Is my memory faulty?

[jweaver]

I have a ASUS A7V333 and Athlon 2000+ with 2 x 256m 2100 DDR and its
been 100% stable for years.. And I mean 100%!! It never ever crashes.

Recently I upgraded to Broadband and the PC has remained switched on
for 3 months.. But again, its been 100% stable.

However, in the last few weeks, I have started to get Explorer.exe
crashes, when I open directories too quick. Its not been much of a
problem, so I have lived with it.

In the last week or so, I have developed a new unrelated(?) nightmare
problem.. I have started to get a blue screen crash every day or so..
Then over the weekend, it started happening more and more until it
happens approx every 30 mins!!

The error that I get is a 'Stop 0x50' or 'Stop 0:8e' (or various other
stop errors)... Looking at MS/Google, it seems that "Memory" is a
clear candidate for this.

Since I have not changed ANYTHING recently, I guess that hardware is
the way to go... So, I downloaded a DOS based Memory test utility and
ran it for 24 hours and didn't find a single error.

So, I set about debugging this by trial and error.. I did EVERYTHING I
could think of.

1. System restore to various points in the past
2. Removed some applications which I haven't used for ages.
3. Removed some hardware (PCI Cards) to see if something was causing
this
4. Deleted pagefile.sys and then re-created it (under Virtual Memory
Settings)
5. Unplugged some devices (ie CDRom drives) to see if it was a power
issue
6. Ran the latest Virus/Spyware checks

No matter what I did, nothing changed.. I still got the explorer.exe
crashes (which I believed were unrelated) and still got the BSoD
errors.

I then started to look at Motherboard/CPU/Temperature/Voltage issues..
The CPU didn't seem to be overly hot.. Perhaps peaking at 56 degrees..
When I removed the cover, it dropped back to around 46 degrees, but
the PC still crashed.

The bit which did worry me was that the VCORE voltage seem to bounce
around from between 1.78 to 1.82.. But having nothing to compare this
too, I don't know if its a problem.

Finally, out of desperation I removed on of my Memory DIMMS, leaving
only 256M in slot 0.. I never expected this to do anything, after all,
the Memory Diagnostic passed with flying colours.

To my surprise there was an immediate improvement.. First of all, I
can't get Explorer to crash.. .But more importantly, 12 hours passed
without a BSoD... So, to be sure, I put the Memory back in and it
started crashing again.

So, clearly I have a memory related problem.. But is it as simple as
being Faulty Memory... My gut feeling is that this could still be a MB
issue, or even software (perhaps with the "Memory Management").

I don't know what to do now.. The PC is running far too slow with 256M
and I need to put the other 256M back in..

I will do some more tests later.. The obvious one is to replace the
256M one which is working, with the one I have removed and see if it
stays stable.. I am also going to try and use the other slot..

Has anyone got any suggestions as to how I can fix this permanently?

Jon

 

[Nathan McNulty]

Try MemTest86 from www.memtest86.com to test your memory.

I highly recommend doing some houscleaning such as scan for viruses,
scan for malware/adware, clean up the registry, etc.

 

[Jim Macklin]

Either the RAM can go bad or the slot can also. You can get
corrosion on contacts and the RAM can have read errors or
the RAM can just fail. Since RAM is cheap, buy some new
sticks.
Strange note on the ASUS website, 3 RAM slots support up to
3 MB, but then read the list of recommended RAM, only 128
and 256 PC 2700 are tested for certain brands...


Processor
Socket A for AMD® Athlon XP/ Athlon/ Duron 600MHz ~
2GHz+

Chipset
North Bridge: VIA® KT333
South Bridge: VIA® VT8233A

FSB
266/200 MHz

Memory
3 x DDR DIMM Sockets
Max. 3* GB unbuffered PC2700/PC2100/PC1600 non-ECC
SDRAM Memory

Expansion Slots
1 x AGP Pro
5 x PCI

IDE Ports
2 x UltraDMA/133/100/66

IDE RAID (Optional)
Promise 20276 ATA133 RAID controller support RAID
0,1

Audio (Optional)
C-Media 8738 6-channel PCI audio controller

USB 2.0
VIA VT6202 USB2.0 controller
4 USB 2.0 ports

IEEE-1394 (Optional)
TI controller
1 x 1394 port

Special Features
Power Loss Restart
ASUS JumperFreeT
SFS (Stepless Frequency Selection)
Support Smart Card/MS/SD reader
ATA133 RAID 0, 1
Support ASUS iPanel
Support S/PDIF in/out interface (on audio model
only)
ASUS POST ReporterT
ASUS MyLogoT
ASUS C.O.P. (CPU Overheating Protection) for AthlonT
XP only

Back Panel I/O Ports
1 x Parallel
2 x Serial
1 x PS/2 Keyboard
1 x PS/2 Mouse
1 x Audio I/O (on audio model only)
2 x USB 1.1
2 x USB 2.0

Internal I/O Interface
CPU/Power/Chassis FAN connectors
20 pin ATX power connector
IDE LED connector
Chassis Intrusion, SM Bus, SIR
Smart Card/MS/SD reader connector
Game port (on audio model only)
S/PDIF in/out connector (on audio model only)
CD/AUX/Modem audio in (on audio model only)
Front panel audio connector (on audio model only)
1 x 1394 port (optional)
ASUS iPanel connector
1 x USB 1.1 connector support additional 2 USB 1.1
ports
1 x USB 2.0 connector support additional 2 USB 2.0
ports

BIOS Feature
2Mb Flash ROM, Award BIOS, TCAV, PnP, DMI2.0,
WfM2.0, BIOS 2.3

Industrial Standard
PCI 2.2, USB 1.1, USB 2.0, WfM 2.0, DMI 2.0

Manageability
WfM 2.0, DMI 2.0, WOL, WOR, Chassis Intrusion, SMBus

Accessories
User's Manual
Support CD
UltraDMA 100 / 66 cable
FDD cable
2-port USB bracket
I/O shield
USB 2.0 cable
Game port cable
1394 cable (optional)

Board Size
ATX Form Factor
12" x 9.6" (30.5cm x 24.5cm)

Note: * Use only the tested and qualified
PC2700-DDR333 DIMMs listed below.
Other DDR DIMM manufactured by other vendors may not
be suitable for this motherboard.

Vendor Type Size Model
Nanya PC2700 256MB NT5DS16M8AT-6
Samsung PC2700 128MB K4H280838D-TCB3
Samsung PC2700 256MB K4H280838D-TCB3
Micron PC2700 128MB MT8VDDT1664AG-335B1
Micron PC2700 256MB MT16VDDT1664AG-335B1
KINGMAX PC2700 128MB MPMA82D-68KX3
KINGMAX PC2700 256MB MPM62D-68KX3





--
The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.



| Try MemTest86 from www.memtest86.com to test your memory.
|
| I highly recommend doing some houscleaning such as scan
for viruses,
| scan for malware/adware, clean up the registry, etc.
|
| ----
| Nathan McNulty
|
|
| jweaver wrote:
| > I have a ASUS A7V333 and Athlon 2000+ with 2 x 256m 2100
DDR and its
| > been 100% stable for years.. And I mean 100%!! It never
ever crashes.
| >
| > Recently I upgraded to Broadband and the PC has remained
switched on
| > for 3 months.. But again, its been 100% stable.
| >
| > However, in the last few weeks, I have started to get
Explorer.exe
| > crashes, when I open directories too quick. Its not been
much of a
| > problem, so I have lived with it.
| >
| > In the last week or so, I have developed a new
unrelated(?) nightmare
| > problem.. I have started to get a blue screen crash
every day or so..
| > Then over the weekend, it started happening more and
more until it
| > happens approx every 30 mins!!
| >
| > The error that I get is a 'Stop 0x50' or 'Stop 0:8e' (or
various other
| > stop errors)... Looking at MS/Google, it seems that
"Memory" is a
| > clear candidate for this.
| >
| > Since I have not changed ANYTHING recently, I guess that
hardware is
| > the way to go... So, I downloaded a DOS based Memory
test utility and
| > ran it for 24 hours and didn't find a single error.
| >
| > So, I set about debugging this by trial and error.. I
did EVERYTHING I
| > could think of.
| >
| > 1. System restore to various points in the past
| > 2. Removed some applications which I haven't used for
ages.
| > 3. Removed some hardware (PCI Cards) to see if something
was causing
| > this
| > 4. Deleted pagefile.sys and then re-created it (under
Virtual Memory
| > Settings)
| > 5. Unplugged some devices (ie CDRom drives) to see if it
was a power
| > issue
| > 6. Ran the latest Virus/Spyware checks
| >
| > No matter what I did, nothing changed.. I still got the
explorer.exe
| > crashes (which I believed were unrelated) and still got
the BSoD
| > errors.
| >
| > I then started to look at
Motherboard/CPU/Temperature/Voltage issues..
| > The CPU didn't seem to be overly hot.. Perhaps peaking
at 56 degrees..
| > When I removed the cover, it dropped back to around 46
degrees, but
| > the PC still crashed.
| >
| > The bit which did worry me was that the VCORE voltage
seem to bounce
| > around from between 1.78 to 1.82.. But having nothing to
compare this
| > too, I don't know if its a problem.
| >
| > Finally, out of desperation I removed on of my Memory
DIMMS, leaving
| > only 256M in slot 0.. I never expected this to do
anything, after all,
| > the Memory Diagnostic passed with flying colours.
| >
| > To my surprise there was an immediate improvement..
First of all, I
| > can't get Explorer to crash.. .But more importantly, 12
hours passed
| > without a BSoD... So, to be sure, I put the Memory back
in and it
| > started crashing again.
| >
| > So, clearly I have a memory related problem.. But is it
as simple as
| > being Faulty Memory... My gut feeling is that this could
still be a MB
| > issue, or even software (perhaps with the "Memory
Management").
| >
| > I don't know what to do now.. The PC is running far too
slow with 256M
| > and I need to put the other 256M back in..
| >
| > I will do some more tests later.. The obvious one is to
replace the
| > 256M one which is working, with the one I have removed
and see if it
| > stays stable.. I am also going to try and use the other
slot..
| >
| > Has anyone got any suggestions as to how I can fix this
permanently?
| >
| > Jon

 

[jweaver]

Done that.. I ran a memory test for 12 hours and looped it 10s of
times and it PASSED every time.

I have pretty much done EVERYTHING.. Even did a system restore to a
time when it was stable..

I am convinved that is either low lever OS drivers (some kind of
memory management) or hard-ware.. But whilst removing the memory has
fixed it, the fact that it error checks OK says to me that its not
actually faulty!

 

[Jim Macklin]

Since the mem-test runs under DOS and has minimal power
demands, it just might be possible that running Windows
causes some power supply problem.


--
The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.


| Done that.. I ran a memory test for 12 hours and looped it
10s of
| times and it PASSED every time.
|
| I have pretty much done EVERYTHING.. Even did a system
restore to a
| time when it was stable..
|
| I am convinved that is either low lever OS drivers (some
kind of
| memory management) or hard-ware.. But whilst removing the
memory has
| fixed it, the fact that it error checks OK says to me that
its not
| actually faulty!
|
|
| > Try MemTest86 from www.memtest86.com to test your
memory.
| >
| > I highly recommend doing some houscleaning such as scan
for viruses,
| > scan for malware/adware, clean up the registry, etc.
| >
| > ----
| > Nathan McNulty
| >
| >
| > jweaver wrote:
| > > I have a ASUS A7V333 and Athlon 2000+ with 2 x 256m
2100 DDR and its
| > > been 100% stable for years.. And I mean 100%!! It
never ever crashes.
| > >
| > > Recently I upgraded to Broadband and the PC has
remained switched on
| > > for 3 months.. But again, its been 100% stable.
| > >
| > > However, in the last few weeks, I have started to get
Explorer.exe
| > > crashes, when I open directories too quick. Its not
been much of a
| > > problem, so I have lived with it.
| > >
| > > In the last week or so, I have developed a new
unrelated(?) nightmare
| > > problem.. I have started to get a blue screen crash
every day or so..
| > > Then over the weekend, it started happening more and
more until it
| > > happens approx every 30 mins!!
| > >
| > > The error that I get is a 'Stop 0x50' or 'Stop 0:8e'
(or various other
| > > stop errors)... Looking at MS/Google, it seems that
"Memory" is a
| > > clear candidate for this.
| > >
| > > Since I have not changed ANYTHING recently, I guess
that hardware is
| > > the way to go... So, I downloaded a DOS based Memory
test utility and
| > > ran it for 24 hours and didn't find a single error.
| > >
| > > So, I set about debugging this by trial and error.. I
did EVERYTHING I
| > > could think of.
| > >
| > > 1. System restore to various points in the past
| > > 2. Removed some applications which I haven't used for
ages.
| > > 3. Removed some hardware (PCI Cards) to see if
something was causing
| > > this
| > > 4. Deleted pagefile.sys and then re-created it (under
Virtual Memory
| > > Settings)
| > > 5. Unplugged some devices (ie CDRom drives) to see if
it was a power
| > > issue
| > > 6. Ran the latest Virus/Spyware checks
| > >
| > > No matter what I did, nothing changed.. I still got
the explorer.exe
| > > crashes (which I believed were unrelated) and still
got the BSoD
| > > errors.
| > >
| > > I then started to look at
Motherboard/CPU/Temperature/Voltage issues..
| > > The CPU didn't seem to be overly hot.. Perhaps peaking
at 56 degrees..
| > > When I removed the cover, it dropped back to around 46
degrees, but
| > > the PC still crashed.
| > >
| > > The bit which did worry me was that the VCORE voltage
seem to bounce
| > > around from between 1.78 to 1.82.. But having nothing
to compare this
| > > too, I don't know if its a problem.
| > >
| > > Finally, out of desperation I removed on of my Memory
DIMMS, leaving
| > > only 256M in slot 0.. I never expected this to do
anything, after all,
| > > the Memory Diagnostic passed with flying colours.
| > >
| > > To my surprise there was an immediate improvement..
First of all, I
| > > can't get Explorer to crash.. .But more importantly,
12 hours passed
| > > without a BSoD... So, to be sure, I put the Memory
back in and it
| > > started crashing again.
| > >
| > > So, clearly I have a memory related problem.. But is
it as simple as
| > > being Faulty Memory... My gut feeling is that this
could still be a MB
| > > issue, or even software (perhaps with the "Memory
Management").
| > >
| > > I don't know what to do now.. The PC is running far
too slow with 256M
| > > and I need to put the other 256M back in..
| > >
| > > I will do some more tests later.. The obvious one is
to replace the
| > > 256M one which is working, with the one I have removed
and see if it
| > > stays stable.. I am also going to try and use the
other slot..
| > >
| > > Has anyone got any suggestions as to how I can fix
this permanently?
| > >
| > > Jon

 

[Nathan McNulty]

My thoughts exactly. Also, before you go and buy anything new, I would
try reinstalling Windows, or at least a repair install, and see if the
problem continues.

 

[johnwillo]

This is a shot in the dark but check your modem for broad
band does not need to be upgraded? This will most
definitally cause your comp to crash.

john

-----Original Message-----
I have a ASUS A7V333 and Athlon 2000+ with 2 x 256m 2100 DDR and its
been 100% stable for years.. And I mean 100%!! It never ever crashes.

Recently I upgraded to Broadband and the PC has remained switched on
for 3 months.. But again, its been 100% stable.

However, in the last few weeks, I have started to get Explorer.exe
crashes, when I open directories too quick. Its not been much of a
problem, so I have lived with it.

In the last week or so, I have developed a new unrelated (?) nightmare
problem.. I have started to get a blue screen crash every day or so..
Then over the weekend, it started happening more and more until it
happens approx every 30 mins!!

The error that I get is a 'Stop 0x50' or 'Stop 0:8e' (or various other
stop errors)... Looking at MS/Google, it seems that "Memory" is a
clear candidate for this.

Since I have not changed ANYTHING recently, I guess that hardware is
the way to go... So, I downloaded a DOS based Memory test utility and
ran it for 24 hours and didn't find a single error.

So, I set about debugging this by trial and error.. I did EVERYTHING I
could think of.

1. System restore to various points in the past
2. Removed some applications which I haven't used for ages.
3. Removed some hardware (PCI Cards) to see if something was causing
this
4. Deleted pagefile.sys and then re-created it (under Virtual Memory
Settings)
5. Unplugged some devices (ie CDRom drives) to see if it was a power
issue
6. Ran the latest Virus/Spyware checks

No matter what I did, nothing changed.. I still got the explorer.exe
crashes (which I believed were unrelated) and still got the BSoD
errors.

I then started to look at

Motherboard/CPU/Temperature/Voltage issues..