Sorry, I have to disagree. For our new users I'd like to reiterate that the three most common reasons that Linux does NOT recognize the correct amount of memory are: dirty RAM, mis-matched RAM (different manufacturers) and shared RAM. Shared RAM can be corrected with a one line script. Dirty RAM can be corrected by removing and cleaning the contacts. Mis-matched RAM can usually be corrected by buying two or more sticks from the same manufacturer or retailer at the same time. Be sure to check the sticks ID before you buy it. Linux will always recognize the correct amount of RAM. I have previously used 64EDO, 128 P-100, 160 P-100 and now I have 256 P-100 on a Tyan board with VIA chip. It was all recognized correctly at the first boot. Windows almost always recognizes the correct amount of memory just as it correctly identifies Winmodems. Unfortunately trying to compare Winblows with Linux is like trying to compare a cow and a sailboat. There is not comparison and Linux is a lot smarter too! I'd also like to make a comment about motherboards and Linux. I recently wrestled with a peculiar problem. I couldn't install Mandrake properly regardless of what I did, and I was limited basically to the command line. After nine months of fooling with the box, the BIOS, the VIA chips, etc., I found the board had a bad I/O connection and weak memory. Even though the memory was correctly recognized Linux was smart enough to know there was something wrong and would not perform properly. I haven't had a problem since I changed the board and memory. Pj Sarang Lakare wrote: > > I have a Via chip too.. and every version of mandrake found all 1.5 GB of RAM > on >it!.. Maybe u guys have one chipset thats broken.. write to the kernel mailing list >to get it fixed! > > -sarang > > On Thursday 30 November 2000 18:35, you wrote: > > > > I'm a newbie just getting started with Linux, but if preponderance of > > >evidence is helpful at all, I also have a VIA chipset, and Mandrake 7 hasn't found my >RAM above 64MB... > > > > - Av - > > > > -- > > Av Pinzur / Crisp Graphics > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > http://www.crispgraphics.com/~newav > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Christian A > > > Strømmen [Number1/NumeroUno] > > > Sent: Thursday, 30 November, 2000 16:40 > > > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > Cc: Larry Tobos > > > Subject: Re: [expert] Slow system > > > > > > On Thursday 30 November 2000 21:39, you wrote: > > > > In my case, Winblows gets the correct amount of memory... > > > > Forcing the detection in Lilo as suggested had the impact of > > > > > > freezing the > > > > > > > system, until I reverted it ... > > > > > > > > The problem is hardware related: the kernel does not see the > > > > > > memory, even > > > > > > > if it is there. I bet my problem is the VIA chipset support in > > > > > > the kernel > > > > > > Ahh.. Well, we fixed the performance with hdparm and mem=, but > > > now, when the > > > disk use is high (like when starting X) the computer freezes, the > > > disk spins > > > down and the harddisk light light constantly. The only thing I > > > can figure is > > > that it must be the ide chipset on the mainboard, which is a VIA > > > chipset. I > > > haven't gotten any response from anybody about this, so I'll past > > > the last > > > mail below and hope that someone will answer. If not we'll have > > > to change > > > the mainboard. > > > > > > Previous mail: > > > I've had a lot of problems installin Linux Mandrake 7.2 at my friends > > > computer. Sent a mail earlier about a problem with the system > > > being terribly > > > slow, and got a lot of good help on this, but encountered another problem > > > (with might be related?) afterwards. I'll try to get this as > > > specific as I > > > possibly can. Please read on. > > > > > > The first problem I had was that the system was terribly slow, especially > > > when starting X and other stuff that takes up more memory than > > > just bash. I > > > got two suggestions on how to deal with this; the first being to add > > > "append="mem=128M"" in lilo, something that helped cause the > > > kernel seemed to > > > only see 64M. The second was that I should run hdparm to get the disk in > > > 32bit mode and to use dma, I checked and the disk was running in > > > 16bit and > > > with dma turned off. So I fixed both of these problems and > > > everything seemed > > > to run a lot faster(16/no-dma=64M in 17seconds, 32/dma=64M in 3seconds). > > > > > > Then when I tried to install a big rpm from disk2 (hadn't started > > > X yet) the > > > system freezed. I could not do anything at all and the > > > harddisk-light light > > > constantly without the harddisk doing anything (it spinned down and got > > > quiet). After rebooting the disk wasn't detected in the bios, I > > > had to turn > > > off again and then it was detected. I booted up again and tried > > > to start X > > > and kde2, but halfway into starting kde2 it locked again. It > > > seemed after > > > more tests that when there was a lot of activitiy on the disk it > > > locked. I > > > now shut off 32bit and dma on the disk believing that this was > > > the problem, > > > after more tests I found out it wasn't. To make sure this wasn't > > > a hardware > > > problem we afterwards installed first Windows2k (yuck, yeah I > > > know) and then > > > Windows98(even more yuck) and ran extencive tests on both, > > > without getting > > > the same problem. > > > > > > After these tests I decided to try again and installed linux once > > > more but > > > still get the same problem. > > > > > > The specifications on the machine is(it's 2 weeks old btw.): > > > Mainboard: MSI K7T-Pro > > > (http://www.msi-computer.nl/product/mainboard/k7tpro.htm) > > > Processor: AMD Duron 700 MHz > > > Display adapter: ATI Xpert 2000 32MB AGP > > > Memory: 128MB original SDRAM pc100 > > > Harddrive: Fujitsu 20.5GB UDMA/66 > > > > > > I also noticed just before I left that the kernel told me that > > > the bus-speed > > > was set to 33, and that I could override it with idebus= in lilo, > > > could this > > > have anything to do with this? > > > > > > I really appreciate any help that I could get on this, and if you > > > feel that > > > you need some more info, just let me know and I will email it... > > > > > > Ps. when installing mandrake it always gives me the text-install, > > > never the > > > fancy graphical one, is there some problem with the chipset on > > > the display > > > adapter? > > > > > > -- > > > \ Christian A Strømmen / > > > \ Number1/NumeroUno @ Undernet - Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] / > > > \ Web: www.realityx.net - Cell: +47 911 43 948 / > > > Live your life by your dreams, > > > not by the limits of reality... > > ---------------------------------------- > Content-Type: text/x-vcard; charset="iso-8859-1"; name="Abraham P Pinzur.vcf" > Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable > Content-Description: > ---------------------------------------- > > ---------------------------------------- > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; name="message.footer" > Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit > Content-Description: > ---------------------------------------- > > -- > ------------------------------ > Sarang Lakare > > --------------------------------------------------------------- > Keep in touch with http://mandrakeforum.com: > Subscribe the "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" mailing list.
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