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beep codes

Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2005 6:45 pm
by jimjones
Hi,

when starting my pc i get some strange beeps 1 long - 3 short ;the computer still boots normally tho
I have a k7pro mobo with an ami bios, however when i search for beepcodes i find this:
ami 4 beeps : timer not operational
award 1 long 3 short : bad video adapter or vid mem

I have plugged in an old voodoo banshee to be able to play an old game which wouldn't work with a geforce 2 mx.

Something wrong?

Here are my full pc specs :

BIOS Date: 05/25/00
BIOS Type: American Megatrends
BIOS ID: 62-1509-001169-00101111-071595-IRONGATE-1AAFL049
OEM Sign-On: A6195KMS V1.5
Chipset: AMD 751 rev 37
Superio: Unknown
OS: WinXP SP2
CPU: AMD Athlon(TM) Processor 750 Mhz MAX: 750 Mhz
BIOS ROM In Socket: No
BIOS ROM Size: 256K
Memory Installed: 256 MB
Memory Maximum: 512 MB
Memory Slot 01: 128 MB
Memory Slot 02: 128 MB

i must say however that the bios rom is in a socket and i actually have 384 MB (another 128 MB in slot 03)

Can someone tell me what may be wrong?

thx

Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2005 7:09 pm
by KURIAKI
http://bioscentral.com/beepcodes/amibeep.htm
1 long, 3 short
Memory test failure
A fault has been detected in memory above 64KB

Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2005 7:35 pm
by jimjones
thanks!

it's probably due to my mem configuration - i had a hard time getting it to work anyway (2xpc100, 1xpc133), plugging them in 1 by 1 in a very specific order and diagnostic programs never find all 3 (like bios agent, ...)

Seems the bios is now catching up to it too ...

As long as it keeps working, i'll leave them as they are tho
:lol:

Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2005 7:49 pm
by KURIAKI
jimjones wrote:it's probably due to my mem configuration - i had a hard time getting it to work anyway (2xpcpc100, 1xpcpc133)
You has a Microstar MS-6195 - K7 Pro.
Memory specifications:
• Supports three 168-pin unbuffered DIMM using three memory banks.
• Supports a maximum memory size of 768MB for SDRAM
• Supports 3.3v PC100 SDRAM DIMM.
http://www.msi.com.tw/program/products/ ... php?UID=94

Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2005 9:47 pm
by jimjones
well i just thought that if it's pc133 it should be able to work at pc100 specs
and it does - sort of

i removed and reinserted the mem module and beeps are gone :wink:

Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2005 3:34 pm
by KachiWachi
Hmmm...that works sometimes...just like it says in your sig. :roll:

Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2005 1:46 pm
by jimjones
it's not that i don't appreciate your input but :

Are different speed SDRAM backwards compatible?

To a certain extent, yes. You can use PC133 memory in a PC100 system and you can use PC100 memory in a 66MHz system, subject to the specifications of the motherboard. However, the memory will only run as fast as (A) the capability of the motherboard, and (B) the slowest memory present in the system. As an example, a PC133 module will run at PC100 speed in a system with a 100MHz Bus, or if there is a *compatible PC100 module already present, it will only run at 100MHz.

and here :

http://www.anandtech.com/guides/viewfaq.aspx?i=66

my memory configuration isn't that weird, it's just that the mobo has some problems accepting it (wouldn't know why tho) and ofcourse the best way is to use 3 identical chips, but these were the ones i had

the sig is actually a joke :wink:

Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2005 2:36 pm
by KachiWachi
Some manufacturers claim that their RAM is not backward compatible...though from what I know about it, I don't understand why.

Sometimes the RAM sockets and card contacts get oxidized...removing and reseating the module usually helps clean this up. It can also fix subtle memory errors...just run MemTest86 or MemTest86+ and see for yourself!