roy@comcon.UUCP (Roy M. Silvernail) (12/20/89)
Thank you to everyone that responded to my question. The motherboard had one chip gone bad, in exactly the place mentioned. Armed with the information I got, we now have the machine working perfectly. Erik Moe and Leonard Erickson get top honors, and my apology to one respondant who fell through my new mail folders into the bitbucket. Following, copies of the original post and the replies. Hit 'n' now if you're just browsing :-) } From: roy@comcon.UUCP (Roy M. Silvernail) } Subject: Old PC don't want to boot } Keywords: memory AST SixPak XT bios } Message-ID: <163@comcon.UUCP> } Date: 14 Dec 89 07:58:34 GMT } Organization: Computer Connection - Anchorage, Alaska } Lines: 28 } } A friend of mine has 2 computers. He recently moved 2 banks of 64-k } chips from the PC(a 256k motherboard Big Blue, with an XT bios) to his } turbo clone. The clone works fine, and has 640k in it now. } } Here's the problem... the PC now fails boot with the error message: } } 3001 201 } Parity Check 1 } } We have set and reset the dipswitches on both the motherboard and the } AST SixPak. We also re-populated the SixPak to 384k. Still, the PC } doesn't want to boot, or if it _does_ boot, Norton SI reports 512k of } memory in 4 chunks. (0000-3000, 4000-6000, 7000-A000, and display memory } from B000-B800) } } I would appreciate any ideas on how to proceed. The PC worked fine until } my friend dug into it (that'll teach him to proceed without me ;-). } } E-mail responses, if you please, and I'll summarize any responses. } (posting is fine, too, but I read my mail before I read news :-) } } Thanks in advance............. And the responses... } } From uunet!knuth!raider!ehm Fri Dec 15 23:10:21 1989 } Dear Roy, } } The POST (Power On Self Test) error message you are getting from } your friends Big Blue is a general memory error. Any XXZZ 201 message } is a memory problem. XX is the bank and ZZ is the chip in that bank that } is causing the problem (or visa versa, I don't really remeber). It doesn't } really matter beause I don't think that the problem is in the memory, but } in the way you have it configured. Your post on comp.sys.ibm.pc wasn't } that clear, but I assume that you have a 256k Big Blue with an AST SixPak } with X amount of memory, and your friend removed two banks from the } motherboard to put into his clone. I'm not sure about the AST, but on my } multi-function card, the motherboard must be fully populated before } any additional memory can be added. This means either buying two more } banks of memory, or taking two banks off the AST and putting them on the } motherboard. Again, I'm not familiar enough with the AST to really make a } judgement, but it is still a good idea to populated the motherboard } before populating the expansion card. In addition, I'm suppling you with a } description of the dip switches on the Big Blue (I once spent a whole } day playing with the switches trying to get them right, until someone } was kind enough to give me this list). You must set the dip switches on the } system board to describe your system's total memory, not just the amount of } memory on the system board. Of course, you will also have to set the } correct switches on the AST as well. } } } Erik H. Moe } ehm@raider.mfee.tn.us } } } } Number of drives installed: } } System Board Switch #1 } } SW1 SW7 SW8 } --- --- --- } 0 - Drives ON ON ON } } 1 - Drive OFF ON ON } } 2 - Drives OFF OFF ON } } --------------------------------------------------- } } Monitor type: } } System Board Switch #1 } } SW5 SW6 } --- --- } No Monitor ON ON } } 40 X 25 Color OFF ON } } 80 X 25 Color ON OFF } } IBM Monochrome OFF OFF } Display or more } than one monitor } } --------------------------------------------------- } } Co-Processor Option: } } System Board Switch #1 } } SW2 } --- } No 8087 Installed ON } } 8087 Installed OFF } } --------------------------------------------------- } } Memory Options: } } System Board Switch #1 System Board Switch #2 } } SW3 SW4 SW1 SW2 SW3 SW4 SW5 } --- --- --- --- --- --- --- } 64k OFF OFF ON ON ON ON ON } } 128k OFF OFF ON OFF ON ON ON } } 192k OFF OFF ON ON OFF ON ON } } 256k OFF OFF ON OFF OFF ON ON } } 320k OFF OFF ON ON ON OFF ON } } 384k OFF OFF ON OFF ON OFF ON } } 448k OFF OFF ON ON OFF OFF ON } } 512k OFF OFF ON OFF OFF OFF ON } } 576k OFF OFF ON ON ON ON OFF } } 640k OFF OFF ON OFF ON ON OFF } } --------------------------------------------------- } } P.S. All the rest of the switches are unused and should be in the off position. } SW3 and SW4 on system board switch #1 were only really used on 64k } motherboards which used 16k ram chips. } ----------------------------------------------------------------------- } From uunet!mnetor!becker!contact!mdfreed Sun Dec 17 10:10:13 1989 } } I suspect that the PC wants the motherboard fully populated. If he can't } afford more memory, he may want to swap two banks of 4164's from the AST board. } } ----------------------------------------------------------------------- } From uunet!cse.ogi.edu!tessi!bucket!leonard Mon Dec 18 02:50:07 1989 } } 3001 201 } means that you have a memory error (201 error code) at location 3001 } this location translates as the 4th bank of chips (assuming 64k banks) } and the "first" chip (actually, the chip holding the 1's bit) } } Unless he has a really odd machine, this means that the error is } on the *motherboard*. } -- } Leonard Erickson ...!tektronix!reed!percival!bucket!leonard } CIS: [70465,203] } "I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. } Let's start with typewriters." -- Solomon Short } ------------------------------------------------------------------------- } From uunet!relay.EU.net!moncam!emmo Mon Dec 18 23:05:05 1989 } } Looks like he's damaged the memory he left in the original machine, - } they ARE static-sensitive. Try replacing THOSE chips, carefully. They're } dirt cheap these days, so he needn't sweat too much. } } ATB } } Dave E. } -- _R_o_y _M_. _S_i_l_v_e_r_n_a_i_l | UUCP: uunet!comcon!roy | "No, I don't live in an igloo!" [ah, but it's my account... of course I opine!] -Sourdough's riposte SnailMail: P.O. Box 210856, Anchorage, Alaska, 99521-0856, U.S.A., Earth, etc.