All right, so how do you move IRQ's around?

[space7]

O.K ho's the nest that gonna say that MURC anderstand noting and never help.

[Bixler]

Good to see you space: I've been wondering where you were.

We'll teach McRhea about smoking g400's later-hold your fire

And all we've really done is swap out a couple of drivers--Sheesh!!

As to the more technical issues--Please, someone lead on if we have to get into aperture sizes, Ideal IRQ's (will we EVER get there!) or other things...Maybe we'll get out of computers 101 soon.

I personally suspect that Promise Busmastering is not letting the G400 get the bandwidth it needs, therefore the hang. The driver fix worked for me because I'm running a G200--not as demanding.

Any discussion?

And McRhea: Stick with the basic mechanical stuff while we continue to learn...step by step. Good boy!

[Jorden]

I'll send you the manual on the Phoenix BIOS as well, Bixler, so we can tackle it from two sides

Interesting reading here

Jorden.

[Bixler]

More Homework McRhea:

You posted on page 2 that you had the following Bios Version:

Phoenix BIOS 4.0 release 6.0
2w2sb0x0.15a.0015.p10

That doesn't match with any BIOS version on Gateway's tech support site in the link you provided on page 2.

Please make ABSOLUTELY Certain that you are providing the correct numbers. There are many versions, with MANY different options.

DO this:

Boot up with your monitor on and press the pause/break key the minute you see anything on your screen, and copy everything down. I do mean everything.

[Jorden]

It's getting worse.. according to Gateway's site there are no 2W2SB motherboards...

Jorden.

[ALBPM]

Hi Guys,

I've been hanging back and finding files for Jorden

I'm also concerned that his OEM Intel motherboard may have had the Integrated sound orginally and that he may have added the Sound card after he got the system.

I guess we need to get the model number for his Gateway System to track down the motherboard and original hardware it came with.

Paul

[This message has been edited by ALBPM (edited 21 November 1999).]

[Alfie]

This is reaching close to setting a new record.
When this is all finished,let's e-mail this thread to gateway,in that way when someone with the same problem contacts them...
power of murc at work!

[Bixler]

God Bless you ALBPM for staying tuned!

I've carefully checked prior posts, and I'm 99% certain that his Sound is ONBOARD.

He's only indicated two cards...One is the *&!!** Promise, and the other is his Winmodem. --Has to be onboard sound. (PUHLEEZE!)

Alfie:

Thanks for Lurking

Let this be a lesson in the Fallacy of assumptions!!!
------------
We have met the enemy, and he is US!

[Bixler]

Listen Up McRhea:

Verify on you next post.

You have TWO cards, not three. (These are the thingy's you can pull out of the mainboard that also screw to the back panel of your Comp.)

1. The *%!!! Promise card.

2. The Modem card (the one your phone line plugs into.)

Are ANY other cards 'plugged in'??

I DO remember asking for your EXACT model # earlier. How about it?

STEP BY STEP!!!
----------------
Holly,

You getting anything out of this about PREconfigured Comps???

Bill Gates is the DEVIL!


[This message has been edited by Bixler (edited 22 November 1999).]

[DuRaNgO]

I just remembered why I don't like brand name comps
jim

[HollyBerri]

Oh, yeah Bixler... and people wonder why I roll my own... do you know that we have (2!!) HP Pavillions at my office which, among their many sins, <u><font size="3">have NO RESET BUTTON????</u></font>

Oy.... seriously, though, you guys are incredible... where are you finding these BIOS manuals?? And (while we wait).. Jord said that my problem (documented in a previous thread) with different apps all crashing in memory register 0018 was due to my PnP BIOS... but he never said what (if anything) I could do to fix it.

I've begun to suspect that it's not my mobo BIOS, but my PROMISE Ultra 33 BIOS that might be the problem.. especially since it's on the same IRQ as my modem... and the apps that usually crash are Internet Telephony apps...

Does that sound remotely likely? And is card-swapping the answer? 'Coz I don't feel like it if I don't have to do it...


Oh, and McRhea... you're right, it's no fun when it's one's own PC on the fritz... You must realize that I've been recently named moderator of the Soap Box forum, and have been somewhat deprived of serious hardware configuration discussion for the last little while. It was just the withdrawal talking. Sorry to have seemed so flip.

---------------
Holly

[This message has been edited by HollyBerri (edited 22 November 1999).]

[Bixler]

Holly:

You are Jorden's star but everyone else's honey.

NO idea on the Promise 33. My experience only has to do with countless nights (alone until I posted on the MURC) shotgunning a blowout with the Zoran daughter card on my Marvel G200.--Complete with RMA from Matrox which I refused, and which is now working fine.--all due to the Promise Diagnostic Driver which was causing me to completely shut down immediately upon calling the DVD software that came with the hardware card.
(McRhea, Ignore this--nothing to do with your Gateway)

All I can suggest is that they acknowleged a problem with the PU66vsd.vxd driver (not performance related!)in Windows/system/Iosubsys and suggested renaming/deleting this file or getting the updated driver (that was 66 posts ago on this thread!) If a similar file exists in your config, I can tell you that it is only a diagnostic that kicks in to check the HDD every 50-60 seconds (or whatever clock cycle your comp is on) and was creating havoc due to a bug. If you find this file on your system(s) you might try temporarily renaming it and testing to see if this caused the problem. On my SS7 Mobo it bombed out my DVD EVERY time I called the player software. (the only time I ever really pushed busmastering to the limit.)
________

I want a plane ticket to the wedding!
You guys are funnnnn!



[This message has been edited by Bixler (edited 22 November 1999).]

[McRhea]

Hello again,

I've got bad news guys, I've plugged the CD-ROM into the Promise, and it still hangs. I have to go find an IDE cable, so I haven't been able to plug them back into the mobo.
(Quick question, why can't I use the Blue cable that is already hooked up to my HD? Is it because it's got a blank or something?)

Moving along to the BIOS... Hehehe... (It shows you how I can post stupid stuff when it's late at night.)
Here's the CORRECT BIOS:

Phoenix BIOS 4.0 Release 6.0
4w4sb0x0.15a.0015.p10

NOT 2w2, it's 4w4!!! Sorry about that!

Now for the Sound card issue.
Yes it is integrated. There are no other PCI cards other then the Promise and the modem. I didn't want integrated sound, but I got it.

Hey Bixler, you asked for a model number. WHAT model number? For what? My computer? Ummmm... ok, I got it.

Serial #: 001-374-1905
Sales order #: 20722547
Client ID #: 19447704

(Don't worry, I got these numbers right! )

Durango: Although it's too late for me, I don't like brand name comps either! Never again will I buy another Gateway or a brand name comp. EVER! I'll make my own system! And then I wouldn't be having this dang problem!

Holly: You're right about the reset buttons on Brand name comps: THEY DON'T HAVE THEM!
I wonder why?
And about it not being fun when it's your comp that's not working correctly, you're right! BUT, in some ways, if your comp isn't working correctly, you learn a HELL of a lot more about it! In a strange ironic way... I'm learning a ton of stuff that I never knew about before!

WOAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just as I was finishing that last sentence my mouse cursor went NUTS!!!!!! It was moving across the screen, NOT JERKING erratically, MOVING! Like someone was moving it! When I first noticed I put my hand on the mouse because I thought it was slipping off the computer desk, BUT IT STILL MOVED!!!!!!!!! WHAT THE HECK?
my computer is demon possessed by some spirit!! Hehehe.... but seriously!! That freaked me out! It's never done that before! It's gotta be Bill Gates, I know it!!!!

Is there any other info that I need to give? I'll try to get an IDE cable as soon as possible, and see what happens when I put the CD and the HD on the mobo. You guys are the experts, but I have a hunch it's the Promise...
But then there's this question, Why is the promise acting up now? When I had my old VooDoo Banshee in, it worked fine. How would the G400 put strain on the Promise and in turn make the HD hang? I don't get it. The components in a computer fight like cats and dogs...

McRhea

[Bixler]

Believe it or not, I think we're making progress. Go get that IDE cable, and BE CAREFUL when you swap the cables out about what slot you're plugging into.

Follow the procedures I posted earlier. I went back and cleaned up the instructions given for the next step...just read carefully Jorden's posts as well as mine.

There are answers to your questions about the Voodoo Banshee VS the G400, and you'll get them here on the MURC, but first things first. You're gonna be fine, just stay on the path and take things step by step.

Oh, and by the way, just as a further diagnostic, remain with the standard IDE cable if you end up swapping back to the Promise card. It may tell us something further about ATA66 vs. G400.

You'll get answers to your questions...some of them will be answered by you.

--and I won't charge much for the time wasted that the bad numbers on your Bios cost me and Jorden. Step by Step.

[McRhea]

Heh heh hehe... I'm really sorry about the messed up numbers on the BIOS...

A question about the IDE cable, are they all the same? They should be, right? Are there different types I need to know about?

Well... there's nothing more I can do tonight... Except go to bed. Hehe. Thank you Bixler, I'll try to get the IDE cable as soon as possible... it's a good thing one of my friends' older brother works in a computer store! If all goes well, I'll get the cable tomorrow!

Ok, it's late here... and my heard hurts from all this computer stuff (not really), so I'll talk to you guys tomorrow. Bye!

Thanks Bixler and Jordan. And all the guys that are following the progress (progress? ) Good night.

McRhea