Strange FPU error on P3 computer

R

Robert Dansereau

Guest
Since my original posting a few days ago on
comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.misc
had no replies, i thought that one of the
excellent people in this group might help...

I have this very decent computer with a
Gigabyte GA-6BXC mobo and a Pentium III MMX
450 MHz. 18 GB SCSI, 192 MB RAM

It has an Adaptec SCSI card, a SCSI CD-ROM
player (on ID4) and a SCSI hard disk (on ID0).
It used to be a NT4 server before it was retired.

It works fine, it boots fine all components report
OK, but as soon as I attempt to install WIN98 on
it, it immediately reports an error during Scandisk
as follows:

run-time error M6101: MATH
- floating point error: invalid

and stops dead. I tried to replace the SCSI setup
with a IDE HD and CD-ROM, even removing the SCSI
card. Works fine! boots fine, but I encounter the very
same error during Scandisk.

Is it a processor problem? could it be a config
problem? This machine worked for two years
as a server and never gave me the slightest
problem.

I would love to use it as my workstation, it would
perform better than my old Pentium I - 166!

Thanks in advance for any suggestion!

Robert
 
processor, consider an upgrade, cause thats a slow CPU.




"Robert Dansereau" <robertda@pixelweb.com> wrote in message
news:521aabc2.0307310747.1ab6a489@posting.google.com...
Since my original posting a few days ago on
comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.misc
had no replies, i thought that one of the
excellent people in this group might help...

I have this very decent computer with a
Gigabyte GA-6BXC mobo and a Pentium III MMX
450 MHz. 18 GB SCSI, 192 MB RAM

It has an Adaptec SCSI card, a SCSI CD-ROM
player (on ID4) and a SCSI hard disk (on ID0).
It used to be a NT4 server before it was retired.

It works fine, it boots fine all components report
OK, but as soon as I attempt to install WIN98 on
it, it immediately reports an error during Scandisk
as follows:

run-time error M6101: MATH
- floating point error: invalid

and stops dead. I tried to replace the SCSI setup
with a IDE HD and CD-ROM, even removing the SCSI
card. Works fine! boots fine, but I encounter the very
same error during Scandisk.

Is it a processor problem? could it be a config
problem? This machine worked for two years
as a server and never gave me the slightest
problem.

I would love to use it as my workstation, it would
perform better than my old Pentium I - 166!

Thanks in advance for any suggestion!

Robert
Click to expand...
 
may be worth checkin the bios settings
esp. the memory speed...turn everything to low setting and try

may be worth tryin spare ram stick...just incase 1 gone bad


"Mike" <mbates14@fuse.net> wrote in message
news:unbWa.31570$hc.12762@fe3.columbus.rr.com...
processor, consider an upgrade, cause thats a slow CPU.




"Robert Dansereau" <robertda@pixelweb.com> wrote in message
news:521aabc2.0307310747.1ab6a489@posting.google.com...
Since my original posting a few days ago on
comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.misc
had no replies, i thought that one of the
excellent people in this group might help...

I have this very decent computer with a
Gigabyte GA-6BXC mobo and a Pentium III MMX
450 MHz. 18 GB SCSI, 192 MB RAM

It has an Adaptec SCSI card, a SCSI CD-ROM
player (on ID4) and a SCSI hard disk (on ID0).
It used to be a NT4 server before it was retired.

It works fine, it boots fine all components report
OK, but as soon as I attempt to install WIN98 on
it, it immediately reports an error during Scandisk
as follows:

run-time error M6101: MATH
- floating point error: invalid

and stops dead. I tried to replace the SCSI setup
with a IDE HD and CD-ROM, even removing the SCSI
card. Works fine! boots fine, but I encounter the very
same error during Scandisk.

Is it a processor problem? could it be a config
problem? This machine worked for two years
as a server and never gave me the slightest
problem.

I would love to use it as my workstation, it would
perform better than my old Pentium I - 166!

Thanks in advance for any suggestion!

Robert
Click to expand...
 
Robert Dansereau wrote:

It works fine, it boots fine all components report
OK, but as soon as I attempt to install WIN98 on
it, it immediately reports an error during Scandisk
as follows:

run-time error M6101: MATH
- floating point error: invalid
Click to expand...
IIRC this is an internal scandisc problem with Fat32 partitions above
2Gb, There's something about it in the MS Knowledge base I think.

Lee

--
To reply use lee.blaver and NTL world com
 
processor, consider an upgrade, cause thats a slow CPU.
Click to expand...
Slow my hind end. Makes me near sick when I hear that or know of people
using WinXP in either release.

http://www.walshcomptech.com/comp_coll.htm

and for the real shocker--

http://greyghost.dyndns.org/about65sx.htm

Read these very carefully. All of the computers are shown are very useful.
Just shows what you can do with some work instead of further contributing to
our landfills.

And --yes-- I do own 'modern' computers as well.

William
 
hey, im a gamer, im used to fastness


"William R. Walsh" <newsgroups1@idontwantjunqueemail.walshcomptech.com>
wrote in message news:MFfWa.32818$YN5.27519@sccrnsc01...
processor, consider an upgrade, cause thats a slow CPU.

Slow my hind end. Makes me near sick when I hear that or know of people
using WinXP in either release.

http://www.walshcomptech.com/comp_coll.htm

and for the real shocker--

http://greyghost.dyndns.org/about65sx.htm

Read these very carefully. All of the computers are shown are very useful.
Just shows what you can do with some work instead of further contributing
to
our landfills.

And --yes-- I do own 'modern' computers as well.

William
Click to expand...
 
"William R. Walsh" <newsgroups1@idontwantjunqueemail.walshcomptech.com>
wrote in message news:MFfWa.32818$YN5.27519@sccrnsc01...
processor, consider an upgrade, cause thats a slow CPU.

Slow my hind end. Makes me near sick when I hear that or know of people
using WinXP in either release.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately one sees this all too often these days-

Q. My PC keeps locking up/crashing/stops responding/throws up errors.
A. Ah, you need a faster CPU, that'll sort it.

It's complete garbage of course, but people are all too willing to accept
that the cause of instability is slower hardware. One of the PCs I run is a
PII 350. It runs Cakewalk 9 midi sequencer, Steinberg Wavelab, Picture
Publisher 9 etc etc and while it isn't blistering, it gets the job done, and
it's rock solid. OK, not exactly an antique, but still getting on a bit.
Where did the CPU and motherboard come from?(Abit BE6II with 4 IDE ports!)
They were headed for the dump, I salvaged them.

If a newbie to the computer world wants to learn about computers, I mean
really learn, a Debian Linux distro and a 386 16MHz with 4 MB Ram system
will teach them far more than an AMD 3GHz with a gigabyte of ram running XP.
Education is a great use for old PCs, and it's tragic so many systems (often
complete with monitors, ram hard drives etc) end up trashed.

Dave
 
Hi,

I have seen this before. Could be bad cache or ram. Download RamTest
(free) from:
http://www.simg.de/ramtest.e.html

Install it on a bootable floppy and run it from the Dos prompt. If you
have ram problems it will find them. I once had a machine with a
sticky bit that caused intermittent crashes. This was the only tool
that could detect it.

You can also disable the external cache and try again. There is also
the possibility of a bad cpu. Is it cooled adequately? If it is a
machine with a static heat sink (no fan on the heat sink) make sure
the case is closed when running it. A PIII 450 is a fine machine for
running Win98,

Hope this helps

Alex
 
dont p3s just slow down wen they over heat?

"Alex Schulz" <alex.schulz@superweb.ca> wrote in message
news:bgokivs6ojm7pd9vaavu6r9gp2uo0371vg@4ax.com...
Hi,

I have seen this before. Could be bad cache or ram. Download RamTest
(free) from:
http://www.simg.de/ramtest.e.html

Install it on a bootable floppy and run it from the Dos prompt. If you
have ram problems it will find them. I once had a machine with a
sticky bit that caused intermittent crashes. This was the only tool
that could detect it.

You can also disable the external cache and try again. There is also
the possibility of a bad cpu. Is it cooled adequately? If it is a
machine with a static heat sink (no fan on the heat sink) make sure
the case is closed when running it. A PIII 450 is a fine machine for
running Win98,

Hope this helps

Alex
Click to expand...
 
I know P4's do, from first hand experience. Had a heat sink almost fall off
once. Machine ran sporatically and made noise. Figured I'd better check it
out, sure enough, one of the heatsink clips came loose.

As far as the FPU error goes. Wouldn't it be just as easy/cheap to grab an
older Celeron or slower P3, slap it in and see if the problem goes away?
JDG

"johnnie7" <johnnie7@REMOVESPAMfreeuk.com> wrote in message
news:1059809444.74177.0@doris.uk.clara.net...
dont p3s just slow down wen they over heat?

"Alex Schulz" <alex.schulz@superweb.ca> wrote in message
news:bgokivs6ojm7pd9vaavu6r9gp2uo0371vg@4ax.com...
Hi,

I have seen this before. Could be bad cache or ram. Download RamTest
(free) from:
http://www.simg.de/ramtest.e.html

Install it on a bootable floppy and run it from the Dos prompt. If you
have ram problems it will find them. I once had a machine with a
sticky bit that caused intermittent crashes. This was the only tool
that could detect it.

You can also disable the external cache and try again. There is also
the possibility of a bad cpu. Is it cooled adequately? If it is a
machine with a static heat sink (no fan on the heat sink) make sure
the case is closed when running it. A PIII 450 is a fine machine for
running Win98,

Hope this helps

Alex
Click to expand...
 
my P4, the clip broke, it doesnt slow down, it just locks up



"Jeremy D. Grotte" <jdgrotte@ndak.net> wrote in message
news:vimqdtqhg691c0@corp.supernews.com...
I know P4's do, from first hand experience. Had a heat sink almost fall
off
once. Machine ran sporatically and made noise. Figured I'd better check
it
out, sure enough, one of the heatsink clips came loose.

As far as the FPU error goes. Wouldn't it be just as easy/cheap to grab
an
older Celeron or slower P3, slap it in and see if the problem goes away?
JDG

"johnnie7" <johnnie7@REMOVESPAMfreeuk.com> wrote in message
news:1059809444.74177.0@doris.uk.clara.net...
dont p3s just slow down wen they over heat?

"Alex Schulz" <alex.schulz@superweb.ca> wrote in message
news:bgokivs6ojm7pd9vaavu6r9gp2uo0371vg@4ax.com...
Hi,

I have seen this before. Could be bad cache or ram. Download RamTest
(free) from:
http://www.simg.de/ramtest.e.html

Install it on a bootable floppy and run it from the Dos prompt. If you
have ram problems it will find them. I once had a machine with a
sticky bit that caused intermittent crashes. This was the only tool
that could detect it.

You can also disable the external cache and try again. There is also
the possibility of a bad cpu. Is it cooled adequately? If it is a
machine with a static heat sink (no fan on the heat sink) make sure
the case is closed when running it. A PIII 450 is a fine machine for
running Win98,

Hope this helps

Alex
Click to expand...
 
Maybe it's the difference in mobo's and the bios or something...
JDG

"Mike" <mbates14@fuse.net> wrote in message
news:%9QWa.33154$hc.20367@fe3.columbus.rr.com...
my P4, the clip broke, it doesnt slow down, it just locks up



"Jeremy D. Grotte" <jdgrotte@ndak.net> wrote in message
news:vimqdtqhg691c0@corp.supernews.com...
I know P4's do, from first hand experience. Had a heat sink almost fall
off
once. Machine ran sporatically and made noise. Figured I'd better
check
it
out, sure enough, one of the heatsink clips came loose.

As far as the FPU error goes. Wouldn't it be just as easy/cheap to grab
an
older Celeron or slower P3, slap it in and see if the problem goes away?
JDG

"johnnie7" <johnnie7@REMOVESPAMfreeuk.com> wrote in message
news:1059809444.74177.0@doris.uk.clara.net...
dont p3s just slow down wen they over heat?

"Alex Schulz" <alex.schulz@superweb.ca> wrote in message
news:bgokivs6ojm7pd9vaavu6r9gp2uo0371vg@4ax.com...
Hi,

I have seen this before. Could be bad cache or ram. Download RamTest
(free) from:
http://www.simg.de/ramtest.e.html

Install it on a bootable floppy and run it from the Dos prompt. If
you
have ram problems it will find them. I once had a machine with a
sticky bit that caused intermittent crashes. This was the only tool
that could detect it.

You can also disable the external cache and try again. There is
also
the possibility of a bad cpu. Is it cooled adequately? If it is a
machine with a static heat sink (no fan on the heat sink) make sure
the case is closed when running it. A PIII 450 is a fine machine for
running Win98,

Hope this helps

Alex
Click to expand...
 
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