STOP error 0x000000A5 (ACPI Compliance) and Safe Mode not possible

[Grumpy Oldman]

I just spent an hour and a half looking through the newsgroups and
referenced websites for a resolution to this problem, but didn't find
what I needed -- I don't think.

If you want something to look at, this is the machine I am talking
about (at least it's a purty paperweight):

http://www.grumpyjim.net/html/functional_design.html

Pertinent specs:

*Athlon XP 1900+ cooled by ThermalTake Volcano 7+ on an Asus A7V266-E
*2X512mb Crucial PC2100 DDR
*2 - 40gb Maxtor ATA133 7200rpm, 1 - 60gb Maxtor ATA133 7200rpm
*PNY Verto GeForce4 Ti4400 128mb
*3COM 56K V.92 Fax/Modem
*Pioneer 116 DVD-ROM
*PlexWriter 40-12-40a
*onboard CMedia 6 channel sound
*PC Geiger system monitor
*Antec TruePower 550W PSU
*Kensington TurboRing trackball
*Memorex MX2750 keyboard
*Samsung SynchMaster 955df 19" monitor
*MS Windows XP Professional SP1

I haven't run the machine for a couple of months because it's at a
remote shop where it's just too damn cold for me. 'Course, it's warm
now and I'm ready to get on with the next project. I booted up the
machine after reconnecting the trackball (I had tested a Logitech
Optical Cordless Marble for another machine the last time I used the
computer). Windows found new hardware and for some reason I let it
install the software for a Kennsington mouse (I figured I could change
it later) and it seemed to work fine.

The first thing I wanted to do was get rid of the Windows Messenger
service so I wouldn't have to deal with those popups. I did it through
services.msc and disabled it and stopped it. I closed the window and
was getting ready to go online when I got a BSOD with the
Page_Fault_In_Nonpaged_Area STOP:0x00000050 error message.

I tried to go back into Windows, but no matter how (Safe Mode
included), I would keep getting BSODs before Windows loaded
completely. This time though, I was getting the error message in the
Subject line -- STOP:0x000000A5 -- an ACPI Compliance error.

There are a lot of messages and even a couple of websites that delve
into the 0x00000050 issues, but not much on the ACPI one. What I have
seen is suggestions to reinstall via a repair session -- meaning the
long process of downloading all the updates, including SP1. That's
kinda painful on a dialup.

Sorry for making this so long.

I have downloaded the latest BIOS (several versions newer than mine)
and plan to update that Sunday. Is it possible to disable ACPI in the
BIOS without going through the repair routine I've seen mentioned? To
tell you the truth, I don't know if I have it enabled or not, but I'll
check for sure first. Any other suggestions would be appreciated. I
hope you understand why I cross-posted to windowsxp.hardware and the
asus NG.

Thank you,

Grump

[IanDunbar]

"Grumpy Oldman" > wrote in message
...
> I just spent an hour and a half looking through the newsgroups and
> referenced websites for a resolution to this problem, but didn't find
> what I needed -- I don't think.
>
> If you want something to look at, this is the machine I am talking
> about (at least it's a purty paperweight):
>
> http://www.grumpyjim.net/html/functional_design.html
>
> Pertinent specs:
>
> *Athlon XP 1900+ cooled by ThermalTake Volcano 7+ on an Asus A7V266-E
> *2X512mb Crucial PC2100 DDR
> *2 - 40gb Maxtor ATA133 7200rpm, 1 - 60gb Maxtor ATA133 7200rpm
> *PNY Verto GeForce4 Ti4400 128mb
> *3COM 56K V.92 Fax/Modem
> *Pioneer 116 DVD-ROM
> *PlexWriter 40-12-40a
> *onboard CMedia 6 channel sound
> *PC Geiger system monitor
> *Antec TruePower 550W PSU
> *Kensington TurboRing trackball
> *Memorex MX2750 keyboard
> *Samsung SynchMaster 955df 19" monitor
> *MS Windows XP Professional SP1
>
> I haven't run the machine for a couple of months because it's at a
> remote shop where it's just too damn cold for me. 'Course, it's warm
> now and I'm ready to get on with the next project. I booted up the
> machine after reconnecting the trackball (I had tested a Logitech
> Optical Cordless Marble for another machine the last time I used the
> computer). Windows found new hardware and for some reason I let it
> install the software for a Kennsington mouse (I figured I could change
> it later) and it seemed to work fine.
>
> The first thing I wanted to do was get rid of the Windows Messenger
> service so I wouldn't have to deal with those popups. I did it through
> services.msc and disabled it and stopped it. I closed the window and
> was getting ready to go online when I got a BSOD with the
> Page_Fault_In_Nonpaged_Area STOP:0x00000050 error message.

The service that appears as Messenger under services is not related at all
to Windows Messenger, (well done Bill ;-). It controls net send and alerter
services, you probably borked your OS by disabling it. Never had this
myself, I would try a rescue using the cd, (recovery console ?).

BTW to remove Windows Messenger; start > run >
RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\INF\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove
press enter, enter again to close the error message and thats it.


HTH

--
Ian

> I tried to go back into Windows, but no matter how (Safe Mode
> included), I would keep getting BSODs before Windows loaded
> completely. This time though, I was getting the error message in the
> Subject line -- STOP:0x000000A5 -- an ACPI Compliance error.
>
> There are a lot of messages and even a couple of websites that delve
> into the 0x00000050 issues, but not much on the ACPI one. What I have
> seen is suggestions to reinstall via a repair session -- meaning the
> long process of downloading all the updates, including SP1. That's
> kinda painful on a dialup.
>
> Sorry for making this so long.
>
> I have downloaded the latest BIOS (several versions newer than mine)
> and plan to update that Sunday. Is it possible to disable ACPI in the
> BIOS without going through the repair routine I've seen mentioned? To
> tell you the truth, I don't know if I have it enabled or not, but I'll
> check for sure first. Any other suggestions would be appreciated. I
> hope you understand why I cross-posted to windowsxp.hardware and the
> asus NG.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Grump

[AJ]

>services.msc and disabled it and stopped it. I closed the window and
>was getting ready to go online when I got a BSOD with the
>Page_Fault_In_Nonpaged_Area STOP:0x00000050 error message.

BTW, in virtually all cases the error message is wrong. After all,
you're getting advice from a machine that's hosed.
_________________________
French Connection:
http://www.metrospy.com/boycott_brands.htm

[Ken]

You might be able to shut off the keyboard/mouse turn on machine
option in the BIOS. There are legacy options in some bios' that might
help.

Reinstalling should keep the SP1 updates.

If the mouse is standard and you have a USB one or vice versa or
remove the mouse, the system may come up to where you can delete the
mistaken install of the Kingston mouse. Hopefully, if it did come up,
you could tab your way to doing that.

[Paul]

"Grumpy Oldman" > wrote in message
...
> I just spent an hour and a half looking through the newsgroups and
> referenced websites for a resolution to this problem, but didn't find
> what I needed -- I don't think.
>
> If you want something to look at, this is the machine I am talking
> about (at least it's a purty paperweight):
>
> http://www.grumpyjim.net/html/functional_design.html
>
> Pertinent specs:
>
> *Athlon XP 1900+ cooled by ThermalTake Volcano 7+ on an Asus A7V266-E
> *2X512mb Crucial PC2100 DDR
> *2 - 40gb Maxtor ATA133 7200rpm, 1 - 60gb Maxtor ATA133 7200rpm
> *PNY Verto GeForce4 Ti4400 128mb
> *3COM 56K V.92 Fax/Modem
> *Pioneer 116 DVD-ROM
> *PlexWriter 40-12-40a
> *onboard CMedia 6 channel sound
> *PC Geiger system monitor
> *Antec TruePower 550W PSU
> *Kensington TurboRing trackball
> *Memorex MX2750 keyboard
> *Samsung SynchMaster 955df 19" monitor
> *MS Windows XP Professional SP1
>
> I haven't run the machine for a couple of months because it's at a
> remote shop where it's just too damn cold for me. 'Course, it's warm
> now and I'm ready to get on with the next project. I booted up the
> machine after reconnecting the trackball (I had tested a Logitech
> Optical Cordless Marble for another machine the last time I used the
> computer). Windows found new hardware and for some reason I let it
> install the software for a Kennsington mouse (I figured I could change
> it later) and it seemed to work fine.
>
> The first thing I wanted to do was get rid of the Windows Messenger
> service so I wouldn't have to deal with those popups. I did it through
> services.msc and disabled it and stopped it. I closed the window and
> was getting ready to go online when I got a BSOD with the
> Page_Fault_In_Nonpaged_Area STOP:0x00000050 error message.

Here is what M$ KB says about this error:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;329293

>
> I tried to go back into Windows, but no matter how (Safe Mode
> included), I would keep getting BSODs before Windows loaded
> completely. This time though, I was getting the error message in the
> Subject line -- STOP:0x000000A5 -- an ACPI Compliance error.

Here is what M$ KB says about this error, you might take a look under "More
Information" area:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;314830


>
> There are a lot of messages and even a couple of websites that delve
> into the 0x00000050 issues, but not much on the ACPI one. What I have
> seen is suggestions to reinstall via a repair session -- meaning the
> long process of downloading all the updates, including SP1. That's
> kinda painful on a dialup.
>
> Sorry for making this so long.
>
> I have downloaded the latest BIOS (several versions newer than mine)
> and plan to update that Sunday. Is it possible to disable ACPI in the
> BIOS without going through the repair routine I've seen mentioned? To
> tell you the truth, I don't know if I have it enabled or not, but I'll
> check for sure first. Any other suggestions would be appreciated. I
> hope you understand why I cross-posted to windowsxp.hardware and the
> asus NG.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Grump

[Paul]

"IanDunbar" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Grumpy Oldman" > wrote in message
> ...
> > I just spent an hour and a half looking through the newsgroups and
> > referenced websites for a resolution to this problem, but didn't find
> > what I needed -- I don't think.
> >
> > If you want something to look at, this is the machine I am talking
> > about (at least it's a purty paperweight):
> >
> > http://www.grumpyjim.net/html/functional_design.html
> >
> > Pertinent specs:
> >
> > *Athlon XP 1900+ cooled by ThermalTake Volcano 7+ on an Asus A7V266-E
> > *2X512mb Crucial PC2100 DDR
> > *2 - 40gb Maxtor ATA133 7200rpm, 1 - 60gb Maxtor ATA133 7200rpm
> > *PNY Verto GeForce4 Ti4400 128mb
> > *3COM 56K V.92 Fax/Modem
> > *Pioneer 116 DVD-ROM
> > *PlexWriter 40-12-40a
> > *onboard CMedia 6 channel sound
> > *PC Geiger system monitor
> > *Antec TruePower 550W PSU
> > *Kensington TurboRing trackball
> > *Memorex MX2750 keyboard
> > *Samsung SynchMaster 955df 19" monitor
> > *MS Windows XP Professional SP1
> >
> > I haven't run the machine for a couple of months because it's at a
> > remote shop where it's just too damn cold for me. 'Course, it's warm
> > now and I'm ready to get on with the next project. I booted up the
> > machine after reconnecting the trackball (I had tested a Logitech
> > Optical Cordless Marble for another machine the last time I used the
> > computer). Windows found new hardware and for some reason I let it
> > install the software for a Kennsington mouse (I figured I could change
> > it later) and it seemed to work fine.
> >
> > The first thing I wanted to do was get rid of the Windows Messenger
> > service so I wouldn't have to deal with those popups. I did it through
> > services.msc and disabled it and stopped it. I closed the window and
> > was getting ready to go online when I got a BSOD with the
> > Page_Fault_In_Nonpaged_Area STOP:0x00000050 error message.
>
> The service that appears as Messenger under services is not related at all
> to Windows Messenger, (well done Bill ;-). It controls net send and alerter
> services, you probably borked your OS by disabling it. Never had this


When you take a look under the services.msc at the Messenger service, there are
no dependancies that this service provides. So if you turn it off, the OS
should not be "borked". If you are using a stand-alone PC that is not on a
network, you should not expect to see any pop messages or alerts since there is
no server that your client can communicate with anyway.

Paul

> myself, I would try a rescue using the cd, (recovery console ?).
>
> BTW to remove Windows Messenger; start > run >
> RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\INF\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove
> press enter, enter again to close the error message and thats it.
>
>
> HTH
>
> --
> Ian
>
> > I tried to go back into Windows, but no matter how (Safe Mode
> > included), I would keep getting BSODs before Windows loaded
> > completely. This time though, I was getting the error message in the
> > Subject line -- STOP:0x000000A5 -- an ACPI Compliance error.
> >
> > There are a lot of messages and even a couple of websites that delve
> > into the 0x00000050 issues, but not much on the ACPI one. What I have
> > seen is suggestions to reinstall via a repair session -- meaning the
> > long process of downloading all the updates, including SP1. That's
> > kinda painful on a dialup.
> >
> > Sorry for making this so long.
> >
> > I have downloaded the latest BIOS (several versions newer than mine)
> > and plan to update that Sunday. Is it possible to disable ACPI in the
> > BIOS without going through the repair routine I've seen mentioned? To
> > tell you the truth, I don't know if I have it enabled or not, but I'll
> > check for sure first. Any other suggestions would be appreciated. I
> > hope you understand why I cross-posted to windowsxp.hardware and the
> > asus NG.
> >
> > Thank you,
> >
> > Grump
>
>

[Grumpy Oldman]

On Sun, 18 May 2003, "Ian Dunbar," "Paul," "AJ" and "Ken" replied to
my post:

>> The first thing I wanted to do was get rid of the Windows Messenger
>> service so I wouldn't have to deal with those popups. I did it through
>> services.msc and disabled it and stopped it. I closed the window and
>> was getting ready to go online when I got a BSOD with the
>> Page_Fault_In_Nonpaged_Area STOP:0x00000050 error message.
>
>The service that appears as Messenger under services is not related at all
>to Windows Messenger, (well done Bill ;-). It controls net send and alerter
>services, you probably borked your OS by disabling it. Never had this
>myself, I would try a rescue using the cd, (recovery console ?).
>
>BTW to remove Windows Messenger...

Thanks for replying, Ian, but I do know the difference between Windows
Messenger, the IM, and Windows Messenger Service, the network
messaging utility that is being exploited by hacks to send text based
advertisements. I am not on a network (even if I was, email and IM is
much more useful), so I do not need this service.

>...there are no dependancies that this service provides.

But, Paul, there ARE dependencies associated with this service. It's
just that they aren't a problem unless you are networked and need the
functions of this service.

>If the mouse is standard and you have a USB one or vice versa or
>remove the mouse, the system may come up to where you can delete the
>mistaken install of the Kingston mouse. Hopefully, if it did come up,
>you could tab your way to doing that.

Ken, the automatic installation of the Kensington mouse was not
mistaken after all. Although I didn't change the configuration and/or
select the correct device, it was a Kensington device -- the same
device that had originally connected to my machine before I tested the
Logitech device. I have a feeling this is not the problem, but I
s'pose it COULD be.

So, I'm guessin' I'm gonna have to do a repair install. None of you
mentioned if there was a way to turn off ACPI in the BIOS without
going through the Repair Console (or whatever ya call it).

>Reinstalling should keep the SP1 updates.

I did read several posts about doing that and, Ken, most of them did
say I would have to reinstall the updates.

Thanks for all your help, guys. If anyone else has a suggestion...

Grump

[NuckFuts]

Paul wrote:

> When you take a look under the services.msc at the Messenger service,
> there are no dependancies that this service provides. So if you turn
> it off, the OS should not be "borked". If you are using a
> stand-alone PC that is not on a network, you should not expect to see
> any pop messages or alerts since there is no server that your client
> can communicate with anyway.
>
> Paul


Wrong, dial up users are vulnerable now, as well as broadband users, and
this is rom first hand experience. Spammers have gotten good lately at using
this hole. Disableing messenger service is one of the first things I do on a
fresh install now.
--
NuckFuts

If you cannot rebut the argument pick on details such as misspellings,
improper punctuation or taglines

____
ERROR #0076: Check nut on keyboard

[Cari \(MS-MVP\)]

See Jim Eshelman's article at:

http://aumha.org/win5/kbestop.php#0xa5

Cari
www.coribright.com

"Grumpy Oldman" > wrote in message
...
> I just spent an hour and a half looking through the newsgroups and
> referenced websites for a resolution to this problem, but didn't find
> what I needed -- I don't think.
>
> If you want something to look at, this is the machine I am talking
> about (at least it's a purty paperweight):
>
> http://www.grumpyjim.net/html/functional_design.html
>
> Pertinent specs:
>
> *Athlon XP 1900+ cooled by ThermalTake Volcano 7+ on an Asus A7V266-E
> *2X512mb Crucial PC2100 DDR
> *2 - 40gb Maxtor ATA133 7200rpm, 1 - 60gb Maxtor ATA133 7200rpm
> *PNY Verto GeForce4 Ti4400 128mb
> *3COM 56K V.92 Fax/Modem
> *Pioneer 116 DVD-ROM
> *PlexWriter 40-12-40a
> *onboard CMedia 6 channel sound
> *PC Geiger system monitor
> *Antec TruePower 550W PSU
> *Kensington TurboRing trackball
> *Memorex MX2750 keyboard
> *Samsung SynchMaster 955df 19" monitor
> *MS Windows XP Professional SP1
>
> I haven't run the machine for a couple of months because it's at a
> remote shop where it's just too damn cold for me. 'Course, it's warm
> now and I'm ready to get on with the next project. I booted up the
> machine after reconnecting the trackball (I had tested a Logitech
> Optical Cordless Marble for another machine the last time I used the
> computer). Windows found new hardware and for some reason I let it
> install the software for a Kennsington mouse (I figured I could change
> it later) and it seemed to work fine.
>
> The first thing I wanted to do was get rid of the Windows Messenger
> service so I wouldn't have to deal with those popups. I did it through
> services.msc and disabled it and stopped it. I closed the window and
> was getting ready to go online when I got a BSOD with the
> Page_Fault_In_Nonpaged_Area STOP:0x00000050 error message.
>
> I tried to go back into Windows, but no matter how (Safe Mode
> included), I would keep getting BSODs before Windows loaded
> completely. This time though, I was getting the error message in the
> Subject line -- STOP:0x000000A5 -- an ACPI Compliance error.
>
> There are a lot of messages and even a couple of websites that delve
> into the 0x00000050 issues, but not much on the ACPI one. What I have
> seen is suggestions to reinstall via a repair session -- meaning the
> long process of downloading all the updates, including SP1. That's
> kinda painful on a dialup.
>
> Sorry for making this so long.
>
> I have downloaded the latest BIOS (several versions newer than mine)
> and plan to update that Sunday. Is it possible to disable ACPI in the
> BIOS without going through the repair routine I've seen mentioned? To
> tell you the truth, I don't know if I have it enabled or not, but I'll
> check for sure first. Any other suggestions would be appreciated. I
> hope you understand why I cross-posted to windowsxp.hardware and the
> asus NG.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Grump

[Robert Hancock]

You should just update the BIOS. It may be possible to disable ACPI in the
BIOS, but you really don't want to do that with XP..

--
Robert Hancock Saskatoon, SK, Canada
To email, remove "nospam" from
Home Page: http://www.roberthancock.com/


"Grumpy Oldman" > wrote in message
...
> I just spent an hour and a half looking through the newsgroups and
> referenced websites for a resolution to this problem, but didn't find
> what I needed -- I don't think.
>
> If you want something to look at, this is the machine I am talking
> about (at least it's a purty paperweight):
>
> http://www.grumpyjim.net/html/functional_design.html
>
> Pertinent specs:
>
> *Athlon XP 1900+ cooled by ThermalTake Volcano 7+ on an Asus A7V266-E
> *2X512mb Crucial PC2100 DDR
> *2 - 40gb Maxtor ATA133 7200rpm, 1 - 60gb Maxtor ATA133 7200rpm
> *PNY Verto GeForce4 Ti4400 128mb
> *3COM 56K V.92 Fax/Modem
> *Pioneer 116 DVD-ROM
> *PlexWriter 40-12-40a
> *onboard CMedia 6 channel sound
> *PC Geiger system monitor
> *Antec TruePower 550W PSU
> *Kensington TurboRing trackball
> *Memorex MX2750 keyboard
> *Samsung SynchMaster 955df 19" monitor
> *MS Windows XP Professional SP1
>
> I haven't run the machine for a couple of months because it's at a
> remote shop where it's just too damn cold for me. 'Course, it's warm
> now and I'm ready to get on with the next project. I booted up the
> machine after reconnecting the trackball (I had tested a Logitech
> Optical Cordless Marble for another machine the last time I used the
> computer). Windows found new hardware and for some reason I let it
> install the software for a Kennsington mouse (I figured I could change
> it later) and it seemed to work fine.
>
> The first thing I wanted to do was get rid of the Windows Messenger
> service so I wouldn't have to deal with those popups. I did it through
> services.msc and disabled it and stopped it. I closed the window and
> was getting ready to go online when I got a BSOD with the
> Page_Fault_In_Nonpaged_Area STOP:0x00000050 error message.
>
> I tried to go back into Windows, but no matter how (Safe Mode
> included), I would keep getting BSODs before Windows loaded
> completely. This time though, I was getting the error message in the
> Subject line -- STOP:0x000000A5 -- an ACPI Compliance error.
>
> There are a lot of messages and even a couple of websites that delve
> into the 0x00000050 issues, but not much on the ACPI one. What I have
> seen is suggestions to reinstall via a repair session -- meaning the
> long process of downloading all the updates, including SP1. That's
> kinda painful on a dialup.
>
> Sorry for making this so long.
>
> I have downloaded the latest BIOS (several versions newer than mine)
> and plan to update that Sunday. Is it possible to disable ACPI in the
> BIOS without going through the repair routine I've seen mentioned? To
> tell you the truth, I don't know if I have it enabled or not, but I'll
> check for sure first. Any other suggestions would be appreciated. I
> hope you understand why I cross-posted to windowsxp.hardware and the
> asus NG.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Grump

[Paul]

"NuckFuts" > wrote in message
.net...
> Paul wrote:
>
> > When you take a look under the services.msc at the Messenger service,
> > there are no dependancies that this service provides. So if you turn
> > it off, the OS should not be "borked". If you are using a
> > stand-alone PC that is not on a network, you should not expect to see
> > any pop messages or alerts since there is no server that your client
> > can communicate with anyway.
> >
> > Paul
>
>
> Wrong, dial up users are vulnerable now, as well as broadband users, and
> this is rom first hand experience. Spammers have gotten good lately at using
> this hole. Disableing messenger service is one of the first things I do on a
> fresh install now.
> --
> NuckFuts
>
> If you cannot rebut the argument pick on details such as misspellings,
> improper punctuation or taglines
>
> ____
> ERROR #0076: Check nut on keyboard
>
>
>
>
The point I was trying to make, but did not quite get the message clearly
across, is that if you are using your computer in a stand-alone environment (ie.
not hooked into an enterprize type of environment) then you are not hooking to
any administrative type servers and should not expect to see any messages pop up
and thus it would not hurt your system to shut off this service. Someone is
saying that it could "bork" up your system with Messenger service disabled.
Inside my services applet, the dependency tab lists no servcie which depends
upon Messenger to function. Messenger depends on several other services though.

Here is the link to M$ KB which even instructs you to shut it down as a work
around:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;330904

I just tell my ZA Pro to block all the incoming garbage and don't worry about
the pop-up stuff.

Paul

[Grumpy Oldman]

On Sun, 18 May 2003 19:23:28 GMT, "Robert Hancock"
> wrote:

>You should just update the BIOS. It may be possible to disable ACPI in the
>BIOS, but you really don't want to do that with XP.

Well, I got the latest BIOS on a floppy, but I guess the DRDOS was
bad, 'cause it kept asking for a command.com. So, I came home for a
new disk and a look-see on the groups and website again.

Apparently, it wasn't anything I thought it was. This morning the
machine wouldn't even TRY to boot -- no beeps, no POST, not even a
BSOD. I tried several times to boot, even unplugged and plugged back
in a couple things. Finally I heard a beep. It was long, then another,
and another. It beep over and over. The beep code suggested a memory
error.

I thought that was in error itself, because the RAM isn't that "used".
However, when I next booted the machine, I saw 768mb listed, insteada
1024. Yeah, it actually got into a POST and ended up in the BIOS. This
is strange behavior. So, I decided to inspect the RAM. I don't really
know how to do that except to just take it out and try one stick at a
time.

I had the 2 sticks in banks 0 and 2, so the single stick I put in the
middle bank, bank 1. It booted right up into the BIOS. I reset
everything to defaults (except for changing the CPU to 1600 and
setting the proper boot drive order). I restarted and it went into
Windows without a hitch except for the New Hardware routine (when you
unplug and replug hardware, Windows KNOWS).

So, it was the RAM all along. I still haven't got the BIOS updated
because I got the wrong flash utility on the disk, but I'll do that. I
did not have to do a repair install, but in the last few months there
have been over 2 hours worth of necessary updates.

Thanks for all the help.

Grump