Problem with Windows 98 SE and > 512 megs ram

[Guest]

Hello all,
I have a question. I just installed 512 megs of ram in my machine bringing it up to 640MB. I cannot run Unreal Tournament (It will load, but if I try to play it locks up or BSOD's. Other games run slow or work fine (Half Life works just fine). Also IE 5.5 tends to slow down as I use it. I have done the work around for > 512 megs on the Microsoft Website (Thanks for that tip guys it did solve some problems) I have limited the amount of ram windows uses to 512 and 256 (via msconfig) and it has not helped or made it worse. I know that the ram is good (ran the checker from simmtester.com and it passed the burn in). I have run cacheman to optimize my settings for disk cache and vcache.
I have done everything relavent that I have read in the memory forum and am still having this problem. Can somebody please give me some ideas on where to go from here?

My whole system is:
Abit bx6 r2
300w Deer PS
PIII 450
640 MB pc100 all generic 1x128 2x256 the 256 are low density
1 60.1 GB HD
1 6.8 GB HD
1 HP 9310I CDRW
1 Mitsumi 16x cdrom
1 DLink 530tx+ ethernet card
1 SB live! value
1 Visiontek Geforce 3
Win98 SE
Zonealarm Firewall(always running since I've had attacks. I don't think this matters since I've closed it and still have the problems, but I thought I might mention it)

I would really appreciate any help with this as I've gone as far as I can without a little help. Thanks in advance

Brent

 

[Guest]

I am not entirely sure but I was always under the impression you cant run 128mb with 256mb sticks. You can run the same size/type together. Remove the 128mb stick and the problem should go.

<font color=purple>Three ways to do things, your way, my way and the wrong way!</font color=purple>

 

[Guest]

I've heard no such thing and it makes no sense. If this were simm memory you would be right, simms had to be installed in matching pairs, but dimms do not. A lot of mobo manufacturers say that it is better to do so, and to load them into specific banks, but this is only for performance reasons and not a mandate. Besides my manual states that the configuration I am using(ie, dimm1 256, dimm2 256 and dimm3 128 is valid.

Thanks for the thoughts though.
Brent

 

[Guest]

Ok, whats the things you have done since before the problem and now and work back. Still reckon take that 128mb out and see what happens, then take out each other one just to make sure its not one of the sticks thats being slowed down by a bad chip. Stranger things have happend, I had 3x 128mb sticks on another system which was doing something simular so I swapped the sticks around and fixed the problem. The word generic is a concern too.

<font color=purple>Three ways to do things, your way, my way and the wrong way!</font color=purple>

 

[Guest]

The only thing that I've done from working to not working was adding the ram. I did think at first that the ram might be bad so I tried each seperately and tested them with Norton. They all checked out individually so I put back the other 256 and I had problems again. After that I played musical slots, and tested the ram again each time. Norton kept showing that there were errors, but I found out from this list that the Norton memory diagnostic was faulty so I tried another, Docmem from simmtester.com, and it checked out. So I'm sure the memory is good and in working slots. I was still having problems with Windows so I looked to the list again and found that this too was a known problem with Windows and the fixes. I first tried the "easiest" fix by setting "MaxFileCache" to less than 524288 and the problems seemed to be better. However I could not get UT to run still so I tried the alternate fix which was to limit the memory to 512. No help there. I then tried to set it to 256 and that made problems worse. I had noticed that someone having problems with UT and memory was able to fix it with Cacheman so i tried that program out, optimizing for a high use/High HD activity machine (What I normally use my machine for) The problem still persisted. I've checked my ram several times, even running the burn in test overnight. The ram has passed every test.
My system has been rather stable since I've done the Windows work around, but I still cannot get UT to work. I really think that this might be a problem with UT, but I can't be certain. And most likely the fix is either some third party util or modification of the settings. I've looked at all the setting that might affect UT's memory usage, but have not found a solution yet. The only step that I have yet to try is to reinstall UT, but I don't want to do that yet as I've added a lot of maps and mods that I don't really want to have to re-add.
I will try the musical slots again, but I am sure that all the memory is good. Anyways there are only 4 ways(4c3) I can put the memory in so it isn't a big hassle.
As to the concern of generic, it might not be fast or the best stuff out there, but it does work and given the age of the 128 stick and mobo(2.5 years) newer and faster ram wouldn't help much anyway.

Thanks for the advice and help.

 

[Guest]

Try checking out the AGP set up in bios and in its own tweak. Could be a bottleneck on the PCI bus but I don't know enough about that to help.
Other things that could effect it are PSU,M/B, PCI Cards (soundblaster etc), PCI SPeed too high/low. Generic ram.

<font color=purple>Three ways to do things, your way, my way and the right way!</font color=purple>

 

[Guest]

Well I have it working now. Fiddling with the AGP Aperture seems to have fixed it. I'm not sure why because I've had it as low as 4(which is where it was at) and had UT work, but for some reason with the added ram I needed a larger size. Makes no sense to have a large aperture for a video card with 64MB on board, but I can play this way and I can't the other so I guess I'll stick with it. My best guess is that the way DX 8.0 does it's agp texturing requires more system ram then 4 megs.

Thanks for the help.
Brent

 

[Guest]

I have a 2 page word file on tweaking your system for AGP performance if you want it. If you want it just private message me with your e-mail so I can send it.

<font color=purple>Three ways to do things, your way, my way and the right way!</font color=purple>

 

[phsstpok]

I don't know about boards with Intel chipsets but on boards with Via chipsets, setting AGP aperture below 32mb forces the video card to operate in PCI mode.

Would you like a Quarter Pounder?
No, thank you. Just give me the BIG heatsink. It's an Athlon.<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by phsstpok on 09/19/01 07:19 PM.</EM></FONT></P>