Hey, I got a question for you all. Sometimes my system just
seems to lag. My system will hit these ruts will everything
will just slow down and maybe freeze up for a second or two.
This seems to happen more when Im playing songs on WinAmp.
Quite often the song will either pause for a few seconds or
make an awful garbled noise for a few seconds. Im not running
many programs so I know it cant be that. I have 352 MB of RAM
so that shouldt be a problem either. Could it be a WinAmp
problem?? Any help here is appreciated. Thanks in advance
everybody!!

BiLL

Hi Bill,

Sounds like you are running Win98. If so, this is gonna hurt, but Win98 can't handle memory over 128mb RAM very well. It gets somewhat more unstable.

Get a copy of Norton Utilities and run System Doctor - this will clean up any registry errors and help Windows run a bit smoother. Next, click, Start, Run and type msconfig and hit enter. This will bring up an applet with a number of tabs. Click on the startup tab and see what is actually running when you boot. Unclick anything that you know should not be running, close the applet and reboot.

If you are not running Win98 - please ignore all this... :-)

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CCNA, CIW, iNet+, Network+, A+, RCE

That must be my problem because these problems just started
happening after I installed more RAM. I went from 96 MB to 352 MB.
So, I guess I should install Windows 2000 eh?

WAIT A MINUTE HERE
JSK I see your certs. posted in your signature there, but I think you have been missled. Windows handles in excess of 128 Mgb RAM quite well!

Cronus, the fact that this started happening AFTER you installed the additional RAM is either coincidence or faulty/cheap RAM. Does you mobo require that the larger stick be in the first slot?
Does Windows report it correctly? Does it report correctly during POST?
Anything else just installed or changed?
Post back and we can go from there http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/wink.gif

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Waiting patiently for the future to arrive Frank's Place (http://www.members.aol.com/frankscompsrvice)



[This message has been edited by bassman (edited 01-23-2002).]

Win9x can, theoretically handle 4GB of RAM, but a "design" feature limits it to 512MB (for all practical purposes). And there is a 1GB limit because Win9x can't really deal with more than that of actual. physical RAM. What happens after 128MB is more a function of what you run on the machine than anything else...the increase in performance levels off at 128MB so there are nol onger any real gains in performance with more memory...but if you work with large audio or graphics files, huge databases, etc. then more will be of benefit and it will and can run extremely stable...

Q253912 (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q253912)...More than 512MB

Q304943 (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q304943)...1GB issues...

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mjc
Links list:Computer Links (http://www.dreamwater.org/tech/mjc/index.htm)

Celts are the men that heaven made mad, For all their battles are merry and their songs are all sad.

So what do you guys recommend me to do?? Install Win2000??

BiLL

Now, after the editorial comments...back to the real problem....

What are the programs that are running?

What is running in the background (<ctrl><alt><del> once to bring up a list of all running programs)?

Certain background programs can cause difficulties with things like playing music, a background scan by a virus scanner can is one such program. Also goto the Control Panel -> Multimedia -> Audio -> Playback Devices -> Advanced -> performance and bring down the audio acceleration a notch and try it there...you can repeat this several times.

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mjc
Links list:Computer Links (http://www.dreamwater.org/tech/mjc/index.htm)

Celts are the men that heaven made mad, For all their battles are merry and their songs are all sad.

Ok guys. I cleaned up my registry. I defraged the hard drive. I defraged the registry. I only have 3 things starting when my computer starts. I optimize my computer very well so I knew it wasnt that to begin with but I figured Id give that a shot. My computer manual doesn't say anythnig about the largest memory stick having to be in the 1st slot. I know I installed the newer, bigger memory in the last slot though. Might that matter?? Could the RAM just be bad?? Windows, BIOS, and the POST all report the memory amount correctly. I turned down my audio acceleration also. None of the things I did really seemed to help. My computer is still slow and hangs alot when Im doing things. Should I just install Win2000?? If I do that, should I just do the upgrade like it prompts me to do? Will all my installed programs still work after I do that?? Let me know guys. Thanks!!


I have 1 more problem. My computer just resets itself for no reason sometime. Usually when the computer sits for a while and I come back and double-click on something. Could this be an overheating problem. I cleaned out all the dust in my machine. The fan in the back seems to be working. I can feel cool air. Any suggestions??

BiLL

hmm.....check in BIOS that your L1 and L2 cache are enabled?

Also, are the drives in Comatability mode? (My Computer -> Properies -> Performance...it would say MS-DOS compatability Mode)

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mjc
Links list:Computer Links (http://www.dreamwater.org/tech/mjc/index.htm)

Celts are the men that heaven made mad, For all their battles are merry and their songs are all sad.

Hey Cronus,
Maybe its time for some more system specs.
What 3 things are on when you start up?
When this slowdown occures, hit "Ctrl-Alt-Del" all together ONE time. What is listed there?
When was your last virus scan?

We'll figure it out, just hang in there http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/cool.gif

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Waiting patiently for the future to arrive. Frank's Place (http://dreamwater.net/tech/frankscomp/)

To answer all your questions. The L2 cache is enabled. The My Computer properties say nothing about MS-DOS Compatability Mode. I dont really know what ur talking about there. The only things that start up are the things that are supposed to like the LoadPowerProfile, ScanRegistry, and McAffe VirusScan. I also have my ftp server in the StartUp folder. I don't remember my last virus scan but i do it fairly regularly. Hope this helps.

BiLL

cronus1914,

Reread your original post and follow-ups and didn't see any mention of what Motherboard you are using...what would it be?

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May all your dealings in life be win/win!


Whyzman
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Reserved for Punishing Humor...A Pessimist's blood is always B-negative!

The motherboard is an Intel with the 440BX AGPset chipset. It has 3 memory slots. Bank 0 has 32MB, Bank 1 has 64MB, and Bank 2 has 256MB.

BiLL

Here's (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/win98/maintain/first.asp?frame=true) a page full of recommendations for sluggish Win 9x systems.

I doubt it'll help your random rebooting issues, though. Check and make sure all your cards and memory are seated properly.

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Some mistakes are too much fun to make only once.

Any other suggestions guys? Should I switch the memory so the biggest module is in the first slot? Should I try to install Win2000? I heard there is problems when u upgrade to Win2000. Is that true?? Let me know my options. Thanks all!

BiLL

Hey Cronus, I don't want to tell you not to install 2000, but I really don't think this will solve your problem.

You might try changing the RAM around and see if this helps.
Also, have you tried you tunes on another player? If so, any luck?

I have a real problem with all Norton ISAVirus programs http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif, but that may not be a problem for you. Try shutting it down and see what happens.

Are you sure that "TaskScheduler" is not turning something on?

Still tryin http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/cool.gif

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Waiting patiently for the future to arrive. Frank's Place (http://dreamwater.net/tech/frankscomp/)

I think it's time to look at the memory.

Take out the 256 RAM stick and see if the problem continues. Also, if you have a reputable shop near by, take the RAM out and have them test it. I have found sometimes changing brand's of RAM can make all the difference in the world.
Bad RAM can also cause you to have random re-boots. Since you really didn't have the problem before you added the RAM, concentrate all of your efforts there before doing anything else.

Hey all, I think I fixed my problem. Get this. I went to take out the brand new 256MB module in Bank 2 to see if that fixed my problem. I mistakenly took out the 32MB module in Bank 0. I restarted my computer and everything seems to be working fine. No problems when playing mp3s. No delays when clicking on things. What the heck could have been the problem? That memory module went bad? That memory bank went bad? That module not compatible with the new 256MD module? Well whatever but so far it seemed to do the trick. Hopefully the computer stays this way.

One more question. I noticed that before I took out that memory module that I only had about 55%, 60% free resources after I closed out ALL my programs. Could I have had a memory leak or does that happen sometimes when you leave your computer on for long stretches of time. I sometimes go a couple of days without rebooting.

Thanks everyone!!!

BiLL

Yes that can happen when you leave your system on for long periods of time.

Go to hotfiles.com and you can download a re-booting/shutdown program that youcan schedule to re-boot every day at 2AM and then you won't have to worry about dwindling resources.