Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!ames!vsi1!zorch!sjsca4!poffen
From: poffen@sj.ate.slb.com (Russ Poffenberger)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: Parity Error.  What do I do?
Message-ID: <1990Nov21.203834.12248@sj.ate.slb.com>
Date: 21 Nov 90 20:38:34 GMT
References: <73334@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu>
Reply-To: poffen@sj.ate.slb.com (Russ Poffenberger)
Organization: Schlumberger Technologies, San Jose, CA.
Lines: 24

In article <73334@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu> beckman@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu (Peter Beckman) writes:
>Memory parity interrupt at
>0BC6:006D
>type (S)hut NMI (R)eboot, other keys to continue
>
>I have a 386/33, Phoenix Bios, 4 Meg in SIMMS, and since I rebooted, I
>can't recreate it.  What should I do?
>

Nothing unless it starts happening again with more regularity.

Believe it or not, but DRAMs have a specified soft error rate. It is usually
one bit in error every godawful long time. Things like nuclear particles and
cosmic rays can cause a bit to flip, causing a once in a blue moon parity
error.

I wouldn't worry unless it starts becoming chronic, and at the same address,
then suspect a particular chip/SIMM.


Russ Poffenberger               DOMAIN: poffen@sj.ate.slb.com
Schlumberger Technologies       UUCP:   {uunet,decwrl,amdahl}!sjsca4!poffen
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San Jose, Ca. 95110             (408)437-5254