P
Paul
"Stuart" said:
I would finish the mem test, using the memory you think is working.
If the Crucial has a warranty, you should get Crucial to replace it.
You can tell them it failed memtest if you want. If you test both
memory sticks by themselves, and they are both failing, it could
mean there is some other problem with the system. (I am assuming
here, that the memory was working properly at one time, and
that you haven't forced the memory to run faster than it is
specified for. A memory setting of "Auto" should be using the
slower memory stick characteristics, to set the speed for both
sticks.)
As for an IDE problem, there can be a number of root causes. For me,
I bumped the cable once while working in the computer, and unseated
it. Make sure the cable is fully in place, and that in pulling and
tugging on it, you haven't pulled the ribbon away from one of the
connectors. Ribbon cables do fail, sometimes even when they are
brand new. Try another 80 conductor cable, if you have one. (The
80 conductor cable has 40 ground signals on it, and this improves
the quality of signals carried on the other normal 40 wires.)
Make sure both drives have power (the four pin power cable).
I assume from your description, that these two devices were working
before, and now they are not ? Your options are, to use an 80
conductor cable (which supports cable select mode) and set the
two drives for cable select. Or, you can use the same cable, but
jumper one drive for master and the other for slave. I would make
a reader device (like a CDROM or a DVDROM) the master, and the DVDRW
a slave, but try both combinations until you find one that works.
As with the ram, you can test the drives one at a time. Set a
drive to master and see if the one drive can be detected by the
BIOS. You could have a bad drive on your hands, and that can
stop all communications on a shared IDE cable.
Finally, if you have placed any extra brass standoffs underneath
the motherboard, they could touch a copper track, such as an IDE
signal, and short it out. Standoffs should only be installed
where there is a plated hole in the motherboard that lines up with
it. Extra standoffs are OK if they are made from an insulating
material like nylon, but those aren't common. The plated holes
on the motherboard are at ground potential, and are designed
to touch and make contact with a brass standoff and the screw
that holds it.
HTH,
Paul