HP 9845B "MEMORY TEST IN PROGRESS" Failure.

My HP9845B hangs on start-up. The message "MEMORY TEST IN PROGRESS"
appears on the screen a cyclically beep sounds up.

I want to find the reason possible only on board level. Has anybody
any idea?

Thanks a lot
Regards

How many seconds apart are the beeps?

Is each beep about a second long? Or much shorter than that?

How many RAM modules do you have? Try using only one in a slot. If
that doesn't work, try it in another slot. If all the slots work work
with that module, then try a different module.

If none of that works, then try disconnecting every piece of hardware
that you can, to see if that helps.

I can't find 9845B on the HP web site. Please repost with more information
about this model.

In the meantime. if the system has two sticks of memory, see if it will complete
the POST with only one stick. If one causes the same problem, try the other.

Also, replace the C2032 3v lithium battery, especially if you have never done so
before. A failing or failed battery can cause strange symptoms in a computer.
Recently I was given a non-working Dell Pentium 4 by a client to take away. It
would not even display anything on the screen, seeming like a failed
motherboard. I replaced the battery, and it booted up cleanly... Ben Myers

On Sat, 2 Feb 2008 13:13:03 -0800 (PST), JSievers <>
wrote:

>My HP9845B hangs on start-up. The message "MEMORY TEST IN PROGRESS"
>appears on the screen a cyclically beep sounds up.
>
>I want to find the reason possible only on board level. Has anybody
>any idea?
>
>Thanks a lot
>Regards

Well that good to know. I was thinking that the only consequence of a
dead battery would be that any modifications to the BIOs, that differ
from the default setup, would simply be forgotten. I didn't know it
ran like a car, lol.

In most circumstances, a computer with a dead C2032 battery will do SOMETHING. I
was dumbfounded when the supposedly dead Dell Optiplex GX270 (nice little
computer) booted right up immediately after I replaced its battery. This is
clearly an exceptional system, but replacing the battery is now high up on my
checklist about what I need to do to repair a misbehaving computer. Of course,
it helps that I have quite a few thousand surplus unused sealed-in-the-package
C2032 batteries at my disposal, more than I could ever hope to use. I can
afford to waste a battery someone would pay a few bucks for... Ben Myers

On Sat, 2 Feb 2008 18:18:52 -0800 (PST), wrote:

>Well that good to know. I was thinking that the only consequence of a
>dead battery would be that any modifications to the BIOs, that differ
>from the default setup, would simply be forgotten. I didn't know it
>ran like a car, lol.

> On Sat, 2 Feb 2008 13:13:03 -0800 (PST), JSievers <
> wrote:
> >My HP9845B hangs on start-up. The message "MEMORY TEST IN PROGRESS"
> >appears on the screen a cyclically beep sounds up.
> >
> >I want to find the reason possible only on board level. Has anybody
> >any idea?

> Ben Myers <> wrote:
> I can't find 9845B on the HP web site. Please repost with more information
> about this model.

Of course not, it's from around 1978!

> In the meantime. if the system has two sticks of memory, see if it will complete
> the POST with only one stick. If one causes the same problem, try the other.

There aren't any "memory sticks".

I recommend to have a look at www.hpmuseum.net. According to their
description the 9845 will print the faulty memory location on its
printer. You will also find most of the manuals and the reverse engineered
schematics drawn by Tony Duell.

Christian

PS:
Endlich mal wieder richtige Rechner in dafc....

Well, then, trying to help diagnose a 9845B from afar is way beyond me then. I
didn't start seriously tearing down computers until the late-80's, contenting
myself with software development before then... Ben Myers

On Sun, 3 Feb 2008 10:49:08 +0100, Christian Corti
<> wrote:

>> On Sat, 2 Feb 2008 13:13:03 -0800 (PST), JSievers <
>> wrote:
>> >My HP9845B hangs on start-up. The message "MEMORY TEST IN PROGRESS"
>> >appears on the screen a cyclically beep sounds up.
>> >
>> >I want to find the reason possible only on board level. Has anybody
>> >any idea?
>
>> Ben Myers <> wrote:
>> I can't find 9845B on the HP web site. Please repost with more information
>> about this model.
>
>Of course not, it's from around 1978!
>
>> In the meantime. if the system has two sticks of memory, see if it will complete
>> the POST with only one stick. If one causes the same problem, try the other.
>
>There aren't any "memory sticks".
>
>I recommend to have a look at www.hpmuseum.net. According to their
>description the 9845 will print the faulty memory location on its
>printer. You will also find most of the manuals and the reverse engineered
>schematics drawn by Tony Duell.
>
>Christian
>
>PS:
>Endlich mal wieder richtige Rechner in dafc....

"Ben Myers" <> wrote in message
news:...
>I can't find 9845B on the HP web site. Please repost with more information
> about this model.

The 9845B was way before Pentium. It's an antique from 1980. No DOS, no
Windows, no Linux.

http://www.bohemiae.com/museum/calcu.../9845b-s1.html

Tom Lake

Nice. Looks like a refugee from a sci-fi movie of the era. Thanks for the
info... Ben Myers

On Mon, 4 Feb 2008 07:50:53 -0500, "Tom Lake" <> wrote:

>
>"Ben Myers" <> wrote in message
>news:.. .
>>I can't find 9845B on the HP web site. Please repost with more information
>> about this model.
>
>The 9845B was way before Pentium. It's an antique from 1980. No DOS, no
>Windows, no Linux.
>
>http://www.bohemiae.com/museum/calcu.../9845b-s1.html
>
>Tom Lake
>

On 3 Feb., 03:14, Ben Myers <ben_myers_spam_me_...@charter.net> wrote:
> I can't find 9845B on the HP web site. Please repost with more information
> about this model.
>

http://www.hpmuseum.net/display_item.php?hw=149 appended by B not A

> In the meantime. if the system has two sticks of memory, see if it will complete

It has complete memory parts installed, a big board. Not like modern
systems single pieces of memory ICs.

> the POST with only one stick. If one causes the same problem, try the other.
>
> Also, replace the C2032 3v lithium battery, especially if you have never done so
> before. A failing or failed battery can cause strange symptoms in a computer.
> Recently I was given a non-working Dell Pentium 4 by a client to take away. It

Oh no This system does not have any battery backup(ed) configuration
data storage.

> would not even display anything on the screen, seeming like a failed
> motherboard. I replaced the battery, and it booted up cleanly... Ben Myers
>

Good hints but this part is not from this century

j.