Computer crashing after installing new memory

ewakio · 07-16-2009, 04:15 PM

So...

I decided to upgrade my memory from 2x1GB to 4x1GB by adding two more identical sticks of ram. As far as I can tell, the installation went normally - I turned off the computer, unplugged everything, opened the case, and inserted the two sticks into the open memory ports, then plugged everything back in and started the computer up. I didn't mess with voltages or timings since my BIOS has that stuff set to Auto and the motherboard manual didn't have anything on it. During startup, the amount of memory flashed the appropriate 4GB on the screen and everything seemed ok.

Almost immediately, I began to see some problems. Windows loads up slower than usual, navigating Windows and using programs seemed more sluggish, random freezing would occur, and I think pretty much every time I use the computer it ends up freezing and crashing. Web browsers routinely crash the system, especially when using iTunes at the same time. The standby function on the computer doesn't work anymore either - it just says "Windows is preparing to stand by..." and never does. Some heavy flash-oriented websites also tell me that my computer might have trouble running them, even though I never had that problem before.

One thing that's worth noting is that Windows only detected 3.5 GB of memory. I read that XP only has the capacity to detect that much, but I don't know if that has anything to do with the instability.

The thing that really bugs me is that even after I removed the two new sticks the computer still crashes every half hour and I don't know what the problem is.

In some cases the problem is repeatable, but it's probably best described as semi-random. When watching videos on hulu or vimeo, the entire system will crash after a few minutes, but I don't think it happens while watching a DVD or a video on the hard drive. While doing a virus check a couple times, the computer froze and crashed, with a blue screen with something about memory. I don't have the exact error message, but it suggested that I download some windows memory diagnostic utility, which I did to no avail. Firefox and Chrome both cause the system to crash after half an hour of use or so, and even less time if I'm using iTunes at the same time.

I already tried these steps:

I ran memtest86 but it didn't show any errors. I also did a few full virus and spyware scans and got only minor threats that were dealt with. I've since taken the new ram out to have just the original two sticks, but I still experience system crashes and freezes after about a half hour of use. Thinking the timings might have been messed up somehow, I used CPU-Z to see if my memory timings were correct (the sticks say 4-4-4-12 on them) but they were different (5-5-5-16 or something). I then used this program called memset to change the timings of my memory in Windows because my BIOS apparently does not give me that option. That didn't fix anything.

My software:
- Windows XP Home with SP3
- Symantec AntiVirus
- AVG antivirus
- Windows firewall

My hardware

-Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813128050
-CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819115029
-Video card: EVGA 640-P2-N821-AR GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814130071
-RAM modules: 2 of Corsair XMS2 2GB (2x1GB) 240-pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820145034
-Power supply: OCZ GameXStream OCZ600GXSSLI 600W ATX12V
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817341001

At this point I've tried pretty much everything I know how to do and it still crashes. Would something in the registry be messing it up and if so is there a way to correct that? What about resetting the BIOS somehow? Those are the only reasons I can think of right now that I haven't really explored. Any help is much appreciated. Thanks!

**wrench97** · 07-16-2009, 04:23 PM

The sticks are rated at 2.1v the auto setting most likely sets them at 1.8v Try bumping the voltage to 2.0v, when you fill all the slots on a motherboard you usually need to bump the ram voltage up to cover the extra load, FYI 2, 2Gig sticks draw the same current as 2, 1 gig sticks so when ever possible 2, 2gig sticks are easier on the system then 4, 1gig sticks.

ewakio · 07-16-2009, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrench97

The sticks are rated at 2.1v the auto setting most likely sets them at 1.8v Try bumping the voltage to 2.0v, when you fill all the slots on a motherboard you usually need to bump the ram voltage up to cover the extra load, FYI 2, 2Gig sticks draw the same current as 2, 1 gig sticks so when ever possible 2, 2gig sticks are easier on the system then 4, 1gig sticks.

Cool, I'll try that out. Would I need to mess with resetting the CMOS at all? I didn't do that when I added the new sticks.

**wrench97** · 07-16-2009, 04:39 PM

No it found and reported the correct amount of ram.

ewakio · 07-16-2009, 04:54 PM

Well it looks like there's no option to change the voltages in my BIOS. The closest thing is this thing called MB Intelligent Tweaker, which has an option for DDR2 Overvoltage control, which the manual says "allows you to set memory voltage." Do you have any idea what JEDEC #1, JEDEC #2 and EPP#1 mean? They're in the Timings Table in CPU-Z and the EPP#1 column has the right timings and voltages, but JEDEC 1 and 2 do not. I don't really want to change the voltages if I should be looking at the EPP#1 timings and voltages for reference.

**wrench97** · 07-16-2009, 05:24 PM

In the Main Bios screen press Control + F1 for the advanced settings, EPP profile is what you want.

ewakio · 07-16-2009, 05:49 PM

Hmm... nope, that didn't do it, my computer crashed again after a few minutes watching hulu. I changed the timings in the BIOS to the correct ones and the voltage is at 2.1v normally, so it doesn't look like that did anything. Any other ideas?

**wrench97** · 07-16-2009, 06:06 PM

Different Ram.

ewakio · 07-16-2009, 06:08 PM

Really? Even when I removed the new ram so that it was back to how it was before?

**wrench97** · 07-16-2009, 06:39 PM

Are you saying you went back to 2 gig and the system still crashes?
Enter the Bios and load optimized defaults (Hit F7) save and reboot with the 2 original sticks installed.

ewakio · 07-16-2009, 07:02 PM

Yeah, I think I said that in the original post. I took the two new sticks out and loaded the optimized defaults but no dice.

**wrench97** · 07-17-2009, 01:04 AM

What are you seeing for Temps and Voltages in the Bios PC health page?

ewakio · 07-17-2009, 09:51 AM

The PC Health Status page reads like this:

Reset Case Open Status [Disabled]
Case Opened Yes
Vcore OK
DDR18V OK
+3.3V OK
+12V OK
Current System Temperature 36*C
Current CPU Temperature 31*C

Doesn't look like it's overheating and I don't think I can change the voltages.

**wrench97** · 07-17-2009, 12:32 PM

What slots do you have the sticks installed in?
The health page is just to read the sensors you can't make any changes there.

ewakio · 07-17-2009, 02:02 PM

The two 1GB sticks are in slots DDRII 1 and DDRII 3. I'm pretty sure those sticks have not been moved since I started having problems. When the computer boots up it says its running in dual channel interleaved.

**wrench97** · 07-17-2009, 02:29 PM

Lets see some screen shots of the CPU, Memory, and SPD(both occupied slots) tabs in CPUz. You may need to make 2 posts to get them all in.
http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

Also it may pay to D/L and burn Memtest+ to a CD and boot from the CD to test the RAM.
http://www.memtest.org/#downiso

ewakio · 07-17-2009, 04:24 PM

The multiplier and core speed fluctuate between what you see here and 8x and 2666MHz, respectively.

I think I already tried memtest but I'll run it again... results forthcoming.

**wrench97** · 07-17-2009, 04:51 PM

The fluctuation is because of EIST(Intel Enhanced Speedstep Technology) you can disable it in the Bios, but it is usually not an issue as long as you see it ramping up when loaded.

The Ram shows running at 800 speeds(double pumped 400) and under the EPP timings.

ewakio · 07-17-2009, 06:03 PM

Quote:

The Ram shows running at 800 speeds(double pumped 400) and under the EPP timings.

So what does that mean exactly? Do I have to do something?

Also, I'm running another memtest and it looks like I'm getting a bunch of errors now. Is it possible to copy those results somehow?

ewakio · 07-17-2009, 06:48 PM

So the test is still running but I've gotten 32 errors so far. Here are a couple of the errors:

Tst Pass Failing Address Good Bad Err-Bits Count
8 5 00068128164 - 1665.5MB b5c667e 31c6667e 84000000 31
8 5 005a127edc - 1441.4MB caf78147 daf78147 10000000 32

Is it ok to switch out this ram with the new sticks?

07-16-2009, 04:15 PM	#1 (permalink)
ewakio Registered User Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 24 OS: Windows XP SP3	Computer crashing after installing new memory So... I decided to upgrade my memory from 2x1GB to 4x1GB by adding two more identical sticks of ram. As far as I can tell, the installation went normally - I turned off the computer, unplugged everything, opened the case, and inserted the two sticks into the open memory ports, then plugged everything back in and started the computer up. I didn't mess with voltages or timings since my BIOS has that stuff set to Auto and the motherboard manual didn't have anything on it. During startup, the amount of memory flashed the appropriate 4GB on the screen and everything seemed ok. Almost immediately, I began to see some problems. Windows loads up slower than usual, navigating Windows and using programs seemed more sluggish, random freezing would occur, and I think pretty much every time I use the computer it ends up freezing and crashing. Web browsers routinely crash the system, especially when using iTunes at the same time. The standby function on the computer doesn't work anymore either - it just says "Windows is preparing to stand by..." and never does. Some heavy flash-oriented websites also tell me that my computer might have trouble running them, even though I never had that problem before. One thing that's worth noting is that Windows only detected 3.5 GB of memory. I read that XP only has the capacity to detect that much, but I don't know if that has anything to do with the instability. The thing that really bugs me is that even after I removed the two new sticks the computer still crashes every half hour and I don't know what the problem is. In some cases the problem is repeatable, but it's probably best described as semi-random. When watching videos on hulu or vimeo, the entire system will crash after a few minutes, but I don't think it happens while watching a DVD or a video on the hard drive. While doing a virus check a couple times, the computer froze and crashed, with a blue screen with something about memory. I don't have the exact error message, but it suggested that I download some windows memory diagnostic utility, which I did to no avail. Firefox and Chrome both cause the system to crash after half an hour of use or so, and even less time if I'm using iTunes at the same time. I already tried these steps: I ran memtest86 but it didn't show any errors. I also did a few full virus and spyware scans and got only minor threats that were dealt with. I've since taken the new ram out to have just the original two sticks, but I still experience system crashes and freezes after about a half hour of use. Thinking the timings might have been messed up somehow, I used CPU-Z to see if my memory timings were correct (the sticks say 4-4-4-12 on them) but they were different (5-5-5-16 or something). I then used this program called memset to change the timings of my memory in Windows because my BIOS apparently does not give me that option. That didn't fix anything. My software: - Windows XP Home with SP3 - Symantec AntiVirus - AVG antivirus - Windows firewall My hardware -Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813128050 -CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819115029 -Video card: EVGA 640-P2-N821-AR GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814130071 -RAM modules: 2 of Corsair XMS2 2GB (2x1GB) 240-pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820145034 -Power supply: OCZ GameXStream OCZ600GXSSLI 600W ATX12V http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817341001 At this point I've tried pretty much everything I know how to do and it still crashes. Would something in the registry be messing it up and if so is there a way to correct that? What about resetting the BIOS somehow? Those are the only reasons I can think of right now that I haven't really explored. Any help is much appreciated. Thanks!

07-16-2009, 04:23 PM	#2 (permalink)
wrench97 Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania Posts: 18,544 OS: Win7	Re: Computer crashing after installing new memory The sticks are rated at 2.1v the auto setting most likely sets them at 1.8v Try bumping the voltage to 2.0v, when you fill all the slots on a motherboard you usually need to bump the ram voltage up to cover the extra load, FYI 2, 2Gig sticks draw the same current as 2, 1 gig sticks so when ever possible 2, 2gig sticks are easier on the system then 4, 1gig sticks. __________________ Power Supply and Selection

07-16-2009, 04:39 PM	#4 (permalink)
wrench97 Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania Posts: 18,544 OS: Win7	Re: Computer crashing after installing new memory No it found and reported the correct amount of ram. __________________ Power Supply and Selection

07-16-2009, 04:54 PM	#5 (permalink)
ewakio Registered User Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 24 OS: Windows XP SP3	Re: Computer crashing after installing new memory Well it looks like there's no option to change the voltages in my BIOS. The closest thing is this thing called MB Intelligent Tweaker, which has an option for DDR2 Overvoltage control, which the manual says "allows you to set memory voltage." Do you have any idea what JEDEC #1, JEDEC #2 and EPP#1 mean? They're in the Timings Table in CPU-Z and the EPP#1 column has the right timings and voltages, but JEDEC 1 and 2 do not. I don't really want to change the voltages if I should be looking at the EPP#1 timings and voltages for reference. Last edited by ewakio; 07-16-2009 at 04:56 PM.

07-16-2009, 05:24 PM	#6 (permalink)
wrench97 Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania Posts: 18,544 OS: Win7	Re: Computer crashing after installing new memory In the Main Bios screen press Control + F1 for the advanced settings, EPP profile is what you want. __________________ Power Supply and Selection

07-16-2009, 05:49 PM	#7 (permalink)
ewakio Registered User Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 24 OS: Windows XP SP3	Re: Computer crashing after installing new memory Hmm... nope, that didn't do it, my computer crashed again after a few minutes watching hulu. I changed the timings in the BIOS to the correct ones and the voltage is at 2.1v normally, so it doesn't look like that did anything. Any other ideas?

07-16-2009, 06:06 PM	#8 (permalink)
wrench97 Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania Posts: 18,544 OS: Win7	Re: Computer crashing after installing new memory Different Ram. __________________ Power Supply and Selection

07-16-2009, 06:08 PM	#9 (permalink)
ewakio Registered User Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 24 OS: Windows XP SP3	Re: Computer crashing after installing new memory Really? Even when I removed the new ram so that it was back to how it was before?

07-16-2009, 06:39 PM	#10 (permalink)
wrench97 Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania Posts: 18,544 OS: Win7	Re: Computer crashing after installing new memory Are you saying you went back to 2 gig and the system still crashes? Enter the Bios and load optimized defaults (Hit F7) save and reboot with the 2 original sticks installed. __________________ Power Supply and Selection

07-16-2009, 07:02 PM	#11 (permalink)
ewakio Registered User Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 24 OS: Windows XP SP3	Re: Computer crashing after installing new memory Yeah, I think I said that in the original post. I took the two new sticks out and loaded the optimized defaults but no dice.

07-17-2009, 01:04 AM	#12 (permalink)
wrench97 Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania Posts: 18,544 OS: Win7	Re: Computer crashing after installing new memory What are you seeing for Temps and Voltages in the Bios PC health page? __________________ Power Supply and Selection

07-17-2009, 09:51 AM	#13 (permalink)
ewakio Registered User Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 24 OS: Windows XP SP3	Re: Computer crashing after installing new memory The PC Health Status page reads like this: Reset Case Open Status [Disabled] Case Opened Yes Vcore OK DDR18V OK +3.3V OK +12V OK Current System Temperature 36C Current CPU Temperature 31C Doesn't look like it's overheating and I don't think I can change the voltages.

07-17-2009, 12:32 PM	#14 (permalink)
wrench97 Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania Posts: 18,544 OS: Win7	Re: Computer crashing after installing new memory What slots do you have the sticks installed in? The health page is just to read the sensors you can't make any changes there. __________________ Power Supply and Selection

07-17-2009, 02:02 PM	#15 (permalink)
ewakio Registered User Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 24 OS: Windows XP SP3	Re: Computer crashing after installing new memory The two 1GB sticks are in slots DDRII 1 and DDRII 3. I'm pretty sure those sticks have not been moved since I started having problems. When the computer boots up it says its running in dual channel interleaved.

07-17-2009, 02:29 PM	#16 (permalink)
wrench97 Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania Posts: 18,544 OS: Win7	Re: Computer crashing after installing new memory Lets see some screen shots of the CPU, Memory, and SPD(both occupied slots) tabs in CPUz. You may need to make 2 posts to get them all in. http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php Also it may pay to D/L and burn Memtest+ to a CD and boot from the CD to test the RAM. http://www.memtest.org/#downiso __________________ Power Supply and Selection

07-17-2009, 04:24 PM	#17 (permalink)
ewakio Registered User Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 24 OS: Windows XP SP3	Re: Computer crashing after installing new memory The multiplier and core speed fluctuate between what you see here and 8x and 2666MHz, respectively. I think I already tried memtest but I'll run it again... results forthcoming. Last edited by ewakio; 07-17-2009 at 04:25 PM.

07-17-2009, 04:51 PM	#18 (permalink)
wrench97 Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania Posts: 18,544 OS: Win7	Re: Computer crashing after installing new memory The fluctuation is because of EIST(Intel Enhanced Speedstep Technology) you can disable it in the Bios, but it is usually not an issue as long as you see it ramping up when loaded. The Ram shows running at 800 speeds(double pumped 400) and under the EPP timings. __________________ Power Supply and Selection

07-17-2009, 06:48 PM	#20 (permalink)
ewakio Registered User Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 24 OS: Windows XP SP3	Re: Computer crashing after installing new memory So the test is still running but I've gotten 32 errors so far. Here are a couple of the errors: Tst Pass Failing Address Good Bad Err-Bits Count 8 5 00068128164 - 1665.5MB b5c667e 31c6667e 84000000 31 8 5 005a127edc - 1441.4MB caf78147 daf78147 10000000 32 Is it ok to switch out this ram with the new sticks?