confirm a bad stick (VS1GBKIT400)

[ooshrooms]

Ok, so I built my first pc about two weeks ago. Everything went great. It was fast and stable. (I didn't do any performance testing or anything, but there were no crashes or errors). Then yesterday all of a sudden I got a message upon booting that there were files missing from the windows registry. Programs started crashing that had been working fine for a week. A system restore didn't work, so I tried reinstalling windows fresh. (It's not like I would lose too much and I assumed it would work). Unfortunately a dozen to two dozen files failed to transfer properly from the cd during the preinstallation. The error message suggested the disc was dirty. I told it to retry each file, and they seemed to work right, since the transfer continued. When it got to the installation, it gave an error about the missing files, restarted, and give the same error again when it tried installing a second time.

 

I checked the windows installation disc for dirt or scratches, but it was in perfect condition, and I tried it in two different optical drives to ensure a clean lens. The actual files that didn't transfer varried from one attempt to the next, but it was about the same total number. After figuring out it wasn't the cd or drive I decided to test the ram. A single chanel of 512MB should work fine for a light workload, so I removed the stick in the second slot. Windows installed perfectly, and I loaded up some drivers just fine. I turned off the computer and swapped out the working ram in slot one with the stick that had been in slot two. An identical stick in the same slot should give the same performance, but it wouldn't even boot. When trying to load windows it gave an error message and restarted. On the second try it froze at the same spot. I switched back to the first stick alone, and it's working perfectly again.

 

Is there anything else I should do to confirm my conclusion that it's bad ram?

 

Is it normal for ram to work for a few days then go buggy?

Since it came as a kit, if I get the ok to send it back for testing for possible replacement, would I have to mail both sticks, or can I keep the working one and just get one stick replaced?

[consulting]

Not a funny new year 2006 for you.

But don't worry.

What I would do at first:

 

a) Remove the RAM in the 2nd bank and restart the PC with only one bank occupied.

If all runs well then the memory in bank 2 may be bad.

b) However, try the reverse test. Exchange the RAM modules.

The PC shouldn't work properly. Perform seceral test with different applications.

 

Another point:

There is a BIOS option for a quick boot that skips the RAM test.

c) Turn it off if set to ON (quick boot without test).

See the result of the test at boot-up.

 

If there is nothing failing in all cases then check the latency.

The specs for the modules are:

1024MB DDR400 184Pin CL2,5 (2x512MB)

 

I hope that I could assist you (from Germany...)

[RAM GUY]

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.