A8N-SLI Deluxe--- bad memory?

[pvrbulls]

The following is a repeatable error when I close Photoshop:

DDE Server Window: Photoshop.exe - Application Error
The instruction at "0x77fcc128" referenced memory at "0x02d80010". The memory could not be "read".
Click on OK to terminate program.

Thinking that I had a memory module with some bad locations, today I began removing and switching modules. I have been running 4 - 500 MB single-sided modules with everything at stock settings. First, I removed two modules so that there was only 1 GB of ram in the blue memory slots. The results were exactly the same as above. Then I exchanged the module in slot #1 with the module that had previously been in slot #2. The results were, again, exactly the same at first stated above. Then, thinking that I had finally found the "bad" module(the one remaining in slot#3), I exchanged the module in slot #3 with the module that had previously been in slot #4. The results were, still again, exactly the same.

To me, the above seems to be impossible. I have been assuming that the memory locations referred to in the above error message are RAM addresses. Apparently they are not. No matter which modules are in use, the message references exactly the same memory location as being unreadable.

At least one other program generates a similar message when it is closed, although a different memory location is referenced. Over the past several weeks I have seen this message referencing at least a dozen different memory locations. One odd thing is that at least two programs refer to the same "instruction at "0x77fcc128"". I should have kept a record of the other instances. It is just that I use Photoshop a great deal and incur this problem everyday. All programs seem to operate normally.... what ever that might mean when one is in the Windows enviornment(Win2000).

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks,

Zane

Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe
AMD Athlon Venice 3500
2 GB Crucial single-sided DDR400
Matrox P650 PCIe 128 Dual 400Mhz

 

[pvrbulls]

Well, I really did it now!

I attempted to flash the bios to revision 1011 and now I get "Error loading OS" when trying to boot the machine.

What do I do now?

 

[PsychoMadMan]

Did you try rolling back to an older bios version? Just download an older version and flash it with AWDFLASH

 

[pvrbulls]

Unfortunately I have neither a bootable floppy disk or a floppy with the AwardBIOS Flash Utility on it. I am on an old machine with Windows 98. I wonder... can I make a bootable floppy on this Win98 machine that would work on my Win2000 machine?

 

[PsychoMadMan]

You dont need a win 2k boot disk to flash bios all you need is a dos boot disk Heres how you do it :

1) Go hereASUS Downloads
2) Choose Motherboard>Socket 939>A8N-SLi Deluxe from the drop down in the center of the page
3) Click the "All" tab of the new page that comes up
4) Scroll down and d/l the Phoenix/Award Flash Utility and an older bios version
5) Put those on one floppy(Make sure you write down the name of the bios file)
6) Then go here Bootdisk.com and download the DOS 6.22 boot disk not the 5 1/4 disk but the one above that
7) Make a bootdisk with that exe on a NEW disk not the one with the AWDFLASH and the bios.
8) Put the DOS disk into your system and boot
9) Onces its on A: put in the bios disk and type AWDFLASH.exe
10) Let it run back up the old bios and install the new bios(If the file name is to long dos shortens it so you may have to hit escape and do dir to see the name of the bios)

That may work not sure if the bios update was what cause the pc to not boot the OS but it sure sounds like it. Good Luck.

 

[pvrbulls]

Thank you so much for these specific instructions. I will get right on it as soon as the Asus site is available. I have been trying for the last hour to get to the download page and cannot get through due to, supposedly, very high traffic. I also had some difficulty getting through last evening when I downloaded the 1011 revision.

I hope that this gets me back to where I started.

Thanks again!

Zane

 

[PsychoMadMan]

No problem hope it works. I always have problems with the ASUS site too sometime the Canada one works when the USA doesnt. Also if that does work to see if your memory is bad you can make another disk with memtest 86 and run it overnight. Memtest 86

 

[pvrbulls]

I have been trying all afternoon and half the morning to get to the Asus download page. Is the problem with Asus or do I have something wrong here?

The ironic part of all this is that I have the file I need on my hard drive but cannot figure out a way to get to it since Windows won't load. My last computer had a Gigabyte motherboard that would revert back to the last working BIOS when there was a problem. Wish that the A8N had that!