Memory parity error after windows7 install

I ran the dell quick diagnostics and everything passed so that did not help but it was a good suggestion that I had not thought of.

Thanks

Run Dell Diagnostics.

Reseat RAM modules and PCI cards in their slots.

Any signs of overheating? Are fans running, motherboard hardware free of dust bunnies?

I have reseated the ram modules. I vaccumed out any dust that was in it several days ago when i put the new ram in. the fans are running and ii do not see any signs of overheating. I saw on another forum about broadcomm network interface cards causing memory parity errors so i installed a wireless nic and disabled the broadcomm nic and so far it is still running with no errors,

If by chance and my bad luck if this does not fix the issue could I switch to non parity ram in this computer and is there any thing I would need to change if I did?

Thanks

Well here is an update after disabling the Broadcom netxtream 57XX gigabit controller the computer worked great for three days then tonight I got the BSOD memory parity error again. I am still thinking of changing to non parity memory but I am not sure if it will work in my GX280 anybody have any idea if this will work?

Thanks Greg

I don't see any RAM specs for this model that mention anything about "parity". The specs do say NON-ECC.

Are you sure the 2 sticks of RAM are exactly matched? If they're not matched you might get this kind of error. And by matched, it's not always just about the specs for each module being the same. A lot of the time they have to the same brand and the same specs to work together properly.

For what it's worth, I occasionally get a parity error with Win 7 Pro, 32-bit, on this PC but the modules are identically matched. It seems to happen recently while running IE11, but I've no conclusive evidence that IE is the real problem.

I've run the Win 7 memory tests (full tests) which takes hours, and through at least 2 passes each time, but it never reports any RAM errors...

My memory sticks are both the same specs but not the same brand so that may be the problem. I am going to order a pair of non parity, non ECC memory sticks and give that a try. I am running windows 7 32bit also and I have noticed the memory parity error come up at random times including at startup so it doesn't appear to be linked to any particular program but after I disabled the Braodcom NIC it happened a lot less.

Thanks Greg

You could try uninstalling and reinstalling the Broadcom driver, using the latest version for Win 7, 32-bit and your specific hardware. Check Dell's Drivers & Download page for your PC model.

And you might also want to run sfc /scannow to see if a Windows file might be missing or damaged. sfc may ask for your Win 7 DVD so have it handy. The disk does have to be the exact same version of Win 7, including Service Pack, that's currently installed on the hard drive, if it's requested.

Well I swapped out the two  memory sticks that were the same specs but different brands with twoidentical one gig sticks of non parity non ecc memory and I still get the nmi memory parity error occasionally. I am running out of ideas. I don't understand how non parity memory could still have parity error.

Thanks Greg

Have you run the extended diagnostics on your hard drive, in case there's an issue with the sector(s) where Windows stores its paging file? Windows uses the paging file as extra RAM when physical RAM is getting full.

There's also RAM on add-in video cards so that's another possibility. Try reseating the card in the slot.

If you google this issue, it is fairly common. And I still get it every once/while, mostly while using IE11. So it's possible there's some software issue.

Not sure what else to tell you...

How do I go about running the extended diagnostics test?  I am unfamlier with that test

See here:

http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/f12-preboot-diagnostics/

thanks My PC is a 2005 era Optiplex GX 280 so the video that you provided for 2010 and later PCs did not apply exactly. holding F12 during the boot process gave me the option to do a hard drive test which passed with no issues. I also did an memory test which also passed.

Are there any other tests I can do for this PC?

Thanks Greg

You can try checking for updated chipset and video drivers...

Go to Intel's Download page and grab their free scanner. Let it scan your hardware and offer any new/better drivers. Then go to your video card manufacturer's site (eg, AMD or NVidia) and look for a newer video driver there too.

Keep in mind that Dell never offered the GX280 with Win 7, so it's just possible this system isn't fully compatible with Win 7, and that's the problem... 

I did do the Intel hardware scan and it found nothing that needed updating. I did the Dell extended scan again and everything passed so it may well be just an incompatible issue as suggested. The good part is that the error comes up much less than it did at first.

Thanks Greg