BSOD and Memory; need information

[Sinaro]

Hello,

Recently, I've been getting tons of crashes in pretty much any programs. Firefox, Skype, games... everything. Even Windows Updates fails and never finishes.

AS far as BSOD's go, I've only got one, but it flashed quickly and didn't see what it said, and the DMP file apparently wasn't saved. I can't seem to reproduce the BSOD, so I can't be of much help there.

So I tried troubleshooting... and I'm pretty sure the problems are from bad memory slots on the motherboard... but this is where I completely get lost and need some help.

I have 2 sticks of 4GB RAM. So I tried to take out a stick and see if I could pinpoint a problem with one of the sticks. Only problem is, with 1 stick in, the computer won't POST. So I moved the stick into all 4 slots with the same result. So I assumed that was a bad stick... but the same exact thing happened with the other stick. Computer wouldn't POST at all.

So, this is where I'm totally lost... I thought I'd try to reaarage the sticks into different slots, and nothing POSTs. I've tried all combinations and nothing changes, the ONLY way I can get the computer to POST is if the sticks are in certain slots. Nothing else works, not even swapping the sticks (into the same slot), work. Just ONE configuration.

So I grabbed working RAM off another computer I use, which I know for certain is good, and end up with the same result. I can't get the computer to POST.

So I put the RAM back in place where the computer will actually POST, and run Windows Memory Diagnostics. Instantly it says Windows detects hardware problems before even scanning. After scanning, Windows pops up saying I have a memory problem...

And this is what I ask... what exactly is the issue here? WMD states I have bad memory, and yet it doesn't seem like it, seeing how good RAM can't even get the computer on at all. Can WMD say RAM is bad even though it's actually the memory slot?

It's my first computer build, so I'm new to this, and any information at all is appreciated.

Thanks

Here are my specs:

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor
Motherboard: ASRock 970 Extreme3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)

 

[Arc]

WMD is not a very efficient tool. Test your RAM modules for possible errors.
How to Test and Diagnose RAM Issues with Memtest86+
Run memtest for at least 8 passes, preferably overnight.

First run it with all the existing/installed RAM modules. If it comes with no error, all is good.

But if it starts showing errors, Stop testing. Errors/red lines means one or more RAM is faulty. But the fault may occur due to a faulty DIMM slot, too, which is a motherboard component. Using memtest86+, you can discriminate between a faulty RAM and a faulty motherboard.

How? Say you have two RAM sticks and two DIMM slots. You obtained errors at the test with all RAM sticks installed. Now, remove all the sticks but one. Test it in all the available slots, one by one. Continue the same procedure for all the available sticks.
How to make the inference that is it a RAM issue or it is a motherboard issue? Suppose you have got the result like that:

test|Slot1|Slot2
RAM1| Error | Error
RAM2|Good|Good

It is a RAM, a bad RAM.

But if you have got a result like that:

test|Slot1|Slot2
RAM1| Error |Good
RAM2| Error |Good

It is a motherboard issue. The particular slot is bad.