HD trouble?
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From: New Fieend on 14 Dec 2009 22:40 RAMTEST is available in any Linux Live CD and you can boot that CD and run RAMTEST from the loader. IF it reports an error you need to replace the faulty memory. Any competent computer store can find the correct memory for you machine. "Bill Cunningham" <nospam(a)nspam.invalid> wrote in message news:OgE$6bSfKHA.3916(a)TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl... > > "philo" <philo(a)privacy.net> wrote in message > news:A5KdnQRqe64TT7vWnZ2dnUVZ_sZi4p2d(a)ntd.net... > >> I also advise running a RAM test > > Well I donwloaded a little prgoram that tests RAM and it reported one > error. at about 97% complete. Saying RAM couldn't adequately store data. > What makes RAM go bad? I'm not even quite sure what kind of RAm I have. > > Bill > >
From: Paul on 15 Dec 2009 02:19 Bill Cunningham wrote: > "philo" <philo(a)privacy.net> wrote in message > news:A5KdnQRqe64TT7vWnZ2dnUVZ_sZi4p2d(a)ntd.net... > >> I also advise running a RAM test > > Well I donwloaded a little prgoram that tests RAM and it reported one > error. at about 97% complete. Saying RAM couldn't adequately store data. > What makes RAM go bad? I'm not even quite sure what kind of RAm I have. > > Bill > RAM can fail, even after it has been proven for a while. I bought 4x512MB of good quality RAM, and had one of the sticks fail after two years of usage. One entire memory chip was dead, and returned nothing but garbage. It could even have been a bad solder joint, but I didn't play around with it. This memory tester runs forever (or until you stop it). Two complete passes error free is enough, as the test really isn't a guarantee the RAM is good. Test5 seems to be pretty sensitive, while the earlier tests might not find anything. This test may be present on some Linux LiveCD distributions, as a boot time option. This program comes closest to testing all of the memory. Only a small (1MB) reserved area might not get tested. One reason for recommending this test, is because of the percentage of the RAM stick that gets tested. The BIOS area can't be tested. (The memory test used by the BIOS is of poor quality, and the BIOS didn't notice I had a dead memory chip!) http://www.memtest.org/ Run the memory test first. Once memory proves good, run the hard drive diagnostic next. Your hard drive is Seagate, so you can go to their site and get a copy of Seatools for DOS. I run mine from a floppy. The download provides all the software necessary to make a standalone bootable test floppy. Boot from the floppy, then select the drive to test. The test is read-only. Some disk manufacturers provide disk tests which are destructive. You will normally be warned, before doing a write test. Be careful to read all the screens, before using any disk tester. Normally, a disk test program will ask you "if you really want to do this". ******* If you have multiple sticks of RAM in the computer, you may likely be able to test them one at a time. That may make it less ambiguous which stick is broken. It can be difficult to interpret the memtest86+ screen, and determine which stick is bad. Once you find errors, testing one stick at a time may allow sorting the good from the bad. When handling RAM 1) Turn off all power on the computer. Make sure the switch on the back is off. 2) Use an antistatic bag to hold the RAM, while you're making changes. 3) Use a wrist strap, whose purpose is to hold you at the same potential as the computer chassis. http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2479151 4) Make sure you're inserting the RAM correctly. Align the key with the slot. Make sure the RAM is fully seated, and both latches are flush against the side of the RAM. Don't turn on power to the computer, until the RAM is safely in place. If crooked, the wrong contacts could make contact and ruin the RAM when the power is applied. One poster even tried to saw a new slot in the RAM to make it fit - don't do that :-) If the slot doesn't match the key, you bought the wrong kind of RAM (FPM/EDO, SDRAM, DDR, DDR2, DDR3, RDRAM etc). HTH, Paul
From: Bob I on 15 Dec 2009 08:24 Nope that's merely a memory count. Bill Cunningham wrote: > "philo" <philo(a)privacy.net> wrote in message > news:A5KdnQRqe64TT7vWnZ2dnUVZ_sZi4p2d(a)ntd.net... > > >>I also advise running a RAM test > > > I believe BIOS does that at every boot doesn't it? > > Bill > >
From: Bill Cunningham on 15 Dec 2009 16:52 "Paul" <nospam(a)needed.com> wrote in message news:hg7d94$l44$1(a)aioe.org... > Your hard drive is Seagate, so you can go to their site and get a > copy of Seatools for DOS. I run mine from a floppy. The download > provides all the software necessary to make a standalone bootable > test floppy. Boot from the floppy, then select the drive to test. > The test is read-only. I kind of thought so. I don't have in the computer a 3.5" floppy or floppy of any kind nor an external one. Would these tests work then? Bill
From: Bob I on 15 Dec 2009 17:44
From a CD Bill Cunningham wrote: > "Paul" <nospam(a)needed.com> wrote in message news:hg7d94$l44$1(a)aioe.org... > > >>Your hard drive is Seagate, so you can go to their site and get a >>copy of Seatools for DOS. I run mine from a floppy. The download >>provides all the software necessary to make a standalone bootable >>test floppy. Boot from the floppy, then select the drive to test. >>The test is read-only. > > > I kind of thought so. I don't have in the computer a 3.5" floppy or > floppy of any kind nor an external one. Would these tests work then? > > Bill > > |