When RAM goes bad

[Dos_Box]

When I got back from the event with Microsoft on Saturday afternoon I was informed that the media PC was refusing to boot. Sure enough, power came on, disks span, but no POST screen. Once the kids had gone to ben I opened it up and did teh usual checking of leads and unplugging\reconnecting of components etc, all to no avail. As a final check I removed one stick of RAM (2GB DDRII 800) and the system booted fine. I then shut down and placed it in the second slot (there are only 2 RAM slots on this motherboard) and again it booted fine. I shut down again and did exactly the same with the first stick I'd removed, with teh same results. Perplexed I shut down, placed both back in (They are a matching pair BTW and works fine for many months). Not POST screen again.

Is it the RAM or the motherboard at fault I wonder? I don't want to fork out for new RAM when it is actually a new motherboard I need. Can RAM suddely refuse to work with it's former partner?

I'm perplexed I must admit.

[Haptic]

When I got back from the event with Microsoft on Saturday afternoon I was informed that the media PC was refusing to boot. Sure enough, power came on, disks span, but no POST screen. Once the kids had gone to ben I opened it up and did teh usual checking of leads and unplugging\reconnecting of components etc, all to no avail. As a final check I removed one stick of RAM (2GB DDRII 800) and the system booted fine. I then shut down and placed it in the second slot (there are only 2 RAM slots on this motherboard) and again it booted fine. I shut down again and did exactly the same with the first stick I'd removed, with teh same results. Perplexed I shut down, placed both back in (They are a matching pair BTW and works fine for many months). Not POST screen again.

Is it the RAM or the motherboard at fault I wonder? I don't want to fork out for new RAM when it is actually a new motherboard I need. Can RAM suddely refuse to work with it's former partner?

I'm perplexed I must admit.

 

what brand memory is it fella ?

[kevbaz]

Could possibly be somethign to do with dual channel mode, do you have any settings for it in the bios? do you only have the two ram slots?

[Michael]

I would try underclocking the memory to 533 as an experiment and see if this makes a difference with both slots populated. I would also check for available BIOS updates as this can make a difference too, however it is strange that it worked then suddenly stopped working.

[Dos_Box]

It's Corsair RAM, but the motherbaord does not have any available updates and is quite a basic model, so no BIOS based RAM clocking is available.

[Michael]

Would be interesting to try another pair of DDR II memory sticks and if the same problem happens or not. Some motherboards can be extremely picky, but generally it's less of a problem these days.

[mbhmirc]

we had sticks fail from bad handling at install time or just handling them in the shop months on. It can simply be static damage and it just takes a while to show. You not borrow some out of another computer to try? Saves buying ram or mobo then Edited August 24, 2009 by mbhmirc

[SYNACK]

Run memtest86 on each of the sticks individually. If the MB has an integrated video card (even if it is disabled on some MBs) it may be allocating a chunk of high memory or shadowing the BIOS in a simmilar way. If only this chunk of high memory is damaged then it can kill the machine like this.

 

The allocation space is based on the amount of ram installed and so with dual channel this will be the same space each time. Hows the warrenty on the ram?

[mbhmirc]

memtest is an issue in itself, it won't detect if it's a mobo or a ram issue as it could be either or both as far as memtest in concerned. Only way to test ram is a proper memory testing unit independent of the board afraid. It's an indicator not a test.