🚀 go-pugleaf

"Thomas M. Root" <tmroot@spessart.com> wrote:

>seldon@swbell.net wrote:
>> 
>> When I cold boot and run windows I get the following message,
>> 
>> PARITY ERROR
>> SYSTEM HALTED
>> 
>> but if I warm boot, windows runs fine.
>> 
>> Thinking this was a RAM Hardware problem, I took it to my PC dealer.
>> They say all hardware checks out fine and that I'm probably loading
>> too much in conventional mem. I took out everything but Win3.1 and
>> still get the message on cold boot. Any Ideas?
>> 
>> Seldon

>Parity errors don't have anything to do with how much data is loaded 
>in conventional memory -- it's a memory error!  Since it only seems 
>to happen when your system is cold, you might try removing your SIMMs 
>and making sure that the contacts are clean (you can rub them gently 
>with a pencil eraser to remove any oxidation).

>If the is error is caused by an intermittent chip, you can expect that
>it will eventually get worse and give you an opportunity to find it.  
>Be thankful you have a system with parity checking.  Many new systems 
>ignore such errors and just keep operating on invalid data.

>TMR


When you warm boot, some things have already been done, and don't
repeat.  Your memory error is there somewhere.  Most likely is the ROM
being shadowed, and the error happening then.  That only happens during
cold boot.  The BIOS controls such things.  

Turning off shadowing (or any other change) might (maybe) make your
machine really refuse to work.  Who knows?  I'd make sure your can
change the first MegaByte of memory before I'd fool with it too much.
It might get worse, and then be unfixable.  No warranty here.