Running slow after fresh install and new RAM

[bryank]

Ok...This machine has slowed down considerably over the past month so I had backed everything up and formatted the thing with a fresh install of Windows XP. I did all the windows updates and I am now on SP3. After all of the Windows updates I was having problems updating my drivers so I installed the Intel Chipset based on what I have:

Dell Dimension 2350
Chipset: Intel i845GL Rev. B1
Southbridge Intel 82801DB(ICH4)
LPCIO: SMSC LPC47M10x

Bios:
Version A00
Date: 10/28/2002

The thing was still running very slow so I decided that I would check the RAM. I ran memtest.org and the thing would shut down about a minute into the test which made me assume that the RAM was bad. At this point I had a 128MB and 512MB stick in the machine. I ordered 2 1GB sticks and shut it down.

Now I have installed the new RAM (which quadrupled my RAM) and the thing is running slower than before. I tried to run memtest again (from disc) and the thing shuts itself down about a minute in.

XP Home - SP3
2 - 1GB PC2100 DDR RAM
Intel Pentium 4 1.8GHz
Intel 82845G/GL/GE/PE/GV Graphics Controller
SoundMax Integrated Digital Audio
AVG Anti Virus (8.0 Free)

The machine is running very sluggish, videos are jumpy, things take forever to open and close, etc. I dont have any random shut down problems when doing anything else other than when I run Memtest. I burned it to disc and run from CD-ROM to boot from the disc. I've been trying to make a DVD of all of the videos that I've taken from our daughters 1st year and Roxio 8 Suite is just crawling to the point of driving me nuts.

Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.

 

[redduc900]

You might want to think about flashing to the latest A02 BIOS...

http://support.dell.com/support/dow...=DIM_PNT_CEL_2350&os=WW1&osl=en&catid=&impid=

 

[bryank]

thank you for the reply....I'm not sure if I need to update to all of the drivers in that link or just the ones that apply to my machine....for example I tried to install the Video Driver update for Roxio - Patch/Upgrade and it told me:

Could not find a previously installed version of MGI VideoWave 4 SE on my computer.

I did install the update for my video driver right abouve it on the dell site that you linked me too though.

 

[redduc900]

I was only referring to the BIOS update, not all of the driver downloads that are available.

 

[I.M.O.G.]

Deleted the duplicate thread. In the future, please only post one thread per issue - if you fragment your discussion, efforts are duplicated.

 

[bryank]

ok...I downloaded the driver and saved it to a floppy as it directed me and restarted with the disc in the drive....nothing happened

 

[redduc900]

Concerning the BR58200.exe file that you downloaded...

This file contains a compressed (or zipped) set of files. Download the file to a folder on your hard drive, and then run (double-click) it to unzip the set of files. Follow the instructions to create a set of floppy diskettes, and then use the diskettes to complete the installation.

http://support.dell.com/support/dow...=-1&impid=-1&formatcnt=2&libid=1&fileid=70067

 

[bryank]

There has got to be something else wrong with this machine....after windows boots completely it takes a minute or so for Firefox to even open.

 

[bryank]

There is only 1 floppy disc image which is now on a floppy....when I reboot from floppy I get:

Utility Partition Not Found. Press any key to continue.

Then Windows starts.

 

[bryank]

To complete the Bios upgrade, insert the diskette into the system being updated and reboot.

 

[bryank]

when I go to My Computer it takes forever for it to even find my available drives...A:, C: D: (CDR), E: (DVD), etc

 

[bryank]

Thanks for all the help but I have a bad feeling that this is something else.

I put 2x 1GB 266 MHz DDR PC2100 DIMM CL2.5 in this thing to max it out. When I try to run Dell 32bit Diagnostics the machine shuts itself down once it gets to:

System Memory - Memory Address Line Test

Any other suggestions? If I could get my utility partition to work so I could boot from CD-ROM to update from Revision A00 to Revision A02 that might help. I also tried entering safe mode to run the new revision but that didnt work either.

Any other help would be great....I'm not a hardware guy at all so if you could keep that in mind on your responses that would be great.

Thanks in advance

 

[Mr.Guvernment]

try it with just 1 stick of ram at a time see if it matters... what else do you have in the system? perhaps your straining the powersupply ...

 

[bryank]

Everything else is from the factory besides the RAM. It only shuts down when running MEMTEST or the Dell Diagnostics.

I see on the new RAM that it is KVR266x64C25/1G

Does that mean that it is for a 64 bit machine? Maybe that has nothing to do with the problem.

this is the one that I bought:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134174

this is the one that I think I should have bought:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134592

 

[bryank]

Anyone? If I could figure out how to bring back my Utility Partition that may be a huge help.

 

[redduc900]

Did you follow the installation instructions on the page I linked you to for flashing the BIOS?

http://support.dell.com/support/dow...=-1&impid=-1&formatcnt=2&libid=1&fileid=70067

Expand "Installation Instructions".

 

[RJARRRPCGP]

Ok...This machine has slowed down considerably over the past month so I had backed everything up and formatted the thing with a fresh install of Windows XP. I did all the windows updates and I am now on SP3. After all of the Windows updates I was having problems updating my drivers so I installed the Intel Chipset based on what I have:

Dell Dimension 2350
Chipset: Intel i845GL Rev. B1
Southbridge Intel 82801DB(ICH4)
LPCIO: SMSC LPC47M10x

Bios:
Version A00
Date: 10/28/2002

The thing was still running very slow so I decided that I would check the RAM. I ran memtest.org and the thing would shut down about a minute into the test which made me assume that the RAM was bad. At this point I had a 128MB and 512MB stick in the machine. I ordered 2 1GB sticks and shut it down.

Now I have installed the new RAM (which quadrupled my RAM) and the thing is running slower than before. I tried to run memtest again (from disc) and the thing shuts itself down about a minute in.

XP Home - SP3
2 - 1GB PC2100 DDR RAM
Intel Pentium 4 1.8GHz
Intel 82845G/GL/GE/PE/GV Graphics Controller
SoundMax Integrated Digital Audio
AVG Anti Virus (8.0 Free)

The machine is running very sluggish, videos are jumpy, things take forever to open and close, etc. I dont have any random shut down problems when doing anything else other than when I run Memtest. I burned it to disc and run from CD-ROM to boot from the disc. I've been trying to make a DVD of all of the videos that I've taken from our daughters 1st year and Roxio 8 Suite is just crawling to the point of driving me nuts.

Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.

Probably thermal throttling then a "thermtrip" because of the processor overheating! Please check the heatsink!

 

[bryank]

Sorry...I didnt see those instructions before....I will give it another try tonight....last night I saved it to the disc and then when I tried rebooting from floppy I would get the "Utility Partition not found" message.

I'm not so sure that it will boot from the Floppy upon restart.

 

[redduc900]

Dell always sets the floppy drive as the first boot device. And the BR58200.exe file that you downloaded needs to be run from within Windows (as it's a self extracting executable), in order to create the floppy that you'll need to boot from (which will also include the updated BIOS file; A02).

 

[bryank]

Probably thermal throttling then a "thermtrip" because of the processor overheating! Please check the heatsink!

The shutdown only occurs when running MEMTEST and running Dell Diagnostics. During the diagnostics it shuts down at the part where it tests the memory.

I have no idea how to check the heatsink.