Memtest errors with windows version

Islandborn · 07-15-2005, 12:21 AM

Damn man this sux....I have been very happy with my new 2 1 gig sticks of patriot 2-3-2-5 modules since I got them a little less then a month ago....

I did the usual testing with memtest86 version 1.55 and got through 8 passes in 5 hours w\o error..Now, my computer has been running great minus a few bsods I have experienced recently, which I think are attributed to BF2 and possibly vid card drivers as the Bsod screen does say something to the effect "that if this problem continues to update driver's" or something like that...

anyway, after reading a thread a few posts down from this one started by FB, regarding windows memtest versus the dos version, I decided to download and install the windows version, and damn if this sux...I can't even get through a 100% pass an I receive one error...I dunno if it's the program or my memory is actually to blame...i'm re-running my faithful dos version of memtest86 now, just to see if this program will give me errors now 2...

I dunno..I wish I woulda just let it be, but now this is gonna bother me until I figure out why this windows version is giving me an error less then an hour into testing....Any1 got any ideas??? Dos version goes 8 passes\5hours with no errors.... Also, with the windows version, since I have 2 gigs of ram, the program tells me to run 2 copies of itself because winodws cannot allocate that much ramto run on 1 program....I wonder if running 2 of these programs simultaneously is why I get the error????

Sierra_abx · 07-15-2005, 12:34 AM

Have you run any other stability-testing programs like Prime95 blend or SuperPi 32M? If you get errors in those tests, then it probably means your system has stability issues. Maybe not big issues, though.

Windows is a much more demanding environment than DOS. Some people have run Memtest with no errors and still had problems booting into Windows.

As far as a fix, you could try adjusting the memory timings or raising VDimm.

Islandborn · 07-15-2005, 01:19 AM

thanks for the response Sierra...Well, I actually have the most up to date bios for the A8v..I had been using the 1009 forever but did upgrade to the most stable version now which is the 1013..Anyways, besides running at 1t everything else is set to default..I have already manually set the voltage from default to 2.7 because when I 1st installed the ram, I couldn't even get through 1 pass of memtest w\o error, and after uppimg the voltage to 2.7, 8 passes in 5 hours w\o error...

I haven't tried prime or the others, but I'll try them when I get the time....I'm just the kind of person that when something is wrong with my comp, I get crazy until I can get everything fixed, so i'm worried this protential problem might turn out to be a nightmare for me. oh well, I hope I can iron everything out....I'm goin now on my 3rd pass though of the dos version and am error free though with the dos version ,So the windows version is kinda got me wondering if it's really my ram or the program itself...I hope it's the latter....

Sierra_abx · 07-15-2005, 01:36 AM

The Prime95 blend torture test is a good one to run. It tests both your RAM and the CPU. You can run it overnight. If you get an error, the program will just stop.

Islandborn · 07-15-2005, 03:20 AM

Well damn, I knew it...Just received an error on test #7 after only a little past 3 hours into the dos version...WTH...I ran 8 passes in 5 hours w\0 error, just like 3 weeks ago when I bought this memory....Man...So, now what?? Should i up the volts to 2.8 and see if that will correct it? The pdf online states that these 1 gig modules are rated for 2.6-2.7, but i wonder if these 1 gig sticks just need a little more juice especially since there timings are at 2-3-2-5...Any1 got any ideas?? I know I should do the individual tests and do all the other stuff, I am just ticked because these sticks were fine just a few weeks ago..crap man....Looks like it's RMA time again...

Islandborn · 07-15-2005, 11:31 AM

Well, I increased the voltage to 2.8 and was able to wake up this morning and happily see 12 passes in 9 hours w\o any dang errors...Hooray! well, I hope this was the fix, but am concerned...Is 2.8v ok? I mean, I know sum ppl crank their vdimm to over 3volts but the Patriot site lists max specs for these modules at 2.6-2.7 so I just dont want to fry anything...Anyways, was wondering about Prime95 blend and super pi....I have downloaded prime 95 b4 and ran the torture test...Is this the "blend" test you are talking about Sierra? Also you mentioned super pi..what kind of test is this and how do I use for help with my stability problem..anyways, thanks again for the help...

Sierra_abx · 07-15-2005, 11:44 AM

Open the Prime95 program and go to Options, then Torture Test. There are several choices. Blend is good for testing RAM.

SuperPi is basically a number-crunching program. It's both memory and CPU-intensive. The best test for stability is 32M. Will usually take anywhere from 25-30 minutes to complete. If you get an error, the program will stop. You can download SuperPi here.

Eldonko · 07-15-2005, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sierra

Will usually take anywhere from 25-30 minutes to complete.

Or 20 minutes in your case hee hee

2.8v is fine IB, run prime and 32m as sierra suggested. If you pass those you should never see another bsod.

FB · 07-15-2005, 11:50 AM

in 9 hours you should be able to get more than 12 passes in, at stock speeds for me it only takes about 24m per pass, so you should be able to get in at least 20+

h20-ski · 07-15-2005, 04:42 PM

FB - He has 2GB of ram to test thats why it takes so long.

I don't remember where I read it, but 32 passes are needed to insure the ram is good. Something to do with one of the test advances one bit per pass or something like that.

FB · 07-15-2005, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by h20-ski

FB - He has 2GB of ram to test thats why it takes so long.

I don't remember where I read it, but 32 passes are needed to insure the ram is good. Something to do with one of the test advances one bit per pass or something like that.

whoops, didn't read that.

and yes at least 32 passes is required

Islandborn · 07-15-2005, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FB

whoops, didn't read that.

and yes at least 32 passes is required

YA, I do use 2 gigs so it does take a lot longer...Anyway, after keeping it at 2.8, and passing memtest with the 12 passes...sorry, I just can't fathom doing 32 passes...Anyways, all seems stable but I also posted my problem at patriots forums, and got this reply from one of the patriot techs/mods...So now I dunno wth I should do...I'm probably gonna end up RMA'ing just to be safe, but like I said, all seems stable at 2.8volts now....

Quote:

Island, it looks like your memory is going bad. Once you set the voltage to 2.7 the memory module should run stable at that level. If the memory degrades, it will require more power for it to be able to perform at the same speed. Running the memory at 2.8volts really doesn't bother me too much. But I do feel that memory module is degrading and if it gives you error at 2.8volts, I recommend to get the memory module replaced (it should get replaced even it errors out at 2.7volts.)

So, what do you guys think??? If I run prime|super pi and come off ok w\o errors, should I stay with these sticks or listen to this patriot tech??

FB · 07-15-2005, 05:51 PM

i say run memtest for 32 passes. it takes that long because of how it is designed, 12 passes really only tests about 1/3 of your ram. you have lifetime warranty on your ram, correct?

Islandborn · 07-15-2005, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FB

i say run memtest for 32 passes. it takes that long because of how it is designed, 12 passes really only tests about 1/3 of your ram. you have lifetime warranty on your ram, correct?

YA they are lifetime covered, but I dont understand what 32 passes is going to give me that 12 passes don't...I mean I have been told that most errors will occur within the 1st 10 passes if the memory is indeed bad memory and not bios settings/overclocking etc... i run stock everything, and the thing that confuses me is that at 2.7 volts I ran for 8 passes in 5 hours w\o errors, and all was stable until I recently started getting a few bsods and decided to retest with memtest....

Then I errored only after 3 passes, but bumping the voltage to 2.8 gave me the 12 passes w\o error...I guess I could see your point with 32 passes but then again why not run it for 100 passes then to see true\real stability....I'm not being sarcastic with ya FB, i'm just annoyed at my ram right now tbh...Thanks again for the responses though....L8r

h20-ski · 07-15-2005, 07:37 PM

I see your point Islandborn in that the only way to see if the memory is good for the lifetime warranty is to test it for a lifetime. But who has a lifetime

One of my Ballistix would error on the third pass and always after that until it started over. Ya it is really weird, and it eventually did go bad. Just as a thought, maybe if you have 2 computers you could test with at the same time....

07-15-2005, 12:21 AM	#1
Islandborn Registered User Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 94	Memtest errors with windows version Damn man this sux....I have been very happy with my new 2 1 gig sticks of patriot 2-3-2-5 modules since I got them a little less then a month ago.... I did the usual testing with memtest86 version 1.55 and got through 8 passes in 5 hours w\o error..Now, my computer has been running great minus a few bsods I have experienced recently, which I think are attributed to BF2 and possibly vid card drivers as the Bsod screen does say something to the effect "that if this problem continues to update driver's" or something like that... anyway, after reading a thread a few posts down from this one started by FB, regarding windows memtest versus the dos version, I decided to download and install the windows version, and damn if this sux...I can't even get through a 100% pass an I receive one error...I dunno if it's the program or my memory is actually to blame...i'm re-running my faithful dos version of memtest86 now, just to see if this program will give me errors now 2... I dunno..I wish I woulda just let it be, but now this is gonna bother me until I figure out why this windows version is giving me an error less then an hour into testing....Any1 got any ideas??? Dos version goes 8 passes\5hours with no errors.... Also, with the windows version, since I have 2 gigs of ram, the program tells me to run 2 copies of itself because winodws cannot allocate that much ramto run on 1 program....I wonder if running 2 of these programs simultaneously is why I get the error???? __________________ Athlon FX-55 Asus A8v Patriot Memory(2Gig)2-3-2-5-2T Audigy2 ZS-Creative 5.1 BFG 6800GT (oc) Maxtor 120 Gig Sata
(Offline)

07-15-2005, 12:34 AM	#2
Sierra_abx Registered User Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 13,880	Have you run any other stability-testing programs like Prime95 blend or SuperPi 32M? If you get errors in those tests, then it probably means your system has stability issues. Maybe not big issues, though. Windows is a much more demanding environment than DOS. Some people have run Memtest with no errors and still had problems booting into Windows. As far as a fix, you could try adjusting the memory timings or raising VDimm.
(Offline)

07-15-2005, 01:19 AM	#3
Islandborn Registered User Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 94	thanks for the response Sierra...Well, I actually have the most up to date bios for the A8v..I had been using the 1009 forever but did upgrade to the most stable version now which is the 1013..Anyways, besides running at 1t everything else is set to default..I have already manually set the voltage from default to 2.7 because when I 1st installed the ram, I couldn't even get through 1 pass of memtest w\o error, and after uppimg the voltage to 2.7, 8 passes in 5 hours w\o error... I haven't tried prime or the others, but I'll try them when I get the time....I'm just the kind of person that when something is wrong with my comp, I get crazy until I can get everything fixed, so i'm worried this protential problem might turn out to be a nightmare for me. oh well, I hope I can iron everything out....I'm goin now on my 3rd pass though of the dos version and am error free though with the dos version ,So the windows version is kinda got me wondering if it's really my ram or the program itself...I hope it's the latter.... __________________ Athlon FX-55 Asus A8v Patriot Memory(2Gig)2-3-2-5-2T Audigy2 ZS-Creative 5.1 BFG 6800GT (oc) Maxtor 120 Gig Sata
(Offline)

07-15-2005, 01:36 AM	#4
Sierra_abx Registered User Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 13,880	The Prime95 blend torture test is a good one to run. It tests both your RAM and the CPU. You can run it overnight. If you get an error, the program will just stop.
(Offline)

07-15-2005, 03:20 AM	#5
Islandborn Registered User Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 94	Well damn, I knew it...Just received an error on test #7 after only a little past 3 hours into the dos version...WTH...I ran 8 passes in 5 hours w\0 error, just like 3 weeks ago when I bought this memory....Man...So, now what?? Should i up the volts to 2.8 and see if that will correct it? The pdf online states that these 1 gig modules are rated for 2.6-2.7, but i wonder if these 1 gig sticks just need a little more juice especially since there timings are at 2-3-2-5...Any1 got any ideas?? I know I should do the individual tests and do all the other stuff, I am just ticked because these sticks were fine just a few weeks ago..crap man....Looks like it's RMA time again... __________________ Athlon FX-55 Asus A8v Patriot Memory(2Gig)2-3-2-5-2T Audigy2 ZS-Creative 5.1 BFG 6800GT (oc) Maxtor 120 Gig Sata
(Offline)

07-15-2005, 11:31 AM	#6
Islandborn Registered User Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 94	Well, I increased the voltage to 2.8 and was able to wake up this morning and happily see 12 passes in 9 hours w\o any dang errors...Hooray! well, I hope this was the fix, but am concerned...Is 2.8v ok? I mean, I know sum ppl crank their vdimm to over 3volts but the Patriot site lists max specs for these modules at 2.6-2.7 so I just dont want to fry anything...Anyways, was wondering about Prime95 blend and super pi....I have downloaded prime 95 b4 and ran the torture test...Is this the "blend" test you are talking about Sierra? Also you mentioned super pi..what kind of test is this and how do I use for help with my stability problem..anyways, thanks again for the help... __________________ Athlon FX-55 Asus A8v Patriot Memory(2Gig)2-3-2-5-2T Audigy2 ZS-Creative 5.1 BFG 6800GT (oc) Maxtor 120 Gig Sata
(Offline)

07-15-2005, 11:50 AM	#9
FB Re-Retiring Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: MN, USA Posts: 24,834	in 9 hours you should be able to get more than 12 passes in, at stock speeds for me it only takes about 24m per pass, so you should be able to get in at least 20+ __________________ Bye Bye ABXZone.....Rest In Peace.
(Offline)

07-15-2005, 04:42 PM	#10
h20-ski Forget Wakeboarding Join Date: May 2004 Location: Texas Posts: 2,460	FB - He has 2GB of ram to test thats why it takes so long. I don't remember where I read it, but 32 passes are needed to insure the ram is good. Something to do with one of the test advances one bit per pass or something like that. __________________
(Offline)

07-15-2005, 05:51 PM	#13
FB Re-Retiring Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: MN, USA Posts: 24,834	i say run memtest for 32 passes. it takes that long because of how it is designed, 12 passes really only tests about 1/3 of your ram. you have lifetime warranty on your ram, correct? __________________ Bye Bye ABXZone.....Rest In Peace.
(Offline)

07-15-2005, 07:37 PM	#15
h20-ski Forget Wakeboarding Join Date: May 2004 Location: Texas Posts: 2,460	I see your point Islandborn in that the only way to see if the memory is good for the lifetime warranty is to test it for a lifetime. But who has a lifetime One of my Ballistix would error on the third pass and always after that until it started over. Ya it is really weird, and it eventually did go bad. Just as a thought, maybe if you have 2 computers you could test with at the same time.... __________________
(Offline)

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode