Question about PC tuner system

[Dee_Ann]

Well, I let the epoxy set up for a few days then checked it and I guess I mixed it wrong, it didn't hold at all.

What I ended up doing was putting the little broken piece back in place as best I could then I pushed the data cable onto it very carefully.

I powered it up and found that the drive is working perfectly. I took one of those little black zip tie things and tied the data cable to the drive tray so it can't move.

I googled on the subject and found this is a common problem but everyone said that if you can immobilize the cable (like I did) then it will be ok, most people said their disks would keep working for years after such a break..

I'll end up buying another new disk, copy this one to the new one, then put this one in a USB case and use it as a Time Machine drive for my Mac. Speed isn't a big deal for Time Machine.

I know one thing, I'm sure gonna be waaaay more careful in the future! This was an uncool boo boo I made, I panicked but it turned out ok in the end.


On my media server project..

I ended up buying a new motherboard that the old CPU would fit in. I thought I was careful of the details but when it came in the memory sticks wouldn't fit.
Turns out the old motherboard used sticks called DDR2. The new board, even though it used the old CPU it takes newer memory sticks called DDR3.
So I had to buy new memory. But of course UPS messed up and left the package behind in Dallas. It was supposed to be delivered today but now it will be late tomorrow evening instead.
I'm sure the sticks are in an envelope and I'll bet they broke them.
IF they didn't break them and they do arrive intact tomorrow evening, I won't be able to finish the machine until late tomorrow night..

 

[Tron]

Yup, most (if not all) of the newer motherboards use DDR3. Fortunately, memory is cheap these days.

 

[Dee_Ann]

Yup, most (if not all) of the newer motherboards use DDR3. Fortunately, memory is cheap these days.

That really, really burned me...

The old, dead motherboard had 8gb of memory, it's almost new! I just put it in like, 2 years ago!

I wanted to reuse it in the replacement board. I assumed that since they use the same CPU they would use the same memory sticks!

I'm not very happy about that. Now I have like $150 of 8gb memory sticks sitting in a drawer that I can not use anymore.

I ended up buying 4gb of memory to go in the replacement board. I guess that will have to do. It will be a very basic machine anyway, it will just be file storage.

I hate how all this upgrade BS works..

 

[concord]

It's called Moore's Law, technology changes every 18 months .

As far as motherboards, depending on your processor and other specs, check out geeks.com and computersurplusoutlet.com for example:

(only 4 sata ports, but you can always add a sata card):
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?InvtId=DG41CN-PB

(server board maker, w 6 sata ports, but expensive)
http://www.computersurplusoutlet.com/product.asp?ID=91682&C=211&S=1047

You mentioned freeNAS, check out the article on Max PC:
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/roll_your_own_home_server2013

 

[Dee_Ann]

It's called Moore's Law, technology changes every 18 months .

As far as motherboards, depending on your processor and other specs, check out geeks.com and computersurplusoutlet.com for example:

(only 4 sata ports, but you can always add a sata card):
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?InvtId=DG41CN-PB

(server board maker, w 6 sata ports, but expensive)
http://www.computersurplusoutlet.com/product.asp?ID=91682&C=211&S=1047

You mentioned freeNAS, check out the article on Max PC:
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/roll_your_own_home_server2013

Cool !! Thank you!!

I don't understand all that ZFS, it's way over my head but I LIKE that you can just plug new disks into it and it automatically expands the storage.
From what little I do understand, ZFS can't lose your stuff, the more disks you have, the safer it is against blowing up and losing everything..

I saw a box you can put 24 disks in. I couldn't afford to buy it and fill it with disks all at once but I could put 8 or 10 in it for starters then add more disks slowly, like one a month. I would think within a year I could fill it with 24 disks.
I have been talking to my boyfriend about my computer stuff and he told me to hang on and not jump off the deep end just yet, that he might can score a little surprise for me, his work is upgrading all their computers and he's called dibs on the old stuff.. I don't know what this will be, he won't tell me anything other than "Stop buying stuff, NOW." I can't imagine it's all that great if it's being discarded.

 

[gpflepsen]

I understand your mood after breaking the SATA connector on the drive, I DID THAT YESTERDAY!!!

All that was left on the drive was 8-however-many contacts sticking out into space. My horror was amplified by the fact this was my backup drive for about all my photos and home video. This had been my consolidation drive over the past few years. The contacts weren't mangled, so like you, I carefully slipped the cable with the broken plastic tab still in it over the contacts and had a connection again. A 350 GB drive was pretty stout in 2007, but now I think it'll be replaced with a 1-2 TB archive drive. I think it'll cost less than what this 350 GB did 6 years ago. I'll probably grab a SATA case and solder some jumpers on or some other thing for a reliable connector.

 

[updatelee]

ZFS is just a format type, like ext3, FAT or NTFS. So you can defn loose data. Maybe your thinking of raid striping? I have four drives in a RAID5, the size is equivalent to three drives because part of the total space is used for parity so if a drive fails I can replace it with an identical drive and the RAID can use that to rebuild my data without loosing any data. RAID wants all the drives to be the same size and honestly its best if they are imo the same brand/model too. So I keep a spare on the shelf incase one ever dies.

UDL

 

[Dee_Ann]

Well, my server project sank before it left the dock.

The memory sticks came in and I popped them in the new board but it just beeps. I read in the manual that that means the memory has failed. So I guess I probably bought the wrong kind of memory?
Well, there's another $30 and another week down the drain.

Flippin memory said DDR3 that I bought.

Now I have to spend another week or two figuring out what I did wrong and another, probably, $50 or more for MORE memory.
Obviously I can't use this stuff. Off to the drawer with you!

I am not about to ask my BF for help or tell him about this, I'll never hear the end of it. And I want to learn how to do this own my own anyway.

I truly despise computers. This is all a conspiracy to rip everyone off. The Soul Suckers are behind it all.

 

[mmewrench]

Generally when you buy a new motherboard the will tell you what memmory sticks are tested with that board. You also have to pay attention to memmory speed as well. All of the neccesary info shoul be in the manual that came with the motherboard (you know that thing thats as big as a phone book).

As far as my theatre goes, development stopped at windows 7. But there is still support for it on the DVBNetwork. Many of the members there had a hand in the development. You can fix the corupted database by reinstalling right over the old program and hopefully you wont have to redo all the settings. The good part is that the latest software version will install right over the earliest version. I know there where several beta versions of my theatre 4, but the latest version is available on the My Theatre homepage. I just recently (in the last month) got a new key from saar so he is still around. You have to send him your machine ID and the original order # so that he can verify the license. If the program is still on the hard drive your license should still be good.

 

[Tron]

Dee, are you installing the memory in identical pairs and in the correct memory slots? The motherboard manual will describe the memory installation, and motherboards differ from manufacturer to manufacturer. Some require that one bank be filled before another, and the banks are often separated from each other, not consecutive. There should be a diagram showing the proper installation and order of population.

 

[Dee_Ann]

Dee, are you installing the memory in identical pairs and in the correct memory slots? The motherboard manual will describe the memory installation, and motherboards differ from manufacturer to manufacturer. Some require that one bank be filled before another, and the banks are often separated from each other, not consecutive. There should be a diagram showing the proper installation and order of population.

The manual shows that there are four memory slots and they are labeled DIMM0 through DIMM3. It says to put one in DIMM0 and one in DIMM2, skipping a slot so they are one in every other slot.

I'm thinking that maybe I have single side memory, it says it requires double side memory. But on the sticks there are only little chips on one side of the stick.
Other sticks I have (that don't fit, like the old DDR2) have chips on both sides. I assume that's what they mean?

Maybe that is my problem. I just bought the cheapest 4gb DDR3/1033 sticks I could find, they were like $24 I think..

I need a website where you can put in the model of your board and it will tell you which sticks you can use, like the windshield wiper thing at Walmart where you press in your car's year and stuff and it says which wipers to buy.

I guess it's going to be a few more weeks before I can make this thing work, I already went waaaay over my budget this month for doodads..

Oh well....

 

[catamount]

Go to crucial.com. It's a great site to find proper memory

 

[Dee_Ann]

Well, I think I have it pinned down. Maybe.

According to the beeps it makes and the lights blinking when I power it up, there is a memory error.

The manual says the memory has to be SPD. I have no idea what that is but it says it is absolutely required.
But when I search Amazon for "ddr3 1066 4gb SPD 240 pin" Amazon basically tells me it doesn't know what SPD is and it suggests I search for another term.

Maybe this is all so old they no longer make/stock/sell the stuff ?? Maybe the memory sticks I bought aren't SPD?


Power supplies and disk drives, those are no brainers. This, is, well, a little more complicated I guess..

 

[Anole]

"Stop buying stuff, NOW."

A lot of companies replace their leased (or bought) hardware every few years.
You could be for some very nice freebies!

 

[Tron]

This page from Crucial seems to indicate that all of their memory is SPD compliant. I would imagine that most mainstream manufacturers use SPD as well. Possibly not your problem, but worth checking into. Google the part numbers from your memory sticks to check manufacturers specifications.

Then again, you may just have gotten hold of some defective memory. One of the sticks may be bad. Try installing just one of the sticks (in bank 0) and see what happens. Then try the other stick. I have bought defective memory in the past.

 

[Larry1]

The manual says the memory has to be SPD. I have no idea what that is

Serial Presence Detect.
The memory timings are stored on an eeprom on the memory card. The computer reads this information for it knows what to set the memory timings to. This is pre-programmed by the manufacturer.

 

[concord]

If you check amazon for this board, there is one comment stating that he had to update the BIOS before he could get it to accept his memory. If, when booting, it may show the BIOS type and version, the latest is 0088.

According to Intel's website (http://www.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/dg43rk/sb/CS-031256.htm?wapkw=dg43rk), it states both single-sided and double-sided RAM will work. However, according to their website, the only RAM is has tested and recommend is from DataRam (http://www.cmtlabs.com/2012/mbSearchResults.asp?sManuf=Intel&sMem=DDR3&sMN=DG43RK&oSubmit=Search).

I recently bought an Intel board and it's recommended memory list was a bit lacking too, newegg.com had low voltage Curcial RAM on sale, so I checked their website and they guaranteed that the memory would be compatible...And it is.

Looked up your board on Curcial, the results are: http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=81B1307BA5CA7304

 

[Dee_Ann]

Well, I've tried everything I can within my scope of understanding. I pulled the sticks out and swapped them around, tried one only, different slots, etc..

All I get is the three beep memory error, no video at all and essentially a dead computer..


After having bought the wrong kind of memory (I assume), I'm afraid to buy MORE wrong memory. I just can not afford to keep messing up.
I can't return that wrong memory and I can't use it in anything else so it's $30 thrown away on folly..

I really thought I had picked out the right stuff but obviously not..

I know there are a lot of you guys that are real computer gurus out there.

Maybe you can tell me if this will work. I was thinking that MAYBE it's because I bought the cheapest memory sticks I could find. Maybe that's the problem.. ?? Yes? No? I don't know..

I went to the Intel site and found the following info about my board,

System Memory Features

• Four Double Data Rate 3 (DDR3) SDRAM Dual Inline Memory Module (DIMM) connectors with gold-plated contacts
• Non-ECC, 1.5 V, DDR3 1333(OC)/1066/800 MHz memory
• Serial Presence Detect (SPD) memory only
• Unbuffered, non-registered single- or double-sided DIMMs (except double-sided DIMMs with x16 organization) (I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THIS PART)
• Up to 8.0 GB utilizing2 Gb technology
• A minimum of 512 MB of total memory is required

To be fully compliant with all applicable DDR SDRAM memory specifications, the board should be populated with DIMMs that support the Serial Presence Detect (SPD) data structure. This allows the BIOS to read the SPD data and program the chipset to accurately configure memory settings for optimum performance. If non-SPD memory is installed, the BIOS will attempt to correctly configure the memory settings, but performance and reliability may be impacted or the DIMMs may not function under the determined frequency.

****************************************************************************************
Supported Memory Configurations

DIMM Capacity Configuration SDRAM Density SDRAM Organization Front-side/Back-side Number of SDRAM Devices 1 GB Single-sided 1 Gbit 1 GB x8 / empty 8 2 GB Double-sided 1 Gbit 1 GB x8 / 1 GB x8 16 2 GB Single-sided 2Gbit 2GB x8 / empty 8 4GB Double-sided 2Gbit 2GB x8 / 2 GB x8 16

****************************************************************************************

I followed a link on that page where they suggest memory that is known to work. BUT, they only list two types and those are discontinued.


Then I went to Crucial memory site as you guys suggest and I found this information

It says that the memory they recommend for my board is

• Module Size: 4GB kit (2GBx2)
• Package: 240-pin DIMM
• Feature: DDR3 PC3-10600
• Specs: DDR3 PC3-10600 • CL=9 • Unbuffered • NON-ECC • DDR3-1333 • 1.5V • 256Meg x 64 •

-------------------

Now, the memory I bought is Kingston brand. I bought it from Amazon.com




Amazon gives this information on it,

Included in the package is two 2GB modules of 1066MHz DDR3 memory. Specs are 240-pin DIMM.

Well, that was informative !!

So I found this on the Kingston site (PDF specifications) --> http://www.kingston.com/dataSheets/KVR1066D3S8N7K2_4G.pdf

I see some of the numbers are different. Some of the other numbers say 10600. Some says 1333. This says 1066. But this PC3 vs Mhz stuff is confusing. I don't know if those numbers mean the same thing or what.
It also says that in the memory I bought it is CL6. I have no clue on earth what that means. But I notice that the Curial site says it's memory is CL9. Um, no... Again, a number conundrum...

Well, irregardless, I obviously bought the wrong stuff..


So now I have to find SOMETHING that will work.. I'm a little afraid of going the ultra cheap route again.
Another thing I am now taking into consideration is that after reading up on the server stuff, it says that, much to my amazement, that servers use lots of memory. That ZFS stuff, which looks really cool, apparently wants tons of memory.. Huh??? Why?? Oh well, never mind, my brain is about to melt down already..

So, I did a search on Amazon for Unbuffered, "Non-ECC , pc3-10600 , DDR3 DIMM, kit, 240-pin -notebook"

I'm thinking I should go ahead and get 8gb of memory so the server will be happy.

I narrowed down my search to stuff that is Amazon Prime available and I found this stuff for a reasonable price.

Silicon Power 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3-1333 PC3-10600 Non-ECC 240-Pin SDRAM Dual Channel Desktop Memory Dual Channel Kit SP008GBLTU133V22

The dufus on a skateboard does NOT inspire confidence in me, at all. But whatever.. If they think that makes the memory "cool" then more power to em.. Idiots..

Anyway, Amazon was a little light on details about this memory so I googled the stuff and I found Newegg.com where they have a lot more detail (but a higher price!)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820301087

Model

Brand Silicon Power,
Model SP008GBLTU133V22,
Type 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM

Tech Spec

Capacity 8GB (2 x 4GB),

Speed DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600),

Cas Latency 9,

Timing 9-9-9,

Voltage1.5V,

ECC No,

Buffered/Registered Unbuffered,

Multi-channel Kit Dual Channel Kit,

Features 8GB (2x4GB)

DDR3 1333

9-9-9 Timing

CL9

Dual Channel Kit

Voltage 1.5V

Designed to be highly compatible with different models of computers and motherboards using AMD and Intel platforms

I prefer to get the stuff from Amazon because I have a Prime account not to mention the overall price is lower than Neweggs..

Given what you guys know, in your opinion, if I buy this Silicon Power 8gb memory, would that be the right stuff for my board? Am I on the right track?

I'm really afraid to blow even more money and have even more useless stuff laying around. I just don't have a lot of money to work with but if I cut back and ride the next week out on Ramen noodles I can do it. (j/k!)

Thanks !!

 

[guacharaca]

Last year I put 8gigs of memory in it. And there's the quad core.

Perhaps test some of the memory that you purchased last year in your new motherboard. They are also DD3.

 

[Dee_Ann]

Perhaps test some of the memory that you purchased last year in your new motherboard. They are also DD3.

Nope, fraid not.. They are DDR2. I checked and quadruple checked.. They do not physically fit. Despite not fitting, I looked them up by their number and they are indeed DDR2..

That sucks because it's NEW.. Well, almost new. And I paid a LOT for them.. I paid $120 in December 2011..