HIMEM.SYS is missing

[TonyMan]

Just installed a new mobo, ASUS A7A266 with an Atholon 1.2 gig CPU. I booted into the BIOS checked a few things out and when it tries to boot to Windows I get the following:

Unable to Control A20 line! XMS driver not installed.

HIMEM>SYS is missing.
Make sure the file is in your Windows directory.

At this point my keyboard is dead. I reboot and hit delete to get into the BIOS (keyboard works), but once in the keyboard stops again. I can hold down Control for a Safe Mode boot, but once I get that menu, I can't type again. Don't quite understand what is going on here.

The only new thing is the mobo, CPU, & case. All the other hardware was in use in the old PC. I thought maybe going with BIOS defaults would help, but cannot change anything.

[rlpos]

Try underclocking you fsb. Could be that the memory want handle the high mhz

[jray]

I ran into that one once, somebody here posted a link to Microsoft's Knowledge base, there I found the answer...There is a switch you add to himem.sys, I can't remember what it was...I'm trying to find it...

EDIT
found this on knowledge base
:
Disable Turbo in CMOS.


Disable Fast Gate A20 and Fast A20 Display in CMOS.


Try different machine switches with HIMEM.SYS (/M:2, 11, 12, and 13). For more information on this procedure, type "help HIMEM.SYS" (without the quotation marks) at the MS-DOS command prompt.




[This message has been edited by jray (edited 05-24-2001).]

[LadyTech]

Here ya go. Pulled this from databases:

If your computer displays the "ERROR: Unable to control A20 line!" message when
you start your computer, HIMEM.SYS did not load properly and therefore cannot
make extended memory or the high memory area (HMA) available. If HIMEM.SYS is
not loaded correctly, programs such as EMM386.EXE and Microsoft Windows 3.0 and
3.1 are unable to use extended memory, and Microsoft MS-DOS cannot load into the
HMA.

CAUSE
=====

This problem occurs if HIMEM.SYS incorrectly identifies your machine type, or if
the /CPUCLOCK and /MACHINE switches need to be added to the DEVICE command for
HIMEM.SYS.

WORKAROUND
==========

To correct this problem, add the /CPUCLOCK and /MACHINE switches to the DEVICE
command that starts HIMEM.SYS, as follows:

1. If you are using MS-DOS 5.0, create a startup disk. To do so, insert a
formatted floppy disk in drive A and type the following:

" sys c: a:" (without the quotation marks)

NOTES:

- Do not use drive B when you create the startup disk. Most computer BIOS
startup procedures do not look for a disk in drive B when starting the
computer, even though the light on drive B may turn on momentarily.

- If you are using MS-DOS 6.0, 6.2 or Windows 95, you can skip to step 3.
You do not need to create a startup floppy disk because you can use the
interactive startup key (F8) to bypass commands in your CONFIG.SYS file if
they cause your system to stop responding (hang). For more information on
using interactive startup, see your MS-DOS documentation.

2. Copy your CONFIG.SYS file to the startup disk by typing the following:

" copy c:\config.sys a:\ " (without the quotation marks)

3. Edit your CONFIG.SYS file.

a. To edit the file using MS-DOS Editor, type the following at the MS-DOS
command prompt:

" edit c:\config.sys" (without the quotation marks)

b. Make sure your CONFIG.SYS file contains a DEVICE command for HIMEM.SYS.
This command should appear before any other DEVICE commands. Specify the
command as follows:

" device=c:\dos\himem.sys" (without the quotation marks)

c. Add the /CPUCLOCK:ON switch to the DEVICE command for HIMEM.SYS. The
command should now appear as follows:

" device=c:\dos\himem.sys /cpuclock http://www.sysopt.com/forum/redface.gifn" (without the quotation marks)

d. If you are using MS-DOS 6.0 or later, you should also add the /V (verbose)
switch after the /CPUCLOCK:ON switch to force HIMEM.SYS to display
informational messages when it loads.

e. If you are using MS-DOS Editor, choose Exit from the File menu. When
MS-DOS Editor displays a dialog box prompting you to save your file,
choose the Yes button or press ENTER.

4. Restart your computer by pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL, or if you are using Windows
95, click Start, click Shut Down, click Restart (or Restart The Computer),
and then click OK.

Watch the messages that your computer displays during startup. If HIMEM.SYS is
working properly, it should display a message similar to the following:

Installed A20 handler number 1. 64K High Memory Area is available.

If the error message no longer appears, HIMEM.SYS starts correctly, and your
system is working properly, the problem has been corrected. If you still see
the "ERROR: Unable to control A20 line!" message, continue with the next
step.

5. Edit your CONFIG.SYS file again. Locate the DEVICE command for HIMEM.SYS and
add the /MACHINE switch to it. The /MACHINE switch specifies the type of
computer you have. The switch should be followed by a colon ( http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif and your
machine number (see the following list). For example, the following DEVICE
command specifies that your computer is a Toshiba® 5100 (machine number
7):

device=c:\dos\himem.sys /cpuclock http://www.sysopt.com/forum/redface.gifn /v /machine:7

The following table lists machine types in alphabetical order, and shows the
corresponding number to specify with the /machine switch:

Machine Type Number
------------------------------------------------------

Abacus 386 1
Acer 1100 6
AT&T® 6300 Plus 5
Bull Micral 60 16
Chaplet 1
Compaq Presario 1
CompuAdd® 386 systems 1 or 8
CSS Labs 12
Datamedia 386/486 2
Everex™ AT Plus 1800 1
Everex Notebook ELX 1
Excel Computer Systems 13
Hitachi® HL500C 8
Hewlett-Packard® (HP[R]) Vectra® 14
HP Vectra (A and A+) 4
IBM® PC/AT® 1, 11, 12, or 13
IBM PS/2® 2
Intel® 301z or 302 8
JDR 386/33 1
OPT 386-25 motherboard 1
Pak 386SX 1
PC Limited 4
PC 380/33C, PC 350/33C, or PC300/33C 2
BIOS revision 1.14
Philips 13
Phoenix Cascade BIOS 3, 1 or 8
Toshiba 1600 and 1200XE 7
Toshiba 5100 7
Tulip® SX 9
Unisys® PowerPort 2
WYSE® 12.5 MHz 286 8
Zenith® ZBIOS 10

If your computer is not on the list, you are not sure which number to use, or
the machine number for your computer doesn't correct the problem, try these
machine numbers in the following order: 1, 11, 12, 13, 8, 2-10, 14-16.

6. If you're using MS-DOS Editor, choose Exit from the File menu. When MS-DOS
Editor displays a dialog box prompting you to save your file, choose Yes or
press ENTER.

7. Restart your computer by pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL or if you are using Windows
95, click Start, click Shut Down, click Restart (or Restart The Computer),
and then click OK.

. Watch the messages that your computer displays during startup. If HIMEM.SYS is
working properly, it should display a message similar to the following:

Installed A20 handler number 1. 64K High Memory Area is available.

If your computer fails when you restart it or you receive the "ERROR: Unable to
control A20 line!" message, the machine number you specified is incorrect for
your hardware. If the computer hangs and you are using MS-DOS 5.0, insert the
startup disk in drive A and restart your system. If you are using MS-DOS 6.0 or
later, use the F8 key to start the interactive startup procedure. When you are
prompted to load HIMEM.SYS, press the N key.

Next, edit your CONFIG.SYS file, specify a different machine number, save your
changes, and restart your system. You may need to try several machine numbers
before you identify the one that works for your computer.

[rlpos]

Ultimately I think it is a memory problem and your memory may not be able to hande the bus speed

[This message has been edited by rlpos (edited 05-25-2001).]

[TonyMan]

Thanks for all the advice. I think I'll go with the FSB first, it looks like the easiest one to try (remember the keyboard don't work). When I bought the stuff they told me to go with branded memory because they felt generic might have problems with 1.2 gig CPU. I am using DDR, but the mobo will also take regular DIMMs, so I can always try that too. I really need to to the BIOS, set for defaults and see if it will boot before making any BIOS changes. If all that fails I will then try the making of a boot disk.

Thanks to all will let you know how I fare tonight.

[TonyMan]

Thanks to everyone for all the help. RLPOS, I believe you were right on target. I wound up clearing the BIOS, could set things up, but then had the same problem. Took a couple of deep breaths and tried it again in super slow mode. I believe I was misunderstanding the mobo manual on initial boot & what to set when in jumper free mode. I must have been making changes that contradicted each other and that probably led to a memory speed issue.

Up and running now, with just some minor ticks to get rid of, but as they said at the end of Conan The Barbarian, "That's a tale for another day".

Thanks again.

[TonyMan]

Well, I just did it again and found the culprit this time. It's the BIOS setting for PNP OS. If it's no, it boots, if it's yes, it doesn't. Sounds kind backwards to me. I'm fighting a printer port problem & an unknown device that pops up, so tried changing that. Gonna have to read up on that just a little.

[dbonzai]

I am having a very similar problem.

My keyboard disappears after my system loads up PNP.

I haven't even been able to get my windows loaded on this system yet. When I boot up to a floppy DOS, I get the error that it's missing the himem.sys in the windows directory.

Here's my problem. How do I reset the BIOS if I don't have access to the keyboard!?

I have access to the keyboard just before the PNP loads.. but the only thing I've been able to do is hit DEL to enter the BIOS. the PNP still loads and then I'm sitting at the BIOS screen with no keyboard.

Is there a way to bypass PNP or reset the BIOS to default without using the keyboard or before PNP loads?

I have an AMD 1.33 on an Asus a7a266 mobo with 512 meg DDR memory (crucial).

Please help if you can.