Bad Memory ???

I am receiving a error message that is consistant, no matter what the application.

Application Error
The Insturction at "0x77f8381E" referenced at "0x3f3f3f3f ", The memory could not be "written ".

Click on ok to terminate the program

Thinking the chip had gone bad, I brought it back to the vendor. The techs ran it though 2 types of tests ( 1 1/2 hours later ) and they told me it checked out ok. I did not see if the test was actually done because they took the chip behind closed doors. Has any body run accross this type of memory problem.

 

Personally, I haven't seen any memory test program or any memory test equipment that can identify bad chips 100% of the time.

Case in point:
I have on more than one occasion had memory chips that booted fine in Windows 9x. However, the machine gave spurious odd errors. I have discovered that the most stringent test I can give memory is to simply place it into a machine running Windows 2000 and turn it on, so I placed that chip into the Windows 2000 machine and turned it on. I got a Stop Error identifying the same memory address no matter how many times I tried to boot.

The dealer ran his tests and said the chip was good. I insisted on a replacement anyway because the chip was only three dyas old.

I do have a memory testing utility that is free if you want to try it. Just send me a mail with H0013 as the subject. You'll get the memory testing program back by autoresponse.

 

HOO13

Alex Ethridge Just what test will this hoo13 perform? Is it a dos or windoz ute? Will it show the bandwidth? Speed, etc?

 

It is a DOS mode test utility. Supposedly, it will test your memory; however, all I wrote above still applies. If the test shows the chip to be bad, then it is bad. But, it will not identify every bad chip.

The best way I know for folks like us to diagnose is to remove or replace the parts until the problem goes away.

By the way, those are zeros.

 

Darkside, your problem could be caused by one of many different things. I'd always suspect software before hardware - even though hardware is so much easier to troubleshoot.

When was the last time you did a fresh install of Windows? It might be that your OS is getting ill.

You can also get what's considered to be the best memory tester out there for free at www.memtest86.com .

 

PC-Check

That is probably what is being used in burn in mode, takes an hour to perform test cycles and is about 2/3 good at spotting dodgy memory. Win2k method sounds most reliable method

They may have just kept you waiting and switched for another module, (tip - for anyone facing a situation like this place small non destructive mark on component somewhere, and examine when returned to see if it is still there).

Did you check to see if your board supports such things as speed of memory (and if there is more than one module what is the other ones speed ratings?), size of single module, double or only single sided dimms supported, ecc/registered only memory type can be used, proprietary memory type is required for your make of pc?

Additionally, are there any other memory modules in it? Sometimes different sizes are not possible in boards rarely, also, just to complicate matters more some makes of memory will not co-exist, or worse some so called standard memory types dont work in certain makes or models of boards

Sorry to go into so much detail, but there are many complicating issues to do with modern ram for pc's

 

Thanks for all the reply's. I have since replaced the memory chip and have not received the problem once. I just found it very odd that it would only show up when installed on my computer running windows 2000 and not on my other computer running windows 95.

Thanks again...

 

win2k

Win 2k will always spot bad ram much better than win 9x, which will quite happily let windows slowly destroy itself through bad ram