Blue screen of death DAILY...Memory chip damaged? :(

So I love my new Thinkpad T43p, but I've seen the following Blue Screen 4 times since I opened this baby up:

*** Hardware malfunction
Contact your vendor for support

NMI Parity Check / parity error

*** The system was halted ***

I've never had a problem with any Thinkpad like this. I think the DVDRW combo drive is also not working fully.

What's an NMI Parity check and error? I am assuming it has to do with the RAM chip installed. Am I correct in my assumption?

Here's a little background on this Thinkpad. It was SEALED and had never been opened. That means it was never turned on for a long time, as the T43 series came out a while ago. I heard somewhere that any electronic device should be powered on AT LEAST once every 6 months, if it is in storage, for example, or hardware failures can occur. Is this true?

And why is this only happening every now and then? Why is the chip (if that's what it is) not either working or not working, period? I just rebooted and the system is working fine right now. But I can't work like this fearing another blue screen at any moment. And what's next? The CPU?

I am hoping for some of your excellent expertise on this unfortunate annoying matter. Thank you!

 

Hi CrunchDude,

Start running diagnostics: http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp for RAM.

Have you run chkdsk http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/chkdsk.mspx or defrag yet? Both disk read intensive, if a problem, may show up.

Regards - Charles

 

Hi CrunchDude,

Think you have to send the Laptop back:

http://onthebrightside.net/NMI_error/index.html

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/222973

Regards - Charles

 

One thing I would suggest is to "deep cycle" the battery. There may be instructions in the User Guide. I have seen special instructions for using the battery for the first time and since it has been in storage those might be particularly relevent. From memory it is to fully charge the battery, then fully deplete it, then fully recharge it again.

Parity relates to RAM (from my long-term memory). If there is a battery problem though, the BIOS may not be setting the hardware correctly. See if the system has a "backup" CMOS battery, that may be depleted.

Look in the BIOS settings for "Quick Boot" or "Quick POST" set this to disabled.

Check the way the RAM is installed, can you borrow another module to try? At least, pull out and clean the connectors of the module with a soft pencil eraser.

Matt

 

Alright charlesvar and mattman, I've done a lot per all of your highly appreciated suggestions and comments. Thank you!

I had never updated the BIOS before on any previously owned Thinkpad, but I updated it to the latest version for this Thinkpad. I also successfully updated the "Embedded Controller System" to its latest version. How important is it to have the BIOS updated anyway? As I stated, I had never done it before, but I figured why not with this thing being that there are (were?) issues.

I also removed and drained the battery all the way and am now recharging it. I am getting another GB chip tomorrow or the next day, so I will then clean the current one as was suggested.

The blue screen has not happened at all today, and I only did the BIOS and Embedded Controller system updates a few minutes ago.

I ran chkdsk and it came back with no errors. I also changed the Startup in the BIOS from Quick to Diagnostics and it also went through with no errors, except it said two elements were "shadowed ". Whatever that means. I then put it back to Quick, as I saw no Disabled. Well, that was the old version of the BIOS, the new one may have it, but I haven't looked into that yet.

Soooo...What's next? lol...My baby seems to be running fine now and I'm somewhat proud of my updating the BIOS LOL...It now says "Pentium inside" and displays a different logo, instead of "Pentium M" (before) when I start up the system. Apart from that minor cosmetic change, what else is the BIOS update good for? Sounds like a dumb question coming from me, as I've worked with computers my whole life. I just never paid attention to that part. And what is the Embedded Controller system?

Thanks again guys! This site is definitely a lot of fun and highly useful!

Crunch

EDIT: Alright, now I also defragged the hard drive with Diskeeper 11 Pro Premier and I followed the recommendation to increase the size of the Master File Table (MFT) from 54MB's to 230MB's. So if anyone knows, what's the significance of the MFT and what else can I do?

 

Don't go too quickly . If you have made a change that has fixed the problem, that's great. If you find that you come across the same problem in the future you won't know what setting repaired it, you will have to go through all those changes again (if you can remember all of them). My suggestion at the moment would be to see if the system was stable now. Test it or just run normally for quite a while. Make certain the problem/s have gone.

From here, you might make a change that causes a different problem or compounds the first problem.

If you want to know more about BIOS settings read, read, read, here:
http://www.techarp.com/show.aspx?fileID=18
Your BIOS listings will be the motherboard manual (User Guide). The wrong settings in the BIOS can make your computer unworkable. Make sure you know what you are doing.

If you are hell-bent on "tweaking" you will need to websearch each individual tweak to find it's possible cause and effect. I don't tweak, I just get my system running as best as it possibly can.

Matt

 

Hey Matt,

Yea, I know what you mean. Well, I had been wanting to update the BIOS and everything else I did anyway, so those changes are good I would assume anyway. So the problem has stopped. I received a GB chip and I'm running 2GB of high-speed RAM. This thing is KICKING now! The Thinkpad also came with a tool called PC Doctor, which has tests for all components in the machine. ALL of them passed without issue. As for the first 1GB chip, I wasn't even able to find it. When I scrwed open the expansion slot, there was only space for the second and it works great. So maybe that's it!??? I've got a brand new machine, 2GB's of RAM, no dead pixels, brand new BIOS update as well as the Embedded Controller System, so let's see. It runs blazingly fast. But I had better not see that blue screen again. At this point, I wouldn't know what else to do.

I'll be reading up on the BIOS. Thanks for the links. As for tweaking anything, I haven't really been doing that. I just wanted to update everything (BIOS, post XP SP2 updates, do all the tests, etc.). Any final suggestions? lol...

Crunch

 

Make notes on what you have changed or where you found the information. As I mentioned, if and when you want to reset the system (example, reformat and reinstall Windows) the problem may come back and you drive yourself crazy trying to remember the changes.
I make notes now when I have found a particularly hard problem and the way I solved it. One system had a strange "dual" graphics system. You could not do diagnostics on it unless you disabled or removed one of the cards, but then Windows would not work without both cards installed. When I got it back for repairs the second time it took quite a few hours to rehash the method. I left a set of instructions inside the case for when I work on it again or if anybody else has to work on it.

The BIOS upgrade is a tool to use when you have a problem and standard troubleshooting is not working. I think a quite a lot of system manufacturers have it included in their "Automatic driver update" utilities which is wrong. If the Windows install is unstable, the upgrade can go wrong and ruin the computer. Always use the floppy disk or DOS method of upgrading the BIOS. I think you understand that it is not an ordinary "driver update" and should be taken quite seriously. Another point is to make certain it is exactly the right upgrade/flash for the model of the motherboard. Manufacturers have different revisions of the same model of motherboard and have different upgrades for those revisions. Again, I think you understand all this.

If it does everything you want it to do, don't worry about updating drivers, etc. Try not to install any "junky" software (only install it if you have a real need and uninstall it if you find you have finished with it). When someone asks me to look at their computer, 9 times out of 10 it is junk programs running in the background or "legitmate" programs with updaters all trying to contact their base website. Keep it as lean as you can.

Have a good antivirus, but watch that it does not want to "investigate" every action you take. Have two antispyware programs (one to catch what the other misses) and run them regularly. Have a good firewall system. Be a little wary about each and every program you install and what "baggage" might come with it.

Those are some of the things I watch out for.

Matt

 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...

So the NMI blue screen re-appeared once after 5 days had passed without it. I just cleaned the registry. 33 errors fixed. Doing a thorough adaware scan. 50 critical objects removed. I doubt they had anything to do with it. ***!?!??!?! I can't work like this. I LOVE this machine, but I'll just buy another one with similar specs if it comes down to that.

Thanks mattman for your general advice. Yea, I don't do automatic driver updates. I could tell you a funny story about a Treo 650 firmware update, which was horrific, so point well taken.

So any additional advice, or should I flush this thing down the toilet and buy another one? It appears, however, that it won't fit my toilet.

 

NMI: Parity Check/ Memory Parity Error -- System crash
The above post from Notebook Reviews / Dell / was started in Sept. 2006 and is 28 pages long and growing. Possible a few more ideas. Good luck.

 

5 days seems to be quite good compared to what was happening originally.

Just some things I would consider:
It came back after the registry clean/Adaware scan. Try a System Restore to before you ran those. Check what they removed, one of them may have removed a legitimate system file or registry key. They should be able to "undo" their changes. (Find out where all those "criticals" came from )

"Scanning ", could it be a problem with disk access?

Watch exactly when it might happen again, what programs are running and what hardware they might be trying to access.

28 pages? Ouch.

Matt

 

I know what you mean. Thanks Dennis L, but I am not going through that lol...I'm going to get another computer before I do that. Well, it hasn't happened for several days now, so let's see...Man, this is so annoying. Maybe it's just a bad laptop? I've used and sold TONS of Thinkpads over a period of EIGHT YEARS and this is the ONLY one that has ever given me *ANY* problems. Yes, I know I'm speaking in absolute terms, but I mean it. Ahhhh man...

 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

It happened again just now after not being a problem for over a week. It is SO unpredictable. That's it. I'm getting rid of this thing and getting a Core Duo. !@#$%^&*(

Any more suggestions? This totally and completely *****!

 

Hey CrunchDude,

Hate to tell you "I told you so ", but I'm doing it anyway

Regards - Charles

 

Hehe...you're right and that's ok. Oh well, I'm getting a Core Duo out of it. lol...Now that you got me, can you please check this thing out and respond. Your superior knowledge is always highly appreciated.

http://windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?t=62759

Thank you!

Crunch

 

Allllrighty...So it's been 7-10 days since I got the blue screen. And I use my laptop a LOT to do a multitude of different things. Can I expect this not to occur again now or is the likelihood of it happening again still there?

Thanks to all...

Signed,

An NMI Parity blue screen survivor. NMI BSOD survivor t-shirts are available for only $25.99 plus shipping.

 

Alright, it happened again 3 days ago...It HAS improved to where it happens "only" once every 2-3 weeks, down from once every 1-2 DAYS. What else can I do to SOLVE the problem??? I LOVE this Thinkpad.