I'm getting "Memory could not be written" error mostly while I'm playing games, Balls of Steel to be precise (other games crash too but I don't play them as much as BOS). Winamp gives me this error as well but only when I close it so it's not a big deal.

OS: Windows XP Pro SP2 32 Bit
CPU: Intel Core2Duo E6420
RAM: Kingston Value 2x1 GB
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-945P-DS3 (latest drivers & bios)
GFX: Geforce 7600 GT (ForceWare 175.70)
Sound: Integrated

It can take even up to 1 hour for error to "arrive" while I'm playing BOS but sometimes it comes much sooner.

I already read the topic here and tried everything that's written there. Nothing helps :\


I scanned my system for malware/spyware/trojans/viruses/.. multiple times and removed everything the programs found (low risk spyware mostly).
Both disk drives are optimized for peak performance according to PerfectDisk2008.

Help appreciated!

This post has been edited by Rorschach112: Jul 18 2008, 02:34 PM

you first need to edit your post and delete the HJT log...they can't be in this forum...

get memtest 86+ here ...this will test your memory...let it run for at least 2 hours...if you get any errors then the ram is bad and will have to be replaced...no errors after 2 hours.......then its probably good and we can try other things..
it will run until you press the escape key
the how to is here..
if you don't have a burning program that will burn .ISO files go here and get burncdcc ..a small FAST no frills iso burning program...

NOTE...do not put a blank cd in until burncdcc opens the tray for you
1. Start BurnCDCC
2. Browse to the ISO file you want to burn on cd/dvd ....in this case its memtest86.iso
3. Select the ISO file
4. click on Start

make sure in the bios the cd drive is the first boot device....put the cd in the cd drive..boot your computer....

I finally got the time to perform memtest86+.

First error showed up after 45 minutes and the second one followed 30 minutes later.

Tst: 7
Pass: 1
Failing Address: 0003d6e9b78 - 982.5MB
Good: e77ae35c
Bad: a77ae35c
Err-Bits: 40000000
Count: 1

Tst: 7
Pass: 2
Failing Address: 0006d7bb0f8 - 1751.6MB
Good: 7f9ee51f
Bad: 6f9ee51f
Err-Bits: 10000000
Count: 2

I let it run for 1 more hour and no more errors were reported.


So in conclusion, my RAM is dieing and should be replaced ASAP ?

The thing is some games don't crash at all no matter how long I play them (Warcraft 3 TFT for example), is there a logical explanation for this or am I just lucky?

Could be just lucky, or that you are using less memory when playing those games, i dont know BOS so dont know how much it uses but Memtest is telling us your memory is bad and needs to be replaced.

first though i recommend removing one and run the test again, that way you will know if 1 is bust or both is bust if its only one you can run on the one module until you get a new one.

Also remember Kingston might still have warranty on the memory i see it says value and i do not know how long warranty is on that particular memory but some memory modules comes with 10year warranty, always worth checking if you can get it replaced for free

Best of luck

If anyone can tell me how to see which module was found to be failing by the test please do so but i cant see it, though it looks like both are failing at the moment i would still personally prefer running the tests again with 1 module at a time

I prefer safe to sorry

This post has been edited by surfer99: Jul 25 2008, 08:13 AM

if you get any errors then the ram is bad and will have to be replaced

Thank you both for your time and answers.

your welcome....

Hi guys!

I've replaced the bad RAM with a new one and system seems to be working a lot faster now.

But the new ram didn't fix the Memory Could Not Be Written error. I ran the memtest86+ for 4 hours and no errors were found so it seems the RAM is ok.
So what else could possibly be wrong?

Help appreciated!

how much ram do you have installed.
how big is the swap/paging file ...set the minimum and max to the same size..
IE if you have 512MBs of ram...set the swap file size to 1000

Please set your BIOS to default settings. Reinstall chipset driver.

I have 3 GB ram installed.

I decided to reformat the system today and I'll report back if the error returns.

Thank you all for your help.