BIOS

[gidif]

I write this to ask if anyone is aware if BIOS exists on xp, and if so, how can i disable the BIOS memory options such as caching or shadowing???

if anyone could help me i'd be very grateful.... thanks for reading

 

[pat mcgroin]

The easist way to explain with out being rude is to say

BIOS is part of your computer, no matter what OP sytems you have

Without more information no one should explain how to enable/disable any BIOS settings, as it can cause damage that you can not recover from.

Lets start with the basics.
Why do you want to do what you want to do?
What makes you think these are your best options?
Searching is usually a helpful way to resolve questions
Information Information Information
You tell us nothing about why you could want to do this
Those are generally two options that you would like to keep

I know its Xmas and everyone is in a hurry to make it work, BUT without more info no one could possibly help you.

 

[lazzios]

I agree with Pat 100%
and why do you want to disable memory caching and shadowing????
from your post it appears you are not much familiar with PC hardware, right. So take our advice, leave BIOS settings alone and if you are facing any problems let us know in detail (as much as possible) or contact your PC manufacturer / vendor.
DO NOT ATTEMPT ANYTHING IN BIOS!!!! YOU MAY END UP SMOKING YOUR PC.

 

[gidif]

ok, thanks for the quick response and advice, you are right in assuming that i have no hardware knowledge and i have left little info on why i need to do this.

basically, when i am playing a game (world of warcraft if it helps) the computer has a habit of cutting me off during gameplay and comes up with a blue screen with an error message - i will copy this message out for you in another post below.

 

[gidif]

it gives advice on what to do once it has frozen/come up with the error message:

Check to be sure you have adequate disk space (which i have), if a driver is identified in the stop message(the error screen) disable the driver or check with manufacturer for driver updates. try changing video adapters.

Check with your hardware vendor for any BIOS updates (i am not sure how to do this). Disable BIOS memory options such as caching or shadowing. If you need to use safe mode to remove/disable components, press F8 for safe mode...

now i am not sure how to - change video adapter to see if it helps, or how to find my hardware vendor....could you help me with this or if i'm totally off course on how to fix this, regards.

 

[Scotteq]

Get the error code off of the blue screen. Then go to http://support.microsoft.com and search on that error code and your operating system. Do this before playing with your Bios.

Quite frankly - WoW isn't a particularly taxing game for your computer to render/play. So if you're getting errors I'm inclined to believe there's a driver issue. Search the error code, and also check your device manager to see if there's an error there. When you've figured out what it is: Go to the maker's website for the component in question, download the latest driver, and save it where you know it'll be. then uninstall the bad one, and use a program like the one available at www.drivercleaner.net to make sure it's all gone. Once that's done, then install the good driver you just downloaded and saved.

 

[gidif]

one more question, is the error code the technical info at the bottom of the blue screen, such as this:

Technical information

*** STOP:0x0000008E (0xC0000005, 0xBF1139F8, 0xA889Z99c, 0x00000000)

*** ialmdd5. DLL-address BF1139F8 base at BF075 DateStamp 42dd4778

i'll try it now anyway, if not, i'm not sure what it would be.

 

[gidif]

one more question, is the error code the technical info at the bottom of the blue screen, such as this:

Technical information

*** STOP:0x0000008E (0xC0000005, 0xBF1139F8, 0xA889Z99c, 0x00000000)

*** ialmdd5. DLL-address BF1139F8 base at BF075 DateStamp 42dd4778

i'll try it now anyway, if not, i'm not sure what it would be.

 

[pat mcgroin]

Is this the actual error message? I assume that it is. So after quick search I found this http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315335
It would seem that you have some sort of memory issue
Follow along with the trouble shooting on that page as I think it will fix you up. If not write back and we'll see if we can help a bit more.

By the wayI found the info by typing the error code into google stop:0x0000008e

 

[gidif]

this looks to the be the method towards fixing it

would i be able to put the same RAM back onto the computer after i have taken it off or does it remain faulty....and is this resolution safe, can i trust it?

if so, how would i remove the RAM?

thank you for the reply by the way pat mcgroin

 

[pat mcgroin]

Before we get started with that we will need a couple of things.

First we need to identify your computer.
Do you have the book that came with it? if not
goto start|programs|accessories|system tools|system information
get the info of system manufactuer and model so that I can see the manual

SIZE OF MEMORY RECOGNIZED BY WINDOWS
A: double-click the 'system' icon in the control panel.
Start --> Settings --> Control Panel --> Syetem. Look under the general tab, you should see something similar to "512 MB of RAM

go here and do the test it offers http://www.crucial.com/
it will identify you ram modules and sizes

post back with the results of these three questions

This wont be complicated but I need to see if you have more than one memory module to try one at a time or if you will possibly have to buy another. (they're cheap)
Also if I can see the manual it will be easier to tell you what to do as I will be looking at the same thing you are.
Its possible the memory has just come loose and you just need to reseat it.

 

[gidif]

ok, underneath is the system summary:

OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Version 5.1.2600 Service Pack 2 Build 2600
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Name DAVEYHOUSE
System Manufacturer Dell Inc.
System Model Dell DV051
System Type X86-based PC
Processor x86 Family 15 Model 4 Stepping 3 GenuineIntel ~2992 Mhz
Processor x86 Family 15 Model 4 Stepping 3 GenuineIntel ~2992 Mhz
BIOS Version/Date Dell Inc. A03, 08/10/2005
SMBIOS Version 2.3
Windows Directory C:\WINDOWS
System Directory C:\WINDOWS\system32
Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume2
Locale United States
Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "5.1.2600.2180 (xpsp_sp2_rtm.040803-2158)"
User Name DAVEYHOUSE\NEIL DAVEY
Time Zone GMT Standard Time
Total Physical Memory 1,024.00 MB
Available Physical Memory 506.74 MB
Total Virtual Memory 2.00 GB
Available Virtual Memory 1.96 GB
Page File Space 2.38 GB
Page File C:\pagefile.sys


Secondly, the amount of RAM my System recognizes is 0.99GB

Thirdly, the test thing came up with 1GB of memory (512)(512) and the system preformance is about 4/5 of the way to the end.

Surely this suggests there's nothing worng with the RAM???

Should i try and reseat the memory or buy the upgrade that cam recommended with the test result.

This is the test result page address: http://www.crucial.com/systemscanner/viewscanbyid.aspx?id=6BFF979C31D926C3

 

[pat mcgroin]

ok I have done a bit more looking around (as I said I did a quick search earlier)
You could have something else going on. Before you take your system apart there may be another answer.
below are some addresses of people with similar problems.
One solution seems to stand out though as they have tried all of the options with no luck. In some responses though I noticed that they ultimatly found a couple of real tricky viruses.
Even Msoft has a article about it.
Follow along to get to the mini dump log section of the responses to get one.
Im going to start a new post for you in applications|security malware to see if we can get a few other people to help out.

http://icrontic.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50966

http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/winxp/t1060481303

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/903251

 

[pat mcgroin]

gidif
I sent you a private message

 

[gidif]

i can't find message...

 

[gidif]

i can't find message...

 

[gidif]

i can't find message...