Computer is Crashing

[IllogicallyLogical]

Sorry this is so long, but I was trying to include as much information as I could.

I have a laptop with 1 gig (two 512MB DIMMs) of RAM. Sunday night my laptop crashed on me with a blue screen. I had been working on it for a little while and all of a sudden it crashed. I powered it down, started it back up and it locked up during the POST. Powered it down again, started it up and it started to POST, but then the screen went black with a bunch of miscellaneous characters and it beeped twice (I haven't had a chance to look up the beep code yet to see what it means). I started to suspect memory failure so I began troubleshooting. I then powered it down, unplugged all usb devices that were attached and my cardbus adapter and started it up again. This time it went through the POST very slowly and after it was complete it stated that the amount of system memory had changed. I went into the BIOS and it still showed 1 gig of RAM, so I continued to boot into Windows and it still showed 1 gig of RAM there also. Shortly after it booted into Windows it blue screened again. I then began to try to isolate the problem, so I took one DIMM out and let the computer run on one. It ran just fine on only one. So I was thinking the other one was the one that went bad, so I took out the one that was working and put the other one in and lo and behold it ran just fine too. So I was suspecting that maybe it was the other slot on the mobo that was failing. So I put each of the DIMMs in the other slot one at a time and it ran perfectly fine there too. I ran 'Check It Diagnostics' memory test on both the DIMMs (one at a time) and neither reported any errors. I then decided to run 'Windows Memory Diagnostic' from Microsoft to see if I could get better results from it. I threw both DIMMs in and began to boot up and the computer locked during the POST again. I restarted the computer and got it to boot into the memory diagnostic and it locked up just as it started the program. I restarted it once again and it began the memory diagnostic just fine. It ran through the "standard test" several times and reported no errors. I then ran the more thorough test and watched it complete several of those without any errors. I stepped away for a little bit of time and came back and the program had crashed. I have a couple more things I was going to try, but wanted to know if any of you had any suggestions. I appreciate any help you may supply, so thanks in advance.

So to recap the laptop is continously crashing. The blue screens are not consistent as they are different every time I get one. Sometimes it locks up during the POST and sometimes as the POST begins the screen goes to a black screen with miscellaneous characters and beeps. The laptop will boot up and run fine on a single DIMM (either one) in either slot. Once you pair the two DIMMs together it crashes either before it finishes the POST or shortly after it boots into the OS.

Joey
A+, Network+, MCP, Wireless#

 

[firewolfrl]

Are you using a laptop cooler?
HEAT HEAT HEAT is the killer of laptop components. replace the ram is the first step...and the hard drive needs to be tested for errors. I an betting the CPU got too hot and is part of your issue.
when you are running the computer open up all the covers that you can then place the computer so that both side edges are on two tall books. then place a small house fan in a position to blow through the tunnel you created with the books..That should keep the unit some what cool while you test for the failed components.

just to be on the safe side pull the harddrive and use a bootable CD for testing on the main components

what are the specs of the computer?
Have you called the Manufacturer?

 

[TScrappy]

Go into the BIOS and losen the timing of the RAM a step or 2. The RAM might be at 3-3-3-4, if possible change it to 5-5-5-5. It sounds like there are a couple of mis-matched sticks of RAM in their. If that cannot be done due to BIOS limitations, replace both sticks of RAM with a 2X512 kit so they are timed more closely.

 

[electronicsfreak]

Im siding with bad hard drive. May be wrong but thats my guess.

There is a point in wisdom and knowledge that when you reach it, you exceed what is considered possible - Jason Schoon

 

[Sleepsalot]

I had a compaq given to me it went to several small shops prior to my getting it. All the shops told the guy hard drive or mother board. Not the case found a stick of 512 no name ram was getting so hot it would burn you through the ram cover. With the cover off it would blister you. Yes I touched it that was the bumb on me part. But bottom line is $65.00 and new 521 ram laptop runs fine. So I would start with the ram and see if it is hot at the time of the blue screen event.

Wayne

Life is a big Roleplaying adventure.

 

[IllogicallyLogical]

Well, it was in fact the slot that went bad. Yesterday while trying to boot with both DIMMs in, it would not even finish the POST at all. I decided to do some Spring cleaning on the laptop by blowing out all the dust from inside to make sure that it wasn't causing overheating problems. After I finished cleaning out the inside of the laptop, I tried booting and there was still no improvement. I then removed both those DIMMs and put in two other working, compatible DIMMs and the same thing happened. So I removed one DIMM (from slot B) and it ran just fine. I then decided to test slot B by itself again, and it would not even start. Just to be sure I reseated the module in slot B and tried again and was still a no go. I have concluded that slot B is toast. I guess this gives me an excuse to get a new computer, as I need more than half a gig of RAM Thanks for all the suggestions everybody.

Joey
A+, Network+, MCP, Wireless#

 

[Sleepsalot]

Glad you found the problem. Sorry that it is the slot bad.

Wayne

Life is a big Roleplaying adventure.