Lots of problems with SMP client and WIndows XP

Ok, so I just re-installed windows XP and installed all the updates and what have you, then I installed the FAH SMP client. Did the whole MPI thing and started up the client (no -forceasm flag) and it did all the normal stuff, downloading work units and I put in all the client info. Then it gave me a FILE_IO_ERROR. I had seen this before, so I hit Ctrl-C to close the program, rebooted my machine and tried launching it again, same error...ok. So I tried Ctrl-C and then removing the Work folder as I had heard that sometimes it's a problem with the WU not downloading properly or something. That almost worked, as it got further into the whole check process and then gave me the FILE_IO_ERROR again. However, this time I noticed that the balloon saying I was low on disk space for my C: drive popped, up. So I thought, well maybe it's doing it because it's having trouble writing to the almost full drive. I un-installed it and then re-installed it on another, almost empty drive. Ran it and got the same error yet again. I have heard also that it might be the RAM to blame for these IO_ERROR messages, so I haven't done it yet, but I'm planning on removing the two sticks of RAM from my machine that aren't quite working right (SPD setting RAM to 1.8V when they really need 2.0V) and just leaving in the 2GB that I know are working right (Team Elite DDR2-800) to see if that fixes any problems (if it does I'll return the Mushkin sticks since I basically just got them a few weeks ago).

What I'm asking, is there anything else that is known to cause these errors that I might try before I resort to blaming faulty hardware? I know my overclock is stable at 3Ghz and the RAM for all intents and purposes, should be stable since it's only running at DDR2-667 right now...but what else could cause this? Anyone know of a fix that I haven't tried yet?

::EDIT::
Forgot to mention that the SMP client worked just fine (less the minor network hangs occasionally) before I re-installed windows, but the only thing that has changed since is that I added the 2GB more RAM and added the /PAE boot flag (which btw didn't do anything I only see 3GB of my RAM regardless).

I do know the SMP client like loose memory timing.

I would run Memtest86+ for a few loops with all the sticks in and see if throws up any errors.
I've found over time that ...
Test 1 errors = a bad stick of memory.
Test 5 errors = incompatablity between sticks.

Edit. Try removeing the /PAE swith as some drivers may not work with it.

Luck ..............

thanks a bunch for the reply.

I will definitely run memtest86 first when I get back...I didn't know sticks could actually be incompatible with each other...I always assumed if they were the same speed rating and could run in about the same timings range then they would be fine (eg: they both use some varient of 5-4/5-4/5-x so I just set it to 5-5-5-15 and it booted fine) I guess I was wrong about that... I will test and come back with any errors I find. I always thought it was strange that most people running 4GB of RAM were only seeing 3.5GB and then when I install it I see just 2.9GB of it...maybe there really is something wrong with it...I will remove the /PAE as well just to see if that works too since it isn't helping anything.

It all depends on your vid card and orther devices on your PCI bus just exactly how much memory you loose.
I got one systen down to 2.65 Gig from 4 Gig due to twin vid cards, scsi hard drives, etc.

I use to run a system with 4 memory sticks that would be unstable due to memtest 5 errors if I did not get them installed in the right order.
Once I hit on the right order, it was stable, but before just little buggy errors, games crashing to windoze, etc but no BSOD.
Its way I always run Memtest before installing an OS if I'm building a new box or have been moving memory around.

Luck ...........

i never had much luck with smp and C2D as a service sometime it works and sometimes not.
but they run fine on quads (usually)
otherwise i just run it as a startup program and use the program which minimizes to nowhere.(forgot what its called, but the window disappears from the taskbar and tray)

kill4killin said:

thanks a bunch for the reply.

I will definitely run memtest86 first when I get back...I didn't know sticks could actually be incompatible with each other...I always assumed if they were the same speed rating and could run in about the same timings range then they would be fine (eg: they both use some varient of 5-4/5-4/5-x so I just set it to 5-5-5-15 and it booted fine) I guess I was wrong about that... I will test and come back with any errors I find. I always thought it was strange that most people running 4GB of RAM were only seeing 3.5GB and then when I install it I see just 2.9GB of it...maybe there really is something wrong with it...I will remove the /PAE as well just to see if that works too since it isn't helping anything.

Click to expand...

If you do a bit of research on that extra RAM you have at first glance, with the right boot settings, it looks like it can be used. Then, dig a bit deeper and I think you will find the consensus is it creates more problems they it could ever solve.

After considerable testing I have found that under advanced setting in the SMP client setting a RAM limit of 512 allows me to run problem free and gives me slightly more output.

I think it has been show a number of times that while the client needs stable RAM it really gets confused when it has too much RAM.

It’s one of those little tricks that costs nothing to try or use if you like it.

Luck