Resolved Need RAM recommendations for MSI KT4V-L

G'Day Barry,

I have received 2 replies, 1 from MSI Australia and 1 from MSI HO Taiwan.

The instructions to me seemed contradictory so I sent a further email to clarify the actions to be taken and the BIOS and drivers to use.

Note that the link also has a good Memory and compatibility module explanation in it.

i.e. they say it is a KT4V-L MoBo, but to use the KT4V BIOS and Drivers - do nothing and wait please !!
They are mixing up the MS6714 with the MS6712 you have.

pcbugfixer

 

G'Day Barry,

Good news! With the information and some logic, I have sorted this out and will make time for you to-day (my time AEDT (Australian Eastern Daylight Time) to give you the correct details, as soon as I have completed the upgrade on my System 4.

My current time is 09:34 hours (9:34am for civilians) Saturday 09/01/2010

Zulu Time = The zero meridian time is now 22:34:21 2010-01-08

pcbugfixer

 

G'Day Barry,

OK, here goes the final sortie and fixing tasks for your motherboard BIOS, and drivers and shedding better light on your memory modules.

The confirmation reply said:

So what he is saying is that there where 2 types of KT4V-L boards. The one you have belongs to the 1st release of the KT4V / KY4V-L with the Rev: PCB 1.0
(This is the one you have i.e. KT4V-L Rev: PCB1.0) and the 2nd release of this MoBo KT4V-L Rev: PCB1.1 which you do not have.

So this is what we now need and the source of the information you would use, download and burn a CD of it for yourself.

1. Download the latest BIOS and drivers from this source http://www.msi.com/index.php?func=do...=1&prod_no=505 IMPORTANT that you download the correct drivers for XP usually marked " ... /XP 32 bit "

2. The BIOS you want and then make up the FDD from is this one,
Version 1.C Update Date 2004-11-01 = which is the 6712v1C.zip file.

3. Then there are the;

LAN - VIA 10/100 LAN Drivers = the "Windows 9X/Me/2000/XP 32bit " file Update Date 2008-06-13

Sound - Realtek ALC Series AC97 Audio Driver = the "Windows 2000/XP 32bit " file Update Date 2007-05-08

MoBo Drivers - VIA Chipset 4in1 Drivers = the "Windows 9X/Me/2000/XP 32bit " file Update Date 2007-04-20 This is very important and if at any time you re-install the XP OS, then this would be the 1st driver installation you would perform after installing the OS. The MoBo drivers are needed so that the MoBo can communicate the attached hardware types to the OS.

As for the USB "VIA USB2.0 Drivers" only needed for Win 98 / ME or the "VIA USB2.0 Patch (Under WinXP+SP1)" obviously you do not need these 2 drivers.

4. The Memory module information and compatible types, is also listed on the Main MoBo Page

The order of tasks I recommend is,

A. Put in the recommended 3 x 1GB memory modules (follow the advice from the MSI site. However I have previously suggested the 3 you should use) Main Memory DDR400.

B. Make up the FDD with the BIOS and run it - If you know how to get into the MoBo setup - Then do so and make notes of the current parameters and check them again after you have updated to the 1.C

C. If you do not have the latest VIA drivers for the MoBo installed i.e. the "•Driver version: 5.11a" then run / install them from the CD you made up or directly from a HDD folder and re-boot after you have done so.

D. Check your Sound driver installed version, and again run and install the newer ones if needed. "•Driver version for Win98/WinMe/Win2000/WinXP: 5.10.00.6230 "

E. Check the LAN drivers and do the same, update if needed "•Driver Version: 3.68.0.453 (Win98SE/ME/2000/XP/Vista32/64) "

NB: In some instances when you do Windows update (preferably Microsoft Update) you may find still later (newer) drivers that have or will be installed for the LAN and Sound drivers, For VIA I do not suggest any other than the ones specified by MSI.

F. If you are not at XP SP3 level - install that now.

G. Perform a Microsoft Update (if not installed - install it - option provided at the top of the Windows Update page) and perform "Custom" updates only to ensure that all "High Priority" "Software" and "Hardware" drivers are included in the updating process.
Reboot - and continue to run the Update procedure until nothing remains to update from Microsoft.

H. Now clean up (delete) the temp rubbish (clear out the Recycle Bin) Optimize (defragment) your HDD - re-boot.

All done and you should have a faster Computer.

Yup, setting up a Computer only takes a few minutes

Addendum - Manual 1.6 English 7638KB E6712v1.6.zip - gives verification of 3 x 1GB capability.

pcbugfixer

 

Thanks for all the information. I am presently visiting my mother's, as I took my son to the airport last night so he can fly back to his college campus in Florida. I'll be at my computer this evening and will check out everything you wrote.

For your information, I use PCMatic to keep my computer's drivers up-to-date and the computer clean. It does a great job, so I believe that all my drivers are current. I also have XP SP3 installed.

I do have some questions, though.

1) If the BIOS update has no changes other than allowing hardware that I don't use, is it worth it to update the BIOS?
2) Would I truly see much improvement by purchasing another GB of RAM to install? To be honest, I haven't noticed much improvement by installing 2GB or adding the additional 1/2GB. Would I be better off removing the 1/2GB and changing the Command Rate from T2 to T1, as previously addressed by Rockster2U?
3) I want to clarify that though the mobo states Ver. 10A, it actually is Ver. 1.0, and it is a KT4V-L. The picture in your link states VER: 1.0, not 10A.

I'll get back to you to verify the rest this evening. Thank you.

 

Couple of quick comments .......

First of all, I would only run the two new Kingston Value Ram modules - leave your old memory on the table. If you want to add a third Kingston Value Ram module, by all means have at it. Please understand that due to the limitations or lets say design of this board and the specific chipset, your memory is only going to run at 333MHz. This is not a big deal. Your board also will not run dual channel memory so there will be no speed loss encountered by going from two modules to three modules (as may occur on dual channel boards). Don't get hung up on the T1 vs T2 terminology - most of us will never notice a difference. Again, the thing you are striving for is no hiccups - stability. Just set your memory By Speed or Auto in the BIOS and don't worry about what any of the numbers mean. As Athlonite correctly pointed out, you will most likely wind up at 2.5-3-3-7 but again, don't worry about what these numbers are.

I hope Jr. wore some warm clothes - Sandals, jeans and a t-shirt aren't going to cut it this weekend.

 

G'Day Barry,

Allow me to set the thinking straight.
- "The proof of a Cake or Pudding is not the Receipt itself, but in the method by which the ingredient of the Receipt are used"
- If you are a car buff, and you have a 6 cylinder car the same as your neighbour who constantly drives it at 120 miles per hour and you only drive yours at 60 MPH, and the manufacturer now has some improvement that you can install to improve the overall performance of the car, in particular the speed and braking power, you are saying that your neighbour would need them because the way the car is used at a 120mph, but you only driving at 60mph would not need them ??!!

Well now, the speed and braking enhancements might not help your neighbour driving at 120mph when the brakes are applied, and I doubt that the car would stop on a Dime, however you driving at 60mph, having installed the enhancements, I would suggest that you could stop in front of the Dime. "“ Got the idea !!??

In the IT (PC) world we have very specific procedures (Algorithms "“ step by step sequenced instructions) by which we setup a Computer both for Hardware compatibility and the OS and Application software that is installed, following these steps will give a better overall result for performance.

1. The BIOS does not give all the reasons for the newer Flash update and will always have other improvements not mentioned, including enhancements to drivers for better recognition of existing parameters.

2. As to the RAM, look at it this way, the MoBo and OS when only 1GB of RAM is installed when using programs would utilize most of it and would utilize the Swap file to compensate for lack of additional available memory slowing its performs as it accesses the Swap file on the HDD.
Now if you had 3GB and the programs you use had plenty of available hard memory and did not need to use the swap file, it would improve the performance, would it not ?!!

3. In your instance , the MoBo Revision and version is, VER: 1.0, = 10A = VER: 1.0A, i.e same thing in this instance.

Performing all these tasks ensure that you have the correct setup and drivers loaded.

Additionally performing the maintenance tasks will improve the file access performance, hence system speed performance.

The proof is in the result of what you do and the method by which you did so! "“ Do you want a better and more reliable system or not ?

I did a quick revision of the PC Matic utility from PC Pitstops, very similar to the "PC Pitstop Optimize3" but with a few more options.

I compared what they did and as always selectively determine what I want them to do and NEVER allow these type of programs to perform all of the suggested (selected) tasks.

PC Pitstops has some good points to raise, however you must understand that their criterion cannot be applied to every computer that exists and in fact if a Computer has a custom or specific application installation, the result may not apply to it, and must be scrutinized to eliminate (un-check) those tasks that are not recommended for the computer in question.

Having used the The PCMatric for the first time, the result gave me a clean bill of health for System 3, with all drivers up to date, etc.

Noticeable was the fact that it wanted to remove the "System Patches" files !! This obviously raises many bones of contention, here is one article on the subject "Is it safe to delete obsolete patches ? - msg#00159"

NB: We do not remove them and it is unlikely that we would use the PCMatric program in it's entirety without changing its tasks, hence we would not use it at all

All this for a bit of Memory

Pcbugfixer

 

Pcbugfixer:

I’ve started the steps, but I believe I’ll need more help.
I’ve downloaded the 6712v1C.zip file. I understand that I need to install the boot98.exe file onto a floppy and then extract the 6712v1C.zip file to that floppy. The next step would be to restart the computer and boot from this floppy.
I don’t believe I need to install LAN drivers, as I don’t use the LAN capability on this computer.
I downloaded and installed the AC97 and the 4in1 drivers a couple of months ago (downloading, extracting and then clicking on setup), so I believe I have the updated drivers, but am not sure how to check this. Where can I go to confirm that these drivers are most current? I downloaded it for the version 1.1, but they look the same and are the same size, so I assume that they are the same.

B. Make up the FDD with the BIOS and run it - If you know how to get into the MoBo setup - Then do so and make notes of the current parameters and check them again after you have updated to the 1.C

I guess you are saying here to make sure that my BIOS settings are the same with my present BIOS and my future BIOS.

C. If you do not have the latest VIA drivers for the MoBo installed i.e. the "•Driver version: 5.11a" then run / install them from the CD you made up or directly from a HDD folder and re-boot after you have done so.

How do I find out if I have “Driver version 5.11a” installed?

D. Check your Sound driver installed version, and again run and install the newer ones if needed. "•Driver version for Win98/WinMe/Win2000/WinXP: 5.10.00.6230 "

My Realtek AC’97 Audio for VIA ® Audio Controller shows a Realtek Semiconductor driver 5.10.0.6230 dated 3/8/2007.

I tried to do Windows Update, but it only downloaded 30% of the drivers needed to run Update, and nothing else happened. Any suggestions?

Rockster2U:

Thank you for your input.
Actually, I do have some less than ideal information. Though I’ve found this great site for computer solutions, I still haven’t found the site that will give me tools to get T-shirts away from a 20-year-old male. Luckily, he had a shuttle take him directly from the Orlando Airport to his dorm in Melbourne. It is a bit cold in Melbourne (that’s Florida, not Australia). It is 32 degrees, though supposed to feel like 22 degrees. If there is any precipitation, it will snow. Last year, when he came home for winter break, here in sunny southern California, we ended up with over 3’ of snow and couldn’t get out for a couple of days. This year there was no snow, but he may get some in Florida. Weather sure has been strange.

 

G'DAy Barry,

Yes !

Contentious point as a Modem is a device that accesses the LAN and WAN (Wide Area Network = Internet) Network interface whichever way you look at it and the updated driver may have enhancements for the network interface ?!

Again contentious as there may be minor differences in the parameters of the revision thus different handling of the driver interface, I would download all drivers from the correct MoBo web page even if they look or are the same (?) as to not take any risks.

Yes, however there will be usually some minor changes in the information presentation which become obvious when you compare the old -V- new.

For device driver information the best default method is the "Device Manager" (System Properties -> Hardware -> Device Manager) once there open any category (finding the specific one you asked about) then right mouse click on the particular Device to bring up the device options menu, and then click on "properties" once there -> click on the Driver Tab at the top and it will show you the Driver version, Date, and who supplied it.
IMPORTANT to note that in some instances Microsoft may have hijacked the driver from the manufacturer which is not good in 95% of cases and it is always better to use the correct manufacturers drivers for the hardware device. To correct this make sure you have an expanded (extracted from zip) folder containing the driver files, then simply update the driver from the same "Driver" tab using the Update driver" button, and use the "Not this time" -> "Install from specific location" etc and point it to the folder containing the manufacturers drivers.

Alternatively to find driver versions and a complete inventory of your PC, there is a Utility called "Belarc Advisor" which I use as it gives me a complete Inventory list of everything on my system(s) try it as it lists everything, installed software and keys, driver versions, security status, etc. It's FREE

There is a site called "AutoPatcher" which allow you to download all of the required updates for Windows XP. Vista and now Win7. There was a legal challenge at one time from Microsoft which has been overcome or defeated and the site is again legal or legitimate.

Get a friend of yours to download the "AutoPatcher Updater v1.2" file and the "AutoPatcher User Guide Instructions" if needed. then run the AutoPatcher Updater v1.2 which will bring up the interface to be able to choose all of the XP operating system updates and office 2003 and 2007 etc - take care in choosing correctly, also the download is big if all are chosen (the size could be up to 1.6Gb) and download them.

Once done, the folder can be burned on a CD or DVD and copied to your hard Disk from which you run it and then install all of the updates that you may have missed out on in the past.

There is also on the site a means to purchase a CD with the updates etc., on it (cost of CD and work only - no charge for the actual driver and update files which are free)

Obviously, the faster way is to take your computer to a friends place that has a faster Cable or DSL connection, plug in an RJ45 cable to the LAN connector, and perform your downloads and updates from there.

End of assistance for "Need RAM recommendations for MSI KT4V-L"
It's been Fun

pcbugfixer

 

Thank you for the feedback. I will redownload all the drivers on Thursday, when I am at a friend's house with high speed Internet.

I decided to flash the BIOS now, but have run into a bit of a problem. The instructions with the BIOS says the following:
WARNING!!!!!
DON'T FLASH FROM A FLOPPY DISK!!!!

4. Extract the BIOS-archive that you have downloaded by double clicking to c:\test

5. Boot your system from a Win98 or WinME boot-floppy.

7. When you get the A:\ prompt, type the following sequence:
C: <enter>
cd\test <enter>
C:\test> amifl827 BIOS file
(to save or not to save old BIOS is the user’s decision)

I set up a folder named "test" on my FAT32 C partition and extracted the contents of 6712v1C.zip into it.
cd\test <enter> and C:\test> amifl827 BIOS file aren't acceptable commands. Should I just flash from the floppy, or could you give me the correct command to flash from the C drive after booting from a floppy?

 

G'Day Barry,

Is your OS installation on a NTFS or Fat32 partition, if it is NTFS, then the HDD \test folder cannot be accessed from a 98se system boot FDD.

Gives no warning about this!
Read the Full Instructions in the downloaded 1C zip file "How to flash the BIOS.doc ".

Just as well you are on the Ball and observant, as I did not notice this before!

OK they do say not to use a floppy to Flash except to boot from it to then use the C:\test folder etc. - Do that, i.e follow these instructions
- however to work, the file system must be a Fat32 partition, if it is not, do not convert it and wait until you get to your friends place and with the faster connection use the Live update and remember the BIOS file 1C that you need to load ! ensuring that it does use this and not the other from the Rev:1.1

Yet another message going to MSI regarding this flashing warning and method of not using from a FDD.

pcbugfixer

 

I have my hard drive separated into partitions, partly for this purpose. My C partition is FAT32, while my OS, which is on partition D, is NTFS. My question is how to access the test folder on C, as MSI's instructions are invalid commands (cd\test <enter> and
C:\test> amifl827 BIOS file). I tried it both with the programs in a folder labeled "Test" in the C partition and just sitting alone in the C partition outside of a folder.

 

If the 1st C: partition is a Fat32, then when you boot from the 98se FDD it will only recognize it and not the NTFS partition.

Obviously the PC will boot to the A: prompt and you then change to C: then press Enter, then -> type cd\test press enter etc., which will give you access to the test folder, and continue with the instructions.

pcbugfixer

 

cd\test is an invalid command.

 

From A:\> C: press enter, this gives you
C:\>

from C:\> cd\test press enter this should if you have placed the \test folder on the Fat32 partition,

C:\test>

pcbugfixer

 

I'll try it another time (6 times, so far). It is impossible to name a folder "\test "
A file name cannot contain any of the following characters:
\ /:*? "<>|

 

I tried all the varieties I could think of, and all came back with "Invalid directory "
Do I need to do something special to the folder so that it is accessible?

 

G'Day Barry,

If you have a C: partition that is a FAT32 partition and a D: partition that is s NTFS file partition, then booting up from the Windowws 98 System boot Floppy Disk that you made up, the default command prompt that it will boot to is,

A:\>

The bold text and synmbols are the default characters and symbols that make up the CMD prompt.
After the comand there will always flash an Underscore _ line indicating that it is active and the point at which you start typing any additional parameters or commands.

Now check that the "test" folder does exsist and that it contains the required files !! check the spelling of the folder name.

If this is correct and it does exsist, then proceed again to boot from the floopy and ensure that you are at the,
A:\>_ command prompt.

To test things out after the prompt type C: (note colun not semi-colun) and press enter.

A:\>C: and press enter,

This must give you the following prompt

C:\>

at which to test hing out I want you to type dir

C:\>dir and press enter

this will give you a directory i.e. file and folder listing of the C: drive, and in that list you must see the " test " folder, if it is in the list, then after the listing the command prompt will be back to
C:\>
where you dow type cd\test

C:\>cd\test and press enter, which now gives you this prompt

C:\test>

and you continue with the command text from there (here)

pcbugfixer

 

It's about time I put my head on straight. I put the test folder on one hard drive and then the boot disc opened the other. Once I figured that out, the BIOS flash went fine. I now have the 1C BIOS version. I'll check the BIOS now and see if any changes were made. One thing I'm curious about, my graphics card can run at 8X, yet the BIOS only allows 1X, 2X or 4X. Let me know if you know of a way to get 8X. Remember that the mobo is listed with these features: BOX MSI KT4V-L/KT400/ATX/AUD/8X AGP/LAN
Thanks.

 

I checked the BIOS, and the only difference I can see is that they added a PS/2 keyboard detection option. I enabled the LAN options, since you recommend that I download the latest LAN drivers. I'll download all the drivers on Thursday and see how that goes.

 

I also sent you a PM, as you previously requested for the 56K modem tweak link.