New build was running fine up to today. Please Help!

PCNoob1992 · 14 Aug 2011 at 00:08

Okay, so very recentley completed my first ever PC build everything has ran perfectley up untill today.

I turned off my PC and Windows also installed updated whch is fine it happens to all systems. However I turned it back on a short while later and it doesn't go to plan I get 3 short post beeps and by looking up on the internet that indicates faulty RAM. What should I do to go about resolving this issue and will this "problem" make any damage to any other components within the shell.

I also must note I on the re-boot I was about going to plan to enter the BIOS as the computer was displaying that there was only 1.49gb of usuable ram out of the possible 4GB RAM Im pretty sure I believe the RAM in the correct place and I really do hope it's the case of re-sitting it or putting in different slots if it's the case of them being in the wrong place!

Please Help!!!

Jony27 · 14 Aug 2011 at 00:10

try using only 1 stick of ram (try all of them 1 by 1) to see which one is faulty.

stulid · 14 Aug 2011 at 00:11

Download and run Memtest.

PCNoob1992 · 14 Aug 2011 at 00:12

stulid said:
Download and run Memtest.

How can I do that if the system doesn't boot up?...

PCNoob1992 · 14 Aug 2011 at 00:13

Jony27 said:
try using only 1 stick of ram (try all of them 1 by 1) to see which one is faulty.

Okay, will go try now and will promptly return with results want to fix this!

BTW will this "error" do any damage to any other components within the computer?

stulid · 14 Aug 2011 at 00:13

PCNoob1992 said:
How can I do that if the system doesn't boot up?...

You can make a boot disk.

http://www.memtest86.com/download.html

PCNoob1992 · 14 Aug 2011 at 00:19

Ok success! Took one of the bits of RAM out and it boots up perfectley. Now does that mean that other bit of RAM is completley fault or was it in the wrong bit or can't it have been it was the same colour?

TNGL · 14 Aug 2011 at 00:20

stulid said:
You can make a boot disk.

http://www.memtest86.com/download.html

He means it won't post, so he wouldn't be able to run it.

@PCNoob, I wouldn't be surprised if it was faulty RAM, especially after this palava about only 1.49GB of the RAM being usable. Also, have you tried putting both of them in different ram slots?

EDIT:
You just made a new post

To see if the other RAM stick is faulty, turn the system off and remove the current RAM stick. Then insert the other RAM stick in the same slot, and if it doesn't boot, then that probably indicates that, that stick of RAM is faulty.

stulid · 14 Aug 2011 at 00:20

PCNoob1992 said:
Ok success! Took one of the bits of RAM out and it boots up perfectley. Now does that mean that other bit of RAM is completley fault or was it in the wrong bit or can't it have been it was the same colour?

Then try with the stick you have taken out.

stulid · 14 Aug 2011 at 00:22

Tingle said:
He means it won't post, so he wouldn't be able to run it.

hmmm

stulid · 14 Aug 2011 at 00:23

PCNoob1992 said:
the BIOS as the computer was displaying that there was only 1.49gb of usuable ram out of the possible 4GB RAM Im pretty sure I believe the RAM in the correct place and I really do hope it's the case of re-sitting it or putting in different slots if it's the case of them being in the wrong place!

Please Help!!!

The RAM being in the wrong slot usually just means you wont be running Dual Channel, the amount available should be 4GB still.

PCNoob1992 · 14 Aug 2011 at 00:35

Right, so just to clear up will this "error" have made any damage to other components in the PC. So if I try the other RAM (which we may believe is faulty) in the same slot that the working RAM is in and it doesn't work it's obviously faulty RAM but what happens if that RAM works slot *facepalm*

PCNoob1992 · 14 Aug 2011 at 00:36

Also not that the system now says that the computer has 2gb of RAM so does mean that the other stick was faulty or in wrong slot or what?

Jony27 · 14 Aug 2011 at 00:37

if it boots, run memtest as Stulid suggested

stulid · 14 Aug 2011 at 00:38

PCNoob1992 said:
Right, so just to clear up will this "error" have made any damage to other components in the PC. So if I try the other RAM (which we may believe is faulty) in the same slot that the working RAM is in and it doesn't work it's obviously faulty RAM but what happens if that RAM works slot *facepalm*

Will be ok to try.

PCNoob1992 said:
Also not that the system now says that the computer has 2gb of RAM so does mean that the other stick was faulty or in wrong slot or what?

With a stick of RAM out of the PC it will be 2GB, as you have taken one stick out.

If it was 2GB reported with both in before you took it out, then its a likely cause.

Blow any dust out of the ram slots? could be something in them.

TNGL · 14 Aug 2011 at 00:40

No, I highly doubt the other stick of potentially faulty RAM will damage anything in your computer, and you'll never know if that stick is faulty unless you try it.

As Jony and Stulid have said, if the potentially faulty RAM stick does boot, run Memtest on it to verify it does have errors.

PCNoob1992 · 14 Aug 2011 at 01:28

Okay, used the other piece of RAM and that is indeed the culprit. The computer is displaying 2GB of RAM but still 1.49GB usable does that make sense?

And how do I go about returning this to OCUK and how long will this roughly take? And finally should I leave the computer or am I able to use it still with just the one piece of RAM?

Thanks All for your help!

stulid · 14 Aug 2011 at 01:32

You can use it with one stick of ram, you will need to setup a RMA with OCUk to send the ram kit back.

PCNoob1992 · 14 Aug 2011 at 01:36

I take it I'll have to send both back? And link or were is this found on the website thanks stulid!

stulid · 14 Aug 2011 at 01:40

Both go back in packaging etc - http://www.overclockers.co.uk/support.php