Or so the Reg says. At least, at the moment, it seems to me that
it's the only thing that would fit the specs.

Just imagine what this revelation would mean in the Mr. Fnord Goes To Washington thread.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

150 years, more detail behind the link.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll

I've got a question for the more technically minded board members. Since my computer (a relatively old eMachines T1115) has been getting a bit slow recently, I decided to upgrade it slightly rather than shell out a few hundred dollars for a new system.

The last time I upgraded, I added 256 MB of memory to the 128 MB that came with the computer, so I figured that I'd just pop out the original 128 MB and replace it with another 256 MB unit (since my system only has 2 memory slots and can apparently only handle 512 MB of total memory).

Checking online, one of the sites with a compatability checker indicated that I should insert memory of the following type: 256MB PC133 133MHz SDRAM DIMM 168pin.

Checking eBay, I found sellers offering memory that matched these keywords for under $8 with free shipping. I chose an American seller who'd made thousands of eBay sales over the last few years rather than one of the slightly cheaper sellers who registered out of China a few months ago. The eBay page contained the following info:

SPECIFICATION :
168PIN Memory
133Mhz
3.3 Volt Module
DIMM (DUAL IN-LINE MEMORY 32 X 4)
Non-ECC, Non-Parity
Unbuffered
High quality
Brand new.
It is well tested.
256 MB
PC133 Compliant
168-pin high density memory
Non ECC
Unbuffered
Gold leads
Operating voltage: 3.3V

Warranty: Defective merchandise (Dead On Arrival ~ DOA) can be returned for "replacement only" within 10 days of purchase. If a replacement item is not available than a refund of the purchase price of the product. Buyer must contact us to obtain an RMA number prior to returning the merchandise. Buyer is responsible for returning the item in it's exact original condition, including all packaging, accessories and manuals. Units that are found to be free of defects or missing components will be returned to the buyer at the buyers expense.

 

After getting the memory on Saturday, I popped open my case and swapped the new 256 MB unit for the 128 MB unit. After turning my system back on, my computer only registered 256 MB of memory instead of the desired 512 MB. I swapped positions between the 256 MB units without effect; the system still registered only 256 MB. Removing the older 256 MB unit, the system failed to start at all (and beeped several times once the power was turned on). Moving the new 256 MB unit from one memory slot to the other also lead to a failure to start and some beeping. Removing the new unit and replacing it with the original 128 MB and 256 MB units returned the system to the previous 384 MB of memory.

My question is, in your opinion, is the new memory DOA (as indicated by the warranty), or have I purchased memory that is incompatible with my system (if it helps, the unit has a sticker on it that reads 256M PC 133 and the black rectangles all read SAMSUNG 0[37, 40, 46, or 52] K4S280432A-TC75)? While I'd hate to waste almost $8, I'd be more annoyed if I sent the thing back and they returned it to me because it is working but simply doesn't work with my system, thereby forcing me to waste more money on an incompatible part.
----------------------------------------------------

"Anyone can be a winner if their definition of victory is flexible enough." - The DM of the Rings XXXV

Twice now in as many days, Yuku's nameservers have turned blue and died on me. There's a certain amount of broken I'm willing to accept from any
popular website, but to lose the goddamn *nameservers*...
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery

FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information

"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"

Le sigh. This is the second DVD player I've had die on me in as many years. The first one went when it decided to jam the disk tray. This one seems to work
fine, but feed it any disk at all and it just spins for about 30 seconds, then says "The disk could not be played, please check your disk".

Unit is a Samsung VR-330 DVD/VCR combo unit.
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

Billy Mays was found dead at his
home this morning.

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/110 ... ding-tapes]NASA's found the long-lost original moon landing videotapes.  The crystal-clear, crisp, first generation tapes that were lost almost immediately after they were recorded.  According to the linked article, all the footage seen in the last 40 years has been from a 16-mm film camera aimed at a TV monitor showing highly-compressed signal.  The originals are apparently incredible.
I am so looking forward to this.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

As is usually the case, I had an idle thought today. There have to be some truely Fen vehicles in Fenspace. Bob's introduced the Knight Riders, Wave Convey
makes Transformers a given, and with Hardsuits out there, there has to be Motoslaves (if not, A.C. WILL be making some). And of course there is the Blue
Blazers Jet Car

I refuse to believe that there is not a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang out there, and SOME Timelord/Pluto-aderent Senshi/UF-Fen has to have a Back To The Future style
DeLorean (sans working Flux Capacitor of course).

Anyone think of any others?

Earlier today, a newcomer on the SJGames forums asked what "filk" is. The best way to find out is to listen, so, I've pointed him at http://www.prometheus-music.com/eli/virtual.html]The Virtual Filksing and http://www.tomsmithonline.com/freestuff/index.html]Tom Smith's freebies page, but was wondering whether anyone knows of other sources of legal free filk... Anyone?
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

I'm transferring data from my stack of old backup CD-Rs to my NAS, and have discovered a few files now suffer from CRC errors. (That's what I get for letting the stack sit for six years... Anyway.) Sometimes, I've decided "nah, it wasn't that good". Sometimes I've been able to re-download the file. But there's a couple (so far) that I want but don't seem to be available...

Anybody got a copy of http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... hp?v=11886]My Sweetness or http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members ... php?v=6648]Resident EVA?
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012