Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (More info?)
I asked this same question before, but didn't get any answers then. Now
I have more information, so I thought I'd try again.
I have a Dell Optiplex GX-150 here. I'm trying to install W2k on it,
but the installation just fails every time with a blue screen that
goes away too fast to read it. It had Windows 98 on it before, but
it was really unstable, so I decided to try Windows 2000.
Then I ran the Dell diagnostics software found on the web site, and
it failed at "Intel 81x GMCH" tests.
So I called Dell, and spent almost an hour and half on the phone trying
to explain the problem. The person on the phone didn't acknowledge
the error code in any way, although I did give it to her several times.
For example after I told her that the error seemed to refer to
the graphics memory controller she said she'd send replacement memory.
Other possible solutions given to me were "debug and reinstall" and
replacing Windows CD.
Eventually she said she'd send a technician to replace the motherboard.
And since the problem seemed to be the graphics memory controller,
this seemed like a logical solution to the problem.
So, the motherboard got changed, but it still doesn't work. But the
weird thing is; I've tried changing every part on the computer,
and I mean every part, and the problem doesn't go away.
Like I said, motherboard was changed by the technician. So was the
power supply (the fan was not spinning). I installed another graphics
(AGP and PCI), but that didn't help. I tried changing memory, using
just one DIMM instead of two and running Memtest, but no help
there. The hard drive's fine, according to Hitachi's test tool, and
I've used the same CD to install Windows before and after.
Frankly, this is the first computer I've ever had that I couldn't figure
out where the problem is...
Help? Please?
--
Mikko Peltoniemi
Film & Video Editor, Avid Technician at large.
http://editor.is.dreaming.org
I asked this same question before, but didn't get any answers then. Now
I have more information, so I thought I'd try again.
I have a Dell Optiplex GX-150 here. I'm trying to install W2k on it,
but the installation just fails every time with a blue screen that
goes away too fast to read it. It had Windows 98 on it before, but
it was really unstable, so I decided to try Windows 2000.
Then I ran the Dell diagnostics software found on the web site, and
it failed at "Intel 81x GMCH" tests.
So I called Dell, and spent almost an hour and half on the phone trying
to explain the problem. The person on the phone didn't acknowledge
the error code in any way, although I did give it to her several times.
For example after I told her that the error seemed to refer to
the graphics memory controller she said she'd send replacement memory.
Other possible solutions given to me were "debug and reinstall" and
replacing Windows CD.
Eventually she said she'd send a technician to replace the motherboard.
And since the problem seemed to be the graphics memory controller,
this seemed like a logical solution to the problem.
So, the motherboard got changed, but it still doesn't work. But the
weird thing is; I've tried changing every part on the computer,
and I mean every part, and the problem doesn't go away.
Like I said, motherboard was changed by the technician. So was the
power supply (the fan was not spinning). I installed another graphics
(AGP and PCI), but that didn't help. I tried changing memory, using
just one DIMM instead of two and running Memtest, but no help
there. The hard drive's fine, according to Hitachi's test tool, and
I've used the same CD to install Windows before and after.
Frankly, this is the first computer I've ever had that I couldn't figure
out where the problem is...
Help? Please?
--
Mikko Peltoniemi
Film & Video Editor, Avid Technician at large.
http://editor.is.dreaming.org
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