Faulty RAM according to MEMTEST. Who to contact?

shizz

Ok so over the past months I have been having random memory management BSOD's and so I decided to test my RAM with Memtest. Straight away I get errors everywhere so I decided to test my ram seperatley and in different slots to try and narrow down the problem. Well I think it's fairly obvious which RAM it is as in every test it was in, no matter which slot it produced errors when the other did not.

My laptop is ASUS so do I contact them about it or the company that made the memory? Its Hynix 4GBmemory that is causing the problems.

Should they replace this? I only bought the Laptop in May and I had been getting problems since July or so.

Thanks in advance.

bonzodog2

I think you take it to the retailer in the first instance. Back up any data you don't want to lose first !

shizz

bonzodog2 wrote: »

I think you take it to the retailer in the first instance. Back up any data you don't want to lose first !

You mean the place that I bought the Laptop from? I bought it online from savonlaptops.co.uk so should I contact them?

shizz

I just looked at savonlaptops returns policy and they say for faulty, that we should contact the manufacturer first.

yoyo

shizz wrote: »

I just looked at savonlaptops returns policy and they say for faulty, that we should contact the manufacturer first.

If the RAM came with the laptop they will usually require the entire machine be returned for it to be replaced . Would be worth checking with them though, if they require you send the entire machine back and this would inconvenience you I would just buy memory from the likes of memoryc, elara etc and replace it that way, RAM is cheap enough nowadays!

Nick

shizz

yoyo wrote: »

If the RAM came with the laptop they will usually require the entire machine be returned for it to be replaced . Would be worth checking with them though, if they require you send the entire machine back and this would inconvenience you I would just buy memory from the likes of memoryc, elara etc and replace it that way, RAM is cheap enough nowadays!

Nick

Yeah it really would be a nuisance. I thought maybe you could just send the ram and they would sen a new one back, maybe they will but that would still interfer as it would leave me with only 2GB which wont do.

yoyo

shizz wrote: »

Yeah it really would be a nuisance. I thought maybe you could just send the ram and they would sen a new one back, maybe they will but that would still interfer as it would leave me with only 2GB which wont do.

They don't . Its a real nuisance aswell if you buy a kit of RAM and if one stick is faulty both must be returned! Some suppliers may accept just the memory module back but in their policy they probably wont as if the laptop gets returned it goes to the manufacturer for fixing.
Not to mention the manufacturer will probably format the machine during "testing" :rolleyes: I would just get a new module from one of the sites I mentioned or elsewhere! €21 quid for 4 gig (<30 quid delivered)

Nick

shizz

yoyo wrote: »

They don't . Its a real nuisance aswell if you buy a kit of RAM and if one stick is faulty both must be returned! Some suppliers may accept just the memory module back but in their policy they probably wont as if the laptop gets returned it goes to the manufacturer for fixing.
Not to mention the manufacturer will probably format the machine during "testing" :rolleyes: I would just get a new module from one of the sites I mentioned or elsewhere! €21 quid for 4 gig (<30 quid delivered)

Nick

Yeah thanks man it's probably what ill do. Sure I would probably have to pay for sending it to them aswell. too much hassle. Do you know if Asus have proprietry with their hardware or will they be compatible with any RAM?

I doubt this anyway cause both ram module in my laptop were different brand.

yoyo

shizz wrote: »

Yeah thanks man it's probably what ill do. Sure I would probably have to pay for sending it to them aswell. too much hassle. Do you know if Asus have proprietry with their hardware or will they be compatible with any RAM?

I doubt this anyway cause both ram module in my laptop were different brand.

You wouldn't have to pay returning it in warranty, up to the retailer to cover postage costs always unless its a change of mind. Any RAM will work, Asus are a solid brand so you shouldn't have any problems at all, just make sure it takes DDR3 memory (all new machines do) as thats what I linked too, you can find this out from the sticker on the module you pulled out. Even if the RAM I linked is a higher rated speed it will work at the laptops max speed or the speed of the other module installed

Nick

shizz

yoyo wrote: »

You wouldn't have to pay returning it in warranty, up to the retailer to cover postage costs always unless its a change of mind. Any RAM will work, Asus are a solid brand so you shouldn't have any problems at all, just make sure it takes DDR3 memory (all new machines do) as thats what I linked too, you can find this out from the sticker on the module you pulled out. Even if the RAM I linked is a higher rated speed it will work at the laptops max speed or the speed of the other module installed

Nick

Yeah it is ddr3. I noticed a couple of things from the Memtest. It gave me info about the RAM and the slots. Like it said the CAS: for one slot was like 6-6-6-24 and the other was 9-9-9-20 (I might have got the 20 and the 24 mixed up I can confirm when at home) But will this matter when choosing ram? Like was one slot modified for the 4gb while the other was for the 2gb.

Im guessing this info was about the slot as it didnt change when i changed the RAM.

yoyo

shizz wrote: »

Yeah it is ddr3. I noticed a couple of things from the Memtest. It gave me info about the RAM and the slots. Like it said the CAS: for one slot was like 6-6-6-24 and the other was 9-9-9-20 (I might have got the 20 and the 24 mixed up I can confirm when at home) But will this matter when choosing ram? Like was one slot modified for the 4gb while the other was for the 2gb.

Im guessing this info was about the slot as it didnt change when i changed the RAM.

No it wont, the system will run it at the lowest compatible speed

Nick

shizz

yoyo wrote: »

No it wont, the system will run it at the lowest compatible speed

Nick

Ah ok. Have you any idea what those figures represent?

Thanks for your help btw.

Also im living in England at the moment and was wondering what you thought of this RAM http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CMSO8GX3M2A1333C9-DDR3-Laptop-Memory/dp/B002YUF8ZG/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
If I was going to buy some I thought I may aswell upgrade for not much dearer.

yoyo

shizz wrote: »

Ah ok. Have you any idea what those figures represent?

Thanks for your help btw.

Also im living in England at the moment and was wondering what you thought of this RAM http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CMSO8GX3M2A1333C9-DDR3-Laptop-Memory/dp/B002YUF8ZG/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
If I was going to buy some I thought I may aswell upgrade for not much dearer.

You may have RAM rated differently but still it should work no issues. If you have two different speed RAM the system will run the higher speed one at the lower speed to compensate. If you replace both modules like the ones you linked to (are ok) the system will run them at the max speed the motherboard supports, which is likely 1333Mhz

Nick

shizz

yoyo wrote: »

You may have RAM rated differently but still it should work no issues. If you have two different speed RAM the system will run the higher speed one at the lower speed to compensate. If you replace both modules like the ones you linked to (are ok) the system will run them at the max speed the motherboard supports, which is likely 1333Mhz

Nick

Thanks man you've been a great help. If anything goes wrong I'll be on to you haha

yoyo

shizz wrote: »

Thanks man you've been a great help. If anything goes wrong I'll be on to you haha

Nothing should go wrong . Most laptop main boards will handle 8 gigs ok (4+4 combo). The only problems you may face are memory issues (it can happen memory arriving doa) but I've always found Corsair to be excellent and relyable (never had to RMA Corsair RAM)

Nick

shizz

yoyo wrote: »

Nothing should go wrong . Most laptop main boards will handle 8 gigs ok (4+4 combo). The only problems you may face are memory issues (it can happen memory arriving doa) but I've always found Corsair to be excellent and relyable (never had to RMA Corsair RAM)

Nick

What sort of problems regarding memory issues? Problems like getting memory management BSOD's?

yoyo

shizz wrote: »

What sort of problems regarding memory issues? Problems like getting memory management BSOD's?

Yep, sure you already know the drill with Memtest, its very unlikely Corsair to be bad. They are quality components, as I said I've RMAd memory/PSUs in the past but never a corsair!

Nick

shizz

yoyo wrote: »

Yep, sure you already know the drill with Memtest, its very unlikely Corsair to be bad. They are quality components, as I said I've RMAd memory/PSUs in the past but never a corsair!

Nick

Ah alright sorry for a second there I thought you were saying that problems would be likely to happen haha. God if I get another memory management bsod with new RAM I might just give up.

yoyo

shizz wrote: »

Ah alright sorry for a second there I thought you were saying that problems would be likely to happen haha. God if I get another memory management bsod with new RAM I might just give up.

From expierience I can say you'll likely have a hasstle free expierience with Corsair

Nick

shizz

Thanks again. Im looking forward (fingers crossed) to hassle free computing. Not that it's very likely with windows.

shizz

Ah something interesting. I left my computer earlier on to try and fix itself as I was getting some errors because windows couldn't turn on but when I got back it told me it couldn't fix it. So now I can't start up windows. Luckily I have a live cd of ubuntu and it's telling me I only have 2.6gb of RAM installed.

I must of damaged the other one completely when i was moving it. I didn't have my anti static arm strap with me but I was really careful.

Do ya reckon this is why or could it be something else?

yoyo

shizz wrote: »

Ah something interesting. I left my computer earlier on to try and fix itself as I was getting some errors because windows couldn't turn on but when I got back it told me it couldn't fix it. So now I can't start up windows. Luckily I have a live cd of ubuntu and it's telling me I only have 2.6gb of RAM installed.

I must of damaged the other one completely when i was moving it. I didn't have my anti static arm strap with me but I was really careful.

Do ya reckon this is why or could it be something else?

The other memory is probably reserved for the integrated video card, you don't need an anti static strap but with laptops always remove the battery unplug them, press the on off button to clear any redundant power and touch a bit of metal (e.g radiator) and carefully remove the component only touching its edges!

Nick

Outkast_IRE

yoyo wrote: »

Nothing should go wrong . Most laptop main boards will handle 8 gigs ok (4+4 combo). The only problems you may face are memory issues (it can happen memory arriving doa) but I've always found Corsair to be excellent and relyable (never had to RMA Corsair RAM)

Nick

I have had to RMA corsair RAM twice i have the worst luck with their memory, really high end expensives ram too I accept they are a good brand im just unlucky with them , have been using gskill a few years now , no problem

yoyo

Outkast_IRE wrote: »

I have had to RMA corsair RAM twice i have the worst luck with their memory, really high end expensives ram too I accept they are a good brand im just unlucky with them , have been using gskill a few years now , no problem

It can happen alrite But from expierience Corsair does seem to be more relyable than the cheap brands, G Skill is a good brand too, Crucial/Micron arn't bad either

Nick

shizz

yoyo wrote: »

The other memory is probably reserved for the integrated video card, you don't need an anti static strap but with laptops always remove the battery unplug them, press the on off button to clear any redundant power and touch a bit of metal (e.g radiator) and carefully remove the component only touching its edges!

Nick

Yeah Ive just installed ubuntu and it shows that I have 6gb. I haven't tried to boot into to windows since I wrote that. What could of happened?

yoyo

shizz wrote: »

Yeah Ive just installed ubuntu and it shows that I have 6gb. I haven't tried to boot into to windows since I wrote that. What could of happened?

No idea man, it could have been a Linux glitch. You may notice your video card reserves a certain amount of RAM so it looks lower than it should, this is perfectly normal (usually the OS will show you the entire amount of RAM, regardless of what other hardware has reserved).
No idea about the Windows not booting issue, but faulty memory could be the culprit alrite. Check your hard drive too while your at it though, run the manufacturers diagnostics utiltity

Nick

shizz

yoyo wrote: »

No idea man, it could have been a Linux glitch. You may notice your video card reserves a certain amount of RAM so it looks lower than it should, this is perfectly normal (usually the OS will show you the entire amount of RAM, regardless of what other hardware has reserved).
No idea about the Windows not booting issue, but faulty memory could be the culprit alrite. Check your hard drive too while your at it though, run the manufacturers diagnostics utiltity

Nick

I had thought the windows not booting had something to do with the 2gb memory because after i was finished testing it i let it boot into windows by mistake and thats when the trouble started. But the 2gb one is fine. no errors on it.

yoyo

shizz wrote: »

I had thought the windows not booting had something to do with the 2gb memory because after i was finished testing it i let it boot into windows by mistake and thats when the trouble started. But the 2gb one is fine. no errors on it.

The faulty stick probably caused it not too boot!

Nick

shizz

yoyo wrote: »

The faulty stick probably caused it not too boot!

Nick

The faulty stick wasn't in at all though? I thought windows was having trouble booting with just 2gb? perhaps Im wrong.

yoyo

shizz wrote: »

The faulty stick wasn't in at all though? I thought windows was having trouble booting with just 2gb? perhaps Im wrong.

I would run a hard drive scan, download Seatools for Dos, burn it onto a CD (Like Memtest) and boot off it, do a long scan on the hard drive.

Nick

shizz

yoyo wrote: »

I would run a hard drive scan, download Seatools for Dos, burn it onto a CD (Like Memtest) and boot off it, do a long scan on the hard drive.

Nick

I just tried to run this hard drive test and it's telling me there are no hard drives detected? Does this tool depend on windows to run? Could this be why windows isn't booting? Because I obviously have a hard drive attached, Im using it in Linux.

yoyo

shizz wrote: »

I just tried to run this hard drive test and it's telling me there are no hard drives detected? Does this tool depend on windows to run? Could this be why windows isn't booting? Because I obviously have a hard drive attached, Im using it in Linux.

Thats odd, it should detect them, go into the bios and change SATA settings from AHCI to IDE/Legacy mode, see if that helps

Nick

shizz

yoyo wrote: »

Thats odd, it should detect them, go into the bios and change SATA settings from AHCI to IDE/Legacy mode, see if that helps

Nick

will do when im home. Thanks man

shizz

yoyo wrote: »

Thats odd, it should detect them, go into the bios and change SATA settings from AHCI to IDE/Legacy mode, see if that helps

Nick

Yeah that helped. Its recognizing it now. Just ran a quick test and it says everything is ok. Ill run a long test during the night.

yoyo

shizz wrote: »

Yeah that helped. Its recognizing it now. Just ran a quick test and it says everything is ok. Ill run a long test during the night.

The long test scans the drive sector by sector, its slow but accurate!

Nick

shizz

yoyo wrote: »

The long test scans the drive sector by sector, its slow but accurate!

Nick

Well I woke up this morning and the long test scan said everything was fine. I guess ill just have to format and reinstall the windows partition when I get my new ram and hope everything is fine and I never EVER see a BSOD again....ha

yoyo

shizz wrote: »

Well I woke up this morning and the long test scan said everything was fine. I guess ill just have to format and reinstall the windows partition when I get my new ram and hope everything is fine and I never EVER see a BSOD again....ha

You wont need to format

Nick

shizz

yoyo wrote: »

You wont need to format

Nick

I know I can just reinstall but is there any benefit in formatting that partition? I won't loose any data i need?

yoyo

shizz wrote: »

I know I can just reinstall but is there any benefit in formatting that partition? I won't loose any data i need?

Windows isn't starting up anymore? Hmm thats a weird one. My guessing is the dodgy RAM may have caused an update to fail mid way or something along the lines, yeah a format would be better than a repair install . Don't do repair installs myself as there is much chance for screw ups

Nick

shizz

yoyo wrote: »

Windows isn't starting up anymore? Hmm thats a weird one. My guessing is the dodgy RAM may have caused an update to fail mid way or something along the lines, yeah a format would be better than a repair install . Don't do repair installs myself as there is much chance for screw ups

Nick

Yeah i just wanna completely get rid of it and start it again. Ive done alot of fresh installs so should be alright. My ubuntu install is starting to act up on me as well haha I'm having awful luck these days.

Thanks for all your help though. Much appreciated.

shizz

Well installed the new ram. Everything seems to be fine (fingers crossed) havent ran a memstest on thr ram just to be sure but probably no need to. when I was formatting and deleting my ubuntu partitions and the old windows 7 partition i damaged my recovery partition. I don't really need it but is there any way to fix it without having to reinstall?