Re: ASUS P4C800 : WINDIAG shows memory errors, MEMTEST86 shows none

In article <444fe1e8$0$30730$5a62ac22@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Matthew Harrison <m.harrisson@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Rila wrote:


I have never tried the Microsoft memory test, but have never had MEMTEST
find any problems even on known marginal memory. I know some people swear
by it, but I only swear at it. Go buy a new memory module and install it.
If it still fails the same way return it to the store for your money back.

As I said in the original post, it's not a module issue (if there is an
issue) ... if there is a problem it's a motherboard problem - and
replacing the motherboard is a somewhat more expensive ($1000) task.

After all, I will need new RAM, new video card and new CPU to go with it :(

Think about potential mechanisms while an OS is running:

1) If a broken DMA bus master is enabled, it could "splatter"
memory it doesn't own.
2) A program which does not follow normal programming rules,
could try to write memory it doesn't own, crossing into
the Windiag allocated test area.

Memtest86 is a more pure test environment, because there is only
one task running, and other than making the floppy boot loader
work, there is little in the way of hardware that is being used.
I would rate Memtest86 as more of a "stuck-at" tester, as it
doesn't seem to do a good job of detecting stress related
failures.

While the evidence suggests some problem with a motherboard
component on your board, there is no guarantee about (2).

To aid in fault isolation, disconnect all regular disks. Take
a spare disk and load Windows on it. Don't bother with a driver
CD or driver downloads (Windows is going to have loaded some anyway,
but just don't complicate matters by adding more of them). Load
the Windiag program and repeat the test. Are errors still seen
in low memory ? Since there would be less "cruft" in a new
Windows install, then you are more likely to be looking at
a broken DMA bus master as the cause.

Potential bus masters on P4C800:

1) AGP video card.
2) Any PCI card.
3) 3COM Lan chip
4) ICH5R Southbridge (storage devices etc)
5) I probably missed a few...

You don't have to pay a lot for a replacement S478 motherboard. A
P4S800D-X is $54, takes up to four DDR DIMMs and has an AGP
slot. There are at least eight full motherboard products here
for S478, with four DIMMs. It doesn't have to cost $1000 to
fix.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Submit=ENE&N=2000200280+1070509907+1072307533+1073407577&Subcategory=280&description=&srchInDesc=&minPrice=&maxPrice=

HTH,
Paul
.

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