General Hardware Failure - NMI memory parity error

Is the memory originally installed in the system available for testing? If so, place that memory back in the system temporarily.

If that is not available, and there is an empty memory slot, place one module of memory in the empty slot. If the computer runs fine, use a computer duster to clean out the other memory slots, and ensure the metal leads on the memory modules are free of dust and debris. Replace the memory within the cleaned sockets, and test the system.

If you still receive problems, try looping the Dell Diagnostics to run at least the memory test overnight.

If the memory cannot be pinpointed as the source of failure, do you have another system that you can swap the processor with? If so, perform that swap, and loop the diagnostics again overnight, if possible. Hopefully this will pinpoint a more specific source of failure.

Try using different diagnostics programs to test the memory.

Here's one by Microsoft, but beware - this is a beta version.

http://oca.microsoft.com/en/mtinst.exe

Here's an another I used once. Excellent app.

http://www.memtest86.com/memt30.zip

Both require an empty floppy disk.

I have done the above, another set of original Dell memory was placed in machine, and after 6-7 hours of working on the machine, the message reappears.

 

Is it possible that the power coming into the machine could either vary enough (110-140V, 120-190V) to cause this problem?  I hooked another Dell machine, identical in all respects except for the hard drive, into same socket on wall and surge suppressor, and eventually go thte  same message.

 

This started the day after a big thunderstorm in the area rolled through and cut off power to the entire area.

I'm baffled.

 

Thank you.

 

Possible power surge causing system damage?

Three common items are in the machine that continues to show NMI - hard drive, NIC and daughter/riser card.

 

This machine did not NMI on the circuit until the riser card was swapped out to the other machine, and the hard drive was installed in the machine.  It also has a CD-RW and sound card installed, but this was done after NMI showed up.

 

I have read various articles on the net, and found that anything in the machine can cause the memory parity error, two of which are NIC'c and hard drives, as strange as this may seem.

 

Any more suggestions?  I may try to remove the riser card and let it run, then swap out a clean hard drive, format it, add the various programs, and see if it will run.

 

Thanks

Have done everything, including cloning the hard drive to another (FAT32 w/XP Pro Upgrade from Win98SE on original Quantum HD to a 30GB Maxtor formatted using NTFS)

The message shows up when logged into server (there is a SPA attached to the rear parallel port) and using MS Excel 2000 (Premium edition).  The call seems to always happen when Excel worksheet is being used.

Haven't tried the dauhtercard/riser card swap yet.  This is only piece of hardware from the two machines that is still common.  It has a sound card and modem on it.

I really think it is a Microsoft problem in Excel causing a call to memory that conflicts in the threading (the spreadsheet may be the same one open each time the crash occurs).

Any more help from Dell would be appreciated.  Of course, the machine went out of warranty two months before the crash.

 

 

 

 

I think he is right about this.

This machine did not NMI on the circuit until the riser card was swapped out to the other machine, and the hard drive was installed in the machine.  It also has a CD-RW and sound card installed, but this was done after NMI showed up.

 

The reason I say this is that I have a 866mhz Gx110, same thing. I got a NMI parity error. First I swapped the ram, didn't work. Then I removed the riser card. It worked.