Continuous BSODs in XP: the RAM, motherboard, CPU . PSU? Whether the universe laughing at me? [memory problem] [bsod]
Q: First my system: 2.6
P4 usually clocked at 250 MHz FSB for 3.25 Ghz
Albatron 865PE Pro II 3200 mobo
Buffalo Winbond RAM 380 True
Antec PSU
A month or two ago, I suffered a BSOD and stop error refers to a memory problem. I went on my RAM settings of 400-333 FSB and everything was fine until the .
On Friday, I installed Windows a few updates, then I flashed my mobo bios to latest version (1.10). On reboot, I crashed and kept crashing. I pulled back all the RAM and CPU settings to default and made it in XP, but then crashed within minutes. There were a number of different Stop error codes, some of which being a memory problem. Eventually, a crash that damaged XP file and I could not boot into XP at all.
A new installation of XP with SP2 integrated suffers exactly the same unstable behavior unless I stand on the CPU clock (200 MHz FSB, 2.6 Ghz) and the clock of the RAM at 320 FSB with only a few STICK installed. In these settings, the system seems stable. With two sticks of RAM, even with these low settings, I crash. Even if I overclock the CPU, I crash.
Confident I had bad RAM, I bought two new sticks of OCZ and put them both in. CRASH. Ive followed the settings with both installed: crash. I removed one layer and left the settings and restarted. This leaves me to suspect that I either a bad mobo or bad power supply. But how do I know? What should I do?
HELP!
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hope i've helped
Memory Improvement Techniques
Re:How did you not notice that?!?! lol. Good luck with the new board.
Mammoth Memory, Power Thinking & Lazy Learning
Re:Originally posted by: guy
Perhaps the memory is a red herring and the real issue is that your OC'ing of the P4 has caused electromigration. Ever heard of "Sudden Northwood Death Syndrome?" Except yours sounds like "Gradual Northwood Death Syndrome."
Might look over the mobo for leaking or bulging capacitors, too. They should have nice flat ends like a can of soup.
Well, it may be a little premature, but it looks like guy nailed it: bulging capacitors!
I have never seen them before, but it looks like several of the capacitors in the area of the memory are bulging. Everywhere else looks fine. I don't know if the problem with the SATA drive is related or not, but I'm going to RMA this board and see what they find out. Now I just need to adjust to the idea of being without my main system for a week or two…you know, it's kinda like getting suddenly unplugged from the Matrix…and I just installed Half-life 2 and only played it a couple of times!
Tips and Secrets for a Better Memory
Re:I did not check the capacitors yet. I will try today. Continuing my experiments this morning, I successfully booted up with my old Buffalo RAM at 333 and 3.25 on the processor. So, either RAM will work at this low speed with low timings, but the system crashes with higher speeds or timings.
Improve Memory Today With The Memory Recharger
Re:I'm going to go with "flaky motherboard too". Did you check the capacitors on the motherboard as mechbgon suggested?
Memory Improvement Techniques.
Re:Maybe that is a mainboard problem, there would have been other signs that it was the PS, but there were none? You sound like the kind of guy that would go crazy and have like a 500 watt PS so yea. Maybe a new mainboard.
Erase bad Memories!
Re:Dude! The issue is still very much UNRESOLVED! My system will ONLY boot if I put the RAM at the lowest settings. Anything higher on either timings or speed and the system fails to boot. I think that the CPU can be eliminated as the problem since it is running stable at 3.25 Ghz again, but who knows.
Anyway, there is yet another problem now too. The system hangs on POST if I connect my new SATA drive. On Saturday, I installed XP on a new SATA drive and the system was working fine until final reboot after installation. Then it would not recognize the system partition. I gave up and connected a new ATA drive instead. However, now, whenever I connect the SATA drive, the system halts on POST. I thought the drive failed, but a new one does the same thing. I tried every mode available: auto, combined, enhanced and SATA only and system halts.
So two problems: system only boots with memory at lowest settings and halts if a SATA drive is connected.
Answers?
How To Master Your Memory – The Ultimate Memory Improvement Guide!
Re:well done, and thanx for posting the result
Infinite Memory – Accelerated Learning.
Re:I'm back at 250 FSB, 3.25 Ghz on the CPU, but I can't run the RAM at spec speeds. This morning I was trying to connect an SATA drive and I think it's DOA and that is what caused the system to reset.
I talked to Albatron tech support and he was rather perplexed also. He had me reset the CMOS and reset the BIOS to defaults (which put the RAM at 400). Upon reboot, it again crashed when loading Windows and said something about a kernel file not loading or something. When I reset the RAM to 333, it booted back up just fine.
The Instant Photographic Memory – Natural 30-Minute Memory Enhancement
Re:Originally posted by: guy
Perhaps the memory is a red herring and the real issue is that your OC'ing of the P4 has caused electromigration. Ever heard of "Sudden Northwood Death Syndrome?" Except yours sounds like "Gradual Northwood Death Syndrome."
Might look over the mobo for leaking or bulging capacitors, too. They should have nice flat ends like a can of soup.
Okay, if I am suffering problems with the CPU, like GNDS, would this also effect the capacity of the RAM like this? If the problem is the CPU, why can't the RAM run anywhere close to spec?
Become a Memory Master eBook
Re:I have a flaky system too. I have PC2700 Ram, but I have to run it at PC2100 speeds to get a 99% stable system. I have tried many different RAM modules.. started with Kingston, and am now running Crucial.. with the same probs. I even RMAed the Soyo motherboard to NewEgg.. and the new MB acts the same way. I have tried a different power supply.. same things happen.
The system is a couple years old anyways and its time to build a new one… without a Soyo MB….
Re:Well, this morning, it would NOT boot back up at 3.25. The bios hangs and it resets itself and boots at default everytime I try to set it higher.
Re:I did a new install of XP w/SP2 on a brand new hard drive. The problem is not with the hard drive.
Re:If all else fails reset cmos, backup your data, reformat, and do a fresh install of windows. In my experience sometimes just repairing or even reinstalling windows on a corrupted hard drive won't fix it.
Re:Okay, my CPU is currently clock back at 3.25 Ghz on a 250 FSB with the RAM at 333 2.5-6-3-3. Using my Buffalo RAM previously, my system would either fail to boot or crash within minutes in Windows when I tried running the CPU over 2.6. I have the OCZ in there now and at this speed it's working, but whenever I have tried the RAM higher, it crashes.
Re:Just now, I boosted the CPU voltage to 1.55 and set RAM to 400 Mhz 2.5-6-3-3. As Windows started loading, it halted and reported that Windows could not load because the following file was missing or damaged: windows\system32\config\system. I got this same message a couple other times too when trying different memory timings and it's the same one i reported above that I thought was corrupted on my other install of XP. However, I reset everything in the bios and booted back up just fine.
Re:I had not heard of SNDS before. However, my chip is a C revision and I never clocked it higher than 3.2. Hell, it was designed to run that speed. I have not read up on SNDS yet, but as the name implies, doesn't the chip just die outright? My chip is from june '03 and has been rock solid since at 3.2.
Re:Perhaps the memory is a red herring and the real issue is that your OC'ing of the P4 has caused electromigration. Ever heard of "Sudden Northwood Death Syndrome?" Except yours sounds like "Gradual Northwood Death Syndrome."
Might look over the mobo for leaking or bulging capacitors, too. They should have nice flat ends like a can of soup.
Re:I suspected the BIOS at first too, but I have since flashed it to an older version and then back to the newer version and have the same problems.
Re:Could it have been a dodgy flash of your bios.
Try it again
Re:As I said above, it fails to boot at 400 Mhz at 2.55, 2.65 and 2.75, but I left it on By SPD. So, I gave it another go and it still fails to boot at 400 Mhz at 2.65 or 2.75 with 2.5-3-3-7.
Man, this is perplexing!
Re:mechbgon,
I'm watching this with interest.
Good one
Re:Right. Raise the memory voltage to 2.7 volts and set the timings a little slack, say 2.5-3-3-7.
Re:Default voltage is 2.55.
Fails to boot at 400 Mhz at 2.55, 2.65 and 2.75.
Re:Specifications on the OCZ memory are 2.6 volts CL2-3-3-6 400Mhz.
Re:Okay, I will try that, however, I reverted back to the older bios and it made no difference. I just moved the OCZ around and put both sticks in using the other channel and booted up at 320, but no go at 400.
Re:One of the things that may happen when you update your BIOS, is that the BIOS reverts to default settings. One of the settings that frequently needs adjustment for memory stability is the memory voltage.
So my guess is that your RAM might want more voltage than the mobo supplies on default AUTO settings. Some of today's RAM is designed for 2.8 volts, and most mobos up 'til now have defaulted to 2.5 volts. See a potential problem there? 
Yeah. So go in and crank up your memory voltage to 2.7 volts for a test run, and see what happens.
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Tags: bsod, memory problem