Hi!

Well, I just found that memtest 86+ wouldn't run
from the floppy-boot.

Did you see a column of numbers moving along the screen after the
computer tried to start from the disk? If so, your disk is bad or your
new floppy drive does not work.

If so, and if you have a CD burner, make a Memtest CD.

To do this:
1. Download http://www.memtest86.com/memtest86-3.4a.iso.zip

2. Expand that ZIP file from a working computer and you should have
a .ISO file.

3. Using your existing CD burning software (if you don't have any, CD
Burner XP and ImgBurn are both free and will do what you need), burn
the ISO file to disc. If you've never done this, you are looking for
an option to "burn an image file" or "burn a disc from an ISO file".
Don't just make a data disc and burn the file--it won't work that way.

4. Put the CD in your Deskpro. Enter setup and make sure the boot
order is set up so the CD-ROM drive will be checked before the hard or
floppy drives. (This is the default--if nobody has changed it.) Save
settings, restart.

5. Let Memtest run for a minimum of several hours. Any red highlighted
text in the lower pane of the Memtest screen indicates trouble. The
trouble is most likely to be bad memory, although failures can
indicate memory that is not right for your computer. You can do two
runs to figure out where the problem is--do one with your good RAM and
one with the suspect RAM.

I think you should return the memory to the seller, simply stating
that your computer did not accept it. Then try to find another.
Sellers offering 256MB PC133 CL2 or 3 parts should not be hard to find
(and you should really just top off the memory and be done with it).

If I had some spares, I would happily sell you tested and guaranteed-
to-work-in-your-Deskpro RAM. Although shipping from the US could be
expensive...or maybe not...the stuff could be flat-packed in a well
padded envelope. I'll keep you in mind if I come across some; if
you're open to that idea.

I take it the tester software I used isn't well
known.

I've heard of it before (though that is still no guarantee). I suspect
that it works as well as it can, but a fully running operating system
is not the place to exhaustively test your computer's memory. You just
can't get at enough of it, nor can you guarantee that the operating
system won't be pulling the rug out from under your feet by swapping
the program into virtual memory.

My guess(tm) at this point is that the memory you bought is OK, but
not quite to your computer's liking. It might operate normally forever
(or as long as you have the computer) if you don't mind the power on
failure beeps.

I don't know if they're designed to be amendable
like that - though there is just a space at the
entrance now where the original had a flap - but
it was good to salvage things.

Sure they are. In theory, that voids the warranty, but in practice
slight hardware modifications to make something that would otherwise
be compatible work in your computer is not going to cause a problem.

William