| User | Post |
kitty
Posts: 676/2449 |
Originally posted by FreeDOS
Originally posted by 404
I'm using some Phoenix BIOS [I prefer it, actually] but I hate it for one simple reason-- YOU CAN NOT DISABLE THE FUCKING TEST.
That's funny. I have a Phoenix BIOS, and I can swear that I'm able to disable it. 
Not every BIOS is the same - There are many Phoenix/Award BIOS screens and AMI BIOS screens that look like this, and many that look like this.
The layout and options in the BIOS have NOTHING to do with who made the BIOS chip and EVERYTHING to do with the motherboard manufacturer's choices of layout, options, etc. For example, I have an MSI board with an AMI BIOS and a Gigabyte board with a Phoenix Award BIOS, and both have the same main layout, screens, and options. I also have an el-cheapo Matsonic motherboard with an AMI BIOS that has nowhere near the options the others have (no FSB adjustments, CPU voltage or multiplier adjustments, etc) |
||bass
Posts: 48/817 |
It's rarely necissary to constantly test the ran on every bootup. On systems with a gig of ram, the time to test just gets plain stupid. Not every bios as old as elric's has an option to disable the test... but most should. |
neotransotaku
Posts: 440/4016 |
Originally posted by (No) Vacancy!
neo: I have Quick Boot enabled on my system, I dont really feel like having to wait the 3-5 seconds it takes to scan my 1GB of RAM... I also have drive seeking disabled and manually set the drive parameters in the BIOS to make the boot faster there, too.
I have Quick Boot enabled as well...if i turn it off, checking 512MB of ram take more than the 3-5 seconds it is when it is on...
my point was that memory checks are a little smarter than in years past...instead of testing all of memory, it just samples the memory at random points...which is what Quick Boot enable does |
FreeDOS
Posts: 369/1657 |
Originally posted by 404
I'm using some Phoenix BIOS [I prefer it, actually] but I hate it for one simple reason-- YOU CAN NOT DISABLE THE FUCKING TEST.
That's funny. I have a Phoenix BIOS, and I can swear that I'm able to disable it. |
HyperLamer
Posts: 397/8210 |
Only if it stops part-way through and scans again. Some actually do multiple checks. I had one that'd do 3 scans every time. 
Mine only does when changing the amount of memory. Otherwise it just does a quick check.  |
kitty
Posts: 652/2449 |
Elric: No Quick Power On Self Test/Quick Boot option in the BIOS? Enabling this disables the memory check.
X: If it cycles through a few times, this usually means it's finding errors the first time through.
neo: I have Quick Boot enabled on my system, I dont really feel like having to wait the 3-5 seconds it takes to scan my 1GB of RAM... I also have drive seeking disabled and manually set the drive parameters in the BIOS to make the boot faster there, too. |
Elric
Posts: 84/687 |
OK. I'll cehck the mobo next chance I get. As old as this thing is, the BIOS could probably stand to be updated... |
neotransotaku
Posts: 428/4016 |
hmm...unless you can find out the motherboard manufacturer, you can't really update the bios because every maker has the bios customized a little bit depending on the system. |
Elric
Posts: 80/687 |
I had to reboot Wednesday, so here's the BIOS info, copied right off the screen:
ROM PCI/ISA BIOS (2A59GB0C)
CMOS Setup Utility
Award Sofware, Inc.
And when it boots without me going into the BIOS, it says:
Award Modular BIOS v1.51PG |
neotransotaku
Posts: 425/4016 |
maybe if you upgrade your BIOS, your new BIOS will give you that option...otherwise, deal with it as there isn't anything else you can do short of buying a new computer that has a smarter memory check or use less RAM  |
Elric
Posts: 70/687 |
Look again. My computer is a Pentium. Not a Pentium 2, or 3, or 4, but Pentium. It is anything BUT modern.
And it annoys me to have to wait an extra 15 to 20 seconds for it to test the memory. I don't care if it's good or not. I do not want it. It's annoying as fuck to watch it count up the memory from 1 to 256000000, or whatever the number is. |
neotransotaku
Posts: 416/4016 |
well, the Power On Self Test is designed to make sure your computer is in working order. In addition, quick memory test nowadays DO NOT TEST every single bank. Anyways, if you have to wait several extra seconds, does it make that much of a difference? You can save a whole lot more time if seperate the OS from the rest of HD data or putting the entire OS kernel into memory |
Xkeeper
Posts: -4685/-863 |
Originally posted by Elric
I'll have to check my BIOS next time I reboot to found out what one it is.
And as for why I want to disable it? It's a waste of my time. It just takes that much longer for my PC to boot. It annoys the crap outta me, and I really don't like having to press [ESC] to stop it. It's pointless, useless, and as I said, a waste of time.
Try having a BIOS that won't even let you press ESC.
I'm using some Phoenix BIOS [I prefer it, actually] but I hate it for one simple reason-- YOU CAN NOT DISABLE THE FUCKING TEST.
Considering with 64M of RAM it takes about 20 seconds [ That's about 1minute for 191mb] it's annoying as hell. 
My dad's computer is faster though, although it cycles through the 64M it had it it 4 times. It'd finish a cycle in 1-2seconds usually. |
Elric
Posts: 65/687 |
I'll have to check my BIOS next time I reboot to found out what one it is.
And as for why I want to disable it? It's a waste of my time. It just takes that much longer for my PC to boot. It annoys the crap outta me, and I really don't like having to press [ESC] to stop it. It's pointless, useless, and as I said, a waste of time. |
neotransotaku
Posts: 411/4016 |
you can't null the memory test completely, but you can control what kind of memory test you do. if you set your computer to do a quick power on self test, then the memory test will be nothing more than a random sampling of memory.
however, if you turn off the quick power on self test, then you will get the slower memory test in which bios tests every single memory address. Doing that is bad enough with 256MB of RAM, but 1GB is a nightmare...
anyways, for the benefit of your computer, you shouldn't disable it...why do you want to disable it in the first place? |
Ailure
Posts: 1041/11162 |
Usually you can skip the memory test with ESC. At least I can do that on my 486. (which is the only computer in the home who does a memory test at start. )
Well, go into BIOS again and see if that BIOS have any name. It should be stated somewhere.
Don't be afraid to explore inside the BIOS, as long you don't save anything it's safe... |
HyperLamer
Posts: 363/8210 |
What sort of PC/BIOS is it? Sometimes they won't let you.  |
Elric
Posts: 64/687 |
Whenever I do a cold boot on my machine, it always does a stupid memory test. Is there any way I can disable this? I've looked in the BIOS, and I don't see anything there to disable it...
For the record, here's the specs for my Hunk-O-Junk PC:
CPU: Pentium 233
RAM: 256 mb
OS: Win98 SE |
