-Brading Software Message Board
+--Forum: The Lounge (off-topic)
+---Topic: slow board lately started by Disposable Hero
Posted by: Disposable Hero on July 26 2003,12:31
Not a lot of posts to the forum lately... almost as if it were time for a new version, with new features for us to discuss
Magnus?
Posted by: Magnus Brading on July 26 2003,21:08
Yep, I've been thinking the same thing (both about the low board activity and about a new version, although not necessarily in connection). I'm still working on that new version with the really cool new feature I was talking about before (I've been working on it for the last 10 hours straight today for example). Stay tuned, a beta should hopefully be ready for testing soon.
Thanks for contributing to at least some board activity anyway.
Posted by: Disposable Hero on Aug. 14 2003,23:13
Fidgeting anxiously, awaiting new version
Posted by: Magnus Brading on Aug. 15 2003,01:55
This whole week I've been in a world of computer related pain, unable to do any useful stuff whatsoever.
If it wouldn't be for that, there might very well have been a working beta released this weekend, but now there will most likely be at least 2 more weeks before I can work on it again. And in about two weeks, I will be in the process of moving, which will also take up a lot of time, so I cannot promise anything, damn. The computer problems I'm currently experiencing is that my main development computer killed itself this Monday.
Coincidentally, this was the exact same day that I picked up my new monster computer, which was to replace the old one. I guess the old one just couldn't take the pain of being replaced by that new shiny monster, and killed himself in protest. Anyway, the troubles ended far from there. The new computer has problems with the ram, so I have to replace the memory modules (it might be the motherboard too, so it can potentially be quite the pain in the a** to track down and fix the problem completely). Add to that about 20 other things that all went wrong at the same time, and you have a pretty good description of my week. 
Anyway, please keep your hopes up, the new version will come, just a little later than planned it seems...
Posted by: Disposable Hero on Aug. 15 2003,21:56
Are you putting this together yourself? Otherwise whoever built it should be responsible for making sure it works properly, no?
As far as possible mobo problems, there was a batch of bad capacitors put into a good number of motherboards a while back. I know Abit, IBM and Microstar (MSI) and a few other manufacturers had to issue replacements. Sometimes the problems would not show up for months, sometimes they were immediate
I'm sure you're having fun running MemTest and other diagnostics now...
Heh, moving on top of that. Moving generally sucks.
Posted by: Magnus Brading on Aug. 16 2003,00:34
I'm putting it together myself, yes, but I'll be damned to take any responsibility.
I have replaced the ram modules now, and at first glance it seems to work better at least... *keeping fingers crossed*
Did anyone of you know that with DDR400 memories, not all motherboards are compatible with all memory brands, although they are all the same standard?!? They are pushing the limits of the memories so far, that apparently timing issues cause such problems.
I have an Asus motherboard (the meanest one they've got, of course, P4C800 Deluxe
), and on their website, they actually have a list of "qualified memory vendors" of DDR400 ram memories. I bet that most people are not at all aware of this list (and not many retailers either, mine wasn't).I myself actually was aware of it, but my nice retailer took the liberty of replacing the Samsung memories I had ordered with ("non-qualified") Kingston memories (that were even more expensive) without asking me about it...
And just as expected, these did not work properly together with the motherboard. They got random bit errors due to timing problems, even after adjusting all memory timing parameters manually on the motherboard, maxing them all out. With all parameters maxed like this, there was about one bit error per 10 GB of data passing through the memory or so. Just enough to cause completely illogical periodical crashes and errors, and transparent bit errors in files on the harddisk... If I wouldn't have gotten these bit errors much more frequently than that before modifying the memory timing parameters in the BIOS, it would have been complete and utter hell to make sense of the problems and trace them to memory malfunction (although it would of course be suspected, together with about a thousand other things), just thinking about it makes me shudder...So, if anyone of you are planning to buy a system with DDR400 memory, be sure to thoroughly check the motherboard vendor's website for a (well-hidden) list of "qualified memory vendors", or you're in for a royal screwing...
Posted by: Elbow on Aug. 20 2003,16:08
A new forum? NEVER!!!!!!
Posted by: Magnus Brading on Aug. 20 2003,19:11
I think he was talking about Mp3/Tag Studio itself, not the forum. Down boy.
Anyway, to add to my recent computer related pains and delays, I've been completely shot out of the sky by the new Sobig.F virus for the moment.
Three mail servers went down because of only the mail to me, so right now I cannot receive any mail at all. Hopefully it will be up again in a few days anyway. If anyone wants something urgent you can always send me a PM here at the forum.
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