Big problem, please help!

Soldato
Joined
1 Jun 2005
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Location
Kent
Ive been having a lot of huge issues the last few min as well as last night which can be read about here: http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17861735

My last post mentions the kernal being corrupt so i tried to use the vista cd to repair, after restarting it crashed, so on the next restarted i tried the mem test that can be booted from the vista CD, at 23% it said "hardware problems were detected"

Also sometimes after restarting after a BSoD my motherboard reports a BIOS error (sometimes it doesnt though) and sometimes it reports and overclocker error (i only overclock my ram to 2.1v as the default is too low to boot).

If it helps, im using a asus maximus formula, 4gb ddr2 pc6400.

This has got me realy worried as i have basicaly no money to fix it, and if i dont sort it out, my Open University course could very well go down the drain.
 
I would take all hardware out and then put it back in again.
Also remove anything you don't need just to see if fixes itself eg soundcard, floppy, dvd drive etc.
 
Since the memtest was one of the errors that happened, im going to attempt to remove one of my ram modules and see if i can pass the mem test, if not ill switch the modules over and try again.

If one of my ram modules has partialy of fully failed, would it realy cause all this? wouldnt it stop working compleatly instead of BSoDs and corrupted kernals?

I would take all hardware out and then put it back in again.
Also remove anything you don't need just to see if fixes itself eg soundcard, floppy, dvd drive etc.

i need the dvd drive to use the vista cd for repairs and such, i dont have a floppy, and im leaving the soundcard in for now, ill try remove that if me changing the ram doesnt help. (although if both of my ram modules are faulty then i will have no way to know if its the ram, or some other problem)

I should also mention that because im running on just 1 mem module while testing, ive droped my dram voltage from 2.1 to 2.04 (i could have droped it all the way to 2.00, but thought it may be too little, even for 1 module)
 
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if it is faulting mem then i will have little choice to replace my somewhat expensive stuff with realy cheap stuff. even though i only got the mem back in jan, i dont have the original packaging to send it back if needed.

How many passes is reasonable when checking mem for errors? the first time i ran it, it failed around 20% on pass 1, currently its 50% pass 1 and no errors.
 
Instead of running memtests take a stick out and see if it runs windows.
If it fails then try the other stick.
The chance of both sticks failing is slim.
If they both fail then remove everything you can including resitting IDE/SATA cables.
 
Ive just stoped the memtest after 4 compleat passes without errors and am going to try what you suggested. i think i may have to repair my windows first as i am not sure if it properly repaired last time, as it ment to reset to compleat any repairs, but the reset failed to boot.

Edit: Well my computer has booted and is in windows. Unless i get another BSoD im not going to fiddle around by swapping the ram over to make sure that it is that ram module i removed that is faulty. My only concern now is that if my computer works fine from now on, im 2gb down. It was some 4gb pc6400 reaper X stuff, which is why it was more expensive then a lot of the other mem available, and also why it sucks to have a stick die.
 
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rma the ram if it died? Sure an email to whoever you got it off / the company who made the ram explaining your loss of package-ing would solve that.
Also, if you can backup everything and fresh format/reinstall windows :) I've never trusted "repairing"
 
Surely to RMA it i would need to send both sticks back, even if 1 is faulty as got them from OcUK as a pair? In which case i would be left with a PC without ram, and i simply cant afford the downtime, i need my pc working, i simply have too much work to get done.

Also im not to fond of returning stuff to OcUK, when i ordered all my kit in jan, i got a lian li pc-a70b, which must have been droped on the corner, as it being an aluminium case, easily bends, and the front metal bit of the case was bent inwards 5 cm into the case. I emailed OcUK about the return process and got no reply whatsoever, so i had to just bend it back myself. It looks ok though so it wasnt a big deal.

OCZ have a lifetime warenty on the mem i have, which even extends to ram that has been increased to 2.1v (above that and they dont cover it). So if i ever do have more time and can afford the downtime, i may try and skip dealing with OcUK and see if its possible to deal direct to OCZ to get a replacement.
 
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