Newsgroups: alt.cd-rom,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.cd-rom,comp.os.ms-windows.setup Path: cdrom.com!barrnet.net!sgiblab!sdd.hp.com!ihnp4.ucsd.edu!agate!howland.reston.ans.net!math.ohio-state.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!csn!csus.edu!netcom.com!dactyl From: dactyl@netcom.com (David Carter) Subject: Re: Windows crashing after adding Toshiba CD-ROM drive Message-ID: Followup-To: alt.cd-rom,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.cd-rom,comp.os.ms-windows.setup Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest) X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL1] References: Date: Fri, 11 Mar 1994 04:38:43 GMT Lines: 47 Xref: cdrom.com alt.cd-rom:1556 comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.cd-rom:1696 comp.os.ms-windows.setup:1728 kevin.laux (rkl@cbnewsh.cb.att.com) wrote: : From article , by ez033547@monet.ucdavis.edu (-- Forrest Pan --): : > Kevin F. Speichts (KEVIN=F=SPEICHTS%ISSD%DFOSF@SFNET.DFO.CA) wrote: : >> > When I go into MS-Windows 3.1, things are OK until I try to access : >> > anything on the SCSI bus, CD-ROM, or hard disk. Windows crashes with : >> > the following error: : > : >> > System error : >> > Memory parity error deteced. : >> > System halted. : >> > : >> One thing I would do would be to switch to DOS 6.2's EMM386.EXE and make sure : >> you add a D=256 section to it to allow for DMA access buffers. : >> ex. Device=c:\dos\emm386.exe noems d=256 : >> As well you may want to add smartdrive.exe /doublebuffer to your config.sys : >> card with real DMA addresses instead of redirected addresses. Your SCSI card : >> may in fact be writing over windows code hense the parity errors. : >> ex. Device=c:\dos\smartdrv.exe /doublebuffer : > : > Hmmmmm, maybe that's too much. I will first try to restore the Toshiba : > to its default SCSI ID: 4. ID 0 and 1 are usually reserved for hard drive. : > I think the Adaptec manual did mention that. : You gotta be kidding. The problem is *bad memory*. And it's in : extended memory - that's why things work with just plain DOS. : Windows is notorious for weeding out marginal memory chips that : no other tester or diagnostic will find. Adding the CD-ROM was : only just the trigger that caused the windows configuration to : change which allowed for the parity error to become known. : Replace the memory. Indeed. At least test the memory with CheckIt or somesuch to see if there is a spurious problem there. Sometimes memory chips work ok during booting because the board is still cold, then as soon as the machine warms up a bit, they flake. Until you try to use the particular stretch of RAM with a problem, nothing bad happens. my 2 cents. : -- : Gotta make sure that Disclaimer is in here - Hey, I speak my own mind. : R. Kevin Laux Email: rkl1@hound.att.com : AT&T Bell Labs Voice: (908) 949-8607 : Holmdel, NJ 07733 Fax: (908) 949-0959 -- David Carter dactyl@netcom.com If we all work together we can smash the system