Dear Jose and friends:
[Using LM 8.0 on AMD K6-2 400 Mhz CPU)
Now that explains it!
If that there is one thing I cannot deal with it's uncertainty. So, out
of sheer curiosity, I overcame my dread of fooling with the memory
modules and decided to investigage. My Soyo motherboard has three
sockets, just as indicate, with each socket capable of holding up to 256
Meg. Thus three and only three modules are possible in different
combinations of meg sizes.
All three PNY modules are absolutely identical: PNY 128MB PC100 SDRAM 16
x 64 168 Pin DIMM. I bean with one 128 meg PNY module when I bought the
system. I now bought two new PNY modules.
Right Socket: the old PNY 128 meg module -- works perfectly.
Middle Socket: New PNY 128 meg module -- fails.
Left Socket: New PNY 128 meg module -- works perfectly.
Total: 256 meg.
Originally, I inserted both new PNY modules into the two remaining
sockets (Left and Middle). System froze in both Linux and Windows. I
tried to reinstall Linux with 384 meg of memory. Linux froze during
formatting every time and terminated installation. Finally, I removed
the middle PNY module, and this time Linux 8.0 installed flawlessly and
has been operating flawlessly ever since.
But, being greedy, I decided to insert the third PNY module back into
the Middle Socket. Linux balked and froze again. I quickly removed the
module from the Middle Socket, and Linux returned to its old, flawless
self (LM 8.0 with Reiserfs for all partition except the 512 meg swap
partition).
I knew from this that either my Middle Socket was defective or my second
PNY module was defective or both. Today, eager to put an end to the
suspense, I opened my Linux box (with only two modules working (Left and
Right Sockets) for a total of 256 meg and removed the working module
from the Left Socket and inserted it into the Middle Socket to see
whether it was the Socket or the module that was defective. With the
Left Socket empty, I still had only 256 meg. Guess what? Linux (and
Windows) worked perfectly with the Middle and Right Socket engaged! And
has been working perfectly all night without a single hitch or error
message.
I concluded from this, apparently wrongly, that since the Middle Socket
was working perfectly, that the second PNY module was defective.
However, from Jose's report, I see what went wrong. Here, again, is his
explanation (and, I might add, he knows my motherboard in detail since
it was he who selected it for me):
"On certain types of motherboards certain types of RAM must be installed
in "pairs"... On later motherboards (such as yours) this condition is
not quite so
absolute but still exists in a form... I.E. 128+128 is ok, but 384 is
not....
I'll bet that you could replace one of the 128meg modules with a 256 meg
module and still have no problems...
I.E 128+128+256
And that, I'll bet is what this is all about! I'll bet my second PNY 128
meg module is perfectly fine, and that I was able to double my memory
from 128 to 256 but that the next step must be doubling it again to 512
or not at all.
Well, I finally learned how to insert and remove a memory module
correctly. That was worth the cost.
Don't know if I really need 512 megs of RAM? Maybe for VMware? Will
think about it.
At any rate, I think the mystery has at last been solved. Simple math.
Benjamin
--
Sher's Russian Web
http://www.websher.net
Benjamin and Anna Sher
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
