Memory(RAM) Troubleshooting Techniques

Memory(RAM) Troubleshooting Techniques

 

 

 

Computer memory problems are generally caused by defective memory chips, wrongly installed memory chips and wrong configuration of memory chips. You will also find that when you have installed some new software on your computer system, your memory may give some problems.

Following are some memory failure scenarios and respective solutions
⦁    Computer Fails To Boot: Many times your computer memory chips get loosened so you have to make sure that memory modules are completely installed. Also check your RAM chips when you have installed them for the first time.
⦁    Computer Boots Up With a Blank Screen: You may have loose memory chips and you may be using some different type of memory which isn’t compatible with your system. You need to check you VGA card as well if you see this type of problem.
⦁    Computer hangs and reboot: This type of problem is generally caused by faulty RAM, faulty PSU or overheating. Reseat RAM and rotate RAM to different slots. Make sure you removed any old video drives from your system before adding new one.
⦁    3 Short Beeps: This certainly means some RAM issue like bad dim slots on the motherboard or faulty RAM chips. Try replacing them with new RAM.
⦁    All Memory not recognized: On some boards like MSI, Gigabyte, and ASUS users get some problem where memory is not recognized properly. You need to get support by your vendor to get it rectified. For other systems you might have used wrong memory type or your slots are faulty.
Computer Troubleshooting: Power Supply, Motherboard, Case
This computer troubleshooting blog can help you troubleshoot and repair dead computers. When I mean “dead” I mean no signs of life at all. Where do you begin? The average user doesn’t know the internal workings of their computer–and they shouldn’t have to. So when things go wrong, they do not know where to begin to diagnose and either fix the problem or make arrangements to have the problem corrected. The following steps will help give you some general knowledge of what could be wrong with your PC and give you some ideas on how to fix it or provide you with enough knowledge to prevent you from getting ripped off at the computer repair shop.

For starters, if the computer is still under warranty, do not open the case. This will void your warranty. HP, Dell and any other major manufacturer will respond quickly to your problems and arrange for you to send the computer in, or they might opt to send a technician out to work on the computer. If you bought the PC at a shop around the corner, send emails and begin a paper trail on the issue.

A completely dead computer will usually have a bad motherboard, bad power supply, or a faulty case. The following steps will help you troubleshoot a computer and find which device is causing the problem. One of the first things you’ll want to do is unplug the computer and take it to a table where you can lay it flat. Open the case and check the connections to see if you notice anything blatantly wrong, then proceed with the steps below.

Troubleshooting A Computer Power Supply
Power supplies can fail without warning. They can partially fail. This means you might be getting power to the motherboard, the fans and other components, but you do not have the correct voltages to start the motherboard. The power supply is located at the back of the case, and is where the power cable plugs into the PC.

1. Your first step should be to plug the computer directly into the wall and bypass any power strips. You should also confirm the outlet is working properly.

2. Make sure the red voltage regulator switch on the back is set to 115 if you reside in the United States, people in some countries will need to set theirs to 230. With the power off and unplugged, try toggling the switch to 230, then back to 115 to make sure it is seated in the right position.
3. Next, buy a power supply tester. Computer techs will use a multimeter to test for proper voltages. Normal users can just buy a power supply tester.
4. If your power supply is bad, buy one of equal or greater power. If your current power supply is 350WT, be sure to get one that’s 350WT or higher.




A power supply will tend to fail before anything else. They take the most abuse after all. They are the front line when a power surge or brown out occurs. The good news is, they are extremely easy to replace should you find this is the problem.

Troubleshooting A Computer Case
While a dead PC wills either normally be a bad power supply or bad motherboard, the next easiest thing to troubleshoot is the case. How can a case go bad? A case has minimal smarts, but it does have wires leading from the power button to the motherboard that can go bad, and some even have advanced I/O panels that can fail.

1. You can try bypassing the case switch. This means you are initiating the power-on sequence without using the button on the front of the case. For this, you will need a good set of eyes and a small, flat-head screw driver.
2. The idea is to find the wire leading from the power button to the motherboard that’s marked something like POWER SW or POWER ON. It will cover two pins on the motherboard. Carefully, with the computer plugged in, touch the tip of the flat head screwdriver to both of those pins at the same time, thus “shorting” them. You will not get shocked by doing this, but you need to be careful not to scratch the motherboard.

If you hit the power button and nothing happened:
Is the power cord plugged in? Is it plugged in the other end too? Check the switch at the back of the case. Make sure that you connected the wire from the case power button to the right connector on the motherboard. Make sure the power connector to the motherboard is in correctly.
If none of this makes a difference, next step is to unplug everything from the motherboard with the exception of the power cable, power button wire, video card, memory and processor. If it still will not power up, it’s likely that you have one or more defective components. The most likely culprits are the motherboard or the case power supply.

System turns on, beeps intermittently, does not boot up:
Check that your memory (RAM) chip is installed correctly. Remove it and re-install it if necessary.
Your system freezes intermittently while installing the OS:
Could well be a heat issue, especially with AMD processors or older Intel once. Check that the heat sink fan is spinning and that the heat sink itself is firmly amounted and parallel to the surface of the processor. Assuming you are using a stock heat sink from the manufacturer of the processor, it should be more than adequate to cool the system if properly applied.
You are having problems fully installing the OS due to errors copying files and blue screens:
Errors while copying the setup files, especially with Windows 2000 or XP, are a common indicator of problems with your (RAM). It’s possible it could also be a hard drive problem, but if you are getting blue-Screens also, especially any once indicating that a ‘page-fault’ has occurred, it’s time to pop the memory out and haul it back to the store to be tested. And don’t leave it there for the night either.
Power Supply off suddenly:
First check the CUP cooling fan whether it is tightly fitted on the CPU surface of not. Pull out the CPU fan and fit along with the heat sin properly. If the problem persists, then check your SMPS and replace it.
BIOS SETUP
Power on the computer and the system will start POST (power on self-Test) process.
When the message bellow appears on the screen. Press<DEL> Press F2 or F12 (For Different types Motherboard) key to enter SETUP.




If the message disappears before you respond and you still wish to ent3er setup restart the system by turning it OFF and On or pressing the RESET button. You may also restart the system by simultaneously pressing <Ctrl>, <Alt>, <Delete> keys.