Is My MoBo Faulty? - Memory Failures, Unable to Install Windows, RAR Extractions Problems.

Marzipanogram

Marzipanogram

Marzipanogram

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I've been running my Asrock x870E Nova Wifi, AMD Ryzen 9 9950x, Corsair Vengeance 64GB (2x32GB) 6400 mhz, combo since May 2025 without issues.
But since ago 3 weeks ago, I started to experience problems extracting large multi RAR files, they kept saying corrupt and CRC errors.
I usually use WINRAR, but I got the same errors with 7Zip, Windows inbuilt extraction tool and I even tried WinZip.
Even downloading and trying to install software like Davinci Resolve Studio gave errors during the installation.
Also I started to experienced general Windows crashes.

I read that these errors could be caused my viruses, disk errors, corrupt files etc.
Nothing worked after checking.

I decided I would clean install Windows 11 on a spare NVME drive. But the install kept failing part way through.

The next step was to test the memory. I use MemTest86.
Basically the results were errors when using dual sticks (in A2 and B2 the recommended slots), but no errors when testing single sticks in slot A2.
Using the B2 slot (the recommend slot for single sticks), no sticks booted.

So, I presume the memory is OK, but the MoBo B2 slot has developed a problem and needs replacing?

But even after removing one stick and just installing one 32GB stick in Slot A2, I still get errors extracting multi RARs.
Weirdly, Davinci Resolve Studio did install OK.
I still can't clean install Windows on the spare NVME (I've used it previous a few years ago for the OS).

The screen grabs show:
Photo 1 (a 4 picture combo) The memory sticks in Slots A2 and B2.
Photo 2 (a 2 picture combo) Single sticks being tested.
Photo 3 (a 4 picture combo) Dual sticks being test, but the sticks swapped around. And the Win install failure screen.
Photo 4 The official results of Photo 3 test.

Thank you for any help.

01.jpg




02.jpg




03.jpg




04.jpg
 
Marzipanogram said:
The next step was to test the memory. I use MemTest86.
Basically the results were errors when using dual sticks (in A2 and B2 the recommended slots), but no errors when testing single sticks in slot A2.
Using the B2 slot (the recommend slot for single sticks), no sticks booted.

So, I presume the memory is OK, but the MoBo B2 slot has developed a problem and needs replacing?
Click to expand...
I wouldn't assume that the slot is broken. Old Intel systems can usually boot fine with memory in any slot, but I don't think that's the case now.

Marzipanogram said:
But even after removing one stick and just installing one 32GB stick in Slot A2, I still get errors extracting multi RARs.
Click to expand...
At what frequency? 6400? How did you configure that?

Are these files that were built earlier? If so, the errors might be relating to past corruption (i.e. maybe SSD or RAM related), though corrupted zips can have causes that aren't hardware.

If the sticks can run individually, but not together, then that suggests an issue with the memory controller, though when the error number is small (e.g. single digits, less than a hundred or so), that's more likely to be a configuration issue than faulty memory or a failing memory controller. Faulty memory often produces hundreds or thousands in a short period.
 
Tetras said:
I wouldn't assume that the slot is broken. Old Intel systems can usually boot fine with memory in any slot, but I don't think that's the case now.


At what frequency? 6400? How did you configure that?

Are these files that were built earlier? If so, the errors might be relating to past corruption (i.e. maybe SSD or RAM related), though corrupted zips can have causes that aren't hardware.

If the sticks can run individually, but not together, then that suggests an issue with the memory controller, though when the error number is small (e.g. single digits, less than a hundred or so), that's more likely to be a configuration issue than faulty memory or a failing memory controller. Faulty memory often produces hundreds or thousands in a short period.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your help.
Yes, the frequency was set to 6400. That was done by selecting the number for the "profile" list in the MoBo settings.

Yes, the RAR files were downloaded when I had the extraction problem.
I was hoping the fix the problem before downloading newer files.
The Davinci Resolve software I tested on my current setup a few days ago, that failed to install.
I also tested it on Macrium Reflect disk image that was created years ago, onto the spare NVME. That failed to install.
But reventing back to my current setup (with just 32GB memory), it installed OK.
 
It could be your motherboard, but I'd check for any potential shorts in your system as well first.

My old X79 4930K had an undiagnosed short it in for 10+ years and it wasn't until the 8th/9th year when the DDR3 RAM began dying, always the ones in the same slot too (thankfully Corsair handled the warranty for me and replaced it without issues). Eventually the system died and so there wasn't much reason to hold on to it, but essentially when dismantling it to reuse the parts including the case, that was when I discovered the case had a short from the USB connection to the motherboard end, where the motherboard side was shorting out on contact with parts of the case when it was plugged in or it brushed against the connecting parts when plugging something in.

So whilst my motherboard was always a bit flakey, it might have been the motherboard, the short, or a combination of both that managed to kill the RAM, cause the minor instability and possibly the eventual death of the system, can't say. Only that these were all discovered near the end.
 
could be a hardware issue obviously

but addressing the failed extraction separately
while it might be your ram or other
hardware
extraction issues can also be caused by
the page file not being large enough
especially if its large multipart zipped/rar files
 
Meddling-Monk said:
It could be your motherboard, but I'd check for any potential shorts in your system as well first.

My old X79 4930K had an undiagnosed short it in for 10+ years and it wasn't until the 8th/9th year when the DDR3 RAM began dying, always the ones in the same slot too (thankfully Corsair handled the warranty for me and replaced it without issues). Eventually the system died and so there wasn't much reason to hold on to it, but essentially when dismantling it to reuse the parts including the case, that was when I discovered the case had a short from the USB connection to the motherboard end, where the motherboard side was shorting out on contact with parts of the case when it was plugged in or it brushed against the connecting parts when plugging something in.

So whilst my motherboard was always a bit flakey, it might have been the motherboard, the short, or a combination of both that managed to kill the RAM, cause the minor instability and possibly the eventual death of the system, can't say. Only that these were all discovered near the end.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your help.
I will recheck the connections agin.
 
Mcnumpty2323 said:
could be a hardware issue obviously

but addressing the failed extraction separately
while it might be your ram or other
hardware
extraction issues can also be caused by
the page file not being large enough
especially if its large multipart zipped/rar files
Click to expand...
Thank you for your help.
I've just deleted and redownloaded one of the TV shows (20GB's in size over 5 files) that was causing errors.
Now when I extract it, I don't see any errors (using WinRAR).

Usually, the total file size around 80GB's for the things I'm downloading.
I'll investigate how to increase the page file size.
 
I would probably try setting the RAM to 5600 and see if you get the same mem test errors.

I'd also consider refitting the CPU heatsink because there have been occasions where people have had problems if its too tight / not tight enough.
 
NetMan said:
I would probably try setting the RAM to 5600 and see if you get the same mem test errors.

I'd also consider refitting the CPU heatsink because there have been occasions where people have had problems if its too tight / not tight enough.
Click to expand...
Thank you very much.
I will try those tips tomorrow, when I've more time.
 
Marzipanogram said:
Yes, the frequency was set to 6400. That was done by selecting the number for the "profile" list in the MoBo settings.
Click to expand...
Can you describe that in a little more detail?

The reason I'm asking about it is because 6400 is a high speed for Ryzen CPUs (especially at 1:1) and I don't know if you're using XMP/EXPO or how the board has configured it. E.g. if you literally just pick a frequency from a list, then it might not even set the memory voltage which would almost certainly lead to data corruption and crashes.

That said, if your PC has run fine for 6+ months, that wouldn't explain the problem only happening recently, unless there was a BIOS reset and it was previously configured differently.
 
Tetras said:
Can you describe that in a little more detail?

The reason I'm asking about it is because 6400 is a high speed for Ryzen CPUs (especially at 1:1) and I don't know if you're using XMP/EXPO or how the board has configured it. E.g. if you literally just pick a frequency from a list, then it might not even set the memory voltage which would almost certainly lead to data corruption and crashes.

That said, if your PC has run fine for 6+ months, that wouldn't explain the problem only happening recently, unless there was a BIOS reset and it was previously configured differently.
Click to expand...
I believe it's just the XMP list that I'm selecting the frequency from.
Here's two screen grabs (posted one below the other).
The first shows selecting the list. The second shows revealing the list.
(Sorry for the text being blown out when the item is selected).
Mo-Bo-001.jpg
 
Marzipanogram said:
I believe it's just the XMP list that I'm selecting the frequency from.
Here's two screen grabs (posted one below the other).
The first shows selecting the list. The second shows revealing the list.
(Sorry for the text being blown out when the item is selected).
Click to expand...
It is hard to figure out from your screenshot, but it looks like that's a standard board profile and I don't know if it is actually setting anything except the frequency.

I found a video on YouTube for your board and they chose DRAM Profile Configuration and that opened a screen with the RAM's profiles and they chose from the two available.
 
Tetras said:
It is hard to figure out from your screenshot, but it looks like that's a standard board profile and I don't know if it is actually setting anything except the frequency.

I found a video on YouTube for your board and they chose DRAM Profile Configuration and that opened a screen with the RAM's profiles and they chose from the two available.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your continued help.
I've just found the YT video about my board.
Between 3:50 and 5:04 it mentions DRAM Frequency.
I just set it manually.
Looking at the video, I should have followed his advice and set the XMP profile the way he points out.

Maybe I did set it that way using the XMP profile when I installed the MoBo. But when I updated the BIOS, I set it manually and that's casuing the issues.
I will make the change tomorrow and check for shorts/refit the CPU heatsink (as mentioned above) at the same time.
 
Marzipanogram said:
Looking at the video, I should have followed his advice and set the XMP profile the way he points out.

Maybe I did set it that way using the XMP profile when I installed the MoBo. But when I updated the BIOS, I set it manually and that's casuing the issues.
Click to expand...
That would be my suspicion, yeah. Though, since I don't know what using the board profile actually does, I can't be sure that's your problem.
 
As above I would try xmp then if that didn't work then try setting it manually to 5600 and then bumping it up a notch if it was ok until you figure out what it is happy running at.

If it still isn't happy with XMP or 5600 then I'd check for shorts / remount the cooler; the reason I suggested remouting the cooler is because the memory controller is on the cpu and there have been a few cases where a ram slot wasnt working but was ok after it was refitted, so I guess the cpu / socket connection wasn't quiet right.
 
Solved. What a relief :)

Thank you very much to everyone for your help. It's much appreciated.

I can now extract RARs without failure. Clean install Windows without failure.
If I load the 6400mhz XMP profile as mentioned in post 13, I get only 4 errors when using 2 sticks of memory.
But, if I load the 6400mhz XMP profile (so the other parts of the profile are correct) then manually drop to 5600mhz I get a PASS.

I don't know what the real world difference 5600 and 6400mhz are.
My main program are Adobe Photoshop and Davinci Resolve Studio.
I'll try bumping the mhz value when I get time. I paid for those mhz :D

Thanks again :)
 
You should be able to get 6000MT OK, 64GB RAM is still not necessarily trivial to get stable at higher frequencies and can depend a lot on the motherboard and how good the CPU you have is memory controller, etc. wise.
 
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