m17 R5, BSOD startup possible cause memory issues

Question

Hi,

For the last few months I've had issues at startup with blue screens of death this morning while looking at solutions to try to get this thing finally fixed I was in the start settings that would let me choose to start with USB drive and stuff like that and I spotted diagnose so I diagnosed and it came back saying memory errors detected limit exceeded additional errors will not be healed location: P0 channel A (dimm 0).

When I looked at the QR code page it said it's covered in the warranty. But the question I have is this since it seems to be memory related are the chips for the Alienware m17 R5 AMD laptops soldered into the motherboard or are they interchangeable by simply snapping them in as that makes a big difference in the port needed?

If they are in fact soldered in, what are support options and are they still covered under warranty?

Thanks

Dave

filbert · Answer

The memory modules are easily removable.

Run Dell Diagnostics:
Immediately after pressing the power button to turn on the laptop (or after clicking the Reboot command), press and hold (or repeatedly press) F12 to enter the One Time Boot Menu, select Diagnostics and press Enter. The Dell Diagnostics will test major hardware components. Choose to run the extended tests.

If you are still in warranty, report any errors to Dell Support.

You can also try Windows Memory Diagnostic, which is a decent test and it's convenient as it comes with Windows. If it finds no errors, and if I suspect a memory issue or if I bought new RAM and wanted to verify its quality, I would then use a more thorough testing utility such as memtest86+.

memtest86+ runs from a bootable flash drive or CD/DVD, so it can test more of the memory than is possible with Windows Memory Diagnostic. memtest86+ should be allowed to run for at least three passes, which on older hardware can take many hours. Over at TenForums they say that for solid test results you should let it run at least 8 passes in a single session.
https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/14201-memtest86-test-ram.html

I suggest that you run memtest86+ for at least 8 passes. You must run all passes in a single session. Running, for example, two passes now, three passes tonight and more passes tomorrow does not give the same confidence as all passes in a single session. If you receive even a single error, you can stop the testing.

Any error reported by memtest86+ means that there is a hardware problem, though not necessarily in the RAM. Errors could relate to issues with CPU, motherboard, RAM slots, etc. There is a process to follow to test RAM sticks individually in each slot, etc., to gradually narrow down the source of the errors.

Whenever touching components or working inside a computer, wear a grounded wrist strap, also called anti-static wrist strap, ESD wrist strap, or ground bracelet. It's a cheap and sensible precaution. Rest the laptop on an anti-static mat or at least a reasonable alternative such as corrugated cardboard. (Repeatedly touching a metal case part is not sufficient mitigation with modern components.)

Scottish2 · Answer

HiThanks for the reply yeah they diagnostics is what I ran I just ran it again from the boot setup area and the same error came popped right up memory errors detected limit exceededSo might have to contact support in this case

Alienware

m17 R5, BSOD startup possible cause memory issues

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