random Memory Dumps, HELP

ok well my computer is not even 1 year old yet.. and well wen i first got it it randomly kept resettin.. so i took it to umart ( the store i bought it from ) and asked them whats wrong.. they said that the harddrive was corrupted so i got it replace.. its been like.. 5 or so months now and now it throws random memory dumps.. but onli happens wen i think my comp stays on too long?? or something i dont know but like its impossible for my computer to overheat.. its got good fans and last time it crashed i checked if the power supply was overheated and it wasnt even hot.. help.. i dont know what to do and i dont want to like call up umart again to fix it because they take forever, and its school and i need the computer to study and do assignments.. thanks

What I suggest is run a memory scan, check for errors, it may be a case of stick(s) are failing, so assuming this system is vista ? It has a built in memory test utility, run that and see what comes back. To do this reboot the system, and once it starts up tap the F8 key (as though your going into safe mode) once a second until it loads that screen, once loaded hit the Esc key, this will take you to more options, on the bottom you will see Memory Diagnostic, use the Tab key to highlight it, then hit Enter, let it run for a while and see if it reports errors, if it reports errors very quickly then thats definitely your issue, or one of them at least, but sometimes it may take a few hours of running the tool before it finds any errors, but if no errors are reported they are probably OK, so see how it goes. The fact this is a new system, and the second serious error, it makes me suspicious there are other factors involved here, I have 2 main concerns, the PSU, and your electric supply. The PSU because store bought systems often sacrifice some components to keep costs down, so using no name PSU's is common, so I am wondering if this is behind this, because when a PSU goes bad it can take your entire system with it, so I strongly suggest trying to get this checked while within it's warrant, as they are not going to help once the warranty is over, so you could fry your system and be left high and dry, so the fastest way to check this is with a PSU tester, do you, or someone you know have one to check this with ? Now I say your electric supply because some places have erratic power, and as such you could be suffering from power spikes etc, this like the PSU can take the entire system out, so do you have any kind of surge protection for the PC ? If you don't I strongly suggest investing in some, more so if the system is important, I also suggest regular back up's if you can't afford to lose work, I would save such work to an alternate source as well as the hard drive each time, that way if it fails you wont lose anything, but at a minimum I would get a surge protector, they are cheap enough and will offer "some" protection, but if you can possibly afford it I suggest a ups device, not cheap, BUT, they will safeguard your system better than anything else, and is the ideal solution if you can possibly manage it.

oh ok.. thanks yeh i was on vista but upgraded to windows 7. ill try it out when i have the free time.. thanks

ok so i posted a post before and i was told to run a memory scan check.. and well it says my computer has a memory problem.. and im pretty sure it has somethin to do with RAM.. coz my ram usage is very high for some reason and i dont have many things open.. on average.. having firefox open, itunes and msn open.. its usage is like 34-36%.. when i have 4gigs of ram.. but onli 3.25gigs is usable.. im running on windows 7.. well is there a way to reduce my RAM usage.. like i think one of the RAM that is in my computer is faulty hardware. is it possible that onli one of them are faulty which is causing the whole computer to randomly crash, or are both of them faulty..

When trying to diagnose related issues it's best to stick to the one thread, that way anyone who looks in can see the whole history, and whats been done\tried etc, it just stops people repeating advice already given, it may also help someone looking in see the problem more quickly as they may of experienced a similar issue, but if info is between more than 1 thread it reduces the chance of that happening, no biggie, but so you know, I'll see if I can get this merged with your other thread as it's still the same problem. Now not seeing the full 4gig of ram is common in 32bit OS's, to see 4gig or more you MUST use a 64bit OS, so that part of this is not an issue, it's purely a limitation of 32bit, but I'm running 4gig on 32bit just fine, the system just can't use it to the best it can be used thats all. Now as you have had errors returned, we need to isolate which one(s) are causing the issue, what I suggest is to get a piece of paper from the printer, and write 1, 2, 3 and 4 on it, now when doing the following ALWAYS look at the ram from the same position, we need to ensure the sticks stay in the same positions, 2 reasons, first is if they utilise Dual Channel, and second, for this they should be used in matched pairs, so you need to make sure these don't get mixed up, and by placing the sticks of ram on the paper as per the numbering of the slots you wont mix them up. To do the following you will need to open the case, needless to say make sure it's shut down and the power lead (mains) removed for safety before touching anything, then make sure you touch the chassis of the case before touching anything inside, especially the ram, static discharge can kill components, so touching the chassis minimises this risk. So with all of the above done, remove sticks 2, 3 and 4 of the ram leaving just the 1st stick in place, lay each on the paper at the number related to it's slot, and when switching in\out follow this procedure, then they wont get mixed up. So with stick 1 in place in slot 1 (closest to the CPU) fire it up again and run the memory test again, note the results, now repeat this procedure with each stick in turn, for the time being use slot 1 for all sticks, and on the paper note which stick(s) report issues, once complete report back with the results, it may be worth running some related tests with the slots on the board as well, but lets see what this brings first, feel free to ask if your not sure on anything.

yeh ok.. i finished teh diagnosis test on both ram.. my first ram is fine.. what i found wierd is wen i took out my first ram.. and put in my 2nd ram.. the first ram card was like cool / cold.. but wen i took out the 2nd ram card.. it was warmish?? compared to the first one.. note.. the first one i tested was the 1st ram card.. came up with no errors.. test the 2nd one.. it didnt finish.. it just froze 2 times throughout the test.. so culdnt complete it.

Right that almost certainly points to an issue there, it may not be the only issue, but it is certainly a part of whats behind this, so the first thing is too RMA the ram, I assume your using 2x2gig ? Initially I thought you may of had 4x1gig, not a problem, just trying to envisage what you have, now before the ram goes back, I suggest 2 other quick tests, you don't want to be testing with good\new ram, just incase there is another issue that could damage them. So lets start with a quick one, I suggest trying the GOOD stick of ram in the 2nd slot where the faulty ram was sat, I just want to check the slots, and while we're at it try any remaining slots one at a time, you don't need to spend masses of time doing this, I would expect any fault to show quickly, but if after this the good stick has issues then the board or some power issue may be occurring as well, but as I said just quickly see if it works in the other slots. And lastly, try running with just the good stick of ram in, just put it in slot 1 as normal, and use your PC as you would normally, it "may" feel slower with the missing ram, but just do what you normally do, and see if any of the previous issues that were behind the reasons for this thread are still happening or not, if all the problems were down to that 1 stick, then a simple RMA and putting the new ram in should cure all the issues for you, fingers crossed.

haha yeh. im almost certain its not the board because.. im onli using 1x2gb ram atm.. the one that works all day and it hasnt crashed or memory dumped. but ill do the test someone soon wen i have time and get back to you

Well given that I'd say it's pretty conclusive, if your running the 1 stick without issue then I'd say RMA away and your problem will be cured, glad it seems to of cured your problem.

what is rma?

It's the term given to returning a faulty item(s), RMA = Return Merchandise Authorization, you approach the place you got them from in the first instance, within the 1st year anyway, if they refuse to help or tell you to go to the makers then you approach them, tell them the issue, tell them the results of the memory tests, then they will instruct you on what to do next, but make sure you follow they're instructions exactly (more so with hard drives), it can invalidate the warranty otherwise, and if you can't pack the item the way they require don't try and patch something together, tell them and see if they will help out, hope that helps.