Re: K7VTA Pro with multiple RAM sticks

I got one that did this last year, it exhibited the same symptoms.
Worked fine set to 100 while using multiple sticks, error city when set to 133 while using multiple sticks.
Tried 2 brands of RAM, cheap generic and Crucial, that worked in 2 other K7VTA-Pro boards just fine.
Try putting the jumpers back to 100 with your new CPU in it and see if it'll work with 2 sticks then.
If it does, it's the same problem I had.
Since I was using an XP 1800+, I RMA'ed the board with the retailer I purchased it from and the next one worked just fine.
It's the only K7VTA-Pro board out of 10 that I've seen used that did that, so something on the board had to be defective.
Since it's more than 1 year old it's out of warrantee now...
TB

"Dennis Roark" <> wrote in message news:Xns93A61B6EE4439denroearthlinknet@207.217.77. 26...
> I have been stably running my K7VTA Pro with a Duron 900 for a couple of
> years, but decided to upgrade to an Athlon 1700+ Tbred (.13 micron). I
> previously had used all 3 SDRAM memory slots with two 128 sticks and one
> 64 MB stick (all PC133). With the new processor, I raised the FSB to
> 133 using the two jumpers on the motherboard. I was getting random
> errors which I tracked down to memory problems. Norton Utilities
> diagnostic program found that with the new processor and 133 FSB the
> memory would fail to pass if I used more than one stick. Each stick
> used separately tested fine. But in any combination of sticks and
> slots, they failed the test if more than one stick. I purchased a new
> 256 MB Kingston PC133 SDRAM and hoped to use that with one of the other
> sticks. But the same probem: all sticks test fine separately, no two
> RAM modules can be used together, no matter which slot.
>
> Does anyone have any idea what is going on? I want to run with more
> than 256 MB of memory (Win XP) but unless I can solve this problem I
> either have to purchase a single 512 MB stick, wasting all the money
> spent on the others, or purchase a different motherboard. Thanks in
> advance.
>
> --
> Dennis Roark
>
>
> Starting Points:
> www.home.earthlink.net/~denro

"ThunderBob" <> wrote in
news::

> I got one that did this last year, it exhibited the same symptoms.
> Worked fine set to 100 while using multiple sticks, error city when
> set to 133 while using multiple sticks. Tried 2 brands of RAM, cheap
> generic and Crucial, that worked in 2 other K7VTA-Pro boards just
> fine...
> It's the only K7VTA-Pro board out of 10 that I've seen used that did
> that, so something on the board had to be defective. Since it's more
> than 1 year old it's out of warrantee now... TB
>
> "Dennis Roark" <> wrote in message
> news:Xns93A61B6EE4439denroearthlinknet@207.217.77. 26...
>> I have been stably running my K7VTA Pro with a Duron 900 for a couple
> of
>> years, but decided to upgrade to an Athlon 1700+ Tbred (.13 micron).
> I
>> previously had used all 3 SDRAM memory slots with two 128 sticks and
> one
>> 64 MB stick (all PC133). With the new processor, I raised the FSB to
>> 133 using the two jumpers on the motherboard. I was getting random
>> errors which I tracked down to memory problems. Each stick
>> used separately tested fine. But in any combination of sticks and
>> slots, they failed the test if more than one stick...
>> Does anyone have any idea what is going on?
>>


Thanks for the unfortunate news that there is likely no fix but a
replacement of the board. Yes, mine will work fine with multiple sticks
at FSB 100, just not at 133. Since your replacement board worked, I
assume it is not a different BIOS version that can fix the problem.
Well, now to decide whether to live with just 256 MB; purchase a 512 MB
stick; or puchase a new board, perhaps the Shuttle AK32E which will take
either two SDRAM dimms or two DDR dimms and has the KT266 chipset rather
than the KT133. I am running Win XP, but since I don't do a lot of
video editing perhaps I can get by on 256 MB ram. Thanks for keeping me
from going down too many dead ends.

--
Dennis Roark


Starting Points:
www.home.earthlink.net/~denro

On Thu, 26 Jun 2003 19:53:52 +0000, Dennis Roark wrote:


> at FSB 100, just not at 133. Since your replacement board worked, I
> assume it is not a different BIOS version that can fix the problem.
> Well, now to decide whether to live with just 256 MB; purchase a 512 MB
> stick; or puchase a new board, perhaps the Shuttle AK32E which will take
> either two SDRAM dimms or two DDR dimms and has the KT266 chipset rather
> than the KT133. I am running Win XP, but since I don't do a lot of
> video editing perhaps I can get by on 256 MB ram. Thanks for keeping me
> from going down too many dead ends.

Did you try playing with some of the other memory timings in the BIOS,
like CAS and bank interleave. I have been running a K7VTA-Pro that will
do fine with three sticks at 100 CAS2 but needs to be set to CAS3 to run
at 133. Of course I also have another one that runs fine at 133 and CAS2.

--
/g

"Outside of a dog, a man's best friend is a book, inside
a dog it's too dark to read" -Groucho Marx

"Dennis Roark" <> wrote in message news:Xns93A6978A77A93denroearthlinknet@207.217.77. 26...
> "ThunderBob" <> wrote in
> news::
>
> > I got one that did this last year, it exhibited the same symptoms.
> > Worked fine set to 100 while using multiple sticks, error city when
> > set to 133 while using multiple sticks. Tried 2 brands of RAM, cheap
> > generic and Crucial, that worked in 2 other K7VTA-Pro boards just
> > fine...
> > It's the only K7VTA-Pro board out of 10 that I've seen used that did
> > that, so something on the board had to be defective. Since it's more
> > than 1 year old it's out of warrantee now... TB
> >
> > "Dennis Roark" <> wrote in message
> > news:Xns93A61B6EE4439denroearthlinknet@207.217.77. 26...
> >> I have been stably running my K7VTA Pro with a Duron 900 for a couple
> > of
> >> years, but decided to upgrade to an Athlon 1700+ Tbred (.13 micron).
> > I
> >> previously had used all 3 SDRAM memory slots with two 128 sticks and
> > one
> >> 64 MB stick (all PC133). With the new processor, I raised the FSB to
> >> 133 using the two jumpers on the motherboard. I was getting random
> >> errors which I tracked down to memory problems. Each stick
> >> used separately tested fine. But in any combination of sticks and
> >> slots, they failed the test if more than one stick...
> >> Does anyone have any idea what is going on?
> >>
>
>
> Thanks for the unfortunate news that there is likely no fix but a
> replacement of the board. Yes, mine will work fine with multiple sticks
> at FSB 100, just not at 133. Since your replacement board worked, I
> assume it is not a different BIOS version that can fix the problem.
> Well, now to decide whether to live with just 256 MB; purchase a 512 MB
> stick; or puchase a new board, perhaps the Shuttle AK32E which will take
> either two SDRAM dimms or two DDR dimms and has the KT266 chipset rather
> than the KT133. I am running Win XP, but since I don't do a lot of
> video editing perhaps I can get by on 256 MB ram. Thanks for keeping me
> from going down too many dead ends.
>
> --
> Dennis Roark
>
>
> Starting Points:
> www.home.earthlink.net/~denro


Your welcome. Yeah, I was lucky I caught mine right off the bat, and when it happened it made me wonder how many people were running them out there at 100 and were going to have problems later on. But that was the only one I had probs with. You can try playing with the timings like CyberCFO says and see if it helps, but it made no diff on that board I had. And the Crucial I was using was CL=2 rated stuff than ran fine on other boards.
I just got done about 1/2 hr ago putting another K7VTA-Pro system together. This is the newer V1.0. Was $129 for board/Athlon XP 2000+/HSF at Mwave, not including shipping.<g> 1- 512meg stick Crucial PC133 CL=2 and 1- 256meg stick of same stuff for total 768megs. Windows XP Pro, Antec case with 350watt PSU, Asus Geforce4 MX440. Is running just fine.
So in your case I'm not sure what I'd do either, replace it with new K7VTA-Pro v1.0 for $62 (MWave), get bigger piece of RAM (Crucial 512meg PC133 CL=2 is $68.99 free shipping at Crucial), or that Shuttle.
Good luck
TB

"CyberCFO" <> wrote in
news om:

>
> Did you try playing with some of the other memory timings in the BIOS,
> like CAS and bank interleave. I have been running a K7VTA-Pro that
> will do fine with three sticks at 100 CAS2 but needs to be set to CAS3
> to run at 133. Of course I also have another one that runs fine at
> 133 and CAS2.
>

Yes, setting at CAS3 or changing the bank interleave does not help.
I've played with probably all of the memory settings in the BIOS. With
more than one stick, the board will run and will show the correct total
memory in BIOS and in the properties of My Computer. But will give
random critical stops under XP and when tested using a Norton Util
memory check program fails quickly. I wonder how many others are trying
to run it in this unstable condition rather than performing a memory
test and discovering the source of the problem. I really don't have the
option of being without the board while Soyo repairs it as another
poster said they would do. I need the computer daily. I will probably
just purchase a larger (512) single stick. I am running on the edge of
insufficient memory with just the 256 (as shown by a free physical
memory monitor.) Do you think this board is otherwise a good board? Or
would I be better off in addtional ways to move up to a more modern chip
set? I am not planning on upgrading to an AGP 8X video card so have no
reason to replace the motherboard to get the modern AGP slot.

--
Dennis Roark


Starting Points:
www.home.earthlink.net/~denro