RAM Problem

[Jay21]

About 2 weeks ago i ran a crucial system scanner on my PC to determine what RAM i could buy that is compatible and would make my PC run faster.

 

The scanner told me that my PC currently had 1 256MB PC 2100 333MHz 184PIN memory module and that i have 2 slots to place RAM in.

 

It also told me that if i wanted to upgrade a compatible RAM memory card i could buy is:

 

1GB PC 2700 333Mhz 184PIN.

 

i decided to purchase one and did so, when it arrived i turned my pc off and took out the 256MB stick and inserted the 1GB carefully and when i turned my PC on it started then turned itself off then started again on its own and made beep noises

 

BEEEEP

BEEP BEEP BEEP

BEEP BEEP BEEP

exactly like that

 

i took the RAM back out and looked at it closely and everything seemed to be okay and i placed it back in carefully and when it was in place i moved it a slight bit and tried again and it worked.

 

After about 20 minutes of using my PC it restarted itself on its own and did so again about 10-15minutes later.

 

I ran a memtest scan and it kept coming up with an error saying ''your computer cannot accuratly store data in RAM''

 

so ive asked a few friends and theyve all came up with different explinations... ''your computer may not be compatible'' ... ''the RAM stick might be faulty''

 

so ive put the 256mb stick back in ran the memtest scan on that and its perfectly fine, no problems at all.

 

Today ive put the 1GB RAM into the 2nd slot in my PC and its been working fine it hasnt restarted once or anything and ive been on the pc for about 3 hours and ive had no problems. Its running smooth and quick... except the memtest is saying different.

 

just before i run the memtest it asks me how much RAM id like to scan and it says ALL UNUSED MEMORY'' do i leave it as that or change it, because i changed it to 1024 to scan and nothing really moves or scans.

 

 

your help will be much appreciated, thanks.

[Tootech]

I wonder if the first time you fitted it the contacts wern't quite seated. Certainly it sounds that way - the memtest is a bit puzzling though.

 

Also, having one slot seemingly working and the other not is also puzzling. It's worth blowing all of the dust out of the memory slots with a can of air.

 

Have you had a look in BIOS to check the memory settings. Often there are different settings - stable, performance etc - set it to stable or normal. The memory timings should all be on Auto for now.

 

Another thought, and I am not sure without looking at the board manual if you can do it, you could try slowing down the memory to PC2100 standard - it may run correctly that way.

[Jay21]

I wonder if the first time you fitted it the contacts wern't quite seated. Certainly it sounds that way - the memtest is a bit puzzling though.

 

Also, having one slot seemingly working and the other not is also puzzling. It's worth blowing all of the dust out of the memory slots with a can of air.

 

Have you had a look in BIOS to check the memory settings. Often there are different settings - stable, performance etc - set it to stable or normal. The memory timings should all be on Auto for now.

 

Another thought, and I am not sure without looking at the board manual if you can do it, you could try slowing down the memory to PC2100 standard - it may run correctly that way.

im still on the pc right now and its working fine it hasnt restarted or anything yet, and i currently have it placed in the 2nd slot, i only have 2 slots in my pc.

 

when i start the PC up i think its when i press ENTER or Del it boots up the BIOS MENU

is there any chance you can tell me what to do from there?

[Jay21]

so far so good still, i opened about 100 firefoxs lol and a game i have on my pc, jus to really test the RAM out and nothing happened its still going smooth in the 2nd slot.

 

am i ok to have it running in the 2nd slot on its own or is it a must that it has to be in slot 1?

[Jay21]

i know this is my 3rd reply in quick succession but i think ive jinxed myself...

 

my girlfriend plays on a gameboy advance emulator called VisualBoyAdvance and when he was on it yesterday the PC restarted after i had my new 1GB RAM installed. all day today since my 1st post in this thread the PC has ran smoothly and nothing unusual has happened, until she went on the VisualBoyAdvance, it kept saying that the program has had to close and told me to debug it or close it and when she went back on it, the pc restarted as it did yesterday...

 

when ive put my 256MB RAM back in and shes went back on her game its not restarted or nothing unusual has occured.

 

can anyone please help me as to what the problem is, because its only started since ive had the new RAM and its the 2nd time its done it whilst the VisualBoyAdvance program has been running.

[Plastic Nev]

Hi Jay, it is possible the new stick of RAM could be a faulty one, however before we consign it to the return envelope, it may just be the contacts on the card edge need cleaning.

Remove the stick, and if you have one, a pencil eraser that has the harder blue end for erasing ink, use that to gently rub over the contacts, wipe off any residue with a cloth and try it again. If you don't have an eraser of that type, an ordinary one or some very very fine emery cloth but do not scrub at the contacts, just a gentle rub to remove any dirt.

Nev.

[Jay21]

it just seems like my pc cant handle the 1GB DDR PC2700 RAM, i spoke to a man at the PC shop today and he told me to remove the battery look alike thing from the motherboard and keep it ouit for a minute or so and then put it back in, and if that didnt work then im better off gettin RAM thats PC2100 the same as my original 256MB RAM stick, what i dont get is why the crucial system scanner would tell me that DDR PC2700 1GB 333MHz would work in my pc only for it to keep restarting itself at random times.

 

im not sure wether to just get my money back or get a replacement, because it could still happen if i got a new one.

[Tootech]

Did you buy Crucial memory, or another brand?

 

Also, what PC do you have, failing that, what motherboard do you have?

[Jay21]

when i run the crucial system scanner it says that it cant rezognise my motherboard :S

 

my pc is a eMachines 420 2.60GHz intel caleron processor.

 

i bought my RAM off play.com, the exact same RAM crucial told me is compatible....

 

if RAM isnt compatible, does the PC still start up? because mine does, i had the pc on yesterday for around 5 hours and then when i was viewing something on youtube it restarted.

 

0x000000S0 is the 1st thing i see when the blue screen comes up... memory issue?

 

ive got my PC2100 256mb in place and also the 1GB PC2700 in place as i was told maybe if i had them both in it would turn the 1GB into PC2100... and may work..

 

im not sure anyays coz im not very good with PC'S i took the calculator looking battery out for over a minute then placed it back in, booted up the PC and done the time and date and stuff... thought that may of worked but obviously didnt.

 

im hoping its just faulty RAM but i doubt it, i dont know how to find out what my motherboard is.

[Plastic Nev]

Hi again Jay, a couple of things come to mind, but first did you try cleaning the contacts on the RAM modules as I suggested.

 

The motherboard number and make should be visible when the cover is removed. Have you had any repairs done on the machine since you bought it, from I assume brand new? That may have resulted in a different motherboard being fitted, hence crucial not recognising it.

 

If cleaning the contacts on the RAM hasn't done the trick, then it may well be either faulty or not compatible after all.

[Dalo Harkin]

It isnt common for one of the DIMM slots on the MOBO to go at any time.

 

You also need to manually set the timings and the voltages etc in the BIOS just to make sure they are correct, you should be able to get these from the manufacturers website.