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XPS 630i & Windows 7 Issue: BSoD Memery Error & Lockups
Finally got my Windows 7 x64 set up, and looked to be running well. Was playing music, and woke up to a drumming sound. Saw a BSoD, and I was reading it and said that either the installed memory and/or video card memory was faulty. Suggested I call the manufacturer's technical support, was a bunch on number starting with 7.
Only had 3 hours sleep, so wasn't thinking of taking a picture of the screen before rebooting.
Every reboot into Windows 7 normal mode has hung-up on the desktop, just before the Windows System-Tray Flag would appear. Seems like everything is loading just fine, and I'm moving the mouse, then the OS hangs. Occasionally I can still see the mouse icon's circle still in animated mode, and I've waited up to 5 minutes before hard booting.
Ran up diagnostics mode of Win7, and says there are no start-up errors being reported.
Downloaded MemTest86, version 4.00, and burned it on my laptop. Ran it and no errors came up.
Rebooted to the Windows 7 disc again, and selected the Memory Diagnostics Tool; which is currently running:
Seems to have temporarily stopped at:
Running test pass 1 of 2: 21% complete
Overall 10% complete
Only thing I can think of was I was posting on a forum about Diskeeper comparison to Perfect Disk, and the registration asked for my memory timing. So I ran up CPUz & the Nvidia Control panel, and noticed that the memory speed was at 333 FSB, so assumed that meant 5-5-5-25, although I could be mistaken.
Isn't the default timing at 6-6-6-18? Guess I should boot to the BIOS and change it back?
Swear I didn't change anything, and never pushed the Apply or OK button, just closed the windows via the X.
Sure hate to rebuild all over again, that's so agonizing long getting all the settings back in, and all them Microsoft updates.
Any idea or suggestions? I know I have been having issues with the video card a while, and Chris M posted once. I called technical support twice, and they seem to think that unless the video card goes black that there's nothing wrong with it. Further pressing the issue their technical support reps just seem to want to antagonize the caller rather than help them.
So much for the extended service contract!
Xelkos
213 Posts
0
November 25th, 2009 13:00
BIOS reports the RAM set at 6-6-6-18 @ Optimal (automatic), 2T
Update: Held down the shift key once seeing signs of the desktop, and the OS booted up fine. So must be something trying to load into the OS...
Also, after holding the shift key down on start-up, I checked the Device Manager and see something with a /!\ flag, and I do not recognize it:
Network Adapters
Disabled the "Microsoft Teredo Tunneling Adapter" and on reboot it did not appear in device Manager, and the OS booted up faster. Not sure if that was the culprit or not.
(http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/network/cc987595.aspx) (can't seem to use links with Firefox anymore, grr.)
Xelkos
213 Posts
0
November 26th, 2009 03:00
Followed some instructions near the bottom of the first page, by John Cena, and it seems to be working so far.
I added a reply post to there as well.
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en/w7itproinstall/thread/165c1edc-686e-4e5c-9464-a4ebabf9fe68
Xelkos
213 Posts
0
December 7th, 2009 04:00
Seriously think the memory in this machine, and/or the motherboard is going bad. I get unusual freezing and lockups on OS loading; had dual-booted Windows 7 x64, Vista x64 -or- Vista x32.
Vista x64 has gotten really unstable, although I blame the many Microsoft updates. Even performed a recent rebuild, ran fine for a day, booted back to Win7. Then Win7 locked up (was really stable till I loaded the other OS on a different hard drive), booted to Safe Mode, and back, froze up again, hard booted, got back in. Rebooted twice, did okay.
Rebooted back to Vista x64, locked up numerous times that I ended up rebuilding to Vista x86. This build did okay till the updates, then the OS froze up for over two hours (took a nap). Hard booted, got back in, and it seemed to be okay. Defragmented, sat there a while, fine. Rebooted back to Win7, and bam! Another freeze!
Hard booted that and went back to the OS, found that partitions rearranged drive letters from what I had, so had to change those and reboot. Only had one freeze for a minute, but iTunes was still playing in the background still, so I waited that out.
No idea why the OS decided to change drive letters around, as the other OS was installed to another hard drive; both the first partitions on each drive. C & D are reserved for the first drive letters, but after rebooting to a lockup, Vista x86 on the other drive was not D like it should of been, was G. The second partition of that drive I have always labeled as Z, was set to H. Just weird.
Now try explaining this mess to one of Dell's henchmen over there in India. If they don't get an error code they are absolutely clueless. Got another year with the accidental coverage, as were expected to move, and didn't want anything to the machine happen during the move; so got the extra coverage - for what good it does me.
This machine is getting more and more unstable. First was the video card, and it's still acting up, yet Dell won't replace it unless it errors out with a code or the screen goes black. And every time that I did call, the technicians had nothing better to say other than rebuild the OS and don't install anything.
This machine was good for about 7 months. Then started having video card issues, still having some; the replacement vented slot covers really helped, but that doesn't fix the card's issues. Now I'm getting Bad Pool Header errors, and other memory related errors, yet memory scanners aren't finding any errors. Been having issues across three different OS and all Dell's technical support says is to run the basic diagnostics, and to rebuild the OS and don't install anything.
Wished I could of sprung for the real US agent service, but that was too expensive; still is. This is probably the last Dell I'll buy again, the technical support sucks so bad; and their educational level is so archaic (not to mention stupid) I think they try to make you mad enough to hang up.