Random crahes, BSOD's, freezes and more.

[ElCondor]

Hi,
I think this all started after I did a RAM upgrade
It began with programs stopping (kernel32.dll, idon'tknowthenameanymore.dll)
But also games are just freezing after some time, mw2, ac, cod4. They all crash randomly.
Now sometimes the whole system freezes and I have to reset it.
Also, I get various BSOD's (ie IRQl not less or equal)
I think it has somethin to do with my memory,
I have 4 gb dual corsair 1066 kit combined with 2 gb Reaper 1066.
I am thinking of re-installing windows, because I didn't install it after the upgrade
Or do you guys think that the memory is corrupted?
Thanks

Specs:
Win7 ultimate x64
MSI p45 Neo-3 FR
Core2Duo E8400
Ati HD4870

 

[The_Prophecy]

Run MemTest86+, but if it doesn't turn anything up, remove the ram you just got.... take it back and buy a set of whichever you had first (i.e. if you had the Corsair ram first, buy another Corsair set)

 

[johnnyq1233]

Yes Prophesy is correct there are differences in timings between the OCZ reaper ram and the Corsair ram....
A smart move would be to take back the kit you just purchased and get the same kit you had before the upgrade....
JQ

 

[ElCondor]

Okay thanks for your replies!
First I will try memtest, and if that doesn't work I will remove the Corsair memory.
Problem is that I bought it second hand so it will be hard to take it back.
I know it is possible to change the timings, is it possible to do the following:
1. remove the Reaper memory
2. set the corsair timings to correspond to the reaper
3. put the reaper memory back

Thanks again!

 

[The_Prophecy]

The problem is more that you are mixing brands... DDR2 controllers are picky about matched sets of ram. With DDR, you could get away with using unmatched sets more often, but not with DDR2 or DDR3.

 

[ElCondor]

Okay I have tried memtest86, but there are no errors.
The corsair kit passed. However when I use only the corsair memory, so without the reaper memory, the system freezes after 2 minutes.
It does the same when using windows in safe mode.
Maybe some other hardware is the problem?
Some incompatibility with the corsair memory?
Strange thing is that the reaper memory still works without any problems.
Thank you guys for helping

 

[The_Prophecy]

It very well could be a compatibility issue with the Corsair memory. It's rare now, but some memory sets still simply don't like to work with certain motherboards.

 

[ElCondor]

Okay, thank you for your comment.
One final question, and then I am done here, could re-installing windows do the job?
Maybe that the X64 version makes it not compatible or something like that...?

 

[Gandalf]

This may sound stupid, but are all the memory strips DDR2?
Your motherboard does not support DDR3.

I must admit that the previous advise about not mixing memory manufacturers is a very valid point.

You might also want to check your Device Manager for a badly installed device.

As for your question concerning reinstalling your Windows O/S, unless you have a bad HDD, I do not see Windows as such causing your problems. And, if that is the case, then you will want to replace the HDD before reinstalling Windows.

 

[ElCondor]

They are all DDR2.
Device Manager doesn't recognize any faulty devices.
Thanks So it's probably just incompatibility with this motherboard.
Strange thing is that on the corsair site this memory is supported by the motherboard.
Maybe I should ask them if they have had more problems with it?

 

[Gandalf]

If you have been modifying your BIOS to get the RAM to work, suggest you reset your BIOS to the default settings.

As for the 64bit settings in the BIOS, is it set for HPET 64bit Support?

EDIT: As for querying your motherboard manufacturer, you might want to read this... http://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=0ec363d296dd5320011a1c322eadeb62&topic=118018.0

 

[ElCondor]

The bios has already been reset.
I'll check the HPET setting, I have never checked that.
But what do they mean at the forum there?
Is my Corsair memory overvolted? It is indeed 2,1 V.
Do I have to undervolt it to work with the motherboard?
I just don't get it.
Thank you Gandalf!

EDIT: I have down clocked my memory to 800 Mhz and set the timings to 5-5-5 (instead of 5-6-6) and it seems to work.
It still sucks that the p45 chipset doesn't support 1066.
I'll do some stability tests.

 

[Gandalf]

For answers like that, I suggest you query MSI...
http://www.msicomputer.com/msi_user/ts_form.aspx

I tried to get some research info from MSI, but their msi.com website is to slow. Maybe you'll have more luck.

 

[improvepctools]

I had this problem to, maybe this article will help:

Computer Keeps Freezing