the processor for you. I can see my label, without removing the fan. But my processor, doesn't have the plastic casing around it right now (the plastic shell). That shell was removed and put around the replacement processor. And that's why I can read the label on my Celeron. HTH, Paul

Yes, I did select manuala nd it automatically put it on 1000Mhz.

Since there is nothing left I can do with the DELL 8400, I'm wondering if Ishould try to *re-install* Windows XP on a hard drive while attached to either the DELL GX110 PC (which gives me the blue screen before rebooting) orthe PC with the ASUS CUV4X in an attempt to correct the problems. (Though I'm not sure if the GX110 present 256mb memory limitation would be a factor).

Thanks.

DarrenHarris
Staten Island, New York.

 

[Searcher7]

(e-mail address removed)2.com wrote: > On Tuesday, March 26, 2013 7:30:55 PMUTC-4, Paul wrote: > You could look for a "Halt On" [No Errors] BIOS setting, which will bypass popular errors such as no keyboard or mouse connected, something is up with the floppy, fan speed too low, and so on. There is some risk with selecting [No Errors] as a setting, because you could miss a critical condition (like the fan stopped spinning), but it will get you past the "Press F1" prompt. Paul > > That's the least of my problems since it only means I have to take the extra step of pressing F1. Or I can just connect the floppy drive. > > (I still don't know what the processor is on this machine or why BIOS is givine me the option of setting it to "Manual","500Mhz", "750Mhz", or "1000Mhz"). > > Darren Harris > Staten Island, New York. The following assumes we're still talking about the Slot 1 based motherboard. ******* The Intel processors, have had several pins called BSEL orBus_Select on t

he bottom of them, for many years. These are digital pins, that encode a bus clock selection for the processor. (I.e. Intel knows what bus clock they should be using, and BSEL tells the motherboard.) The BSEL pins, indicatea clock speed. If you select Manual, then the BSEL pins instruct the clockgenerator what frequency to use. The Manual method means the hardware talks to itself - CPU send BSEL to clock generator, and automatically the clockgenerator uses the correct clock. If you select one of the other three options, then the clock generator can be programmed by the BIOS, for the desired (user-controlled) speed. (There is always some means, for the motherboard to override what BSEL says.) Using the wrong speed, might constitute overclocking. Your processor has a bus multiplier of 7.5. These are the options66MHz * 7.5 = 500MHz core clock 100MHz * 7.5 = 750MHz 133MHz * 7.5 =1000MHz If you can't be bothered to examine the surface of the processor PCB, for a hint about th

e model number (SLxxx code), then just select Manual. To select any otherspeed, consider these factors: 1) A processor which is really 500MHz, may not particularly like to run at 1000MHz. It could crash instantly. 2) The FSB clock and the memory clock, have a relationship to one another. It's possible, that you'll end up running the memory too fast. If you own PC133 memory, then this would not be an issue (FSB133 and PC133 speeds would be OK).If you are using PC100 memory, and try the 133MHz FSB option, then the memory may throw errors (and the BIOS or OS could crash). (Note that one of the regulars who used to post here, managed to run his system at FSB 150MHz And his was a dual socket motherboard as well. Other single socket motherboards, have been run faster than that.) 3) The AGP divider should be set properly, as a function of FSB clock choice. I presume the BIOS is doing this chore for you. The AGP slot clock should be 66MHz, if you need to know the actual numeric

al value desired. If the FSB was 100MHz, then the BIOS will probably set the AGP divider to 2/3rds. If the FSB is 133Mhz, then a divider of 1/2 would be good (to make 66MHz). 4) The PCI bus clock is also derived from the chosen clocks. Since your BIOS is offering you only the canonical values (derived from the standard 66, 100, 133MHz), the PCI bus will not be an issue with those choices. PCI is supposed to be 33MHz. If you select FSB100, then 100/3 = 33MHz will be used. The PCI bus works up to 37.5MHz without a problem. Any higher value, is the luck of the draw. At FSB133, the motherboardis smart enough to use 133/4 = 33MHz. You can select Manual for now. That's the best option. Intel makes a PUI (Processor Identification Utility), which you could run after you get the system up and running. But I don't know if it can unambiguously tell you what is installed on that board right now. It might still require a visual inspection, and look up the SLxxx number on ark.intel.com .

If you are using a Slot 1 processor and not a Slocket, then the SLxxx code might be printed visibly on the module. Look for a holographic label, andexamine it for model information. For example, I have my old Slot 1 Celeron 300 in hand. It's the processor out of my first PC. There is a white label 1.25" by 0.25" on the back. In small print it says SL2WM. And when I run that code through Ark, it says: http://ark.intel.com/products/spec/SL2WM Intel Celeron Processor 300 MHz, 128K Cache, 66 MHz FSB The BSEL on that processor, would say "66MHz" to the motherboard. But, I can override that value.. I've run that processor at FSB100 or 100MHz bus clock. The processor corethen runs at 450Mhz. So it is possible to overclock them. Since I was switching up to a faster processor anyway, I didn't run it that way for more than 5 minutes (because, I wasn't planning on using the Celery any longer - too slow). That particular processor was known for tolerating that speed (lots of people got

it to work that way). The Celerons were gutless, but they would tolerate overclocking. Some of the Pentiums, they'd have more cache, but might resist overclocking (need a bit more VCore and so on). Just select Manual for now, and move on. If it works, you can run CPUZ or Intel PIU or some other utility, and see what it says. But looking for the white label affixed to thePCB of the slot 1 processor, should identify the processor for you. I can see my label, without removing the fan. But my processor, doesn't have the plastic casing around it right now (the plastic shell). That shell was removed and put around the replacement processor. And that's why I can read thelabel on my Celeron. HTH, Paul

Yes, I did select manuala nd it automatically put it on 1000Mhz.

Since there is nothing left I can do with the DELL 8400, I'm wondering if I should try to *re-install* Windows XP on a hard drive while attached to either the DELL GX110 PC (which gives me the blue screen before rebooting) or the PC with the ASUS CUV4X in an attempt to correct the problems. (Though I'm not sure if the GX110 present 256mb memory limitation would be a factor).




Staten Island, New York.

To reinstall WinXP, you'll need the license key handy. If each machine has

its own license key, I don't see a problem.



If you're trying to reuse the license key (OEM) from the Dell, with

another computer, that's not likely to work. The installer may

accept the key initially, but when it goes to activate, the

Microsoft activation server is likely to reject the attempt.



*******



And, it also all depends on what you hope to do with the WinXP OS.

There are other OSes you can put on a computer, some of which are free.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightweight_Linux_distribution



What's funny is, for free OSes that claim to have small resource

requirements, the hardware requirements just keep going up and up.

(See comments near the end here.) Not everyone will have a CPU with

PAE extensions.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lubuntu



To test a computer, you can boot a Linux LiveCD. That's a good way to see

if the hardware is working OK. But a machine with only 256MB of RAM,

you'll have to look a bit harder, to find something to run on that.

I'm not sure what the average OS is looking for these days, in terms

of RAM. Time was, that would have been plenty of RAM.



Also, if you have some old OS around, which didn't have activation, then

you could try installing that. For example, I have my old copy of Win98 here

I could use. That's what I got, to go with my first PC. (I used Macs before

that.)



Paul

I've been installing Windows on patched together PCs for years. Some while connected to the internet and some not.

I can't find my Windows 98 disk, but I have three different copies of Windows XP. One is for a DELL and is still in it's shrink wrap unused. I even have Vista, but no machine that I could install that on.

Even after installs between PCs I've switched out the "C" drives and used them in a completely different PC which takes to the drive with no problem.

What I'm wondering is if I should pick up some cheap ram first to see if I can get the GX110 to see more than 256mb before I try an XP install.

And if there is a possibility that a new XP install on the CUV4X might solve the problem with me not being able to play any videos.

I'll get back to the HP 7955 also this week.

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

 

[Paul]

I've been installing Windows on patched together PCs for years.
Some while connected to the internet and some not.

I can't find my Windows 98 disk, but I have three different copies
of Windows XP. One is for a DELL and is still in it's shrink wrap
unused. I even have Vista, but no machine that I could install that on.

Even after installs between PCs I've switched out the "C" drives and
used them in a completely different PC which takes to the drive with no problem.

What I'm wondering is if I should pick up some cheap ram first to see
if I can get the GX110 to see more than 256mb before I try an XP install.

And if there is a possibility that a new XP install on the CUV4X might
solve the problem with me not being able to play any videos.

I'll get back to the HP 7955 also this week.

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

Can't you boot WinXP with 256MB ? I had a machine here that
had 512MB, and t could run around three applications before it
was out of RAM. Maybe 256MB will be enough to just boot it.

Some Googling finds GX110 using Intel 810 chipset. And that
might take two low-density 256MB DIMMs max. The DIMM would have
sixteen chips on it, to be low-density. In the past, there were
a lot more high density DIMMs for sale on places like Ebay. I
got mine from Crucial (I have an older machine I bought four of
those for it), but Crucial no longer sells that stuff.

This is an example of what you don't want. This is an 8 chip module.

http://www.valueram.com/datasheets/KVR133X64C3_256.pdf

I'd just give it a try, without changing the RAM.

And since the GX110 is a Dell, you could use your Dell WinXP CD
and it should activate immediately.

If it boots OK, then you have an incentive to buy some more RAM.

*******

The listed minimums for RAM here, are 64MB and 128MB. The
128MB is the "recommended" amount. So you never know, you
might be able to run one application on it

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_xp

Paul

 

[Searcher7]

(e-mail address removed)2.com wrote: > > I've been installing Windows on patched together PCs for years. > Some while connected to the internet and some not. > > I can't find my Windows 98 disk, but I have three different copies > of Windows XP. One is for a DELL and is still in it's shrink wrap > unused. I even have Vista, but no machine that I could install that on. > > Evenafter installs between PCs I've switched out the "C" drives and > used them in a completely different PC which takes to the drive with no problem. > > What I'm wondering is if I should pick up some cheap ram first to see > if I can get the GX110 to see more than 256mb before I try an XP install. > > And if there is a possibility that a new XP install on the CUV4X might > solve the problem with me not being able to play any videos. > > I'll get back to the HP 7955 also this week. > > Thanks. > > Darren Harris > Staten Island, New York. Can't you boot WinXP with 256MB ? I had a machine here that had 512MB, and t could run around three applications before it was out ofRAM. Maybe 256MB will be enough to just boot it. Some Googling finds GX110using Intel 810 chipset. And that might take two low-density 256MB DIMMs max. The DIMM would have sixteen chips on it, to be low-density. In the past, there were a lot more high density DIMMs for sale on places like Ebay. I got mine from Crucial (I have an older machine I bought four of those for it), but Crucial no longer sells that stuff. This is an example of what you don't want. This is an 8 chip module. http://www.valueram.com/datasheets/KVR133X64C3_256.pdf I'd just give it a try, without changing the RAM. And since the GX110 is a Dell, you could use your Dell WinXP CD and it should activate immediately. If it boots OK, then you have an incentive to buy some more RAM. ******* The listed minimums for RAM here, are 64MB and 128MB. The 128MB is the "recommended" amount. So you never know, you might be able to run one application on it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_xp Paul

I guess I should just try re-installing XP on the drive in the GX110. The drive already has a clean install of XP on it, but it was done in a different machine. So perhaps I can avoid the blue screen-restart cycle by having the XP disk in the DVD drive when I attempt to boot up.

On the subject of ram. After doing some reading about how the HP 7955 can be finicky even with the recommended ram I did some more swapping and managed to get one stick of 256mb to put an end to the 1-3-3-1- code. But I then got a 1-2-2 code which says DMA failure. So I started adding the compnents.It wasn't until I added the video card/monitor that I got past that code also.

But like the DELL GX 110, at thje moment I can only use 256mb of ram. And now, even though I can get into the HP 7955 BIOS, when I attempt to boot up I can only get as far as a black screen with the blinking "underscore". (And the only way to turn the HP 7955 on and off is by plugging and unpluggingthe AC cord).

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.