[phillpower2]

Final check of the voltages if you will, you will note the same bad voltages are reported btw 

 

Please restart your computer and check the voltages in the BIOS, no screenshot is required just make a note of the +3.3V, +5V, +12V and DRam voltages and post them with your next reply, the DRam voltages may be on a different page so you may need to navigate the pages to find them. 

 

NB: BIOS voltage readings.

The readings are not conclusive in the BIOS as the computer is under the least amount of load, if they are higher or lower than what they should be though it does suggest a PSU problem.

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CPU  1.080v

3.3    3.456v

5       5.184v 

12    12.040v

Nowhere I can find a DRAM voltage in the BIOS.

 

In reference to the BIOS are you saying don't update it to the latest one.

[Shed247]

CPU  1.080v

3.3    3.456v

5       5.184v 

12    12.040v

Nowhere I can find a DRAM voltage in the BIOS.

 

In reference to the BIOS are you saying don't update it to the latest one.

[phillpower2]

You can check the voltage of the ram in Ai Tweaker menu, see pages 47 and 48 of your user manual, you only want to make sure that it is either set to Auto or manually check/change it to 1.5V, MB manual

 

Did you press the Mem OK button on the MB as I suggested in my reply #2

[Shed247]

 

Found the DRAM Voltage it was set to Auto, I've changed it to 1.5 volts. Yes have pressed the Mem ok button, when it's red to reboot.

 

I've put two sticks of ram back in two try, it stopped on the windows screen, there was a red light on at the Mem ok button,  I rebooted with the Mem ok button, it paused during boot up to say the memory was ok and said to press F1 to continue, then went to the recovery screen, I selected start windows normally, so far it's working ok, have typed and sent this post.

 

Have attached an HWMonitor screen shot taken after the 2nd boot with the 2 ram sticks in and yes it changed the voltages weather it's better is for you to say.

 

Need to get sleep, early start in the am, thanks so far.

Edited by Shed247, 21 May 2014 - 06:58 AM.

[phillpower2]

Good work 

 

When you get the chance and if the computer is still stable benchmark your Ram with CPU-Z and post a screenshot for us please, CPU-Z here

 

Catch up tomorrow   

[Shed247]

First start up today only booted as far as the windows logo and froze, I shut down with the power on button (there was no red light at the Men ok button)

2nd start went through to the desk top ok, managed to get some screen shots and started to post on here when it froze again, this time the red Men ok light was on??.

I shut down with the power button again, on restart I went into the BOIS and checked the setting all as before.

F10 to exit and save went through to the desk top ok, again it froze while posting on here, red Mem ok light was on.

 

I turned it off and removed the 2nd ram stick and returned the DRAM voltage to auto and restarted all is ok again.

 

My thoughts, 1/ should we try updating the BOIS to the latest one, reading though the versions there's some fixes that may help our cause. 

2/ do you have a good memory checked that gives it a good test over an extended period,

The screen shots are after the 2nd restart before it froze.

 

Over to you for your thoughts, thanks again this help it's very much appreciated.

 

 

 

[phillpower2]

I can only suggest caution where flashing the BIOS is concerned, the MB and Ram worked fine together for so long that I think the issue is elsewhere, would it be possible to borrow a PSU or get yours tested by a local tech store.

 

The CPU-Z information shows your Ram is bang on the money, again suggesting the problem could be elsewhere.

 

You are welcome btw 

 

For testing the Ram;

 

Guide to using Memtest86+

Memtest is a small boot loaded program that allows a user to detect faults in his or her RAM . It comprises of a series of tests that puts the RAM under different stresses such as transferring different amounts of data across the channels quickly thereby testing how well it copes, and at the same time checking for accuracy and errors in the data transferred. 

Common symptoms of bad ram

There are many indicators of bad memory, some of which can be completely overlooked but generally they come down to the following:

• Computer not booting at all, beeping endlessly. 
  The computer may display just a black screen with the computer still being on or restarting. Also a POST beep may be heard which indicates hardware faults. There are different sequences of beeps and so research must be carried out to ascertain whether its a RAM fault or not. 
  However remember different motherboard manufacturers have different POST beeps and so the correct sequence of POST beeps for one motherboard may not mean bad RAM on another. 
   
• Distorted graphics on the screen. 
  One of the stranger indications of bad memory. Ive seen so many users put this down to graphics cards. The user has then gone and bought themselves a new £100 graphics card to find out their £20 stick of RAM was the fault. This is a great point to which to use Memtest, just to make sure of the fault.
   
• Blue screens of death during the installation of Windows XP, Windows 2000 and Vista. 
  This is an obvious sign of faulty RAM. A Blue Screen Of Death is an error screen displayed by some operating systems, most notably Microsoft Windows, after encountering a critical system error which can cause the system to shut down to prevent damage. 
  As there is no driver that can go wrong here and other hardware wont have fully been configured, faulty RAM will be the reason for the error in most cases.
   
• Crashes or Blue screens during normal operation of the system (emails, web surfing etc.)
  General use of faulty RAM will produce a Blue screen. However again don't automatically assume this is RAM associated. There are hundreds of different items that could cause these symptoms and so diagnostics are required. 
   
• Crashes during memory intensive tasks such as using Photoshop, playing 3d games etc..
  When intensive programs are used there is a greater risk of hardware over-stressing itself, thus causing errors. This is actually an area of testing completed by Memtest to check for RAM stability. 
  The general term for this would be stress testing. This is were hardware is put under extra pressure to perform large task. Faulty RAM would not be able to cope in most instances under this pressure thus singling it out as faulty.

Setting up Memtest.

Now that you have diagnosed faulty (or the possibility of faulty) RAM you should carry on to set up Memtest. There are 2 versions to choose from but i will be using the CD version due to the easier and much quicker install.
 

• First Download Memtest from This Link.
• There are several downloads to choose from. For this CD Version you require the link that says: 
  Download - Pre-Compiled Bootable ISO (.zip)
• Download the file to your desktop.
• If you are using Windows XP or Vista then you can right click the file and choose Extract All
  
  
  
  If you do not have Windows XP or above or are running other Operating systems:
• Click This Link to download 7Zip. Windows user require the Top link in the list for the .exe version. 64 Bit users should select the 64 bit version.
  Others users eg Mac Users should go to the heading below that says Some unofficial p7zip packages for Linux and other systems and download the relevant version. 
   
• Download that to your desktop. Then double click the 7Zip installer and allow it to install on your system.
• Once 7zip is installed right click the Memtest folder (called something like memtest86+-2.11.iso.zip)
• Then click 7 Zip > Extract Here.
  
  
  You will now have a .iso file on your desktop called memtest86+-2.11
• Now Click This Link to download ImgBurn.
• Download that to your desktop and launch the installer by double clicking the ImgBurn installer icon. Follow the instructions, keeping the settings as the defaults.
• Now when that is installed double click the program icon to launch 
• Then click Write image file to disk
• Then insert your Blank CD
• Next click the Browse for File button  and load the memtest.iso from your desktop.
• Then click the large Write file to disk button .
• The program will then create your boot disk.

First and foremost verify that your disk has burned correctly. 
Go to My Computer or Finder on a Mac and go to your CD/DVD drive. Make sure the Disk is called Boot. If not then the burn has been unsuccessful. However if it is called Boot your CD is ready to go   

• Now leave the disk in the drive and shutdown your PC.
• Open the side of your Case and remove all but 1 sticks of RAM. You should only have one stick of RAM installed when running Memtest.
  
  
  Pull the white clips to the side and the stick of RAM should pop out.
  DO NOT put your RAM sticks on the carpet or on anything that can create static. This is a sure fire way to kill the components. Place them on some cardboard or in an antistatic bag to reduce the risk
• Turn your PC back on.
• Memtest should now boot. If not, go to the FAQ below.
• No more user involvement is required at this stage. Memtest will automatically start the tests. The images below show Memtest scans in progress.

• Once Memtest has completed its scan note down any errors that occurred. However usually you will be the one to stop the scan. You can stop the scan at any time but I would advise you run it for at least test number 8 as shown in the image below near the top right hand corner of the screen.
• Then repeat the steps above for the remaining sticks of RAM by opening the case and swapping the existing stick with the one that has not been tested and then re run Memtest.

What it means:

The image below outlines the various areas of the Memtest screen.



Other Tests
This image shows a current scan being performed with Memtest86+



Failures
The image below shows a system with failures within Memtest. As you can see in the left hand Column it shows the failures were all made within test 3. Any failures would normally lead you to have to replace the RAM module as its usually something that isn't repairable.

 

FAQ

Memtest didn't run when i turned on my computer

This is the most common problem with Memtest and falls down to a problem in your BIOS.

To fix this:

• Turn off your PC wait 10 seconds and then Turn it on again.
• When your PC loads and gets to the POST screen it will say something along the lines of Press DEL (delete) to enter setup. See This Image as an example.
• When you enter the BIOS use your arrow keys to move to either the Main, Advanced or Advanced BIOS Features Tab.
• You will be looking for a list that says Primary Master, Primary Slave etc. See This Image for help.
• Then Navigate down to Primary Master (using the arrow keys) and then using in most PCs the + and - keys change the primary Master to CD-ROM /DVD-Drive or something similar
• Then change Primary Slave to Hard Disk or Hard Drive what ever is available.

Is this test 100% accurate?

These tests are here to try and ascertain errors in your RAM. Some tests could come back as failing due to other reasons such as the program itself. Therefore the results will not be 100% accurate.

I have an error, now what

Most errors found in Memtest will require you to replace your RAM. This is because the problems are found more in the hardware of the RAM and how it works. Therefore it would be difficult for the Average user to repair. Please see the Hardware-Components-Peripherals Forum for more help.

I have more than one stick of RAM, does this matter?
Yes. Being able to diagnose each RAM stick individually is important as only one stick of RAM could be faulty saving you money if a replacement is required. When scanning with Memtest make sure you only have 1 stick of RAM installed at a time to improve the scanning results.

You can also check out This Video contributed by Ferrari if you need more help or if the steps in this guide don't quite work out for you 

Thanks also to rshaffer61 for helpful advice and corrections given. 

[Shed247]

Doing memory tests atm, will do both sticks in both slots, will take awhile, i'll be back when it's done.

 

Done the memory test with no faults, I tested both sticks in both slots and and let it run through a couple of times.

I updated the BOIS and re installed both memory sticks all is running fine atm, I'll give it a good run over the weekend and see how it goes.

 

update 27 may.

During use over the weekend it froze a few times, was able to try what was supposed to be a good power supply, it has damaged the hard drive.

Fitted the PCU, doubled checked the connections etc, turned the pc on and pressed the on button, within a couple of seconds I could smell burning so I ripped the power cord out and checked for damage, long story short burnt circuit board on the hard drive, not very happy.

 

The pc won't detect the drive anymore so I'm stumped and to top it off I can't my Win 7 disc, is there anywhere the download a copy I can burn to a disc.

Win 7 Pro 64 bit

Did try putting the circuit board from another (same) drive, no good won't detect it, tried it in an external case on my old laptop asus Visa and my new macbook pro with no luck.

I have recent backups, but only a 9 month old disc image which my recovery disc can't find for some reason.

Edited by Shed247, 26 May 2014 - 10:05 PM.

[phillpower2]

Sounds better news and thanks for the update Shed247 

[Shed247]

During use over the weekend it froze a few times, was able to try what was supposed to be a good power supply, it has damaged the hard drive.

Fitted the PCU, doubled checked the connections etc, turned the pc on and pressed the on button, within a couple of seconds I could smell burning so I ripped the power cord out and checked for damage, long story short burnt circuit board on the hard drive, not very happy.

 

The pc won't detect the drive anymore so I'm stumped and to top it off I can't my Win 7 disc, is there anywhere the download a copy I can burn to a disc.

Win 7 Pro 64 bit

Did try putting the circuit board from another (same) drive, no good won't detect it, tried it in an external case on my old laptop asus Visa and my new macbook pro with no luck.

I have recent backups, but only a 9 month old disc image which my recovery disc can't find for some reason.

[phillpower2]

Sorry to hear about the HDD   

 

You can download official Windows 7 ISOs from here

You will also need the Windows 7 download tool here

 

It is odd that the HDDs PCB burned out, this would only normally happen if it was bad any way or if the power was connected up wrong.

[Shed247]

Bought a new hard drive and power supply today, I tried to recover a system image from 10/12 but the Win 7 repair can't find it on the 2nd drive.

Done a search on Google and it seems common.

I did want to try this first before I do a clean install and restore files from backup and thoughts? 

[phillpower2]

What type of repair disk are you using.

 

Honest answer is that I would start afresh by putting a clean installation of Windows 7 on a 120GB partition on the new HDD.

[Shed247]

Hi Phillpower2, Reinstalling everything atm, haven't tried the 2nd stick of ram at this stage need to get it working.

Once it's working again I'll retry the 2nd stick and see how we go.

Thanks for all your help.

[phillpower2]

Hello Shed247,

 

Thanks for the update