L1 cache disabled OR NOT?

"Colas" <francois.taylor.TakeThisOut@wanadoo.fr> wrote in message
news:1ecaf211.0310061033.31ef04cd@posting.google.com...
 > I upgraded my old dell xps d 233Mhz with the powerleap 1.4 celeron
 > cpu. It's working great on bios A09 and windows 98se at 933Mhz.
 >
 > One question then, at start up there is an two beep error message -
 > error system cache - cache disabled!

Since your old system was a 233Mhz, then I would assume it was a Pentium
CPU. If so, then the L2 cache was built into the motherboard and not the
processor back then. The newer Celeron 1.4 has an L2 built into the
processor itself. So likely what has been disabled is the old L2 cache on
the motherboard. You don't need that old L2 cache because it's incompatible
with the Celeron.

If you don't want to see that error message anymore, then what you should do
is go into the motherboard's BIOS setup screen, and disable the L2 cache
directly in the BIOS. That way it won't even try to activate it.

Yousuf Khan<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: L1 cache disabled OR NOT? 

The Dell Dimension XPS D___ PCs are PII machines, using the 440LX chipset.
(I doubt that it's practical to use a Celeron on any P5 mainboards; the
Powerleap adapter is just some sort of slocket, it doesn't replace the
chipset, AFAIK.) The 233 was the original "Klamath" CPU: 512 kB of
half-speed L2 cache, in the SECC (original Slot 1) cartridge.

Perhaps the compatibility of the Dell (from 1997) with a 1.4 GHz Celeron is
less than perfect. (In fact, a 1.4 GHz Celeron appears to need a 100 MHz bus
to run at its rated speed - on an LX board, it would give 14X66 MHz, or 933
MHz.) The only suggestion that I can offer the original poster is to make
sure that the BIOS is at the most recent version (which is A09 at
<a style='text-decoration: underline;' href="http://support.dell.com" target="_blank">http://support.dell.com</a>).

Good luck.

Bob Knowlden

Address may be altered to avoid spam. Replace nkbob with bobkn.

"Yousuf Khan" <removethisspam.bjsk90.removethispam.TakeThisOut@hotmail.com> wrote in
message news:PABgb.249739$Lnr1.11424@news01.bloor.is.net.cable.rogers.com...
 > "Colas" <francois.taylor.TakeThisOut@wanadoo.fr> wrote in message
 > news:1ecaf211.0310061033.31ef04cd@posting.google.com...
  > > I upgraded my old dell xps d 233Mhz with the powerleap 1.4 celeron
  > > cpu. It's working great on bios A09 and windows 98se at 933Mhz.
  > >
  > > One question then, at start up there is an two beep error message -
  > > error system cache - cache disabled!
 >
 > Since your old system was a 233Mhz, then I would assume it was a Pentium
 > CPU. If so, then the L2 cache was built into the motherboard and not the
 > processor back then. The newer Celeron 1.4 has an L2 built into the
 > processor itself. So likely what has been disabled is the old L2 cache on
 > the motherboard. You don't need that old L2 cache because it's
incompatible
 > with the Celeron.
 >
 > If you don't want to see that error message anymore, then what you should
do
 > is go into the motherboard's BIOS setup screen, and disable the L2 cache
 > directly in the BIOS. That way it won't even try to activate it.
 >
 > Yousuf Khan
 >
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: L1 cache disabled OR NOT? 

"Yousuf Khan" <removethisspam.bjsk90.removethispam RemoveThis @hotmail.com> wrote in
message news:PABgb.249739$Lnr1.11424@news01.bloor.is.net.cable.rogers.com...
 > "Colas" <francois.taylor RemoveThis @wanadoo.fr> wrote in message
 > news:1ecaf211.0310061033.31ef04cd@posting.google.com...
  > > I upgraded my old dell xps d 233Mhz with the powerleap 1.4 celeron
  > > cpu. It's working great on bios A09 and windows 98se at 933Mhz.
  > >
  > > One question then, at start up there is an two beep error message -
  > > error system cache - cache disabled!
 >
 > Since your old system was a 233Mhz, then I would assume it was a Pentium
 > CPU. If so, then the L2 cache was built into the motherboard and not the
 > processor back then. The newer Celeron 1.4 has an L2 built into the
 > processor itself. So likely what has been disabled is the old L2 cache on
 > the motherboard. You don't need that old L2 cache because it's
incompatible
 > with the Celeron.
 >
 > If you don't want to see that error message anymore, then what you should
do
 > is go into the motherboard's BIOS setup screen, and disable the L2 cache
 > directly in the BIOS. That way it won't even try to activate it.
 >
 > Yousuf Khan

No offense Yousuf, but LOL!!!

The 233 Intels were mostly Slot 1s, to which you are not referring. What
you are referring to (where the L2 is on motherboard) is Socket 7, thus the
older Pentium (MMX, Pentium 1).

And the new Celeron is a Socket 370.

I know that the two are so incompatible, you can't even try to adapt them.
The Socket 370 is Intel-Only, the Socket 7 is pretty universal, Intel / AMD
/ Cyrix all had Socket 7s.

The error was inspecific, not referring to either L1 or L2, just simply
'cache.' So, to assume it is L2 is wrong, as is to assume it is L1.
However, it still makes sense to enter the BIOS and check to make sure both
are enabled, and disable them to test something. If they are disabled, and
the error goes away, but Windows is still just as speedy & all the programs
report back L1 is enabled, and L2 is enabled, then everythign is fine.

The question really lies on whether or not the motherboard's setting of L1
enable/disable, and L2 enable/disable controls the Powerleap adapter, or if
the Powerleap overrides the motherboard and always has it enabled, which I
lean more towards for the simple fact that the BIOS is reporting on boot
that it is disabling cache, but the programs report it is enabled (WCPUID
for example will show a grey box if there is no cache or if it is disabled,
so to report any cache means it is enabled).

At the very least you have an annoying message....

Out of curiosity, I notice that you bought the 1.4GHz (14x100), but have it
stuck with a 66MHz bus (14x66.66 = 933). Is this because the board is
incapable of supporting 100MHz bus? I have an old 440LX that cant support
100, but I have an old 440BX that I had upgraded to an 850 P3 CuMine
(8.5x100) fine, using the Powerleap adapter.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: L1 cache disabled OR NOT?