[Gump919]

For these last couple of months i've had issues with BSODs. I blamed it on the RAMs and returned them to the store. While i was waiting for them to return, i borrowed my brother's RAMs, and it turned out i still got the BSODs. Anyway, i fixed the problem a few days ago when i updated most of my drivers.

Today i got my RAMs back. I switched them out with my brother's RAMs and booted the computer. it looked fine the first 2-5 seconds but then it turns off and boots again by itself a few seconds later.

I've had a similar issue before, and it turned out it was my heatsink which wasnt proberbly mounted. I checked it, and it might have been loose but i managed to fix it and now it should be mounted correctly. Still, the computer reboots after a couple of seconds.

Ive checked all the cables to see it any of them were loose
Ive tried to plug the videocard into another plug
Ive taken the CPU out and back in
Ive tried to switch out the RAMs one by one

Do you have any suggestions ???
Thanks in advance.

[crjdriver]

How did you "manage to fix" the hsf?

Next post your exact system specs; ie make and model of mb, brand and speed of ram, brand and wattage of pw supply, etc, etc.

Have you tried the system with the ram that was working?

[Gump919]

Turns out the pins which is supposed to go though the MB to hold the hs did not completely fit the holes in the MB.

Im using

4x 1 GB Corsair XMS2 Dominator 1066 mHz
Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3P Motherboard
OCZ StealthXStream PSU
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500 GB HD
Core 2 Quad Q6600 8 MB (Intel Boxed) CPU
ASUS EAH4870/HTDI (512 MB) GPU

No i have not. But we use the exact same RAMs

[crjdriver]

Try the working ram. Just because they are the same brand, does not mean yours works. It could be defective. Once you test with known good ram, we can continue to troubleshoot.

Are you sure the hsf is installed correctly now? FWIW I always recommend pulling the mb to install a socket 775 type hsf. This insures you can visibly check the four push pins to be sure they are fully engaged.

[Gump919]

But those i have in my PC now are completely new from the store.
I will try the workings anyway in a second.

I would rather not take the MB out completely. BRB with results from the 'working' RAM.

[crjdriver]

What you are describing is a classic hsf problem. The hsf must have a min of 15lb clamping force on the cpu heat spreader in order to function. The socket 775s can be a real pain for a new builder however after you have done a few, they are no problem.

Intel says to install the hsf with the mb in the case however I really dislike having to push so hard on the pins. In addition by having the board out of the case, you can inspect the four push pins to make sure they are fully seated.

[Gump919]

alright, this is what happened.
I put the two working RAMs into the PC and Bam! it booted, and it went to the log on screen.
I turned the machine off, took the two RAMs out and inserted my 4. Same problem again. I then removed them one by one, but this time in another order. It turns out my last RAM slot does not work. I insert all my RAMs except then one going into that slot and i turn on my computer. it boots, but suddenly i get no image. The screen says "no signal" I've double checked the cord, and it should be just fine.

[Gump919]

I am so confused. I tried to turn it on again and there was an image! but the machine went stuck at the bootscreen, so i restarted it, and then again. No image..

So many issues at the same time. Any idea what might help?

EDIT:

I've also noticed that all of the times, where there have been an image. I've been getting a "beep" sound from the machine.

EDIT2:

It seems like everytime i remove/replace or move a RAM the machine does something different everytime. I removed another RAM so that i had two left in the machine, then it started doing the rebooting again.

EDIT3:

Alright the machine booted now with only one of the RAMs in it, and it is past the bootscreen. I've tried "Use last know working setup blah blah blah".

I will try to build up the RAMs one by one, and try all the slots. It just seems so random.

[crjdriver]

OK, here is what I would do;

1 With the system OFF, open the case and give the board a very close inspection with a bright light. Look for any leaking/bulging/discolored capacitors. That is a pretty new board and should not have problems however it does not hurt to check. There are some pics of what bad caps look like.

2 Once done with that, swap in a known good pw supply ie one you know works. Disconnect any usb type device; ie printer, scanner, etc. If you have more than one hard disk, pull the pw from all except the system drive.

3 Install just two of the ram chips not all four.

4 Clear cmos and pw ON. Enter the bios and load defaults; save settings and restart.

See if it works now.

[Gump919]

Ok but first:

I tried with one chip in the first slot it worked!
Then i put another chip in the second slot still works!
A third one in the third slot, still works!
and then a fourth one in the fourth slot. reboot!
I take the fourth one out again and it still reboots.

1 I saw nothing
2 I have no other power supply than this one. Should i take mouse and keyboard out aswell?? (both USB)
3 -
4 How exactly would i do that?

[crjdriver]

Read your manual as to where the cmos jumper is located. From what you post, I would "guess" you have a failing board or perhaps a failing pw supply however you need to swap parts to be sure.

No, you can leave in the mouse/keyboard.

[Gump919]

i did 4 but no change.
But anyway. The system will be able to run with 3 gb RAM.

Too bad with the last gig.
Unless you have any idea what to do?

[Gump919]

alright this thing is more ****ed up now that before!
i booted the PC with 3 RAMs and it all seemed good. I started "Darkest of Days" to finally be able to play a little after so many hours of messing around with this..
I am able to play 15 minutes or so untill i get a BSOD. I haven't had one of these since i updated my drivers.

And this one didn't even have a description like BAD_POOL_CALLER or Ndis.sys or anything like that.

I was not able to boot the machine again untill i removed 2 of the RAMs booted it. Turned it off. Placed the 2 back in the machine and then boot it.

EDIT: I am very thankful for your help so far crjdriver but is there any possibility that any one else could have a look at this, and give suggestions?

EDIT2: BTW i just went from "optimized defaults" to "failsafe defaults" in BIOS. Don't know if it makes a difference

[crjdriver]

One other suggestion before you have to start swapping parts. I see you have a seagate drive. Get the serial # off of the drive and check the seagate site to see if that is one of the "Problem" drives that needs a firmware update.

Other than that, you are going to have to start swapping parts with known good units; ie pw supply, mb, etc.