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Bad Memory Error


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i keep getting an error on my friends Dell (yeah....i know...) where the computer stops, turns blue and says something like

 

System has halted

memory parsity check failed

 

im guessing his ram is flocked? he said he recently replaced the mobo so i dunno if thats it

 

it seems to only do it if you let it sit there turned on and do nothing with it, it doesnt seem to do it if your actively using it

 

Its also a fairly fresh install of XP, i did it myself a month or two ago and the system runs fine (other than halting) and is pretty clean

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...he said he recently replaced the mobo so i dunno if thats it...

He could be using the same RAM that was on the Dell mobo. Did you check to see if his RAM is supported by the mobo?

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Memory Parity Check Error? Ewwww ECC memory in a desktop? Servers only dammit, WTF is Dell thinking putting ECC in a workstation in the first place?

 

Probably only one module. Pull modules out one at a time till the error goes away. If needed in pairs, pull pairs out though it will take double the checks to figure out which module(s) are bad.

 

I'd recommend to your friend, to purchase some NON parity RAM and sell the other stuff. It may also be possible for him to disable ECC in the bios.

 

ECC = Error Checking and Correction. This checks the first bit of every page to the registers, and will correct any errors. If you have a bad module, you'll get errors that can cause serious problems. This isn't needed in a personal desktop, theres nothing "critical" about playing a video game, but in a server that does some serious business......there is.

 

Dell sux balls btw, along with every other store bought POS.

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yeah i know, he wants to sell it, but who would buy it?

 

Yeah i tried pulling RAM, but as i said, unless all 4 bays are full, the computer refuses to boot, i tried pulling 1, 2, and 3 and it just beeps and refuses to start and show anything onscreen, ill try again when i get back from vacation though

 

also hes already put a bunch of money into this computer, i dont think he wants to spend any more

 

the BIOS thing, i havent tried, ill look for that, i did mess around in the BIOS alot and i dont remember seeing that but i could be wrong

 

and yeah half the RAM is samsung and half is Dell so who knows, its all the same type though

 

I also wanted to try and update his BIOS but his floppy drive is broken and he has no CD-Rs (and im out at the moment too >_< )

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  • 4 weeks later...

Parity error could also be a problem with incorrect voltage being applied to the DIMMs. Is this system overclocked in any way?

 

Also given that the system refuses to even boot without all the DIMMs in place, it's possible theres damaged hardware on the motherboard itself.

 

In your 2nd last post, you stated you tried pulling ram in slots 1, 2 and 3. If it's dual channel ram, you probably have to keep memory in combinations of 1+2/3+4 or 1+3/2+4, of equal sizing as well.

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ahhh i forgot about trying the combinations 1+3 and 2+4, i did try everything else though, and it just does that beeping thing

 

no its not overclocked, i dont think its a bad mobo because supposedley it was recently replaced. Im actually on it right now, it can stay up for anywhere between 15 minutes to 12 hours before crashing totally randomly (it used to not even boot anymore but after i made a new login it can boot, it seems to crash when the RAM is accessed alot, which would make sense)

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