PC100 RAM the root of evil?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Christopher Southworth
  • Start date Start date
C

Christopher Southworth

Hi, folks!

I am an avid videogamer, and I would love to be able to play games on my
Windows XP Pro system, as I have loads of them. I troubleshoot and
troubleshoot, and it never seems to help me -- is hardware the cause of my
problems? I have a Pentium 4 2.3GHz motherboard, 512MB of PC100 SDRAM, a
Radeon 7000 PCI 64MB video card and a big enough hard drive to make
everything fit (ie - space is not a consideration - even small, old games
won't work). My problem is this - each game I play abruptly stops, and
either has intense graphic confusion necessitating a reboot, or the game
simply exits to the desktop. Should I replace my RAM? Is my video card too
old? If so, why don't my very old (ie- 1998 and prior) games work? Even
"X-COM: UFO Defense" cuts out on me!!!

Please help!
Chris S.
 
Hi Christopher,

Hardware issues can cause freezing, black screens and other
errors. Also, your drivers should always be kept up to date.

Try the following steps one at a time to try and resolve the issue.
I hope this helps. Please post back if you have any questions! :-)

1. Update DirectX and your Chipset, Sound, &Video Drivers:
For all Video / DirectX / Game and Hardware Issues, I have a
Checklist of Solutions at: http://NibblesNbitsVideo.tk

2. Dust your fans, vents and components using a 1/4" paintbrush
and a hose vacuum. Use compressed air for hard to reach places.
Set a housefan to blow cold air into your case to expose an over-
heating issue.. If it works add more fans or replace defective ones.
Use this Motherboard Monitor Utility: http://mbm.livewiredev.com

3. A faulty power supply can cause STOP errors, random reboots,
and black screen lockups. One way to test for that is to check the
wattage sticker on your power supply and then calculate your need
http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/ (Min. 350 for gaming)

4. Test your RAM using: http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp

--
Cheers, Windows XP MVP Shell / User
Jimmy S. http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

Game FAQs: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=FH;[LN];gms
Visit my Zone.com / Gaming Helpsite: http://nibblesnbits.tk or Call / Contact
MS Support at: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=sz;en-us;top
My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
_________________________________________________________
 
If you think your RAM might be faulty you can test it with the application
from this website too:

http://www.memtest86.com



Jimmy S. said:
Hi Christopher,

Hardware issues can cause freezing, black screens and other
errors. Also, your drivers should always be kept up to date.

Try the following steps one at a time to try and resolve the issue.
I hope this helps. Please post back if you have any questions! :-)

1. Update DirectX and your Chipset, Sound, &Video Drivers:
For all Video / DirectX / Game and Hardware Issues, I have a
Checklist of Solutions at: http://NibblesNbitsVideo.tk

2. Dust your fans, vents and components using a 1/4" paintbrush
and a hose vacuum. Use compressed air for hard to reach places.
Set a housefan to blow cold air into your case to expose an over-
heating issue.. If it works add more fans or replace defective ones.
Use this Motherboard Monitor Utility: http://mbm.livewiredev.com

3. A faulty power supply can cause STOP errors, random reboots,
and black screen lockups. One way to test for that is to check the
wattage sticker on your power supply and then calculate your need
http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/ (Min. 350 for gaming)

4. Test your RAM using: http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp

--
Cheers, Windows XP MVP Shell / User
Jimmy S. http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

Game FAQs: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=FH;[LN];gms
Visit my Zone.com / Gaming Helpsite: http://nibblesnbits.tk or Call /
Contact
MS Support at: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=sz;en-us;top
My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any
rights.
_________________________________________________________


Christopher Southworth said:
Hi, folks!

I am an avid videogamer, and I would love to be able to play games on my
Windows XP Pro system, as I have loads of them. I troubleshoot and
troubleshoot, and it never seems to help me -- is hardware the cause of
my
problems? I have a Pentium 4 2.3GHz motherboard, 512MB of PC100 SDRAM, a
Radeon 7000 PCI 64MB video card and a big enough hard drive to make
everything fit (ie - space is not a consideration - even small, old games
won't work). My problem is this - each game I play abruptly stops, and
either has intense graphic confusion necessitating a reboot, or the game
simply exits to the desktop. Should I replace my RAM? Is my video card
too
old? If so, why don't my very old (ie- 1998 and prior) games work? Even
"X-COM: UFO Defense" cuts out on me!!!

Please help!
Chris S.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Thanks very much, Neil! I'll test it this morning. :-)

Also, thanks as always for your help, Jimmy!

Neil Dela Osa said:
If you think your RAM might be faulty you can test it with the application
from this website too:

http://www.memtest86.com



Jimmy S. said:
Hi Christopher,

Hardware issues can cause freezing, black screens and other
errors. Also, your drivers should always be kept up to date.

Try the following steps one at a time to try and resolve the issue.
I hope this helps. Please post back if you have any questions! :-)

1. Update DirectX and your Chipset, Sound, &Video Drivers:
For all Video / DirectX / Game and Hardware Issues, I have a
Checklist of Solutions at: http://NibblesNbitsVideo.tk

2. Dust your fans, vents and components using a 1/4" paintbrush
and a hose vacuum. Use compressed air for hard to reach places.
Set a housefan to blow cold air into your case to expose an over-
heating issue.. If it works add more fans or replace defective ones.
Use this Motherboard Monitor Utility: http://mbm.livewiredev.com

3. A faulty power supply can cause STOP errors, random reboots,
and black screen lockups. One way to test for that is to check the
wattage sticker on your power supply and then calculate your need
http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/ (Min. 350 for gaming)

4. Test your RAM using: http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp

--
Cheers, Windows XP MVP Shell / User
Jimmy S. http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

Game FAQs: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=FH;[LN];gms
Visit my Zone.com / Gaming Helpsite: http://nibblesnbits.tk or Call /
Contact
MS Support at: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=sz;en-us;top
My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any
rights.
_________________________________________________________


Christopher Southworth said:
Hi, folks!

I am an avid videogamer, and I would love to be able to play games on my
Windows XP Pro system, as I have loads of them. I troubleshoot and
troubleshoot, and it never seems to help me -- is hardware the cause of
my
problems? I have a Pentium 4 2.3GHz motherboard, 512MB of PC100 SDRAM, a
Radeon 7000 PCI 64MB video card and a big enough hard drive to make
everything fit (ie - space is not a consideration - even small, old games
won't work). My problem is this - each game I play abruptly stops, and
either has intense graphic confusion necessitating a reboot, or the game
simply exits to the desktop. Should I replace my RAM? Is my video card
too
old? If so, why don't my very old (ie- 1998 and prior) games work? Even
"X-COM: UFO Defense" cuts out on me!!!

Please help!
Chris S.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Back
Top