[Claire M Jordan]

> I'm not sure if the Norton Save / Restore 2.0 boot disk is Windows or Dos based,

It claims to be loading Windows support but the graphics of the interface are pretty basic.

> I know for sure that there are problems running Dos tools with more that 2GB! If this is the case you need to remove one stick of RAM I suppose you have 1GB each?

Yes - three slots, three 1Gb modules.

> Also make sure the USB external drives are disconnected when booting the CD's.

Bugger - half the backup ghost images are stored on the external drive. However, half of them are on an IDE drive. I like to back up alternately to each drive so that in the event of one drive failing (or a fire, or a burglar nicking my PC - I take the external drive upstairs at night), I still have the other. But I suppose if I want to back up from a copy on the external drive I can always copy the file across to the IDE drive first.

Incidentally, once I've got this sorted out, I have to try and sort my mother's PC. It's a very old Dell Optiplex GX-1 which I am trying to upgrade to XP (yes, I know XP is about to go obsolete but I can only afford programmes whose price has fallen). First I have to flash the BIOS so it can handle a faster cpu, then if that works and doesn;t kill it I have to install a 1Gb cpu, then XP. Should be simple apart from the hairy bit with the BIOS. But when I started to work on it I found that one of its memory modules was faulty and that the case fan was cutting out. I identified the faulty module and removed it and it booted to Win98 fine, even though the fan wasn't working at all by this point (it's only got a 286 processor so it's cool). Then I decided to try swapping the memory modules around just to make sure that it was the module which was faulty, not the slot (before I invest in buying a replacement module) - and suddenly it stopped working, even after I put the modules back to a known good configuration. It's not talking to its monitor - nothing at all comes up on screen - and it's also not shutting off properly, so that every time it's switched on it immediately begins to boot, rather than waiting for me to press the switch. I'm wondering whether I've accidentally disconnected something - it's a tight fit in there, so I might have knocked one of the power-switch connections. Sorting that out will be my next project (and possibly yours, if you're willing). I don't want to take it to the repair shop, because it's so low-spec that it would cost less to buy another than to get it fixed - yet it would be a shame to ditch it because the physical architecture of it is wonderful, much better made than modern ones.

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I find I have a stack of blank dvds and cds, but every single one is re-writable. I know some programmes don't work so well from re-writables - do you think that the WinPE cd, and the intermediate dvd used to create it, will be OK on re-writables?

[Claire M Jordan]

I find I have a stack of blank dvds and cds, but every single one is re-writable. I know some programmes don't work so well from re-writables - do you think that the WinPE cd, and the intermediate dvd used to create it, will be OK on re-writables?

[SleepyDude]

I find I have a stack of blank dvds and cds, but every single one is re-writable. I know some programmes don't work so well from re-writables - do you think that the WinPE cd, and the intermediate dvd used to create it, will be OK on re-writables?

Yes, they should work but use CD's if you are burning small ISO (< 700MB) files because they can fail if you use DVD's.

[Claire M Jordan]

I don't know what's going on here - I posted a message hours ago but it has disappeared. It was the RAM issue. With three RAM modules the PE disc doesn't boot either, it gives an IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL eror. Remove a module and all three discs boot OK. JUdgong from what Norton told that other chap I don;t think the module is faulty: the discs either can't handle more than 2Gb of RAM or can't handle more than two RAM modules.


Thank you for all your help.

[SleepyDude]

I don't know what's going on here - I posted a message hours ago but it has disappeared. It was the RAM issue. With three RAM modules the PE disc doesn't boot either, it gives an IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL eror. Remove a module and all three discs boot OK. JUdgong from what Norton told that other chap I don;t think the module is faulty: the discs either can't handle more than 2Gb of RAM or can't handle more than two RAM modules.


Thank you for all your help.

Hi,

What is the speed of the 3rd memory module? Most Windows PE disks load everything into memory to run and this can unveil memory problems normally not detected.

[Claire M Jordan]

All three modules are PC3200 but the first two are Kingstons, the third an Offtek whichy was added later.

[SleepyDude]

All three modules are PC3200 but the first two are Kingstons, the third an Offtek whichy was added later.

According to the memory specs on the Abit page for your motherboard:

Memory

Three 184-pin DIMM sockets
Supports 3 DIMM Un-buffered DDR 266/333
Supports 2 DIMM Un-buffered DDR 400

It seems for 3 memory modules it should by 333MHz eventually setting the memory to lower speed on the BIOS could work if the 400MHz modules you have don't complain for running at 333 MHz.