OT question re XP and RAM

[Joe Starin]

Hello group. Pardon the off-topic question, but I trust the great advice
given by these ME experts (most of whom have probably upgraded to XP
anyway). My questions.

Have an older Dell Dimension 4300, P4, 1.6 MHz. Upgraded the ME to XP Home,
and downloaded SP2. Everything worked fine after reloading some programs,
etc. Took the two sticks of PC133 256 SDRAM and replaced them with two
no-name PC133 512 sticks purchased on eBay from a highly rated seller. With
the two 512s, the PC randomly crashed -- flashed a blue-screen with white
error message, then immediately rebooted, usually when a key was pressed to
launch a new program. (Fans are clean, etc.) The problem appeared to be a
display driver issue. I:

1) Deleted old display driver(s) and installed an updated one from nVidia
Web site.
2) Removed one of the 512 sticks and went back to the original 256 stick --
now have 768MB.

PC is running just perfectly. Could the new RAM have fueled the reboot
problems? If so, why did the driver problem not show up until I swapped the
RAM? Did I need to change some settings after upping the memory to 1024? Or
maybe one of the 512 sticks is bad (system info showed that 1024 was
installed.). Next step is to swap the 512 sticks to see if one is faulty.
Any other advice appreciated. Joe Starin

[Mike M]

Try running the PC with first just one of the new stick and then the
other. The amount of RAM should not cause display problems. You
shouldn't need to change any settings after increasing your RAM unless you
want to manually configure the size of the swap file. XP doesn't have the
same problems as Win 9x systems when installed RAM exceeds 512MB where the
system runs out of upper memory address space and the user needs to limit
vcache.

You might also want to check your RAM by using a product such as
Simmtester's free DocMem
(http://www.simmtester.com/PAGE/products/doc/docinfo.asp). Again, do this
a stick at a time.
--
Mike Maltby



Joe Starin > wrote:

> Hello group. Pardon the off-topic question, but I trust the great
> advice given by these ME experts (most of whom have probably upgraded
> to XP anyway). My questions.
>
> Have an older Dell Dimension 4300, P4, 1.6 MHz. Upgraded the ME to XP
> Home, and downloaded SP2. Everything worked fine after reloading some
> programs, etc. Took the two sticks of PC133 256 SDRAM and replaced
> them with two no-name PC133 512 sticks purchased on eBay from a
> highly rated seller. With the two 512s, the PC randomly crashed --
> flashed a blue-screen with white error message, then immediately
> rebooted, usually when a key was pressed to launch a new program.
> (Fans are clean, etc.) The problem appeared to be a display driver
> issue. I:
> 1) Deleted old display driver(s) and installed an updated one from
> nVidia Web site.
> 2) Removed one of the 512 sticks and went back to the original 256
> stick -- now have 768MB.
>
> PC is running just perfectly. Could the new RAM have fueled the reboot
> problems? If so, why did the driver problem not show up until I
> swapped the RAM? Did I need to change some settings after upping the
> memory to 1024? Or maybe one of the 512 sticks is bad (system info
> showed that 1024 was installed.). Next step is to swap the 512 sticks
> to see if one is faulty. Any other advice appreciated. Joe Starin

[Joe Starin]

Thank you, Mike. Exactly the advice I was looking for. I'll check both
sticks one at a time. Didn't think the display driver issue and RAM upgrade
were linked in any way. Joe

"Mike M" > wrote in message
...
> Try running the PC with first just one of the new stick and then the
> other. The amount of RAM should not cause display problems. You
> shouldn't need to change any settings after increasing your RAM unless you
> want to manually configure the size of the swap file. XP doesn't have the
> same problems as Win 9x systems when installed RAM exceeds 512MB where the
> system runs out of upper memory address space and the user needs to limit
> vcache.
>
> You might also want to check your RAM by using a product such as
> Simmtester's free DocMem
> (http://www.simmtester.com/PAGE/products/doc/docinfo.asp). Again, do this
> a stick at a time.
> --
> Mike Maltby
>
>
>
> Joe Starin > wrote:
>
>> Hello group. Pardon the off-topic question, but I trust the great
>> advice given by these ME experts (most of whom have probably upgraded
>> to XP anyway). My questions.
>>
>> Have an older Dell Dimension 4300, P4, 1.6 MHz. Upgraded the ME to XP
>> Home, and downloaded SP2. Everything worked fine after reloading some
>> programs, etc. Took the two sticks of PC133 256 SDRAM and replaced
>> them with two no-name PC133 512 sticks purchased on eBay from a
>> highly rated seller. With the two 512s, the PC randomly crashed --
>> flashed a blue-screen with white error message, then immediately
>> rebooted, usually when a key was pressed to launch a new program.
>> (Fans are clean, etc.) The problem appeared to be a display driver
>> issue. I:
>> 1) Deleted old display driver(s) and installed an updated one from
>> nVidia Web site.
>> 2) Removed one of the 512 sticks and went back to the original 256
>> stick -- now have 768MB.
>>
>> PC is running just perfectly. Could the new RAM have fueled the reboot
>> problems? If so, why did the driver problem not show up until I
>> swapped the RAM? Did I need to change some settings after upping the
>> memory to 1024? Or maybe one of the 512 sticks is bad (system info
>> showed that 1024 was installed.). Next step is to swap the 512 sticks
>> to see if one is faulty. Any other advice appreciated. Joe Starin
>

[Mike M]

Please post back with any update as it is always interesting to know the
cause of this sort of problem.

Cheers,
--
Mike Maltby



Joe Starin > wrote:

> Thank you, Mike. Exactly the advice I was looking for. I'll check both
> sticks one at a time. Didn't think the display driver issue and RAM
> upgrade were linked in any way. Joe

[Joe Starin]

I will swap, test and post back. Which leads to a final question: After an
ME to XP upgrade, could an outdated or incorrect video driver cause random
crashes/reboots? Joe

"Mike M" > wrote in message
...
> Please post back with any update as it is always interesting to know the
> cause of this sort of problem.
>
> Cheers,
> --
> Mike Maltby
>
>
>
> Joe Starin > wrote:
>
>> Thank you, Mike. Exactly the advice I was looking for. I'll check both
>> sticks one at a time. Didn't think the display driver issue and RAM
>> upgrade were linked in any way. Joe
>

[Mike M]

Joe Starin > wrote:

> I will swap, test and post back. Which leads to a final question:
> After an ME to XP upgrade, could an outdated or incorrect video
> driver cause random crashes/reboots? Joe

I wouldn't expect the Win Me video driver to still be in use following the
upgrade but it wouldn't be a bad idea to visit the video card/chip
manufacturer's web site and download and install the latest XP compatible
driver for your video subsystem.
--
Mike Maltby

[Richard G. Harper]

One of the beautiful things about an upgrade from 9x/Me to XP is that all
previously-used system components (including drivers) are discarded during
the upgrade.

--
Richard G. Harper [MVP Shell/User]
* PLEASE post all messages and replies in the newsgroups
* for the benefit of all. Private mail is usually not replied to.
* My website, such as it is ... http://rgharper.mvps.org/
* HELP us help YOU ... http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm


"Joe Starin" > wrote in message
. net...
>I will swap, test and post back. Which leads to a final question: After an
>ME to XP upgrade, could an outdated or incorrect video driver cause random
>crashes/reboots? Joe
>
> "Mike M" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Please post back with any update as it is always interesting to know the
>> cause of this sort of problem.
>>
>> Cheers,
>> --
>> Mike Maltby
>>
>>
>>
>> Joe Starin > wrote:
>>
>>> Thank you, Mike. Exactly the advice I was looking for. I'll check both
>>> sticks one at a time. Didn't think the display driver issue and RAM
>>> upgrade were linked in any way. Joe
>>
>
>

[Joe Starin]

Thanks for all the input, everyone. "Tested" both new sticks of 512
separately. Added just one 512 for a week. No problems. Then removed it,
swapped it with the other 512 for a week. No problems. Put both in. No
problems. My freezing/rebooting problem seemed to go away about the time I
updated the video driver to Nvidia's latest and/or when I installed SP2.
Upgrading from ME to XP really does take some time and effort. And, on my
machine, XP (and other tasks running at startup) consumes about 330MB of
RAM, so the extra memory was essential. Joe Starin

"Richard G. Harper" > wrote in message
...
> One of the beautiful things about an upgrade from 9x/Me to XP is that all
> previously-used system components (including drivers) are discarded during
> the upgrade.
>
> --
> Richard G. Harper [MVP Shell/User]
> * PLEASE post all messages and replies in the newsgroups
> * for the benefit of all. Private mail is usually not replied to.
> * My website, such as it is ... http://rgharper.mvps.org/
> * HELP us help YOU ... http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
>
>
> "Joe Starin" > wrote in message
> . net...
>>I will swap, test and post back. Which leads to a final question: After an
>>ME to XP upgrade, could an outdated or incorrect video driver cause random
>>crashes/reboots? Joe
>>
>> "Mike M" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> Please post back with any update as it is always interesting to know the
>>> cause of this sort of problem.
>>>
>>> Cheers,
>>> --
>>> Mike Maltby
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Joe Starin > wrote:
>>>
>>>> Thank you, Mike. Exactly the advice I was looking for. I'll check both
>>>> sticks one at a time. Didn't think the display driver issue and RAM
>>>> upgrade were linked in any way. Joe
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

[Joe Starin]

Actually, I still have the same crash + immediate reboot problem. Popped up
twice yesterday, but not once before that in the past week and a half. How's
that for random? RAM (two new 512 sticks in two slots) is being tested as we
speak and shows no errors after two passes. I've also posted this issue to
the windowsxp/general newsgroup since no-one might be following this older
thread anymore. I'm going to try another display driver, since some have had
a bad experience with the most-current nVidia display driver that I now have
installed. Joe Starin

"Joe Starin" > wrote in message
et...
> Thanks for all the input, everyone. "Tested" both new sticks of 512
> separately. Added just one 512 for a week. No problems. Then removed it,
> swapped it with the other 512 for a week. No problems. Put both in. No
> problems. My freezing/rebooting problem seemed to go away about the time I
> updated the video driver to Nvidia's latest and/or when I installed SP2.
> Upgrading from ME to XP really does take some time and effort. And, on my
> machine, XP (and other tasks running at startup) consumes about 330MB of
> RAM, so the extra memory was essential. Joe Starin
>
> "Richard G. Harper" > wrote in message
> ...
>> One of the beautiful things about an upgrade from 9x/Me to XP is that all
>> previously-used system components (including drivers) are discarded
>> during the upgrade.
>>
>> --
>> Richard G. Harper [MVP Shell/User]
>> * PLEASE post all messages and replies in the newsgroups
>> * for the benefit of all. Private mail is usually not replied to.
>> * My website, such as it is ... http://rgharper.mvps.org/
>> * HELP us help YOU ... http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
>>
>>
>> "Joe Starin" > wrote in message
>> . net...
>>>I will swap, test and post back. Which leads to a final question: After
>>>an ME to XP upgrade, could an outdated or incorrect video driver cause
>>>random crashes/reboots? Joe
>>>
>>> "Mike M" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>>> Please post back with any update as it is always interesting to know
>>>> the cause of this sort of problem.
>>>>
>>>> Cheers,
>>>> --
>>>> Mike Maltby
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Joe Starin > wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Thank you, Mike. Exactly the advice I was looking for. I'll check both
>>>>> sticks one at a time. Didn't think the display driver issue and RAM
>>>>> upgrade were linked in any way. Joe
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

[Mart]

Joe,

Presumably you've re-tried Mike M's original suggestion and confirmed that
it also crashes with just ONE RAM stick installed?

Another useful test would be to eliminate your Windows OS's - including
drivers (and HDD) bearing in mind that it *might* still be a heat related
issue :-

Boot using a WinMe Windows Startup (floppy) Disk and let it continue to the
DOS Help page. Leave it running for several hours - if necessary overnight -
and see if it still reboots. Scroll at least one page - and then again
occasionally just to confirm that it hasn't 'locked-up'. You'll know if it
re-booted as - assuming you've scrolled the Help page - it'll re-boot back
to page 1 of the Help pages.

If so, then it's a problem with your PC and not with your OS's.

Mart



"Joe Starin" > wrote in message
et...
> Actually, I still have the same crash + immediate reboot problem. Popped
> up twice yesterday, but not once before that in the past week and a half.
> How's that for random? RAM (two new 512 sticks in two slots) is being
> tested as we speak and shows no errors after two passes. I've also posted
> this issue to the windowsxp/general newsgroup since no-one might be
> following this older thread anymore. I'm going to try another display
> driver, since some have had a bad experience with the most-current nVidia
> display driver that I now have installed. Joe Starin
>
> "Joe Starin" > wrote in message
> et...
>> Thanks for all the input, everyone. "Tested" both new sticks of 512
>> separately. Added just one 512 for a week. No problems. Then removed it,
>> swapped it with the other 512 for a week. No problems. Put both in. No
>> problems. My freezing/rebooting problem seemed to go away about the time
>> I updated the video driver to Nvidia's latest and/or when I installed
>> SP2. Upgrading from ME to XP really does take some time and effort. And,
>> on my machine, XP (and other tasks running at startup) consumes about
>> 330MB of RAM, so the extra memory was essential. Joe Starin
>>
>> "Richard G. Harper" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> One of the beautiful things about an upgrade from 9x/Me to XP is that
>>> all previously-used system components (including drivers) are discarded
>>> during the upgrade.
>>>
>>> --
>>> Richard G. Harper [MVP Shell/User]
>>> * PLEASE post all messages and replies in the newsgroups
>>> * for the benefit of all. Private mail is usually not replied to.
>>> * My website, such as it is ... http://rgharper.mvps.org/
>>> * HELP us help YOU ... http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
>>>
>>>
>>> "Joe Starin" > wrote in message
>>> . net...
>>>>I will swap, test and post back. Which leads to a final question: After
>>>>an ME to XP upgrade, could an outdated or incorrect video driver cause
>>>>random crashes/reboots? Joe
>>>>
>>>> "Mike M" > wrote in message
>>>> ...
>>>>> Please post back with any update as it is always interesting to know
>>>>> the cause of this sort of problem.
>>>>>
>>>>> Cheers,
>>>>> --
>>>>> Mike Maltby
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Joe Starin > wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Thank you, Mike. Exactly the advice I was looking for. I'll check
>>>>>> both
>>>>>> sticks one at a time. Didn't think the display driver issue and RAM
>>>>>> upgrade were linked in any way. Joe
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

[Joe Starin]

Thanks for checking in, Mart.

Did not crash with just one stick of new 512 and an original, known-good
256. Swapped out the 512s and did not crash with the second stick of 512 and
original 256. However, the crashes are very far apart and random, so maybe
it was just a coincidence that that crashes occurred with both 512s in
there.

But, today I tested the 512+512 RAM combo today with a Windows Memory
Diagnostic boot disk. Ran the extended test. Found 108 errors (Stride38),
Slot DIMM_A. I'm guessing one of the sticks is bad -- the RAM in slot A,
whichever one that is. Also replaced the latest 84.21 nVidia display driver
with an older known 100% bug-free nVidia 44.03. That's where I am so far.

I emailed the RAM vendor seeking to trade one 512 for another. Fingers
crossed.

Thanks for your interest.

Joe

"Mart" > wrote in message
...
> Joe,
>
> Presumably you've re-tried Mike M's original suggestion and confirmed that
> it also crashes with just ONE RAM stick installed?
>
> Another useful test would be to eliminate your Windows OS's - including
> drivers (and HDD) bearing in mind that it *might* still be a heat related
> issue :-
>
> Boot using a WinMe Windows Startup (floppy) Disk and let it continue to
> the DOS Help page. Leave it running for several hours - if necessary
> overnight - and see if it still reboots. Scroll at least one page - and
> then again occasionally just to confirm that it hasn't 'locked-up'. You'll
> know if it re-booted as - assuming you've scrolled the Help page - it'll
> re-boot back to page 1 of the Help pages.
>
> If so, then it's a problem with your PC and not with your OS's.
>
> Mart
>
>
>
> "Joe Starin" > wrote in message
> et...
>> Actually, I still have the same crash + immediate reboot problem. Popped
>> up twice yesterday, but not once before that in the past week and a half.
>> How's that for random? RAM (two new 512 sticks in two slots) is being
>> tested as we speak and shows no errors after two passes. I've also posted
>> this issue to the windowsxp/general newsgroup since no-one might be
>> following this older thread anymore. I'm going to try another display
>> driver, since some have had a bad experience with the most-current nVidia
>> display driver that I now have installed. Joe Starin
>>
>> "Joe Starin" > wrote in message
>> et...
>>> Thanks for all the input, everyone. "Tested" both new sticks of 512
>>> separately. Added just one 512 for a week. No problems. Then removed it,
>>> swapped it with the other 512 for a week. No problems. Put both in. No
>>> problems. My freezing/rebooting problem seemed to go away about the time
>>> I updated the video driver to Nvidia's latest and/or when I installed
>>> SP2. Upgrading from ME to XP really does take some time and effort. And,
>>> on my machine, XP (and other tasks running at startup) consumes about
>>> 330MB of RAM, so the extra memory was essential. Joe Starin
>>>
>>> "Richard G. Harper" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>>> One of the beautiful things about an upgrade from 9x/Me to XP is that
>>>> all previously-used system components (including drivers) are discarded
>>>> during the upgrade.
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Richard G. Harper [MVP Shell/User]
>>>> * PLEASE post all messages and replies in the newsgroups
>>>> * for the benefit of all. Private mail is usually not replied to.
>>>> * My website, such as it is ... http://rgharper.mvps.org/
>>>> * HELP us help YOU ... http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> "Joe Starin" > wrote in message
>>>> . net...
>>>>>I will swap, test and post back. Which leads to a final question: After
>>>>>an ME to XP upgrade, could an outdated or incorrect video driver cause
>>>>>random crashes/reboots? Joe
>>>>>
>>>>> "Mike M" > wrote in message
>>>>> ...
>>>>>> Please post back with any update as it is always interesting to know
>>>>>> the cause of this sort of problem.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Cheers,
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> Mike Maltby
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Joe Starin > wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Thank you, Mike. Exactly the advice I was looking for. I'll check
>>>>>>> both
>>>>>>> sticks one at a time. Didn't think the display driver issue and RAM
>>>>>>> upgrade were linked in any way. Joe
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

[Mart]

Joe wrote :-

> Thanks for your interest.

You're welcome - and good luck.

Mart


"Joe Starin" > wrote in message
et...
> Thanks for checking in, Mart.
>
> Did not crash with just one stick of new 512 and an original, known-good
> 256. Swapped out the 512s and did not crash with the second stick of 512
> and original 256. However, the crashes are very far apart and random, so
> maybe it was just a coincidence that that crashes occurred with both 512s
> in there.
>
> But, today I tested the 512+512 RAM combo today with a Windows Memory
> Diagnostic boot disk. Ran the extended test. Found 108 errors (Stride38),
> Slot DIMM_A. I'm guessing one of the sticks is bad -- the RAM in slot A,
> whichever one that is. Also replaced the latest 84.21 nVidia display
> driver with an older known 100% bug-free nVidia 44.03. That's where I am
> so far.
>
> I emailed the RAM vendor seeking to trade one 512 for another. Fingers
> crossed.
>
> Thanks for your interest.
>
> Joe
>
> "Mart" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Joe,
>>
>> Presumably you've re-tried Mike M's original suggestion and confirmed
>> that it also crashes with just ONE RAM stick installed?
>>
>> Another useful test would be to eliminate your Windows OS's - including
>> drivers (and HDD) bearing in mind that it *might* still be a heat related
>> issue :-
>>
>> Boot using a WinMe Windows Startup (floppy) Disk and let it continue to
>> the DOS Help page. Leave it running for several hours - if necessary
>> overnight - and see if it still reboots. Scroll at least one page - and
>> then again occasionally just to confirm that it hasn't 'locked-up'.
>> You'll know if it re-booted as - assuming you've scrolled the Help page -
>> it'll re-boot back to page 1 of the Help pages.
>>
>> If so, then it's a problem with your PC and not with your OS's.
>>
>> Mart
>>
>>
>>
>> "Joe Starin" > wrote in message
>> et...
>>> Actually, I still have the same crash + immediate reboot problem. Popped
>>> up twice yesterday, but not once before that in the past week and a
>>> half. How's that for random? RAM (two new 512 sticks in two slots) is
>>> being tested as we speak and shows no errors after two passes. I've also
>>> posted this issue to the windowsxp/general newsgroup since no-one might
>>> be following this older thread anymore. I'm going to try another display
>>> driver, since some have had a bad experience with the most-current
>>> nVidia display driver that I now have installed. Joe Starin
>>>
>>> "Joe Starin" > wrote in message
>>> et...
>>>> Thanks for all the input, everyone. "Tested" both new sticks of 512
>>>> separately. Added just one 512 for a week. No problems. Then removed
>>>> it, swapped it with the other 512 for a week. No problems. Put both in.
>>>> No problems. My freezing/rebooting problem seemed to go away about the
>>>> time I updated the video driver to Nvidia's latest and/or when I
>>>> installed SP2. Upgrading from ME to XP really does take some time and
>>>> effort. And, on my machine, XP (and other tasks running at startup)
>>>> consumes about 330MB of RAM, so the extra memory was essential. Joe
>>>> Starin
>>>>
>>>> "Richard G. Harper" > wrote in message
>>>> ...
>>>>> One of the beautiful things about an upgrade from 9x/Me to XP is that
>>>>> all previously-used system components (including drivers) are
>>>>> discarded during the upgrade.
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> Richard G. Harper [MVP Shell/User]
>>>>> * PLEASE post all messages and replies in the newsgroups
>>>>> * for the benefit of all. Private mail is usually not replied to.
>>>>> * My website, such as it is ... http://rgharper.mvps.org/
>>>>> * HELP us help YOU ... http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> "Joe Starin" > wrote in message
>>>>> . net...
>>>>>>I will swap, test and post back. Which leads to a final question:
>>>>>>After an ME to XP upgrade, could an outdated or incorrect video driver
>>>>>>cause random crashes/reboots? Joe
>>>>>>
>>>>>> "Mike M" > wrote in message
>>>>>> ...
>>>>>>> Please post back with any update as it is always interesting to know
>>>>>>> the cause of this sort of problem.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Cheers,
>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>> Mike Maltby
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Joe Starin > wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Thank you, Mike. Exactly the advice I was looking for. I'll check
>>>>>>>> both
>>>>>>>> sticks one at a time. Didn't think the display driver issue and RAM
>>>>>>>> upgrade were linked in any way. Joe
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>