This sound like Power Supply or Ram problem? Or....?

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Doc

Been having some issues with Compaq Deskpro EN PIII 933. 512 MB Ram, XP
Home. It's been running fine until a couple of days ago. Originally got an
error:

*** Hardware Malfunction
Call your hardware vendor for support

NMI: Parity Check / Memory Parity Error

*** The system has halted ***

And would thereafter only boot to Safe Mode. Wouldn't do a normal boot at
all.

After uninstalling/reinstalling the sound card, video capture card, the
computer seemed fine again. However shortly thereafter it started exhibiting
a new symptom.

I haven't gotten that blue screen again, but it just winks out in the middle
doing something. It's done it three times now - twice when I hit the tab to
go into capture mode in Pinnacle Studio, but it happened a little while ago
when I was just typing in the name for a file to capture. Monitor goes
blank, computer quits whirring. I get only a light on the front, and I think
the power supply fan keeps running but otherwise the computer is dead.
Unlplug it, replug and restart, it will boot but now I can't trust it. I
have no idea if this is in any way related to the problem I had previously
with the NMI error, or just coincidence.

This sound like something that could be caused by a hitchy power supply or
perhaps the RAM? Or....?

Thanks for all input.
 
Doc ha escrito:
Been having some issues with Compaq Deskpro EN PIII 933. 512 MB Ram, XP
Home. It's been running fine until a couple of days ago. Originally got an
error:

*** Hardware Malfunction
Call your hardware vendor for support

NMI: Parity Check / Memory Parity Error

*** The system has halted ***

And would thereafter only boot to Safe Mode. Wouldn't do a normal boot at
all.

After uninstalling/reinstalling the sound card, video capture card, the
computer seemed fine again. However shortly thereafter it started exhibiting
a new symptom.

I haven't gotten that blue screen again, but it just winks out in the middle
doing something. It's done it three times now - twice when I hit the tab to
go into capture mode in Pinnacle Studio, but it happened a little while ago
when I was just typing in the name for a file to capture. Monitor goes
blank, computer quits whirring. I get only a light on the front, and I think
the power supply fan keeps running but otherwise the computer is dead.
Unlplug it, replug and restart, it will boot but now I can't trust it. I
have no idea if this is in any way related to the problem I had previously
with the NMI error, or just coincidence.

This sound like something that could be caused by a hitchy power supply or
perhaps the RAM? Or....?

Thanks for all input.
Click to expand...

Bad RAM is the more likely culprit.

Use memtest86, available at www.memtest86.com to diagnose the computer
RAM. The test is an infinite loop. The idea is to run it for several
hours. If the RAM is OK, it should report no errors. If it reports even
a single error, you should replace the computer RAM.
 
|Been having some issues with Compaq Deskpro EN PIII 933. 512 MB Ram, XP
|Home. It's been running fine until a couple of days ago. Originally got an
|error:
|
|*** Hardware Malfunction
|Call your hardware vendor for support
|
|NMI: Parity Check / Memory Parity Error
|
|*** The system has halted ***
|
|And would thereafter only boot to Safe Mode. Wouldn't do a normal boot at
|all.
|
|After uninstalling/reinstalling the sound card, video capture card, the
|computer seemed fine again. However shortly thereafter it started exhibiting
|a new symptom.
|
|I haven't gotten that blue screen again, but it just winks out in the middle
|doing something. It's done it three times now - twice when I hit the tab to
|go into capture mode in Pinnacle Studio, but it happened a little while ago
|when I was just typing in the name for a file to capture. Monitor goes
|blank, computer quits whirring. I get only a light on the front, and I think
|the power supply fan keeps running but otherwise the computer is dead.
|Unlplug it, replug and restart, it will boot but now I can't trust it. I
|have no idea if this is in any way related to the problem I had previously
|with the NMI error, or just coincidence.
|
|This sound like something that could be caused by a hitchy power supply or
|perhaps the RAM? Or....?

Or anything.
Check your RAM with Memtest86+ and let the test run overnight.
http://www.majorgeeks.com/Memtest86_d4226.html
Mobo could be bad. Check the capacitors on the motherboard and try to
determine if any of them are bulging.
http://www.tnpcnewsletter.com/dan/Bulging_Capacitors/
 
Use memtest86, available at www.memtest86.com to diagnose the computer
RAM. The test is an infinite loop. The idea is to run it for several
hours. If the RAM is OK, it should report no errors. If it reports even
a single error, you should replace the computer RAM.
Click to expand...

Can't seem to get the computer to accept it. I've tried it both on a CD and
a floppy, it goes right past it on boot up. The drives light up, I hear them
whirring but nothing happens.
 
Doc said:
Can't seem to get the computer to accept it. I've tried it both on a CD and
a floppy, it goes right past it on boot up. The drives light up, I hear them
whirring but nothing happens.
Click to expand...

Change your BIOS boot sequence to check the floppy before the hard drive.
 
Doc said:
Been having some issues with Compaq Deskpro EN PIII 933. 512 MB Ram, XP
Home. It's been running fine until a couple of days ago. Originally got an
error:

*** Hardware Malfunction
Call your hardware vendor for support

NMI: Parity Check / Memory Parity Error

*** The system has halted ***

And would thereafter only boot to Safe Mode. Wouldn't do a normal boot at
all.

After uninstalling/reinstalling the sound card, video capture card, the
computer seemed fine again. However shortly thereafter it started exhibiting
a new symptom.
Click to expand...

Others have recommended running memory stress software but I would also
suggest reseating the memory modules (that is, take them out and then
reinstall them). Also check socketed chips (if any) for chip
creep.......gently press down on the chip (with power to unit off) to
reseat the chip.
 
In comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.misc Doc said:
Been having some issues with Compaq Deskpro EN PIII 933. 512 MB Ram, XP
Home. It's been running fine until a couple of days ago. Originally got an
error:
Click to expand...
*** Hardware Malfunction
Call your hardware vendor for support
Click to expand...
NMI: Parity Check / Memory Parity Error
Click to expand...
*** The system has halted ***
Click to expand...
And would thereafter only boot to Safe Mode. Wouldn't do a normal boot at
all.
Click to expand...
After uninstalling/reinstalling the sound card, video capture card, the
computer seemed fine again. However shortly thereafter it started exhibiting
a new symptom.
Click to expand...
I haven't gotten that blue screen again, but it just winks out in the middle
doing something. It's done it three times now - twice when I hit the tab to
go into capture mode in Pinnacle Studio, but it happened a little while ago
when I was just typing in the name for a file to capture. Monitor goes
blank, computer quits whirring. I get only a light on the front, and I think
the power supply fan keeps running but otherwise the computer is dead.
Unlplug it, replug and restart, it will boot but now I can't trust it. I
have no idea if this is in any way related to the problem I had previously
with the NMI error, or just coincidence.
Click to expand...
This sound like something that could be caused by a hitchy power supply or
perhaps the RAM? Or....?
Click to expand...
Thanks for all input.
Click to expand...

Unless you have ECC RAM (doubtful), there is no way the computer
can even detetc a RAM error. But the caches in the CPU may have
ECC protetcion (not sure about your model). These can detect
bit-errors and trigger the NMI. So you may actually have a faulty
CPU or CPU voltage regulator (mainboard) or even PSU.

Arno
 
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