Category: Code

Checking for memory problems

Although Vista has its own memory checker. It failed to detect any problems with my RAM. It runs for about an hour with 4GB of RAM.

The evaluation version of [SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10] also has a memory checker that you can boot to with the downloadable DVD bootdisk. This test is much more thorough and runs for more than 2 hours. And it did find some memory problems.

Vista Impressions

Vista 64-bit:

  • Those who are waiting for the next service pack for Vista are putting in time well spent. I expected a hard time finding drivers. I did not expect how unstable Vista is. Vista is sensitive. There are many bugs in the new features added to Vista. The most frequent bug is memory access violations. I don’t know why the OS can’t just handle the violation, instead I see frequent blue screens. The only safe thing is to not do anything, and that’s not entirely safe. I’ve blue screened at every stage. The personalized login page crashes, so I couldn’t login to Vista. Upon rebooting, I got a blue screen for a “device adapter less than or equal to”; whatever than means. Explorer tends to restart a lot. The Superfetch likes to crash when renaming folders. Vista Ultimate has a nice feature that allows a video background. Unfortunately, the slightest error causes the feature to turn off. A little blame box pops up, “it was probably the video background… crash”. Some of my favorite exceptions are “PFN_LIST_CORRUPT”, “win32k.sys”, “IRQ_LESS_OR_EQUAL”, and “SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION” which all result in a blue screen. I’m ready to join the mob bleeding for Vista SP1. One positive, is each time I install a Windows update, my system gets a little more stable. And it’s nice being able to access all 4GB of ram. “Problem Reports and Solutions” is a nice tool.
  • With my ASUS P5N-E SLI it was necessary to update the BIOS to version 0608 to fix some of the constant lock-ups and blue screens.

  • One way to see if you have any driver problems is to simply go to Start > run and enter: [verifier.exe]. While verifier is active, there are way more blue screens. Collect all the data. It will help identify what hardware is causing grief. Be sure to disable verifier during normal use. That should limit the amount of blue screens.


    • Vista 32-bit:

  • This windows update fixes choppy sound when listening to music like [Pandora.com]. ===Marvell – Networking – NETGEAR WN121T Wireless USB 2.0 Adapter===

    • SUSE:

  • If Vista continues to be unstable, one alternative is to install a [SLED or BLADE].

    • HP a6177c-b

    [Spec] information for the [HP Pavilion a6177c Desktop PC] that we recently picked up from [Costco].

    Processor & Memory:

  • Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor E6550 at 2.33GHz
  • 4MB L2 cache
  • 1333MHz Front Side Bus
  • 2GB DDR2 SDRAM memory (2 x 1024MB), expandable to 8GB

    • Drives:

  • 400GB (7,200RPM) SATA hard drive
  • LightScribe DVD±RW drive with double layer support

    • Graphics & Video:

  • HP w2408 24″ widescreen BrightView flat panel monitor with adjustable tilt
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® 7350 LE graphics card with TurboCache. 128MB dedicated graphics memory, TV-out and DVI capability. Up to 623MB total available graphics memory as allocated by Windows Vista

    • Communications:

  • 10/100/1000 network interface
  • 56K modem

    • Audio:

  • High Definition Audio, 8-speaker configurable

    • Keyboard & Mouse:

  • HP wireless keyboard
  • HP wireless optical mouse
  • HP Media Center remote control with IR receiver

    • Expandability:

  • Four DIMM (240-pin DDR2) [memory] slots (two available)
  • Expansion slots: one PCI (occupied); one PCI-Express x16 (occupied); two PCI-Express x1 (one available)
  • Drive bays: two external 5.25″ (one available); one external 3.5″ (available); two internal 3.5” (one available)

    • Ports:

  • NTSC TV tuner, over-the-air ATSC TV tuner and FM tuner (antenna included)
  • Front panel 15-in-1 media card reader supports Compact Flash I/II, SmartMedia, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Pro Duo, MultiMediaCard, Secure Digital, Mini Secure Digital, xD, RSMMC, MMC Mobile, MMC+ and IBM Microdrive
  • Six USB 2.0 ports (2 front, 4 rear)
  • Two IEEE 1394 (Firewire) ports (1 front, 1 rear)
  • Microphone/headphone/line-in (FRONT)
  • Two PS/2 ports; digital audio in/out; LAN; rear speaker out/side speaker out/center (subwoofer); microphone/line-in/line-out; DVI-D (REAR)

    • Operating System:

  • Microsoft® Windows Vista Home Premium

    • Warranty Information:

  • Two year limited PC warranty
  • One year limited monitor warranty

    • Netgear sucks too much

    I’m starting to notice that Netgear stuff is trouble. The Netgear wireless cards are dangerous. I’ve seen my CPU at 100% several times. My desktop started locking up after working flawlessly for ages without the Netgear card. I’ve seen Netgear usb cards overheat and disconnect. And my Netgear router has started attacking my wireless computers because somebody in the neighborhood or at Comcast has Vista. I posted some of my issues on the [Microsoft Channel 9 MSDN forums]. I think my next plan of attack is to replace all my Netgear junk with Vista certified gear. I can’t have my equipment overheating from wireless network death pings.

    Sector 13

    “ECD Systems, involved in anti-piracy and copy protection software, has announced the [top 20 semi-finalists] for its second-annual [Independent Game Developers Showcase], with the winners due [to be announced] on ECD’s stand at next month’s [Austin Game Developers Conference].

    The semi-finalists were determined by popular vote, with the list now handed over to the Indie Showcase’s judging panel for final determination of the three runners-up and the grand prize winner…”

    Sector 13 is a semi-finalist in the general category out of 140 other applicants.

    Investigation

    For the past 4 weeks, I’ve been hearing helicopters flying overhead. I finally went out to find out why. It turns out the county is logging the cliff side using helicopters. I’ll have to get a closer look when the weather turns better. I’ll snap a close-up then.