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Thread ID: 48891 2004-09-04 02:12:00 Belarc Advisor unfortunately fallible Misty (368) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
269100 2004-09-04 02:12:00 I have used Belarc Advisor for years and found it excellent to be aware of what I have on/in my PC. However in deciding to add new RAM - the thread I started
pressf1.pcworld.co.nz extra RAM[/url] helped make my decision.

Now before the increase Belarc Advisor showed
Slot bank 0 with 64 Mg
Slot bank 1 with 64 Mg
Slot bank 2 empty
Slot bank 3 empty

after installation it showed

304 Megabytes Installed Memory

Slot 'BANK_0' has 256 MB
Slot 'BANK_1' has 64 MB
Slot 'BANK_2' is Empty
Slot 'BANK_3' is Empty

That was the theory but in practice when we opened the case there were only two slots - both with 64 Mg. There were definitely no slot banks 2 or 3.

Fortunately I had bought a 256 Mg stick so we took out 64 Mg and replaced.

All worked out fine and I was tremendously relieved. However the info from Belarc is worrying - is there some logical explanation perhaps ?

Anyway thanks again to all those who commented in the thread above. I started to write the names but there were so many. Such a cooperative effort !!

Got the three USB port installed too.

All small matters to most of you but a significant thing to me.
cheers
Misty :) :)

>>>PS - there is a 64 Mg stick available free to any PressF1 member who wants it. Probably help if you live in Auckland !>
Misty (368)
269101 2004-09-04 07:09:00 My interpretation is:

A "bank" is a side of the RAM stick.
1 stick has 2 sides possible. so 2 banks, 2 sticks could have 4 banks.

Single sided RAM shows up as all on 1 bank though.

Double sided RAM would give 1/2 the amount on each of 2 banks, if using 2 double sided sticks, then 4 banks would show all adding to the total of what was installed.

You are using single sided RAM though by the look of it, so only 2 banks show. Thats quite normal I suspect.

Now, was there a question? As there doesn't seem to be a problem?
godfather (25)
269102 2004-09-04 08:50:00 For info on my computer Berlac still advises
Slot A0 has 512MB
Slot A1 has 256MB
Slot A2 is empty
When I went to upgrade found there were only 2 slots as stated in the motherboard manual
Everest Home Edition now lists DDR SDRAM as follows
512 MB 2 rows and 4 banks
256 MB 2 rows and 4 banks.
Just an annoying bug in Berlac which was one of the reasons I went to Everest.
FrankS (257)
269103 2004-09-04 09:11:00 Me too
Can be downloded from
here (www.lavalys.com)
hth
johnboy (217)
269104 2004-09-04 09:24:00 Not trying to hi-jack the thread, but it does relate to a query I've had in the back of my mind for a while.
I have Aida32, which I'm told has been superseded by Everest.
So, logically, I should uninstall one & install the other -Yes?
Or does Everest sit happily on top of Aida?
I'm happy to change if there are no fishhooks involved, but haven't found anything wrong with Aida - in my very limited experience - and if it ain't broke etc...
Advice, please, from the experts.
Laura (43)
269105 2004-09-04 10:11:00 Neither Aida32 or Everest do not require installing as they operate from their own directories. No problems there, apart from trying to run both at the same time instead of one after another.
As for changing, you run into the problem of AIDA32 no longer being updated with the identities of the new motherboards and components. So eventually, it will not recognize the new equipment coming in. Apart from that, it will still recognize components before it was discontinued.
Pheonix (280)
269106 2004-09-04 10:30:00 Thanks, Pheonix, for your helpful information.

So if I understand you correctly, continuing to use Aida is fine, unless I add some new hardware ( or some new software developed since it ceased being updated).

But as Everest is a completely separate system which is more up to date on both hardware & software, I'd be better off to download that & dump Aida32 because it's stuck in the past?

Have I got that right?
Laura (43)
269107 2004-09-04 23:32:00 Just to reiterate:

Banks are the BIOS' logical form of addressing RAM. In the old days, each RAM stick was a bank, and you needed two identical sticks to get it to work. For a while, each RAM stick had two banks in it - so you only needed one stick of each sizing.

That's a bit different now. I'm not sure about modern RAM, but I know that up till DDR each side of the RAM was a separate bank - though Godfather is almost certainly right, modern DDR's double and single sided varieties may affect this.

In some motherboard, the term "bank" is used to mean each slot, but the BIOS is given the ability to address more slots than it has. It is also logical, as I've seen it before, to order the RAM like so:

Slot one:
Bank0:
Bank1:

Slot two:
Bank2:
Bank3:
Growly (6)
269108 2004-09-05 00:14:00 Yes Laura. Just depends what you use it for. I use it on clients PC's before doing any work, therefore have a list of components if a driver should be removed. Therefore, I like it up to date as possible. Pheonix (280)
269109 2004-09-05 09:09:00 Thanks Growly - I think I understand that. Furthermore - life with computers will never be simple !
Misty :|
Misty (368)
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