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Thread ID: 53683 2005-01-24 08:24:00 Motherboard/RAM issue? Jaguar (4442) Press F1
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317547 2005-01-24 08:24:00 Hello folks,

Recently returned from a five week holiday overseas, switched everything off from the wall and the back of the PC. When I come to boot up, it decides not to go. I get the repetitive beeps indicating that a RAM stick isn't working. I then take them both out, give it another go and still nothing. I then take one of them out and boot up - computer boots up and works perfectly. I assume that the RAM stick has gone down the proverbial toilet and go buy a new one.

I repeat. Install the new stick, it boots into Windows - no beeping and the RAM check clocks the full 1GB at DDR 400 - goes into Windows, and the Desktop shows - but just as MSN, Network and AVG have loaded in the taskbar, I get a BSOD. We can safely assume that this is NOT a software issue.

So both (new) sticks don't work. Just for the heck of it I decided to throw in the first stick back in. It boots up and everything works. Jump into Star Wars Galaxies, play for 30 minutes and then a crash to desktop. Never happened before. Surf the web via Opera. Similar crash. Remove stick and everything works fine again on the working stick.

I send the newly bought RAM stick back to the wholesaler who return it saying that it's passed their Windows RAM check and it is fully operational.

Do I have a rather temperamental motherboard? Is it safe to assume that both RAM sticks work? Why does only one of them work in all scenarios? Any suggestions on a fix or is purchasing a new motherboard the only solution?

Thanks for reading the post - I may not have expressed myself very well, please ask if you don't understand anything.

Computer Specs:

Shuttle AK39 Motherboard (3GB Max RAM)
3 x DDR 400 512MB RAM sticks
AMD Athlon 2400+ (2GHz)
2 x 80GB HDDs
Geforce FX 5600 256MB RAM 		Jaguar (4442)
317548 2005-01-24 08:49:00 I had pretty much the same problem with a 256mb and a 128mb stick.

the 128mb was causing problems, not sure what the problem was since it had been working perfectly before I put it in a new motherboard, then crapped out a few weeks later after I moved it.

Eventually it would not boot at all, so I took it out and never put it back. Had no problems since. 		Agent_24 (57)
317549 2005-01-24 09:12:00 You need to test all the ram, first one at a time and then, in combinations, together, before making decisions on what might be wrong and if it is only one thing in isolation. Thats if it will stay in windows long enough, but there are non-windows tests.

What did the BSOD tell you? It could be an important pointer to what is causing the no-boot problem.

What are the symptoms of the boards previous poor temperment? Do you know what caused it and how did you diagnose it?

What is the PSU rated at, what else is hanging off the machine that would add load to the PSU?

Did you pull the plug (power & modem) or merely turn it off at the wall, while you were away? 		Murray P (44)
317550 2005-01-24 09:26:00 I did try combinations of RAM earlier. The original stick worked in all cases. The second stick didn't work at all at first. Then after a few days when I put it in it would boot into Windows but give me crashes, so I removed it. The new stick did the same, then after another break I put it in and it wouldn't boot at all.

For the BSOD, each time it gave me a different file name that caused the problem and as it was different every time I didn't pin it down to anything in particular.

The original and second stick worked absolutely fine prior my trip. I find it peculiar that leaving a computer off can cause damage but computers tend to offer dubious problems on the whole. There were no problems.

The PSU has a 230V input at 4A, 50-60Hz Frequency. It says the total max power is 320W. Just looking inside I have the motherboard, CPU, video card, two HDDs, two optical drives (CD-RW and DVD-RW) and that's it.

I didn't pull the plug. I turned it off from the wall and off from the back off the machine. 		Jaguar (4442)
317551 2005-01-24 10:01:00 The type of BSOD can be very important . It may be different files (software) but the underlying cause may be the same or triggered the same way . Can you remember if the errors used the same or a similar description, did they produce a memory dump, was it drivers, perhaps hardware type errors (some can go either way for the same error type)?

The file that, seemingly, errors in a BSOD may not be actually at fault . Nothing is entirely independent, especially in Windows . If you can get a handle on the errors and crash output, your a long way to diagnosing (or confirming) your problems .

What brand is the PSU, do you have peripherals hooked up .

Have you ever overclocked? Could temperature be an issue? 		Murray P (44)
317552 2005-01-24 19:42:00 Played some quick musical chairs with the RAM this morning.

First I slotted in the new RAM along with the original.
#1 Mem clock worked, Loaded into Win. BSOD ("Disable/uninstall any antivirus, disk defragment or backup utilities..." no file/driver was listed)
#2 Same thing, this time the BSOD lists PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA
#3 Loads into Windows successfully. Open outlook and head into Start -> Control panel and then the BSOD comes, no file or driver listed: "Check to be sure you have adequate disk space..."

Now I remove the new RAM and install the second RAM stick.

First and second time it didn't clock the RAM at all (tried various slots) Third time I put it in by itself and got the beeping.
Is this stick dead or just part of the problem?

All BSODs produced a memory dump. I have not overclocked the computer, and temperature isn't an issue (I have a thermometor on the outside of the case). The only other thing using the PSU would be fans, there's one on the side of the case as well as an extra I installed on the back (plus vid card fan and CPU fan) and some neon lights along the front of the case. The case is an iCute and PSU is iCute too. 		Jaguar (4442)
317553 2005-01-25 01:44:00 I've settled on the conclusion that the two RAM sticks are incompatible with eachother.

I have now returned the incompatible one (as they had no replacement that would work) and received store credit. I bought another stick that is the same as the original.

Thanks for the help, much appreciated. 		Jaguar (4442)
317554 2005-01-25 03:27:00 also.........jsut turning off stuff at the wall when you are away wont protect against the nasty ole powersurge that kills mobos etc.........you need to unplug the power and modem line....... drcspy (146)
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