SATA saga - resolved

I bought a new motherboard and memory yesterday to resolve my on-going SATA
problem with my Asus motherboard.

Before I changed mobos, I installed the new RAM (DDR 400) in my old (Asus)
motherboard - and guess what? The fecking thing worked.

So it looks like my problem was dodgy memory. It certainly felt like that -
but I had two memory sticks (512Mb and 256Mb) and I used them independently
and still got BSODs. So it was logical to assume that it wasn't RAM.

But this new RAM module seems to have cured the problem. So it must have
been. But how could flashing a BIOS screw-up *two* DIMMs?

Computers never fail to surprise me.

Thanks to everyone who helped.

I still say that some mobos, SATA and XP don't mix very well.

Bobby

Glad to hear you got it resolved.
Curious as to why flashing the BIOS would damage mem chips. I, for one,
resist the temptation to flash the BIOS until I absolutely need some
advanced functionality. If it ain't broke, don't fix it is my motto.

"Bobby" wrote in message
...
I bought a new motherboard and memory yesterday to resolve my on-going SATA
problem with my Asus motherboard.

Before I changed mobos, I installed the new RAM (DDR 400) in my old (Asus)
motherboard - and guess what? The fecking thing worked.

So it looks like my problem was dodgy memory. It certainly felt like
that -
but I had two memory sticks (512Mb and 256Mb) and I used them
independently
and still got BSODs. So it was logical to assume that it wasn't RAM.

But this new RAM module seems to have cured the problem. So it must have
been. But how could flashing a BIOS screw-up *two* DIMMs?

Computers never fail to surprise me.

Thanks to everyone who helped.

I still say that some mobos, SATA and XP don't mix very well.

Bobby

I'm pleased you've fixed it too. Interesting that the fault happened only
after you were installing the SATA drive in your machine and not before -
perhaps ESD do you think? You'd think that running the machine in a minimal
configuration while attempting to install windows (as I suggested earlier in
one of the threads) would have surely picked up a dodgy DIMM if you'd tried
them one at a time. The only possible explanation is that whatever happened
affected both DIMMs. Memory modules are extremely sensitive to electrical
damage so it wouldn't take much (e.g. just touching them without using a
properly grounded wrist strap could do it). This is also another reason why
its best to flash motherboards in a minimal configuration too - everything
unnecessary unplugged/removed (including only having one DIMM installed if
the mobo will run like this). Having said that I doubt the actual flashing
process caused this problem - probably something else around the same time.
It would be worth testing out the memory modules in another board before
deciding they're faulty - they may have just developed an "incompatibility"
with that mobo. I've had that happen to me when I installed unapproved (but
correct spec) Micron memory in my Tyan S2460 - eventually I started getting
memory errors which Samsung memory showed no sign of producing yet the
Micron modules tested fine in another board. 3 years on the Samsung modules
are still going perfectly.

Its true that some configurations are less compatible than others but as
you've proven with your replacement memory module, it wasn't the combination
of mobo, SATA and XP that caused your problem. As long as people choose
their components after some research looking at "manufacturer recommended
lists" for compatibility, it shouldn't be a problem.

Paul

So now that you've ascertained it was the memory all along are you
"Bobby" wrote in message
...
I bought a new motherboard and memory yesterday to resolve my on-going SATA
problem with my Asus motherboard.

Before I changed mobos, I installed the new RAM (DDR 400) in my old (Asus)
motherboard - and guess what? The fecking thing worked.

So it looks like my problem was dodgy memory. It certainly felt like
that -
but I had two memory sticks (512Mb and 256Mb) and I used them
independently
and still got BSODs. So it was logical to assume that it wasn't RAM.

But this new RAM module seems to have cured the problem. So it must have
been. But how could flashing a BIOS screw-up *two* DIMMs?

Computers never fail to surprise me.

Thanks to everyone who helped.

I still say that some mobos, SATA and XP don't mix very well.

Bobby

On Sat, 2 Apr 2005 11:40:11 +0100, "Bobby"
wrote:

I bought a new motherboard and memory yesterday to resolve my on-going SATA
problem with my Asus motherboard.

Before I changed mobos, I installed the new RAM (DDR 400) in my old (Asus)
motherboard - and guess what? The fecking thing worked.

So it looks like my problem was dodgy memory. It certainly felt like that -
but I had two memory sticks (512Mb and 256Mb) and I used them independently
and still got BSODs. So it was logical to assume that it wasn't RAM.

But this new RAM module seems to have cured the problem. So it must have
been. But how could flashing a BIOS screw-up *two* DIMMs?

Computers never fail to surprise me.

Thanks to everyone who helped.

I still say that some mobos, SATA and XP don't mix very well.

Bobby


It could very well be that you inadvertantly damaged the new memory
through ESD. It could also have been that the memory timings set in
the bios were the problem and needed to be adjusted after the BIOS
flash/reset. In either event, if you had ran Memtest86 like we
recommended, you could have found this out without wasting the money
on a new motherboard.

I am glad it is all working for you though. I bypassed SATA driver
load issues by including the SATA controller drivers from various
manufacturers in my XP cd so that they will load without having to use
the floppy

On Sat, 2 Apr 2005 14:40:33 +0100, "Paul Murphy"
wrote:

I'm pleased you've fixed it too. Interesting that the fault happened only
after you were installing the SATA drive in your machine and not before -
perhaps ESD do you think? You'd think that running the machine in a minimal
configuration while attempting to install windows (as I suggested earlier in
one of the threads) would have surely picked up a dodgy DIMM if you'd tried
them one at a time. The only possible explanation is that whatever happened
affected both DIMMs. Memory modules are extremely sensitive to electrical
damage so it wouldn't take much (e.g. just touching them without using a
properly grounded wrist strap could do it). This is also another reason why
its best to flash motherboards in a minimal configuration too - everything
unnecessary unplugged/removed (including only having one DIMM installed if
the mobo will run like this). Having said that I doubt the actual flashing
process caused this problem - probably something else around the same time.
It would be worth testing out the memory modules in another board before
deciding they're faulty - they may have just developed an "incompatibility"
with that mobo. I've had that happen to me when I installed unapproved (but
correct spec) Micron memory in my Tyan S2460 - eventually I started getting
memory errors which Samsung memory showed no sign of producing yet the
Micron modules tested fine in another board. 3 years on the Samsung modules
are still going perfectly.

Its true that some configurations are less compatible than others but as
you've proven with your replacement memory module, it wasn't the combination
of mobo, SATA and XP that caused your problem. As long as people choose
their components after some research looking at "manufacturer recommended
lists" for compatibility, it shouldn't be a problem.

Paul

So now that you've ascertained it was the memory all along are you
"Bobby" wrote in message
...
I bought a new motherboard and memory yesterday to resolve my on-going SATA
problem with my Asus motherboard.

Before I changed mobos, I installed the new RAM (DDR 400) in my old (Asus)
motherboard - and guess what? The fecking thing worked.

So it looks like my problem was dodgy memory. It certainly felt like
that -
but I had two memory sticks (512Mb and 256Mb) and I used them
independently
and still got BSODs. So it was logical to assume that it wasn't RAM.

But this new RAM module seems to have cured the problem. So it must have
been. But how could flashing a BIOS screw-up *two* DIMMs?

Computers never fail to surprise me.

Thanks to everyone who helped.

I still say that some mobos, SATA and XP don't mix very well.

Bobby


Memory timings could have easily gotten changed in a BIOS flash and
what worked in one config didn't work in another.

"NoneOfBusiness" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 2 Apr 2005 11:40:11 +0100, "Bobby"
wrote:

I bought a new motherboard and memory yesterday to resolve my on-going
SATA
problem with my Asus motherboard.

Before I changed mobos, I installed the new RAM (DDR 400) in my old (Asus)
motherboard - and guess what? The fecking thing worked.

So it looks like my problem was dodgy memory. It certainly felt like
that -
but I had two memory sticks (512Mb and 256Mb) and I used them
independently
and still got BSODs. So it was logical to assume that it wasn't RAM.

But this new RAM module seems to have cured the problem. So it must have
been. But how could flashing a BIOS screw-up *two* DIMMs?

Computers never fail to surprise me.

Thanks to everyone who helped.

I still say that some mobos, SATA and XP don't mix very well.

Bobby


It could very well be that you inadvertantly damaged the new memory
through ESD. It could also have been that the memory timings set in
the bios were the problem and needed to be adjusted after the BIOS
flash/reset. In either event, if you had ran Memtest86 like we
recommended, you could have found this out without wasting the money
on a new motherboard.

I am glad it is all working for you though. I bypassed SATA driver
load issues by including the SATA controller drivers from various
manufacturers in my XP cd so that they will load without having to use
the floppy

I know how to create a slipstreamed SP2 inclusive XP CD but where did you
put the drivers - or was it a case that you still had to point the
installation program to their location on the CD when it asked for the
floppy disk to be inserted into A:?

Paul

Believe, I would not now flash the BIOS if I needed a BIOS upgrade to find
next week's lottery numbers.

"BP" wrote in message
...
Glad to hear you got it resolved.
Curious as to why flashing the BIOS would damage mem chips. I, for one,
resist the temptation to flash the BIOS until I absolutely need some
advanced functionality. If it ain't broke, don't fix it is my motto.

"Bobby" wrote in message
...
I bought a new motherboard and memory yesterday to resolve my on-going
SATA
problem with my Asus motherboard.

Before I changed mobos, I installed the new RAM (DDR 400) in my old
(Asus)
motherboard - and guess what? The fecking thing worked.

So it looks like my problem was dodgy memory. It certainly felt like
that -
but I had two memory sticks (512Mb and 256Mb) and I used them
independently
and still got BSODs. So it was logical to assume that it wasn't RAM.

But this new RAM module seems to have cured the problem. So it must have
been. But how could flashing a BIOS screw-up *two* DIMMs?

Computers never fail to surprise me.

Thanks to everyone who helped.

I still say that some mobos, SATA and XP don't mix very well.

Bobby

On Sat, 2 Apr 2005 17:52:15 +0100, "Paul Murphy"
wrote:

"NoneOfBusiness" wrote in message
.. .
On Sat, 2 Apr 2005 11:40:11 +0100, "Bobby"
wrote:

I bought a new motherboard and memory yesterday to resolve my on-going
SATA
problem with my Asus motherboard.

Before I changed mobos, I installed the new RAM (DDR 400) in my old (Asus)
motherboard - and guess what? The fecking thing worked.

So it looks like my problem was dodgy memory. It certainly felt like
that -
but I had two memory sticks (512Mb and 256Mb) and I used them
independently
and still got BSODs. So it was logical to assume that it wasn't RAM.

But this new RAM module seems to have cured the problem. So it must have
been. But how could flashing a BIOS screw-up *two* DIMMs?

Computers never fail to surprise me.

Thanks to everyone who helped.

I still say that some mobos, SATA and XP don't mix very well.

Bobby


It could very well be that you inadvertantly damaged the new memory
through ESD. It could also have been that the memory timings set in
the bios were the problem and needed to be adjusted after the BIOS
flash/reset. In either event, if you had ran Memtest86 like we
recommended, you could have found this out without wasting the money
on a new motherboard.

I am glad it is all working for you though. I bypassed SATA driver
load issues by including the SATA controller drivers from various
manufacturers in my XP cd so that they will load without having to use
the floppy

I know how to create a slipstreamed SP2 inclusive XP CD but where did you
put the drivers - or was it a case that you still had to point the
installation program to their location on the CD when it asked for the
floppy disk to be inserted into A:?

Paul


Take a look at http://unattended.msfn.org/

All sorts of neat stuff here. I did a full unattended install of xp
sp2 with office, av, many little apps, reg tweaks, etc. Of course i
about filled a DVD up in the process but it beats loading software
manually.. The directions for including SATA/RAID drivers are there.

Paul Murphy wrote:

"NoneOfBusiness" wrote in message
...

On Sat, 2 Apr 2005 11:40:11 +0100, "Bobby"
wrote:


I bought a new motherboard and memory yesterday to resolve my on-going
SATA
problem with my Asus motherboard.

Before I changed mobos, I installed the new RAM (DDR 400) in my old (Asus)
motherboard - and guess what? The fecking thing worked.

So it looks like my problem was dodgy memory. It certainly felt like
that -
but I had two memory sticks (512Mb and 256Mb) and I used them
independently
and still got BSODs. So it was logical to assume that it wasn't RAM.

But this new RAM module seems to have cured the problem. So it must have
been. But how could flashing a BIOS screw-up *two* DIMMs?

Computers never fail to surprise me.

Thanks to everyone who helped.

I still say that some mobos, SATA and XP don't mix very well.

Bobby



It could very well be that you inadvertantly damaged the new memory
through ESD. It could also have been that the memory timings set in
the bios were the problem and needed to be adjusted after the BIOS
flash/reset. In either event, if you had ran Memtest86 like we
recommended, you could have found this out without wasting the money
on a new motherboard.

I am glad it is all working for you though. I bypassed SATA driver
load issues by including the SATA controller drivers from various
manufacturers in my XP cd so that they will load without having to use
the floppy


I know how to create a slipstreamed SP2 inclusive XP CD but where did you
put the drivers - or was it a case that you still had to point the
installation program to their location on the CD when it asked for the
floppy disk to be inserted into A:?

http://unattended.msfn.org/intermedi...ivers/raid.htm

"NoneOfBusiness" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 2 Apr 2005 17:52:15 +0100, "Paul Murphy"
wrote:

"NoneOfBusiness" wrote in message
. ..
On Sat, 2 Apr 2005 11:40:11 +0100, "Bobby"
wrote:

I bought a new motherboard and memory yesterday to resolve my on-going
SATA
problem with my Asus motherboard.

Before I changed mobos, I installed the new RAM (DDR 400) in my old
(Asus)
motherboard - and guess what? The fecking thing worked.

So it looks like my problem was dodgy memory. It certainly felt like
that -
but I had two memory sticks (512Mb and 256Mb) and I used them
independently
and still got BSODs. So it was logical to assume that it wasn't RAM.

But this new RAM module seems to have cured the problem. So it must have
been. But how could flashing a BIOS screw-up *two* DIMMs?

Computers never fail to surprise me.

Thanks to everyone who helped.

I still say that some mobos, SATA and XP don't mix very well.

Bobby


It could very well be that you inadvertantly damaged the new memory
through ESD. It could also have been that the memory timings set in
the bios were the problem and needed to be adjusted after the BIOS
flash/reset. In either event, if you had ran Memtest86 like we
recommended, you could have found this out without wasting the money
on a new motherboard.

I am glad it is all working for you though. I bypassed SATA driver
load issues by including the SATA controller drivers from various
manufacturers in my XP cd so that they will load without having to use
the floppy

I know how to create a slipstreamed SP2 inclusive XP CD but where did you
put the drivers - or was it a case that you still had to point the
installation program to their location on the CD when it asked for the
floppy disk to be inserted into A:?

Paul


Take a look at http://unattended.msfn.org/

All sorts of neat stuff here. I did a full unattended install of xp
sp2 with office, av, many little apps, reg tweaks, etc. Of course i
about filled a DVD up in the process but it beats loading software
manually.. The directions for including SATA/RAID drivers are there.

Thanks for that link (and Sunny), I've bookmarked it. It sure looks
interesting although allot of work! I suspect it would be easier for me to
just keep using a floppy disk at the required moment and save an image of my
final setup to a restore DVD. If I wanted a master CD (or DVD) that I could
use to perform a "common" install on a wide variety of hardware that'd be
ideal though. It sure would have been helpful to know when I used to work as
a computer tech!

Paul