My Computer is randomly Restarting! Help!

DanGrease · 09-13-2003, 02:50 PM

I decided to transfer my memory (ram) and my video card to an other computer that I got here at home. It has 3 slots to put the memory on (it currently had 128MB Ram PC133) and I was going to put 2 sticks of 256 Ram each on the 2 left slots. Also I changed the video card and put my GeForce 2 MX 440 on instead of a TNT2 Ultra something. This computer is a Compaq with 733Mhz Pentium III with 20 GB Wstern Digital Hard drive. When I formatted my HD and installed Windows XP Professional, I realized that it was only detecting 128 MB. So I checked if I had put the Ram Sticks correctly and they werent pushed correctly down. After putting them down the computer detected 640MB Ram which is correct. So when Windows was starting, after that loading bar finished the screen goes black like normally but then instead of entering it reboots. I really dont know what happened because before it only detected 128 I could access without any rebooting problem at all. Is it something wrong with the Ram Sticks. Those where used on an other computer without any problem and they are very new. What is happening? Please help if you have a idea of what could have happened. Thanks for listening

dan

JohnE. · 09-13-2003, 03:34 PM

First thing I'd try (after making sure all RAM and peripherals were seated properly) is to reset the CMOS. This may not solve it but is usually as good a place as any to start troubleshooting a no-boot problem.

DanGrease · 09-13-2003, 05:52 PM

And how do you reset the CMOS? Im pretty new at computer stuff, specially hardware issues, so I need some extra help. Thanks though for the help

dan

daveleau · 09-13-2003, 06:01 PM

There should be a jumper near the battery like the one pictured here (the right hand image, not the left). http://www.villagegeek.com/techsuppo...er/jumpers.jpg Pull the jumper from the 2 prongs it is covering and move it to cover the center prong and the one to the opposite site.

For instance:
.. are 2 prongs not jumpered
_ are 2 prongs jumpered

If you pull the jumper off, you have this: ...
Move it from ._ to _. and reboot. You should get nothing. No lights, no nothing. Move it back to the original position, and the system will boot with a reset BIOS.

If you do not have this 3-prong jumper, you can unplug the system and remove the CMOS battery. Leaving the CMOS battery out for 5 minutes usually resets the CMOS. If not, then you will have to leave it out for an hour or so.

DanGrease · 09-13-2003, 06:12 PM

Thanks a lot!
But would this help these errors I keep getting? I tried to use only one stick of the Ram sticks and nope it didnt work, same thing, rebooting everytime. When I tried to install Windows again and format my HD it gave me blue screens of death saying that for the safety of my computer you need to reboot beacuse of a problem. I think its the Ram, but I put the Ram back to my other computer, tried to run it, and it run perfectly fine, so I guess the Ram is not ruined which is a relief or my dad would kill me

is it maybe that this Compaq doesnt support more than 128MB ram? I dont think so since it detected the 640 which it should if it cant support it. Its a Compaq Presario 5900T, its pretty old, but its really great, I like it a lot. Well thanks for the help anyways, im gonna try out that CMOS thingand see what happens

dan

EDIT: I don't have tha 3-prong jumper, so I will have to remove the battery, I will leave it for 5 min, how do I know when the CMOS resets? Does it tell me when I boot up again?

SiliconJon · 09-13-2003, 06:52 PM

It's very possible the dimm controllers are damaged from running while the dimms were not in all the way.

The CMOS is likely ruled out, as the problem now occurrs with the original RAM and you have done nothing more than physically change the RAM.

But if you want to go ahead and give the CMOS a try, you can probably reset it from within the BIOS, so you don't have to touch the motherboard. Go into your bios and look for "Reset to factory defaults", and that will give you the same results as the "Clear CMOS" jumper.

http://h20015.www2.hp.com/en/product...res93648&cc=us

SiliconJon · 09-13-2003, 06:58 PM

According to this: http://h71016.www7.hp.com/sp_main.as...moryconfig.asp

That machine has a limit of 128MB per dimm slot

Play around with it, as the DIMMs may still work. Unplug the machine and let it sit overnight, unplugged from the wall. And in the future when changing dimms, be sure to have the switch on the PSU (power supply) turned off and let the system sit for one minute before changing any memory or internal cards. Some boards are sensitive to these measures, others are not. Always better to play it safe.

You may also want to burn a bootable CD with some memory checkers on it to test your RAM before you spend a lot of time trying to get an OS installed with memory errors.

The only method I've used to create such a CD is using Nero, selecting "Bootable" cd, and pointing the program to a Windows98 boot disk for the sys info.

Bout time I upgrade that puppy to a Linux boot...

DanGrease · 09-14-2003, 10:20 AM

I think its what SiliconJon said, that it only supports 128Mb per slot. I tried everything possible and it just gave me bluescreens of death all the time. I tried all your suggestions and I finally gave up since it didnt work at all. Well, thanks anyways for all your support!

dan

SiliconJon · 09-14-2003, 02:17 PM

Before you pitch it, try that 128MB in each dimm slot. If you have another 128MB, or a smaller one, try it in each slot alone. Your dimm could have taken the damage instead of the slots. (or both may be injurred

)

The computer I'm typing on right now is running on a board that has crippled memory controllers. Just had to play around with some dimms until I got usable results. Right now only two dimm slots will recognize ANY ram, while the two that do "work" will only recognize half a dimm that is more than 64MB, and will step down PC133 to PC100...so I have one 512MB PC133 running as 256MB PC100...but it's just for surfing, so it will do. When I need the 512MB in another system, I'll put two 64MB dimms in it...

daveleau · 09-14-2003, 02:20 PM

Dan,
Many Compaqs have that 128MB limit. It can be very frustrating. Sorry to hear that that is the case.