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XMS 3200 problems

gb4double

By gb4double
in Warranty and RMA Questions

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gb4double

gb4double

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I've been experiencing memory related issues since purchasing this memory. Because it was new and what appeared to be the best thing on the market, I never thought the RAM was bad. Programs and games would often crash and here recently i've been experiencing a consistent blue screen error "driver irql not less or equal" folowed by a file name (always different), but most often the error is alone with a stop message. In searching the web, a lot of the information pointed to a bad DIMM. One DIMM can be taken out and is not problematic, one DIMM causes the problem. I purchased more RAM and have yet to see the problem again.

 

I've done everything from swapping out what little parts I have installe don th board. I'm not overclocking at all. The only thing i've done in th BIOS is to disable on board sound. I've went as far as "MULTIPLE" reformats of the hard drive, installing only the bare minimums and having the system crash while running media player. The last resort at least the next to the last (last would've been an all new system of which I can't afford at the moment), as seen above I got new RAM.

 

If someone has had this problem and knows that the RAM is not bad and there is something I need to set in the BIOS, by all means let me know. Again, i've never overclocked the memory, chnaged the factory voltage settings in the BIOS for the memory as the out the box settings are good for me and the most safe...

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Can you tell me our modules exact part# and the make and model of MB you have along with the CPU speed and it’s FSB as well? In addition, please tell me the bios settings you have set for both CPU and memory and any performance settings that you may have set?
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gb4double

gb4double

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Can you tell me our modules exact part# and the make and model of MB you have along with the CPU speed and it’s FSB as well? In addition, please tell me the bios settings you have set for both CPU and memory and any performance settings that you may have set?

 

Intel 2.8Ghz Cpu (HT)

The motherboard is an Abit IS7

BIOS version 23

Radeon 9600 XT

FSB is 800Mb

Windows XP /w Service pack two and all hot-fixes applied

EMU-1820 M audio card

 

The motherboard CPU and memory settings, I have not made any changes to in the BIOS, it is factory defaults. I've never overclocked this or any other system for that matter as bench mark scores don't at all matter to me.

 

I don't have the exact memory settings with me (i am at work), but I will get them and post them here ASAP. Seeing as i'm not having the problem with new memory and the Corsair memory I had is on the compatibility chart for that Motherboard, i don't see how this will make any difference (if its all factory setting for the memory and CPU).

 

My memory related problems are not new. I took for granted that the memory was new and and could not be causing any problems, not to mention many of my peers recommended Corsair (I do software/hardware support for a living).

 

I've done everything from reseating the memory, taking a stick out, and trying it in different slots, in troubleshooting the problem.

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I am sorry but there is not enough info to know whats going on. Please try and load setup defaults ( assuming you have the latest bios) and then set the dim voltage to 2.7 Volts and test the modules one at a time with http://www.memtest.org with these settings.

DRAM Clock: 200 MHz

DRAM Timing (overrides SPD values): Manual

System Performance: Normal

SDRAM Bank cycle time (or tRAS): 6

SDRAM Bank Interleave: 4

SDRAM Row Precharge (tRP): 3

SDRAM RAS-to-CAS Delay (tRCD): 3

SDRAM CAS Latency: 2 (2.5 on AMD platform)

Command Rate: 1T

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gb4double

gb4double

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I am sorry but there is not enough info to know whats going on. Please try and load setup defaults ( assuming you have the latest bios) and then set the dim voltage to 2.7 Volts and test the modules one at a time with http://www.memtest.org with these settings.

DRAM Clock: 200 MHz

DRAM Timing (overrides SPD values): Manual

System Performance: Normal

SDRAM Bank cycle time (or tRAS): 6

SDRAM Bank Interleave: 4

SDRAM Row Precharge (tRP): 3

SDRAM RAS-to-CAS Delay (tRCD): 3

SDRAM CAS Latency: 2 (2.5 on AMD platform)

Command Rate: 1T

 

which memtest should I download?

 

I don't understand why, when i've seen threads in here with much less information in them, have an easier time RMA'ing memory with a lifetime warranty. I've been having issues with this RAM since day one. My machine is to the point of not staying up and running for five minutes when I have those modules installed. I went out and spent more money on RAM and i've not experienced one crash or instability issue since swapping it. I purchased the XMS RAM, the IS7 mobo, and the CPU all from New Egg at the same time (this time of year last year). The system has not run the way it should've run up until I swapped the Corsair for the Kingston.

 

I will jump through the hoops, because the broken XMS is doing me no good and cost to much for me to let is sit or throw it away..

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gb4double

gb4double

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No Problem please let me know if you do not get a reply by 10:00 AM Pacific time tomorrow!

 

Afte my last post to you, I wanted to be sure of myself. The system had not crashed (notice I say had not) with the different RAM, so I decided to see if I could make the system crash... and I did :confused: . My appologies if I came off as rude in my prior post, i'm just frustrated. I use that computer mainly for music production, but it is also my MAIN system and to have it constantly going down is a real downer. Again, my appologies (I work in a call center doing third level support, so I out of all people realise my problems are not caused by you).

 

Back to the present, I beging running different programs (not to many at once maybe 2 or three, but with a GIG of RAM, and processor use not going above 50%, that should be no problem). Opening and closing them (waiting for them to completely close before opening again or opening another) to see if I could force a crash. I did crash this with no additional file, but the BSOD title was (type of error) was different than before. It read "No More IRP stack locations". This seems to be pointing to USB or a USB device (based on web searches), but really I don't know.

 

When I get home tonight, i'm going to disable USB in the BIOS and in Device Manager (if the BIOS did not disable it) and test.

 

As of now, we can hold off on the RMA. Any help or assistance (if you are familar with what is happening) will be greatly appreciated. Also, which one of those memory test (from memtest.com) would someone with my hardware setup need?

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Well you can search for the errors code# at http://www.microsoft.com/technet and that will many times give you ideas of what to look for.

For memory test to make bootable floppy:

First you would download the memtest utility to your HDD, then using http://www.winzip.com extract it to the same directory.

Please then get a floppy and do a fresh full format on it, and if there are any bad sectors just throw it away and get a new one. The click on the install.bat file in the directory where you downloaded and extracted the files and follow the on screen prompts.

 

To make a Bootable CD from with in windows you would download the ISO image that has a .zip extension. .tar would be for UNIX.

Memtest.ISO

Then use http://www.winzip.com to extract the ISO image to the same directory that you downloaded it to. Then using CD-R software you will burn the image to CD. Note: Do not copy the image; there is usually an option under file or burner to burn image.

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gb4double

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Well you can search for the errors code# at http://www.microsoft.com/technet and that will many times give you ideas of what to look for.

For memory test to make bootable floppy:

First you would download the memtest utility to your HDD, then using http://www.winzip.com extract it to the same directory.

Please then get a floppy and do a fresh full format on it, and if there are any bad sectors just throw it away and get a new one. The click on the install.bat file in the directory where you downloaded and extracted the files and follow the on screen prompts.

 

To make a Bootable CD from with in windows you would download the ISO image that has a .zip extension. .tar would be for UNIX.

Memtest.ISO

Then use http://www.winzip.com to extract the ISO image to the same directory that you downloaded it to. Then using CD-R software you will burn the image to CD. Note: Do not copy the image; there is usually an option under file or burner to burn image.

 

:biggrin: I just wanted the version number, not instuctions on the process. Thanks, i'll run the test, check the site, and post back.

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gb4double

gb4double

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Just use the latest version!

 

Well the Corsair passed all test with flying collors. I tested the other RAM and it got errors, but I don't believe I had the settings under advanced correct for it.

 

It has me baffled at this point... If its driver related, tracking it down will be a nightmare. Teh one good thing is I can start with my newest part, the EMU 1820 soundcard.

 

The "No IRP Stack Location Error) as far as the web is concerned, is point to a USB smartcard reader... I have one incorporated in my HP printer (photosmart 7260), so at least i have a start... Thanks for your help, I will keep you posted, as it may help someone else out...

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gb4double

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UPDATE!!!

 

I kept getting the various BSOD errors. They would switch (message wise) with no type of rhyme or reason. Did not really matter the program, I’ve had it happen when the PC was just in an idle state.

 

I did various searches, came across many possible causes and fixes, but nothing really worked. Everything in the machine was purchased within a year, but two parts have been around the longest, CPU and MOBO and when i started to thinking about the PC, it's been sort of problematic since day one. I can't count the hours that I’ve put in trying to troubleshooting, nor could I add up how many software rebuilds I’ve been through in the year.

 

The newest edition to the hardware is the EMU soundcard and I guess it could be causing the problem, but I had probelms with the Audigy 2 soundcard as well. I will admit Creative drivers are not the best, but more people turn to creative when looking for options other than on board sound than not, so it seems impossible to me that the drivers could be that bad and only a handful of people have the problem.

 

The Abit mobo (IS7) is where I feel the problems lie. I still can't place finger on it exactly, bad capacitor, who knows... To make a long story short, the end of most of the threads I found with the various BSOD (IRQL Not less or Equal, Page_fault_in_non Paged_area, and some others) seem to either not get resolved or it got resolved by some tired and battered soul shelling out one last many fortune on a new MOBO... I could not take it any more, I was just that tired... I got new board ASUS P4C800 Deluxe E <--- that types so well :D:

 

I feel confident that the problem is no more... One more part and the entire system is new again (CPU)...

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RAM GUY

RAM GUY

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Please set the Dim Voltage to 2.7X volts (+.2 Volts W/Giga-Byte) and then set the timings manually to the tested settings for the specific module you have, XMS2700C2 Cass 2-3-3-6 for example or if you have Value Select "BY SPD" and then test the module/'s one at a time with www.memtest.org! If you still get errors, please follow the link in my signature “I think I have a bad part!” and we will be happy to replace them or it! However, if you get errors with both modules that would suggest some other problem and I would test them in another system or MB to be sure.

 

Are you trying to mix our modules with other memory?

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gb4double

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I set the voltage as specified, but the memory timings I set i set to 2-3-3-8, is that not correct for the modules I have?

 

I was mixing the RAM (not at first and not now and the channels were paired and frequency is all the same). I had two sticks of Kingston ddr400 in channel two of the mobo. I removed the kingston because Memtest was giving errors with the modules installed.

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