Lost memory

[IanB]

I've been trying for two days to add 16MB (in two 8MB SIMMs of 70ns standard chips)to my MITAC MPU 150 PC. The machine refuses to recognise the new chips unless the existing ones are taken out - and vice versa. In other words, the PC doesn't seem to want to be upgraded to 32MB. Can this be right - or am I expecting too much for the system to automatically install the extra memory? Could it be that the SIMMs have to be added in a particular order? Or must I enter the nightmarish SETUP area and configure something or other? I am not a PC buff (as readers might already have gatheered), but I am an obedient creature and will do as I'm told if only someone knows what to tell me.

Could some wonderful person also advise on why I cannot configure my parallel port in this machine to an EPP setting (demanded of me by me new Black Widow scanner)? It gives options only of EPP/ECP, Normal, EPP/SSP or ECP. And an extra parallel port, fitted by me as a separate I/O card, doesn't seem to offer any options at all for setting a port - other than its address, ie 278.

Any help will be received with extraordinary gratitude.

Ian Breach
Freelance Journalist
Sunderland, England.

Tel/Fax: (+44)191 567 1922

[Nathan]

Some brands of memory don't work well with other brands of memory. Or the motherboard doesn't like them together like that.

As to your parallel port question, have you tried the EPP/ECP or EPP/SSP to see if it will work?

Computer Help Page
www.helponthe.net/nathan/ (http://www.helponthe.net/nathan/)

[Bleeding Edge]

The parallel port card addition may be of the "normal" variety only. If it is ECC/EPP capabale, there will jumper pins on the printed circuit board to select the particular mode. You would have to take the card out and look.

If your machine does support ECC and/or EPP, this mode is selectable within the Bios settings.

On older systems these modes aren't available because at the time of production, that port technology wasn't available.

As to the simms. You probably have incompatible ones, as Nathan suggests. Whether do to mismatch of EDO and non-EDO, parity or not, the inability of the Bios to support different types of Simms or what.. I don't know.

Check out Nathan's site. It's a well organized base of information.