elementofice
Posts: 49 +0
NVM, looked at wrong thing
BSOD + many other problems :(
- Thread starter elementofice
- Start date
- Status
elementofice
Posts: 49 +0
At the initial reboot it said, Invalid system disk and told me to remove it, after that I put it back it but then it just loaded Windows
elementofice
Posts: 49 +0
CD doesnt work either.. IT doesnt load from the cd. My Dell support cd had the choice to load the cd or not, but this one just loads windows
Route44
Posts: 12,015 +82
Read this:
- What is memtest86+, what do I use it for?
Memtest86+ is a utility designed to test whether your memory is in working
order. It repeatedly writes an enormous amount of different patterns to all
memory locations and reads them back again and verifies whether the result
of the read is the same as what was written to memory.
There can be a multitude of reasons for running memtest, but foremost of all
is of course to test whether your memory modules might be bad. Whenever you
suspect your modules to be bad because of system crashes, lockups or reboots
it would be nice to know whether the modules are in working order.
Memtest86+ is a utility which tries to answer that question for you.
Another common use exists in the overclocking scene. When overclocking a
system you are essentially pushing your system to the limits and at some
point it will simply give way and break. Unfortunately there isn't a clear
cut way of deciding whether a system is still working correctly. Because of
the complexity of a computer a system which is pushed to the limits doesn't
just break completely when it starts to fail, instead little errors start
showing up in many different places in the system growing more frequent and
widespread the more the system is pushed. Each one of these little errors
can lead to a crash of your system but can also go unnoticed for days or
weeks in a running system. The art so to speak of overclocking is thus to
push the system as far as it can go without introducing any such errors. As
memory is usually one of the first places these such errors start coming up
a memory test is very useful.
- How do I get it to run?
There are several ways to use memtest, which are described below:
+ Run from floppydisk
Memtest86+ is directly executable by any modern x86 compatible machine, by
writing the bootable binary to a floppy disk one can boot from the disk to
run memtest.
Simply download the appropriate package, the Pre-Compiled Bootable Binary
(.gz) package for Linux users and the Pre-Compiled package for Floppy (DOS
- Win) for Windows users.
For Windows, unzip the package into a directory like C:\memtest, insert a
blank floppy into your a: disk drive and run the install.bat file. As the
install prompts you, to use memtest directly, leave the disk in the drive
and reboot your machine.
For Linux, unpack the package into your home directory, insert a blank
floppy into your floppy drive and execute 'dd if=~/memtest+-1.xx.bin.gz
of=/dev/fd0 conv=osync' replacing 1.xx with the correct version number of
the memtest86+ you downloaded. To run memtest immediately reboot your
machine.
Your machine should now boot from the disk, display the word Loading
folowed by a series of periods and then show a screen much like the
screenshots on the memtest86+ web page. The test is automatically started.
If your machine simply boots back into Windows/Linux you will most likely
have to configure your BIOS to attempt to boot from floppy disk on
startup, refer to your computer's/mainboard's manual how to do this.
When you are done testing simply remove the floppy and reset your
computer, if ever you want to execure the test again simply reinsert the
disk and reboot/start your computer.
+ Run from CD
Memtest86+ is directly executable by any modern x86 compatible machine, by
writing the iso to a CD one can boot from the CD to run memtest.
Simply download the appropriate package, the Download - Pre-Compiled
Bootable ISO (.gz) for Linux users and the Pre-Compiled Bootable ISO
(.zip) for Windows users.
For Windows, unzip the package into a directory like C:\memtest. You will
now see a file called memtest86+-1.xx.iso in this directory. You will need
to burn this file to a CD with a CD recording program. Do note however
that you should not make a regular data CD on which you for instance write
your text documents and holiday photographs. Instead the iso file is a so
called image of a CD, it is a direct copy of a CD. Your CD recording
program will most likely have a feature called burn image or something to
that effect which you should use to burn the CD.
For linux, unzip the package into your home directory. and execute
'cdrecord dev=<your burner> ~/memtest86+-1.xx.iso' where you replace <your
burner> with the scsi address of your CD burner and replace 1.xx with the
correct version number of the memtest86+ your downloaded.
When the burning completed your drive will most likely have ejected the CD
and you should have a bootable memtest86+ CD. To run the test directly
reinsert the CD and reboot your machine.
Your machine should now boot from the CD, display the word Loading folowed
by a series of periods and then show a screen much like the screenshots on
the memtest86+ web page. The test is automatically started.
If your machine simply boots back into Windows/Linux you will most likely
have to configure your BIOS to attempt to boot from CD-ROM drive on
startup, refer to your computer's/mainboard's manual how to do this.
When you are done testing simply remove the CD and reset your computer, if
ever you want to execure the test again simply reinsert the CD and
reboot/start your computer.
+ Run from USB Flash drive
FIXME
+ Run from boot manager
FIXME
that your memory is ok, only in rare cases will there be errors showing
after the first pass. To be sure though simply have the test run overnight
or even for a couple of days depending on the level of importance of the
system.
- How many errors are acceptable?
No errors are acceptable. Even if there is just one error, something is
amiss which can cause your system to crash. Of course what the cause of the
errors is you will still have to determine.
- What do I do when I get errors?
Firstly, don't start drawing any conclusions. You only know that memtest86+
is giving your errors, not what the cause is. Unfortunately it is not a
straightforward exercise to decisively test the memory in an actual system.
This is because a computer is not just built up of some memory, but also
includes many other elements such as a memory controller, cache, a cache
controller, algorithmic and logic units, etc, all of which contribute to the
machine. If there are faults in any of these other parts of the computer you
will likely also see errors showing up in memtest.
So what to do? First verify that the BIOS settings of your machine are
correctly configured. Look up the memory timing settings applicable to the
brand and type of memory modules you have and check they match your BIOS
settings, correct them if they don't and run memtest again
Ok, you have all the settings correctly set and you're still getting errors.
Well of course a very likely cause are the memory modules and the logical
course of action is to look into them further.
If you are well stocked, have a few other machines at your disposal, or just
want to spend the cash for some new modules the best way to test if the
cause are your memory modules is just to replace them and test again. If you
are less fortunate though there is still something you can do.
If you have more then one module in your system, test them one by one, if
one is consistently giving errors and another is consistently showing no
errors it's a pretty good bet that the module giving the errors is simply
defective. To exclude the possibility that a defective slot is throwing your
results, use the same slot to test each different module.
If each module by itself shows no errors, but when you place two or more
modules into the machine at the same time you do get errors, you are most
likely stuck with a compatibility issue and unfortunately there isn't a
whole lot you can do about it. Be sure to check your computer/motherboard
manual to see if the setup you are trying is allowed, some boards require
special restrictions in the sizes of modules, the order of modules, the
placement of double sided and single sides modules and more of such things.
If you have only one module in your system, or all modules are giving
errors, there are only very few options left. The only thing you can do
really is to try the module(s) in another slot. Finally simply try out
different orders of the memory modules, although your manual might not
mention anything on the matter sometimes there simply exist timing or other
issues which can be resolved by changing the order of your modules. And of
course test each slot by putting a single module into that slot and running
memtest on it.
- What is memtest86+, what do I use it for?
Memtest86+ is a utility designed to test whether your memory is in working
order. It repeatedly writes an enormous amount of different patterns to all
memory locations and reads them back again and verifies whether the result
of the read is the same as what was written to memory.
There can be a multitude of reasons for running memtest, but foremost of all
is of course to test whether your memory modules might be bad. Whenever you
suspect your modules to be bad because of system crashes, lockups or reboots
it would be nice to know whether the modules are in working order.
Memtest86+ is a utility which tries to answer that question for you.
Another common use exists in the overclocking scene. When overclocking a
system you are essentially pushing your system to the limits and at some
point it will simply give way and break. Unfortunately there isn't a clear
cut way of deciding whether a system is still working correctly. Because of
the complexity of a computer a system which is pushed to the limits doesn't
just break completely when it starts to fail, instead little errors start
showing up in many different places in the system growing more frequent and
widespread the more the system is pushed. Each one of these little errors
can lead to a crash of your system but can also go unnoticed for days or
weeks in a running system. The art so to speak of overclocking is thus to
push the system as far as it can go without introducing any such errors. As
memory is usually one of the first places these such errors start coming up
a memory test is very useful.
- How do I get it to run?
There are several ways to use memtest, which are described below:
+ Run from floppydisk
Memtest86+ is directly executable by any modern x86 compatible machine, by
writing the bootable binary to a floppy disk one can boot from the disk to
run memtest.
Simply download the appropriate package, the Pre-Compiled Bootable Binary
(.gz) package for Linux users and the Pre-Compiled package for Floppy (DOS
- Win) for Windows users.
For Windows, unzip the package into a directory like C:\memtest, insert a
blank floppy into your a: disk drive and run the install.bat file. As the
install prompts you, to use memtest directly, leave the disk in the drive
and reboot your machine.
For Linux, unpack the package into your home directory, insert a blank
floppy into your floppy drive and execute 'dd if=~/memtest+-1.xx.bin.gz
of=/dev/fd0 conv=osync' replacing 1.xx with the correct version number of
the memtest86+ you downloaded. To run memtest immediately reboot your
machine.
Your machine should now boot from the disk, display the word Loading
folowed by a series of periods and then show a screen much like the
screenshots on the memtest86+ web page. The test is automatically started.
If your machine simply boots back into Windows/Linux you will most likely
have to configure your BIOS to attempt to boot from floppy disk on
startup, refer to your computer's/mainboard's manual how to do this.
When you are done testing simply remove the floppy and reset your
computer, if ever you want to execure the test again simply reinsert the
disk and reboot/start your computer.
+ Run from CD
Memtest86+ is directly executable by any modern x86 compatible machine, by
writing the iso to a CD one can boot from the CD to run memtest.
Simply download the appropriate package, the Download - Pre-Compiled
Bootable ISO (.gz) for Linux users and the Pre-Compiled Bootable ISO
(.zip) for Windows users.
For Windows, unzip the package into a directory like C:\memtest. You will
now see a file called memtest86+-1.xx.iso in this directory. You will need
to burn this file to a CD with a CD recording program. Do note however
that you should not make a regular data CD on which you for instance write
your text documents and holiday photographs. Instead the iso file is a so
called image of a CD, it is a direct copy of a CD. Your CD recording
program will most likely have a feature called burn image or something to
that effect which you should use to burn the CD.
For linux, unzip the package into your home directory. and execute
'cdrecord dev=<your burner> ~/memtest86+-1.xx.iso' where you replace <your
burner> with the scsi address of your CD burner and replace 1.xx with the
correct version number of the memtest86+ your downloaded.
When the burning completed your drive will most likely have ejected the CD
and you should have a bootable memtest86+ CD. To run the test directly
reinsert the CD and reboot your machine.
Your machine should now boot from the CD, display the word Loading folowed
by a series of periods and then show a screen much like the screenshots on
the memtest86+ web page. The test is automatically started.
If your machine simply boots back into Windows/Linux you will most likely
have to configure your BIOS to attempt to boot from CD-ROM drive on
startup, refer to your computer's/mainboard's manual how to do this.
When you are done testing simply remove the CD and reset your computer, if
ever you want to execure the test again simply reinsert the CD and
reboot/start your computer.
+ Run from USB Flash drive
FIXME
+ Run from boot manager
FIXME
that your memory is ok, only in rare cases will there be errors showing
after the first pass. To be sure though simply have the test run overnight
or even for a couple of days depending on the level of importance of the
system.
- How many errors are acceptable?
No errors are acceptable. Even if there is just one error, something is
amiss which can cause your system to crash. Of course what the cause of the
errors is you will still have to determine.
- What do I do when I get errors?
Firstly, don't start drawing any conclusions. You only know that memtest86+
is giving your errors, not what the cause is. Unfortunately it is not a
straightforward exercise to decisively test the memory in an actual system.
This is because a computer is not just built up of some memory, but also
includes many other elements such as a memory controller, cache, a cache
controller, algorithmic and logic units, etc, all of which contribute to the
machine. If there are faults in any of these other parts of the computer you
will likely also see errors showing up in memtest.
So what to do? First verify that the BIOS settings of your machine are
correctly configured. Look up the memory timing settings applicable to the
brand and type of memory modules you have and check they match your BIOS
settings, correct them if they don't and run memtest again
Ok, you have all the settings correctly set and you're still getting errors.
Well of course a very likely cause are the memory modules and the logical
course of action is to look into them further.
If you are well stocked, have a few other machines at your disposal, or just
want to spend the cash for some new modules the best way to test if the
cause are your memory modules is just to replace them and test again. If you
are less fortunate though there is still something you can do.
If you have more then one module in your system, test them one by one, if
one is consistently giving errors and another is consistently showing no
errors it's a pretty good bet that the module giving the errors is simply
defective. To exclude the possibility that a defective slot is throwing your
results, use the same slot to test each different module.
If each module by itself shows no errors, but when you place two or more
modules into the machine at the same time you do get errors, you are most
likely stuck with a compatibility issue and unfortunately there isn't a
whole lot you can do about it. Be sure to check your computer/motherboard
manual to see if the setup you are trying is allowed, some boards require
special restrictions in the sizes of modules, the order of modules, the
placement of double sided and single sides modules and more of such things.
If you have only one module in your system, or all modules are giving
errors, there are only very few options left. The only thing you can do
really is to try the module(s) in another slot. Finally simply try out
different orders of the memory modules, although your manual might not
mention anything on the matter sometimes there simply exist timing or other
issues which can be resolved by changing the order of your modules. And of
course test each slot by putting a single module into that slot and running
memtest on it.
elementofice
Posts: 49 +0
Ok it works now and its testing in a blue screen right after the initial boot. I have 2 hrs before I have to go. If it comes up with something within this time I'll reply.
elementofice
Posts: 49 +0
Test #6, 39 Errors.
Failing Address
0000e8fee30 232.8MB -
0000f18ee30 241.8
0000f1cee30 241.8
0000f27ee30 242.8
0000f3cee30 243.8
0000f40ee30 244.8
0000f5cee30 245.8
0000f67ee30 246.8
0000f7fee30 247.8
0000ef4ee30 239.8
Good(same for all)
ffffefff
Bad (same for all)
ffff6fff
Err-Bits (same for all)
00008000
Count (same for all)
1
Those are the results so far. Is there anything else that I can post here in order to help the situation?
Failing Address
0000e8fee30 232.8MB -
0000f18ee30 241.8
0000f1cee30 241.8
0000f27ee30 242.8
0000f3cee30 243.8
0000f40ee30 244.8
0000f5cee30 245.8
0000f67ee30 246.8
0000f7fee30 247.8
0000ef4ee30 239.8
Good(same for all)
ffffefff
Bad (same for all)
ffff6fff
Err-Bits (same for all)
00008000
Count (same for all)
1
Those are the results so far. Is there anything else that I can post here in order to help the situation?
Route44
Posts: 12,015 +82
All right! Now we are getting somewhere. With errors this quick you certainly have bad RAM. How many sticks of RAM do you have? If you have two then take one out and leave the other one in and run the test again and see if that stick has errors. Then install the other one and take the current one out and see if that has errors.
This problem is easy to fix: Get new RAM. If you need help there too ask away.
Also, when taking out your RAM make sure you have no static electricity! Touch the power supply to get rid of any possible static electricity.
This problem is easy to fix: Get new RAM. If you need help there too ask away.
Also, when taking out your RAM make sure you have no static electricity! Touch the power supply to get rid of any possible static electricity.
elementofice
Posts: 49 +0
I believe when I took off my lid to clean out all the dust and debris that there was only 1 stick of 512 MB RAM. So you're saying I should go out and buy a new stick of RAM? Or can I just fix this one. I'm gonna take out the RAM and clean it and p ut it back in and then test again to see if that solves the problem right now. Or should i take out the ram and put it in the other RAM slot in my computer?
elementofice
Posts: 49 +0
WTf, how come after I removed it and put it back in (im pretty sure its facing the right way and that its all the way in since going any more in would break it) the computer starts making that sound, kinnda like when you have 3+ keys on ur keyboard dwn at the same time, except this sound doesnt go away.
This is what it says on the RAm stick:
Centon electronics, Inc
512MBPC2700 167391
MADE IN SIGNAPORE
This is what it says on the RAm stick:
Centon electronics, Inc
512MBPC2700 167391
MADE IN SIGNAPORE
elementofice
Posts: 49 +0
It's actually my mom's, she uses it to read news and sometimes to check/trade stocks, as well as check bank accounts, etc. Its about 3 years old.
The black plates on the RAM stick have this:
HTL
HT250328256K
0336 32Mx8
Where is this LED readout im looking for?
Right now both slots make that noise..
It makes the noise like 5 times then stops, but nothing appears on the monitor. IT's as if the monitor isnt even turned on
The black plates on the RAM stick have this:
HTL
HT250328256K
0336 32Mx8
Where is this LED readout im looking for?
Right now both slots make that noise..
It makes the noise like 5 times then stops, but nothing appears on the monitor. IT's as if the monitor isnt even turned on
elementofice
Posts: 49 +0
So right now regardless which slot, when I plug the ac adapter back in it automatically turns on and makes that beeping sound 5-6 times before it stops, so the computer is on but the monitor looks like it's off. The power button on the computer is orange instead of the usual green when the computer is on.
elementofice
Posts: 49 +0
It's 6 beeps and yes they are the same sound and duration. The computer is a Dell, where can i find the make and model?
It's very weird since I PURPOSELY and MADE SURE that, before I removed the RAm stick the first time, I knew what way the RAm stick was facing and how to put it back in so I'm SURE that I put it in the correct place and the right way, but I dont understand why it still has this problem. Could it be because the RAM is faulty so it wont load again?
It's very weird since I PURPOSELY and MADE SURE that, before I removed the RAm stick the first time, I knew what way the RAm stick was facing and how to put it back in so I'm SURE that I put it in the correct place and the right way, but I dont understand why it still has this problem. Could it be because the RAM is faulty so it wont load again?
elementofice
Posts: 49 +0
Nvm I found out why, it wasnt in place, but i rebooted ad it was the same problem, BSOD in 2 mins, so do you suggest I change Ram sticks now?
Route44
Posts: 12,015 +82
Yes, absolutely. You need new RAM. Here is excellent RAM for an excellent price: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145485
elementofice
Posts: 49 +0
Thanks, also do you know how my RAM became faulty? You know, to avoid future problems.
Route44
Posts: 12,015 +82
elementofice said:
Ah, the eternal quest! That is a good question and there are some answers to certain situations, but often the best answer is -- they go bad! I know that doesn't make sense but in many cases that is the only answer.
1. Some people overclock their systems and either set the voltage or the timings wrong and thus either destroy the RAM or they will just need to set it correctly.
2. Some RAM can be made faulty in the factory. And it can run fine for some time and then one day give up the ghost, so to speak. The chips they are made with will go bad.
3. Lightening can cause havoc, but if that is the case then a lot of other things can be wrecked as well.
4. A motherboard may die or your power supply may be going.
* I would pay attention to your power supply because it is the backbone of any system and if that is poor in quality you can get get all kinds of issues.
elementofice
Posts: 49 +0
Well.. I took the 2 RAM sticks I had in my other computer and put them into the computer that had the faulty RAM. These sticks fit into the slots and have been working for the computer that they were previously in. So then I started up the computer and the same thing happened, BSOD in about 5 mins (well it attempted to download drivers for these RAM sticks then went into BSOD). now my dad starts thinking that the problem isn't with the RAM but its something else. I'm running Memtest now and so far no errors. The test number has gone way beyond last time when all the errors appeared, and I'll give you a response as to the results of the test tomorrow. Now will the new RAm stick I put into the computer suffice or will I still need to purchase new RAM? And any idea as to what the problem may be if it isnt a problem with the RAM?
elementofice
Posts: 49 +0
k here they are
here's the rest
here's the rest
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