My compy needs help, fast

[Killface]

I just bought a Pentium 4, 3.0ghz, 800mhz front side bus, and HT technology and I installed it in my new PCIe Mobo and a new Sapphire Radeon X300 SE in my rig which cost me total about $375 and when i fire it up it reboots itself at the windows XP loading screen. I called Intel and the rep said that my ram timing is screwed up and I called another company, a local store, and the owner said that I dont have enough ram and that my ram module is getting drained of memory.

in case if you need them my system specs are
Pentium 4, 3.0ghz, with HT
Albatron Mobo
Intel 915X chipset
60 gig hard drive
256mb of PC2700 ram, unbuffered, and Non error checking
Sapphire Radeon X300se

I know that they suck but thats why Im building a new one

 

[Kurt`]

Tried safe mode? Hold F8 during startup to bring up your options.

 

[Killface]

I did, it does the same thing. Have any other Ideas?

 

[Tassadar]

Sounds like you need to format. You are supposed to format whenever putting any new component into your computer, even if it's as little as a sound card. Windows probably still thinks your on your old processor. Either that or it doesn't work.

I would try formatting, I would have done it anyway after installing a new mobo/proc.

 

[Kurt`]

You are supposed to format whenever putting any new component into your computer, even if it's as little as a sound card.

I REALLY hope you're joking... hahahahahaha *falls out of chair*

<hr>
Windows XP will run on 64 megs of ram (albeit very slowly), so that is definitely not your problem.

If you really did install a new mobo/CPU, I would recommend backing up all important data onto another drive and reinstalling whatever OS you use. The genius above me is very wrong, you don't need to format to install EVERY piece of hardware (Linux proves him even more wrong, by probing and supporting the loading of drivers for hardware while your comp is still running ), but for a new motherboard/CPU I would recommend it.

 

[Codeman]

Yeah, after major changes it's a good idea to nuke Windows, it's driver system isn't the best...

If you've changed mobo/cpu/video card then that counts as major hardware change (it's half the pc after all...)

You can run off very little ram but its always a good idea to get more (and it's dirt cheap now anyway). Windows loves it eating all your ram more than Kurt and I love rabbit stew (damn you toby....)

 

[Tassadar]

I REALLY hope you're joking... hahahahahaha *falls out of chair*

No I'm most certainly not joking. It's recommended in my friend's A+ Computer Hardware book.

After major changes like a mobo switch, it is almost required to format, most of the times I've purchased a new motherboard/processor I couldn't get into Windows either, I've had this problem. Windows doesn't handle major changes, that's my experiance. You can disagree with me all you want, I'm just speaking out of experiance, but I would prefer you would not discredit everything I say just because you don't agree.

 

[Kurt`]

Motherboard/CPU is the only time it's really recommended, you said for a sound card as well... which is just stupid.

even if it's as little as a sound card.

Hahahahaha. BTW, A+ certification is a joke.

 

[Ravendust]

...who to believe

I've had the same computer for ages, in the sense that i've only bought one and just upgraded. Everything. There's not one piece of my original computer, including the mobo that hasn't been replaced in the last five years. Are you supposed to format? I've never done it, just updated drivers.

 

[Hamppu]

well.. even this little i know aot coms. u don't need to format after putting new stuff to it xD.. just try tehh safety mode or get a friend who's alotta of coms.. that's tehh perfect thing to hav3, rofl xD

 

[Jesus]

i think your supposed to "clean up" once in a while, but other than that, ive only formatted if theres a huge problem that i think will be solved easyer with a format, or if i upgrade something major, like the mobo, or the cpu.

 

[Kurt`]

Windows generally ****s itself if you change CPU/mobo, other stuff (like sound cards lol) can be easily added without having to format. CPUs have things called ARCHITECTURES which vary from manufacturer/model (yeah, x86 is generic, but i'm talking more specific).

How can you not format for 5 years ...? Windows XP hasn't even been out for 5 years.... :x

 

[SailorAlea]

There were Windows 98/ME-->XP 'Upgrades' that didn't require you to reformat, as I recall.

 

[Killface]

I want to know if your almost completely sure if that will do it, because reformating is something I want to do only if I absolutely need to, and I have a lot of stuff on there that i want to save to a disk but I cant because I cant get into windows. So I'll reformat if you guys think it's needed.

 

[EncorE_SX]

LOL! You all don't know, do you?
That graphic card of his uses his system ram as video memory. Its called "hypermemory" by ATi / TurboCache by nVidia ( if I remember correctly O_O )
You need more ram, or you need to take new video card

So, don't reformat.
You need to buy more RAM, or card without that technology, since that technology is made so it uses part of you system ram.
What do you say : nVidia GeForce 6200, 4 pipelines, 8 vertex shader units and 512 MB of very fast TurboCache memory for 100$
Thats what its all about. More ram, or video card without that ****

 

[Killface]

So, thats what hypermemory is. Sorry, I didn't think that was necessary to tell you guys.

Anyway, whats going on with it, Is my system ram being drained by that graphics card and windows XP or what? Because thats what It sounds like.

 

[Jesus]

isnt that something you can toggle in the BIOS?

 

[EncorE_SX]

No, its hardwared and hardcoded. You can't change tha value lower, you can only raise it. Buy more ram or new gfx card, as I stated.
Now, its like your system ram doesn't exist.
Like you don't have it. Since every byte of ram goes to GFX card.
Most probably, the card itself has 32 MB of speedy GDDR3 memory, and rest is taken from system RAM. So the draining of RAM exceeds RAM's memory, and... Its like it doesn't exist.

 

[DJ-Ready]

nope, its accessed by the graphic card, if it were an onboard card, you would most likely be able to alter the ammount of used ram (bah .. onboard >_>)
however, i highly suggest you buy yourself some new ram, i'd go for at least 512mb ddr400 and do yourself a favour and buy brandware ram and no noname crap, might save you alot of trouble ^^
also, reinstall windows after that. The others were right when they said windows ****s up if you change a MAJOR hardware component (the stuff about format after plugging a new gpu or soundcard is just crap)
the recommended minimum ammount of ram to run windows xp is 512 anyways

but a 3gig p4 with 256 ram is kind of funny XD its like having a car engine on a bike XD .. no offense lol

 

[Killface]

My Mobo only supports PC2700 and PC3200 ram modules and I put in a stick of PC2100 for the hell of it because thats all I have. would that do anything or not because it still restarted itself, so i'm guessing that it didnt register.
Oh, and no offense taken about the processor and the ram.

And just in case if this is important or not I can get into the bios, just thought you might need to know.