Girl Geekette

It has been about 5 years since I have done a major overhaul to my computer. After tiring of blue screens and reinstalling XP over and over, I decided to upgrade my computer. Now, I have a 2.4 p4 quad core installed with 4 gigs of memory.

So, I decided to go back to Vista again to get the most out of the processor.

Here is my problem: It seems even though my BIOS reports 4 GB of memory, Windows only shows 3.x. So, I did some research. Turns out this is a known problem with Windows. The first to fix it is Vista SP 1. So, I am installing it and seeing if that will fix it!

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929605/en-us

  1xx Systemboard Errors    
  2xx Main Memory Errors    
  3xx Keyboard Errors    
  5xx Color Monitor Error    
  6xx Floppy Disk Controller Errors    
14xx Printer Errors    
17xx Hard Disk Controller Errors    
86xx Mouse Errors 

POST Tasks and Beep Codes
When you turn on or reset an IBM- compatible PC, the BIOS first performs a number of tasks, called the Power- On- Self- Test (POST). These tasks test and initialize the hardware and then boot the Operating System from the hard disk.

At the beginning of each POST task, the BIOS outputs the test- point error code to I/ O port 80h. Programmers and technicians use this code during trouble shooting to establish at what point the system failed and what routine was being performed. Some motherboards are equipped with a seven- segment LED display that displays the current value of port 80h. For production boards which do not contain the LED display, you can purchase an installable "Port 80h" card that performs the same function. If the BIOS detects a terminal error condition, it issues a terminal- error beep code (See following), attempts to display the error code on upper left corner of the screen and on the port 80h LED display, and halts POST. It attempts repeatedly to write the error to the screen. This attempt may "hash" some CGA displays. If the system hangs before the BIOS can process the error, the value displayed at the port 80h is the last test performed. In this case, the screen does not display the error code.

Except for beep code #8, these codes are always fatal.

· 1 beep Refresh failure
· 2 beeps Parity error
· 3 beeps Base 64K memory failure
· 4 beeps Timer not operational
· 5 beeps Processor error
· 6 beeps 8042 - gate A20 failure
· 7 beeps Processor exception interrupt error
· 8 beeps Display memory read/write failure
· 9 beeps ROM checksum error
· 10 beeps CMOS shutdown register read/write error
· 11 beeps Cache memory bad

· For 1 beep, 2 beeps, or 3 beeps try reseating the memory first. If the error still occurs, replace the memory with known good chips.

· For 4 beeps, 5 beeps, 7 beeps, or 10 beeps the system board must be sent in for repair.

· For 6 beeps try reseating the keyboard controller chip. If the error still occurs, replace the keyboard chip. If the error persists, check parts of the system relating to the keyboard, e.g. try another keyboard, check to see if the system has a keyboard fuse.