Screen Freezes + Page File Problem : Please Help

[gregg]

Hi,

My monitor screen started freezing lately. All of a sudden it would not respond to mouse or keyboard commands and would not respond to Ctrl + Alt + Del either. I had to pull the plug and restart it. It would then work for a little while or sometimes freeze immediately after starting.

I am no computer expert so I thought it was my OS and I was thinking about reinstalling Windows. I have a P III 500 Compaq Presario dual boot system with Win 98 SE and Win XP (Pro) on a 40 GB hard drive with 5 partitions and 192 MB ( 128 + 64 MB ) RAM. I called a local service centre and they suggested it might be a hardware problem rather than software and I should leave the system with them for a day and then they would tell me what the problem is. I then asked a friend and he thought it could be RAM so I took out the extra module of 128 MB that I had purchased from a local store and the system hasn’t frozen at least for the day while running Win 98. Obviously I couldn’t run even a Word application in XP. I put that RAM back again and tried to run XP and it started freezing again.

I bought 128 MB RAM about 18 months ago.

My question is :

Is it just the RAM and should I go out and get more RAM or there could be something else too?

Does RAM go out so quickly? I did take Precautions about static.

Could installing some software damage the RAM?

Could virus damage RAM?

Could virus damage motherboard or any other hardware?

I recently installed Cd burning software Easy Cd & DVD creator by Roxio which is about 800 MB. I was able to burn first couple of CDs successfully but now when I try to burn web pages it does not burn Graphics, only text and I am not able to solve that puzzle but only clue that I am getting is that every time I try to open a web page from recently burned cd it gives a message in taskbar “ Opening Page file” or “downloading picture” then I wait but nothing happens. Is RAM the culprit for this problem too?

Win 98 SE says don’t flirt with page file and let Windows manage it where as Win XP shows 288 MB of its partition for page file and none for 3 other data partitions. Should I allocate some hard disk space for page file for each partition? In XP I did try to raise it to 800 MB for OS partition but that didn’t help burning the Cd, may be due to Bad RAM again?

I would really appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks,
Greg

 

[Flinx]

Your Questions:

1) To determine if it is the 128MB module put it in instead of the 64 there now and try windows 98. If 98SE fails then you will know it is the ram.
There is also a program called <A HREF="http://www.memtest86.com/" target="_new"> Memtest86 </A> that should be able to tell you whether ur ram is good or not.

Also try the memory in a different slot (maybe the slot is defective because of something bad on the mobo).

2) Good Ram rarely fails. Vendors usually give lifetime warrantys. As for generic ram, someone else will have to answer

3) I have never heard of software damaging ram.

4) I have never heard of a virus damaging ram.

5) Yes a virus could damage a motherboard not very likely though, more likely make it inoperable by rewriting the CMOS.

More likely an electronically damaged motherboard could hurt the ram; even that I'm not completely sure. Look for bad capacitors, leaking dielectric fluid (brown) or burnt torroids.
<A HREF="http://www.motherboardrepair.com/index.php?sec=images" target="_new"> bad boards </A>



P.S. What kind of Dell is it?


The loving are the daring!<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Flinx on 09/04/03 06:40 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[pIII_Man]

the dell compaq presario...hehe


Proud owner of DOS 3.3

 

[gregg]

Hi Flinx,

That helped a lot. Both 64 and 128 RAM modules are good. One of the slot seems to be bad. In one slot each RAM module worked fine but if I put either of them in second slot or put two modules together, Win XP specially freezes.

So I ordered one large 512 MB module. I had specifically ordered Hynix brand and that is the only brand available where I live

He didn’t have it so he sent me generic brand but it still was made by Hynix in South Korea.

The problem is now new 512 MB module doesn’t work in either slot. So I looked at it carefully and it says it is PC 133 instead of PC 100 which my system came with.

As I mentioned before I have a Compaq Presario P III 500 system with Intel 810e motherboard with 2 slots and originally it came with only 64 MB PC 100 SD RAM.

My question is, would PC 133 SD RAM work in a motherboard that had originally PC 100 SD RAM?

If yes, then did I get a defective module?

With only one slot working and system not booting with new 512 MB module how can I find out if it is a defective module or something else is wrong?

Is it likely that a motherboard with PC 100 SD RAM would not take PC 133 SD RAM?

Is it possible that 512 MB is too much for one slot to handle given that it is an older model motherboard? ( Late 1999 Intel 810e Motherboard )

Would again really appreciate any help.

Kind Regards,
Greg

 

[WingDing]

184MB of RAM is not really sufficient to run Win XP Pro. The minimum should be 256MB RAM, for that reason alone I would expect some problems.

My CPU runs so hot it creates a quark-gluon plasma

 

[Flinx]

The 512 MB ram will not work! You can damage too!

You might be able to run 256MB double sided but I'm not sure. Look at your model here:
<A HREF="http://www.crucial.com/store/listmodel.asp?cat=RAM&mfr=Compaq&productline=Presario.&submit=Go" target="_new">crucial</A>

The loving are the daring!

 

[gregg]

Flinx,

Thank you. You have been very kind.

I will have to exchange 512 for 256 & give that a try.

Regards,
Greg

 

[gregg]

Flinx,

Forgot to ask one more question.

I was getting a message in task bar every time I burned a cd when this memory problem started.

It was saying " Opening Page file" and then It would read only text from a file on cd and skipping graphics.

Cd did show that it burned the full web page.

Is this due to lack of RAM? I thought since one module was'nt working, burner couldn't access enough RAM.

Thanks
Greg

 

[Flinx]

I wouldn't say that is it due to lack of ram but rather the ram problem.

I hope the 256MB module works out.

I hope there is not more problem/damage on your motherboard.

The loving are the daring!<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Flinx on 09/13/03 06:48 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[gregg]

Flinx,

You are absolutely right.With some trial and error it does look like bad RAM.

I will let you know after I get 256 MB module.

You have been very helpful.

Thank You.
Regards,
Greg