HELP-L2 Cache Size = 0!!

[Crumpler]

I have a Pentium II MMX 300 MHz CPU with a 512k cache. When I run a CPU utility it shows that my L2 cache is 0kb. The cache is enabled by BIOS and it shows a 66.8 MHz frequency. What is going on. Is there anything I can do to fix this?

Thanks

[BertImmenschuh]

What is the utility? I ran into the same thing on an AMD Athlon 700.

[Crumpler]

It's called CPU-Z

www.cpuid.com

[BertImmenschuh]

Thanks, I'll go get it now and try it. This is the I had used, Belarc Advisor <a target="_blank" href=http://www.belarc.com/>http://www.belarc.com/</a>.

[BertImmenschuh]

I ran the CPU-Z and this is what it gave:
L1 Data Cache 64 Kbytes, 2-way set associative, 64 bytes line size

L1 Instruction Cache 64 Kbytes, 2-way set associative, 64 bytes line size

L2 Cache 512 Kbytes, 2-way set associative, 64 bytes line size

L2 Frequency 360.5 MHz

I don't have my PII-266 running right now [borrowed parts off of it for a client] or I would check it. Now if it just happened that a Celeron 300 or slower was showing no cache, that would be normal, Celerons didn't have any until the 300A model.

[Crumpler]

My report states:

L1 Data Cache 16 Kb, 4-way set, 32 byte line size
L2 Cache 0 Kb, 0-way set, 0 byte line size
L2 frequency 66.8 MHz

Its a PII, not Celeron.

It also reports the CPU clock at 133.6 MHz, not the 300 its supposed to be.

Any ideas whats going on?

[BertImmenschuh]

The Celeron note was just a tidbit about cache, no inference intended. If the problem with the cache/speed just arose, my thoughts would be about problems with the BIOS, heat is destroying the CPU, jumpers have been changed on the motherboard or fell off, battery holding the BIOS in memory on the CMOS is failing, motherboard has received a static shock and is failing. These are just a few of the issues possible.

[Crumpler]

Thanks for all your help.

Is there anything I can do to try and diagnose the problem further? Or is it in need of professional help?

[BertImmenschuh]

I'd suggest pro help, mainly because they will have the diagnostics to use. One of the diagnostics I use just cost me $99 upgrade price and it comes on a 3.5" floppy disk. Another with a book is $149. These are all part of the tools a tech needs to work on computers and there are many more. It is called 'the cost of doing business'.

[Crumpler]

Thanks again for all your help.

[BertImmenschuh]

You're welcome. Good luck.