Windows 7 RAM crash

[Wowdude]

Hey!

I've bought a stick of Corsair 1Gb DDR2 800MHz desktop gaming RAM the other day as a nice simple upgrade to my system.

I added the new RAM into my system and when Windows 7 booted, I logged in and after about 1-2 minutes of being logged in Windows 7 crashed.

The CPU usage was low, my harddrives are fine. When I take the stick out my system still works fine. Also my system works in safe mode with the stick in. My motherboard Bios and under "Properties" on My Computer both show 3Gb of memory but the system crashes when I boot it up normally.

This could be a rookie mistake for all I know as i'm not very good with hardware compatibility.

Any help you could give would be great thanks.

P.S. I've got the specs to my PC to the best of my knowledge and my pc has been stable until now.

 

[MK2]

Hi Wowdude, welcome to SevenForums.

When I look at the specifications of your old ram and the one you just bought (if I found the correct one) the problem is that they are very different from each other:

Micron PC2-4300U: Speed: 533Mhz, Latency: 4-4-4-12

Corsair CM2X1024-6400: Speed: 800Mhz, Latency: 5-5-5-18

I would set the memory in the bios at the slowest speed: 533Mhz (if it not still is) and the latency timings at the slowest of the two at 5-5-5-18 and check if it runs stable.

You can set the memory timings of your motherboards bios in: Advanced, Memory Configuration.

At first you can check what the memory settings are at the top of the page.

If they are incorrect you can set Memclock mode to 533Mhz, CAS Latency (CL) to 5.0,
TRCD to 5, TRP to 5 and TRAS to 18

If you can go into Windows normally you can check further stability with a program called Memtest, you can find a tutorial and memtest here: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/105647-ram-test-memtest86.html

If you want to check in Windows if your memory is running at the speed you set in the bios you can use a program called CPU-Z, you can find it here: CPUID - System & hardware benchmark, monitoring, reporting

MK2

 

[Wowdude]

Hey MK2!

Firstly thank you for the fast response. It is nice to be replied to on the same day let alone within a few hours. By the way the speeds that you retireved for my old memory is correct (used SiSandra Lite).

I attempted the changes you suggested.
In the bios iIchanged:
Memlock speed - Manual - 533MHz (I also tried Limit to 533)
CAS Latency - 5
TRCD - 5
TRP - 5
TRAS - 18

I checked the memory using the built in windows diagnostic tool (from boot up) before I posted on here to make sure it wasn't the RAM itself. The tool came back with no errors at all.

However windows 7 still crashes 1 minute after logging in. I still have no idea what's going on with it.

Any other ideas?

 

[MK2]

OK, did I find the correct Corsair memory as well?
Could you give me the specs or type number of it?

It is also possible that the two just don't work together, the best thing with memory is to mach new ones with the ones already in your system, but let's try some more.

If you can't get it working another option is to look on Ebay for matching RAM, I already found thes two: Micron PC2-4300U Memory 1GB (2) 512 Sticks - eBay (item 140458456482 end time Oct-02-10 15:11:21 PDT) or: MICRON 512MB 2RX8 PC2-4300U-444-11-00 ECC on eBay.ca (item 110454304500 end time 01-Oct-10 16:50:26 EDT)

MK2

 

[Wowdude]

Hey!

Unfortunately the only details I can give you about the new RAM are:
CGM2X1G800 G - PC2-6400 DDR2-800DIMM RAM 1GB

Apart from that looks like i'm buying some more RAM.
I've always been very wary about buying RAM off ebay. I've seen it done a few times and the RAM can sometimes arrive dead and the seller refuses to take it back.

However I think this is the only way to actually find some matching RAM for my machine.

Please reply if you can suggest anything else, if not, thanks for your help!

Really useful and quick replies!

 

[MK2]

It's not the ram that I first tought it was but the little information that I could find on the
CGM2X1G800 is that it also is CL5 ram.

Did you already try to run your system only on the new ram stick just to try if it will run stable with that one?
I would set the speed to 800Mhz if you are going to try.

If it runs stable with that one you just could buy another one.
You won't have compatibility problems and it will run at 800Mhz instead of the 533Mhz of the slowest ram in your system.

MK2

 

[Wowdude]

I actually already have 2Gbs of RAM in my system as it is and was looking to add a third to toal to 3Gb. I didn't see the point in getting 4Gb's as my 32bit system can only register 3.5Gb.

My Girlfriend has an old hp pavilion PC. I was wondering if I can't get it to work in my PC replace the RAM in her PC (I think it only contains 512Mb).

Just need to find myself some new matching RAM or replace the lot xD

 

[MK2]

Ah okay, I misunderstood.
I tought you had 2x 512MB and wanted to ad 1GB extra.
That's why I pointed to the 2x 512MB modules on Ebay, so you would get 4 of the same DIMMS.

This is what the manual of your motherboard says:

 

[Wowdude]

Ah I see. Looks like I will be gettings more RAM then. May as well go for the 4Gb then (4 x 1Gb).

Do you think the Corsair RAM that I bought would work in the HP Pavillion I mentioned?

 

[MK2]

Would have to have more information about the system to say something about that.
But if it's a DDR2 system and it can handle 800Mhz and you only put this stick in it it probably would, just give it a try if it is.
Let me know how it goes.

 

[brianzion]

its always best to buy the ram in pairs of the same brand if that is how the motherboard is set or if you are upgrading use the crucial web site download tool to establish your correct settings for type of ram RAM Memory Upgrade: Dell, Mac, Apple, HP, Compaq. USB drives, flash cards, SSD at Crucial.com and here is a ram program from passmark PassMark RAMMon - Identify RAM type, speed & memory timings

 

[Wowdude]

Hey!

Sorry for the late reply.

After strenuous reading of the motherboard manual I discovered it basically doens't like this stick of RAM. So instead I am upgrading to 4Gb (2x2Gb) instead.

However this is now the least of my problems.

 

[brianzion]

Hey!

Sorry for the late reply.

After strenuous reading of the motherboard manual I discovered it basically doens't like this stick of RAM. So instead I am upgrading to 4Gb (2x2Gb) instead.

However this is now the least of my problems.

i hope you establish your ram best of luck