Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Path: utzoo!censor!comspec!darrell
From: darrell@comspec.uucp (Darrell Grainger)
Subject: Re: A3000 woes : @!#$!%%@!
Organization: Comspec Communications Inc  Toronto Ontario
Distribution: na
Date: Fri, 21 Jun 91 20:49:23 GMT
Message-ID: <1991Jun21.204923.4609@comspec.uucp>
Keywords: warrantee?
References: <17614@helios.TAMU.EDU>
Sender: Darrell Grainger

In article <17614@helios.TAMU.EDU> aaf4808@venus.tamu.edu writes:
>
>I am in need of some help.
>
>After 2 trouble-free years with my A500, I recently Power-Upped to an
>A3000-16/50. I have had nothing but problems with it. I originally received
>it on 6-14. UPS shipped from Houston. It wouldn't boot up. No disk activity,
>nothing. I sent it to Houston (Micro Search) and the tech guy there said it
>was working okedokee. I got it back from them today (6-20). I fired it up and
>it worked. For about twenty minutes. I was playing with the backdrop pattern
>and the whole thing just froze. No guru stuff, just everything stopped moving.
>I couldnt warm boot. So I powered down and then on again, after a suitable
>pause. Now, before kickstart or anything else is loaded, I get:
>
>ERROR   CAN'T GET MEMORY!
>
>Or something really close. The guy at MicroSearch said it might be a bad or
>improperly seated chip. I havent yet had the opportunity to check all of the
>chips. If it turns out that they are seated properly, what then? A friend of
>mine said that I should stop fooling with Micro Search and get in touch with
>Commodore and their Gold Plan people.

 The error message has to do with the FAST RAM (usually). The computer has
to grab 512K of FAST RAM for the Kickstart. when it cannot you get the error
noted above. This could be 1) bad RAM 2) mixing Page mode and Static column
or 3) RAM in the wrong socket or improperly seated. Last time I saw this (and
the first time) it was number 3.

>
>Any suggestions or comments will be much appreciated. Its going on 5 weeks 
>since I have had a computer. Withdrawl is painful.

 If you just got the system it should be under warrantee so I'd say don't 
mess with it and send it to some other Authorized Commodore Service Centre.
 If you are thinking about opening the machine and checking the RAM yourself
then you should know that everything but the motherboard must be removed to
get to the FAST RAM sockets (they are right under where the second floppy
drive goes).

>
>Andy.


-- 
Darrell Grainger % Comspec Communications Inc., Toronto, Ontario, Canada
darrell@comspec  % Disclaimer: All opinions expressed are my own. 
(416) 617-1475   % (416) 633-5605	(416)785-3553

