Solve : Computer restarting?

1.	Solve : Computer restarting?
Answer» My computer restarts itself. I have had this problem before and was advised to change my RAM. I have done that and my comp. was running fine for a few weeks, and now has started shutting down again. I gives me a different ERROR than it did the first time I had problems. The blue screen errors now has PFN_LIST_CORRUPT and the codes on bottom are STOP: 0x0000004E (0x0000008F, 0x0001DCBE, 0x000102BE, 0x00000000). Can anyone offer any suggestions on what might be the problem. ThankyouThat error continues to indicate a ram problem. Run a diagnostic on the ram (you can download and run memtest). You can also update all drivers and check for a bios update.To diagnose RAM while booting press ESC then look for the test. OR You could take out your RAM and place it back in. Ignore the above advice and just download and run memtestPeople these days are very eager to suspect RAM as a culprit for mysterious, irregular lock-ups, restarts etc and although it's something that you shouldn't discount as a cause, there are other things you should check before blaming RAM for your issues. Although software testing of RAM and memtest in general is very good at diagnosing memory issues, it relies on one very important aspect to give accurate results......it should be run on a PC that has no other physical/hardware/software issues. Anything else and you could end up with tainted results. I've personally had 2 cases this year where people have replaced RAM because of crashes/lock-ups and it didn't cure their problem. In one case, bad caps could be seen on a 5 year old motherboard and when the motherboard was replaced, no more problems. In the other case, the PSU was giving inconsistant +5 voltage and when the PSU was replaced, the issue was gone. I bought the RAM that they'd replaced from them for cheap! I've worked with computers for over 15 years and in that time, I can count on my hands how many times RAM has been the culprit of problems such as these and much less in the last five years. I apologize for rambling on here but in closing, be a little more open in what you suspect and have good reason to suspect it but don't discount other possibilities without investigating first. Also, always do the obvious stuff like checking connection and slot/chip seating before moving on to individual component analysis. I am neither a hardware expert nor am I prone to suspecting ram problems at every turn. The fact is that the error message reported by the OP points to a likely problem with memory (though it certainly could be something else). The obvious and correct first troubleshooting step is to rule ram in or out as the culprit.Personally, I differ in my assumption of "first troubleshooting steps". Step 1 Rule out the obvious (voltages into and out of the PSU, visual inspection of components, physical inspection of fit of components and cables, etc, etc). Like I said, memtest wont see good RAM if its not getting the right voltage. Yes, by all means - the user should invest in a voltmeter and take off the cover and play with all internal parts instead of first running a simple diagnostic utility."memtest " : Is there need to download this program in Windows 7. Or the Program is built-in - Memory Diagnostic -Quote from: moro on June 07, 2010, 07:48:13 AM "memtest " : Is there need to download this program in Windows 7. Or the Program is built-in - Memory Diagnostic - First, why would you think the OP is running Windows 7 when her profile clearly states she is running XP? Second, even if she WAS running 7, I prefer a dedicated utility.Thank you and sorry I am talking about myselfQuote from: moro on June 07, 2010, 08:02:09 AM Thank you I am talking about myself Ahhh. Well, again - I prefer a utility designed solely for that task. But HEY, that's just me.The other reason MemTest is preferable is it runs outside of the OS itself....also a good troubleshooting technique.The bottom line to this issue Allan is that there's no simple answer. That's why people pay tech's like me who invest in the equipment necessary to make a proper diagnosis when they've been out an bought memory because memtest told them the memory was bad. In reading the thread from the start, the user had already established a theory via the BSOD output and it rightly would lead you to think that their was possibly a memory issue. The point I was trying to stress here is 1. That running memtest on a computer that has other issues may tell you you have bad RAM...when you actually don't! 2. There are more obvious causes that should be checked prior to making ANY software diagnostic test.....if for nothing else, to possibly save you a whole BUNCH of time and head scratching! Yes, memtest runs outside the shell, basically eradicating issues with the OS but about another faulty component? Does memtest bypass that? The user can take the advice or not, thats up to him/her. I just like to help by offering my personal experience and knowledge to people willing to read what I write.Quote from: Sodde on June 07, 2010, 07:32:35 AM Step 1 Rule out the obvious (voltages into and out of the PSU, visual inspection of components, physical inspection of fit of components and cables, etc, etc). The first step should use a method that doesn't require removing the case. When the first step determines that yes, there is a problem, then you proceed to perform further diagnostics involving the innards. you don't go checking drive connections when you can't find a file you saved, for example. (contrived example perhaps) checking via software first- you state that bad voltages will cause a memory test to report bad memory. of course they will. But now we it's an issue related to memory and or voltage, whereas if the memory test is solid then it probably isn't (otherwise bad voltages would cause memory errors- the very same ones causing the BSOD and restart in this case). Quote from: Sodde on June 07, 2010, 08:06:33 AM The bottom line to this issue Allan is that there's no simple answer. That's why people pay tech's like me who invest in the equipment necessary to make a proper diagnosis when they've been out an bought memory because memtest told them the memory was bad. so... they should never run a memory test, ever. they should instead go see a tech who will use a multimeter to discover the problem. right. a memory test makes no claim that any error it finds is caused by memory- the name of course implies it but it's never wise to act on an implication. The issue here is that the BSOD points to RAM issues. what causes these RAM issues is unclear- however, if the memory test works fine, then the issue is almost certainly not with hardware, otherwise the very same voltage issues that caused the corrupt memory would cause the memory test to fail (the recommended time to run the test for best results is overnight). Therefore by running the test you have an additional morsel of information that can guide oneself to a more appropriate solution. If after the memory test runs fine for an extended period with no errors, then it's probably not a hardware issue- a good step after that would be to explore software causes to the problem until something happens to suspect hardware again. For example, many VIRUSES fester themselves into kernel mode drivers, where the virus could, purposely or accidentally, corrupt anything in the entire memory space, causing the blue screen described. If a malware scan were CLEAN at that point, then one could investigate possible relations to driver issues by seeing if the machine can run in safe mode for an extended period. If the blue screen still occurs, then it might be appropriate to check the hardware. if it works fine, however, it's probably a problem with a driver. At which point it is just a matter of finding out which driver. I might also point out that every single hardware component can check out fine and the issue could still be essentially hardware related. my old PC refused to accept certain graphics cards, for example, Blue screening with IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL whenever the driver loaded. a hardware check would find that the motherboard as well as the graphics card and everything else was working perfectly fine, but together the sum of the parts was not. I never was able to find the actual cause of this issue, but instead simply reverted to my old graphics card and forwent the upgrade at the time.

Answer»

My computer restarts itself. I have had this problem before and was advised to change my RAM. I have done that and my comp. was running fine for a few weeks, and now has started shutting down again. I gives me a different ERROR than it did the first time I had problems. The blue screen errors now has PFN_LIST_CORRUPT and the codes on bottom are STOP: 0x0000004E (0x0000008F, 0x0001DCBE, 0x000102BE, 0x00000000). Can anyone offer any suggestions on what might be the problem.

ThankyouThat error continues to indicate a ram problem. Run a diagnostic on the ram (you can download and run memtest). You can also update all drivers and check for a bios update.To diagnose RAM while booting press ESC then look for the test.

OR

You could take out your RAM and place it back in. Ignore the above advice and just download and run memtestPeople these days are very eager to suspect RAM as a culprit for mysterious, irregular lock-ups, restarts etc and although it's something that you shouldn't discount as a cause, there are other things you should check before blaming RAM for your issues.
Although software testing of RAM and memtest in general is very good at diagnosing memory issues, it relies on one very important aspect to give accurate results......it should be run on a PC that has no other physical/hardware/software issues. Anything else and you could end up with tainted results.
I've personally had 2 cases this year where people have replaced RAM because of crashes/lock-ups and it didn't cure their problem. In one case, bad caps could be seen on a 5 year old motherboard and when the motherboard was replaced, no more problems. In the other case, the PSU was giving inconsistant +5 voltage and when the PSU was replaced, the issue was gone. I bought the RAM that they'd replaced from them for cheap!
I've worked with computers for over 15 years and in that time, I can count on my hands how many times RAM has been the culprit of problems such as these and much less in the last five years.
I apologize for rambling on here but in closing, be a little more open in what you suspect and have good reason to suspect it but don't discount other possibilities without investigating first. Also, always do the obvious stuff like checking connection and slot/chip seating before moving on to individual component analysis. I am neither a hardware expert nor am I prone to suspecting ram problems at every turn. The fact is that the error message reported by the OP points to a likely problem with memory (though it certainly could be something else). The obvious and correct first troubleshooting step is to rule ram in or out as the culprit.Personally, I differ in my assumption of "first troubleshooting steps".

Step 1 Rule out the obvious (voltages into and out of the PSU, visual inspection of components, physical inspection of fit of components and cables, etc, etc).

Like I said, memtest wont see good RAM if its not getting the right voltage. Yes, by all means - the user should invest in a voltmeter and take off the cover and play with all internal parts instead of first running a simple diagnostic utility."memtest " :
Is there need to download this program in Windows 7. Or the Program is built-in - Memory Diagnostic -Quote from: moro on June 07, 2010, 07:48:13 AM

"memtest " :
Is there need to download this program in Windows 7. Or the Program is built-in - Memory Diagnostic -

First, why would you think the OP is running Windows 7 when her profile clearly states she is running XP?

Second, even if she WAS running 7, I prefer a dedicated utility.Thank you and sorry
I am talking about myselfQuote from: moro on June 07, 2010, 08:02:09 AM

Thank you
I am talking about myself

Ahhh. Well, again - I prefer a utility designed solely for that task. But HEY, that's just me.The other reason MemTest is preferable is it runs outside of the OS itself....also a good troubleshooting technique.The bottom line to this issue Allan is that there's no simple answer. That's why people pay tech's like me who invest in the equipment necessary to make a proper diagnosis when they've been out an bought memory because memtest told them the memory was bad.

In reading the thread from the start, the user had already established a theory via the BSOD output and it rightly would lead you to think that their was possibly a memory issue. The point I was trying to stress here is 1. That running memtest on a computer that has other issues may tell you you have bad RAM...when you actually don't! 2. There are more obvious causes that should be checked prior to making ANY software diagnostic test.....if for nothing else, to possibly save you a whole BUNCH of time and head scratching!

Yes, memtest runs outside the shell, basically eradicating issues with the OS but about another faulty component? Does memtest bypass that?

The user can take the advice or not, thats up to him/her. I just like to help by offering my personal experience and knowledge to people willing to read what I write.Quote from: Sodde on June 07, 2010, 07:32:35 AM

Step 1 Rule out the obvious (voltages into and out of the PSU, visual inspection of components, physical inspection of fit of components and cables, etc, etc).

The first step should use a method that doesn't require removing the case. When the first step determines that yes, there is a problem, then you proceed to perform further diagnostics involving the innards. you don't go checking drive connections when you can't find a file you saved, for example. (contrived example perhaps)

checking via software first- you state that bad voltages will cause a memory test to report bad memory.

of course they will. But now we it's an issue related to memory and or voltage, whereas if the memory test is solid then it probably isn't (otherwise bad voltages would cause memory errors- the very same ones causing the BSOD and restart in this case).

Quote from: Sodde on June 07, 2010, 08:06:33 AM

The bottom line to this issue Allan is that there's no simple answer. That's why people pay tech's like me who invest in the equipment necessary to make a proper diagnosis when they've been out an bought memory because memtest told them the memory was bad.

so... they should never run a memory test, ever. they should instead go see a tech who will use a multimeter to discover the problem. right. a memory test makes no claim that any error it finds is caused by memory- the name of course implies it but it's never wise to act on an implication.

The issue here is that the BSOD points to RAM issues. what causes these RAM issues is unclear- however, if the memory test works fine, then the issue is almost certainly not with hardware, otherwise the very same voltage issues that caused the corrupt memory would cause the memory test to fail (the recommended time to run the test for best results is overnight). Therefore by running the test you have an additional morsel of information that can guide oneself to a more appropriate solution. If after the memory test runs fine for an extended period with no errors, then it's probably not a hardware issue- a good step after that would be to explore software causes to the problem until something happens to suspect hardware again. For example, many VIRUSES fester themselves into kernel mode drivers, where the virus could, purposely or accidentally, corrupt anything in the entire memory space, causing the blue screen described.

If a malware scan were CLEAN at that point, then one could investigate possible relations to driver issues by seeing if the machine can run in safe mode for an extended period. If the blue screen still occurs, then it might be appropriate to check the hardware. if it works fine, however, it's probably a problem with a driver. At which point it is just a matter of finding out which driver.

I might also point out that every single hardware component can check out fine and the issue could still be essentially hardware related. my old PC refused to accept certain graphics cards, for example, Blue screening with IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL whenever the driver loaded. a hardware check would find that the motherboard as well as the graphics card and everything else was working perfectly fine, but together the sum of the parts was not.

I never was able to find the actual cause of this issue, but instead simply reverted to my old graphics card and forwent the upgrade at the time.

Solve : Computer restarting?

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