BOOT-UP BOO HOOS

Thanks for responding so quickly.
A few more details for you. I just installed the second new ECS k7s5a mainboard with AMD k-7 1.2 Ghz. It's acting exactly like the first board. Won't boot, except with repeated pushing of reset. And I can't run it at 1.2; after a minute or two a kernel32.dll error stops all the action. It runs almost perfectly at 900 Mhz. The board has an SiS 735 chipset. Also, the reason I found this site was because I can't install the audio driver. I installed it on the first board with great difficulty; on this board so far no go. I tried installing from the SiS site, but that hasn't helped either. One more thing--on startup the screen shows "checking NVRAM-262xxx KB. Where's that extra 6000 KB from? Also, my OS is 98. Not SE
When I think of more I'll let you know.
Thank you!

3. RE: BOOT-UP BOO HOOS
lbyard Dec-20-01 06:47 PM
In response to message 2

Please focus on one computer at a time and one problem at a time. The symptoms indicate a marginal power supply or memory. So, please provide that info.
>Where's that extra 6000 KB from?
It comes from the common practice of measuring memory with the nearest power of 2 (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, etc), which is not the exact number of bytes; e.g., 1 KByte is actually 1,024 Bytes (2 to the 10th power). Larry

4. RE: BOOT-UP BOO HOOS
notscottmueller Dec-20-01 10:00 PM
In response to message 3

Larry--
The power supply is 300 watts (if that's what you're referring to). The memory is 256MB DDR, but I have a feeling that's not what you're getting at. Also, I have just the one computer. New mainboard, old problems.
Thanks

5. RE: BOOT-UP BOO HOOS
lbyard Dec-20-01 10:12 PM
In response to message 4

As I understand it you have exactly the same problems with two identical motherboards. So, what is common between the configurations besides the motherboards (assuming you do not have two bad ones)? Well, the two common items that cause those kinds of problems are bad memory and a noisy power supply. The hard disk could be the problem, but it is much less likely. I would be swapping out memory followed by the power supply if it were on my bench, assuming the motherboard is properly installed. I would also check for BIOS updates on the manufacturer's web site and read what they fix. Larry

6. RE: BOOT-UP BOO HOOS
lbyard Dec-20-01 10:13 PM
In response to message 5

Also, the processor could be running too hot. Larry

7. RE: BOOT-UP BOO HOOS
copperpipe Dec-20-01 11:12 PM
In response to message 2

I have two of the K7S5A motherboards: one with a 900 Tbird and the other with a 1 ghz/266 FSB Tbird. Both are with PC133 SDRAM and running Win98 SE. I consider myself fortunate that I've not had a problem compared to horror stories I've read elsewhere.
Larry is right about the memory and/or power supply as possible culprit areas. This motherboard is noted for being picky in these two areas.
There is website (which I will not name here) which has an extensive FAQ section devoted to this specific motherboard. If you search hard, you will find it (I don't wish to name it here out of respect for Larry and out of lack of respect for those who run that forum). As for your audio problem, I do recall that the onboard audio driver was located in a somewhat inconspicuous folder on the CD. I am assuming, of course, that you did enable the onboard audio in the BIOS.
Good luck.

8. RE: BOOT-UP BOO HOOS
notscottmueller Dec-21-01 02:15 AM
In response to message 7

Thanks, guys. We'll see what happens.

9. RE: BOOT-UP BOO HOOS
copperpipe Dec-23-01 04:47 PM
In response to message 7

Since tis the season, the FAQ website is here:
http://forum.ocworkbench.com/ocwbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=4&t=001477
If you download the drivers from the ECSUSA.com website, the audio driver is in the SIS7012\635Codec\WinXX folder that you download/unzip (you have to choose the WinXX folder according to your OS)
Good luck.

10. RE: BOOT-UP BOO HOOS
notscottmueller Dec-23-01 05:14 PM
In response to message 9

Thank you for your help...the audio is in. HAVE A GREAT CHRISTMAS! Dave