[john crossley]

Just installed some new RAM on my PC and it has now crashed twice. In both instances the PC had been running for about 40mins before crashing.
I got the RAM from direct from Crucial after running their system scanner.

Is it the RAM which is faulty, or have I damaged some other component when changing it.

I have now re-installed the original RAM.

Thanks.

[Dave]

Hoffy had same problem last week & his machine still ain't right

[Steve]

Depending on how much ram you have you may need to increase the voltage to the northbridge (the memory controller) slighty so that it can cope with the added stress of more memory. Before doing that though it would be best to check out the new memory to ensure its not that which is faulty.

Two ways of doing that, the simple (not 100% accurate method) and the correct but harder.

The first is to run your computer with just the new memory and see how that goes. Make sure you instal it in the same slots as you had the original memory in.

The second is to download Memtest (Memtest86+ - Advanced Memory Diagnostic Tool). To run that you'll need to burn the program to a CD and set your pc to boot from CD first. It will run automatically when you re-boot your pc and allow it to run it for a few complete passes. It is very important to test each single bank of memory individually...that way you can find out which, if any, are faulty.

[Larne]

Sounds like the memory to me. Do you still have the original memory you took out? If so put it back in, undo all the changes you made, and see if the system becomes stable again. If so then you just need to work out why the new memory is not working. Possibly it is faulty but more likely is a configuration error somewhere.

Good luck with getting it fixed - nothing worse than an unreliable PC.

[silkstone]

Sounds like faulty memory. Usually you don't need to do anything other than remove the old modules and slot in the new ones (make sure they're fully clicked in place). If the machine runs OK for a while and then packs up, one of the modules may be overheating.

[john crossley]

Thanks for the responses guys.

As I said in the original post I have put the old RAM back in, so I will see how that goes for a while.

[fgates]

It does sound like overheating. With my old computer I had the problem with intermittent blue screens. It was fixed with a good clean and a replacement fan.

[Mr Blue Sky]

it wasnt crucial ballistix ram was it? i just had some that died

[john crossley]

Originally Posted by Mr Blue Sky

it wasnt crucial ballistix ram was it? i just had some that died

No, just normal DDR2.

[brian wright22]

John how many ram modules have you installed?.
If its say two then when the PC crashes remove one of the ram modules.Then see if the PC behaves. If not swap over the ram modules and see if its ok. By this method you will be able to ascertain if one of the ram modules is causing the problem. The chances of both having a fault are fairly remote.
By the way how much total ram have you installed?
Brian

[daveyuk]

Try this
Firstly up date your BIOS you should able to download this from your PC makers website

Then install the RAM one stick at a time boot the pc up and test for errors. Repete this for all RAM sticks if you get any errors take out the last RAM stick you put in and put it to one side as this could be the duff one that's screwing up.

Once your PC seems to be working ok reset the virtual memory.

Also remember if you're running xp it'll only see and use 3gb of RAM so anything above that and it's a waste.

Any bad RAM sticks send them back either for a refund or replacement.

Oh make a note of any memory error messages....

hope it helps

[Chilliman]

Could possibly be a weary PSU problem which I've seen a few times, easy and cheap to replace. It might not be pushing out the proper voltages causing all sorts of problems, perhaps the new memory being added was just enough to upset the psu.