RAM in an Old Computer (1 Viewer)

[Roy C.]

I guess the DVD playback should be okay as long as you don't use the P100 for anything else.

The hardware firewall is a non-issue. I own the Lynksys 4-port Cable switch/router and it really works like a charm. I also use IM stuff like Yahoo and others, and even some music download services and have not had an issue. I wouldn't think about using port forwarding unless you know what you're doing and understand it. I even go as far as connecting to my Cisco VPN at work with no problems whatsoever. The switch portion of it will work just like the hub. Nothing changes as far as you can see but you will notice a speed improvement and nothing else. I did install a Firewall on my machine only to keep the pop-up windows to a minimum.

The memory message you're getting could also mean that there is EDO RAM in slot 0. Older PC's had slots 0-3 rather than 1-4. The way to stop the screen from flashing by so fast is to hit the "BREAK" key, should be by the Scroll Lock key, as the screen flashes. This will "freeze" it there until you hit the "BREAK" key once more.

Good luck,

Roy C.

 

[JohanK]

The ISA bus' speed is 16-bit, in other words, half the speed of PCI...

FYI, ISA runs a 1/4 divider of the PCI bus -> 33/4 ~ 8. The DMA multiplier is 1/2 of the ISA speed.

 

[Peter McDonald]

I paused the screen and here's the info:

EDO DRAM at Row(s): 0

SDRAM at Row(s): None

I then went into the BIOS (or is it CMOS?) and copied down a few things under chipset features:

Auto Configuration: 60ns DRAM

DRAM Read Burst Timing: x222

DRAM Write Burst Timing: x222

DRAM R/W Leadoff Timing: 10T/6T

DRAM RAS# Precharge Time: 3T

Refresh RAS# Assertion: 4T

Fast EDO Lead Off: Enabled

Speculative Lead Off: Enabled

SDRAM RAS# Timing: 3T/5T/8T

SDRAM CAS# Latency: 3T

SDRAM Speculative Read: Disabled

Passive Release: Disabled

Delayed Transaction: Disabled

16-bit I/O Recovery Time: 1 BUSCLK

8-bit I/O Recovery Time: 1 BUSCLK

Video BIOS Cacheable: Enabled

Memory Hole At Address: None

Does Win95 support DMA? I looked in device manager and couldn't see that option anywhere. With my DVD distribution idea, will the old computer need to have DMA enabled? Or is it only needed for actual playback (not just transferring)?

Thanks,

Peter

 

[Roy C.]

The RAM message pretty much means you have a single 32MB but 2-16MB are more likely. You might be able to get away with running some SDRAM in the 168-pin slots but that's a toss up without knowing what your motherboard's model number is.

DMA might not make a difference in DVD playback and as a matter of fact it might lock up your PC. For future reference, DMA is a must when dealing with CD burners.

Good luck,

Roy

 

[Darren Lewis]

Roy C. - Thanks for explaing the difference between hub and switch so plainly. I've never really understood the difference.
Peter - Do keep us informed on your progress. I'd be interested in knowing whether the DVD drive works OK for films across a network as I've thought about modifying my setup to do this.
It does seem as thought the RAM is EDO from what you've listed from the boot-up screen.
Are there no model reference numbers or jumper tables anywhere on the board? Is the machine a branded make? If so the manufacturer may use a particular brand of motherboard?
My old machine used an unbranded motherboard (It was a p-120) and they run at 60MHz with a 2x multiplier. When I put in the IDT-200 MMX processor, I had to change the jumpers to 66MHz at 3x.
The BIOS didn't recognise the chip and reported it as a 486DX4 but it seemed to work OK.