Split Second Blue Screen And Continuous Restarts After Memory Upgrade

Hi all,

I recently upgraded the memory on my aging Compaq Presario 905US (with Windows XP) from 240MB (which is how it came) to 752MB by adding a 512MB memory board. My manual says "Each slot (there are 2) supports a PC2100-compliant 128-Megabyte, 256-Megabyte, or 512-Megabyte DDR memory board" so I bought a a 512MB PC2100 DDR 266MHz SO-DIMM board from Amazon (this one -> http://amzn.to/5cmVru).

But now, my computer won't turn on. Each time I turn it on it says 'Windows did not start successfully' and I'm directed a menu and prompted to select Safe mode, last known good configuration or start normally. If I select last known good configuration or start normally, a blue screen appears for a split second, then the computer restarts, and the process starts again.

I tried safe mode and it does work, and I was able to confirm that the new memory has been detected, as memory now shows as 752MB.

So it doesn't seem to be a compatibility kind of problem, so I am now a bit stuck as to what to do. Though safe mode works, it is impractical to use so I would like a way to use the normal mode.

Any advice/help would be gratefully received!!

 

We need to know what that blue screen says. I know that it is only there for a brief second or two. I do not have an XP machine open at this time but if you go to the control panel (you can do this in Safe mode) and then "system" there will be an advanced setting to reboot on a system crash. Make certain that is not checked and the blue screen will remain. Please let us know what codes show on the screen.

 

Thanks for the reply. The blue screen says:

A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer.

If this the first time you've seen this Stop error screen, restart your computer. If this screen appears again, follow these steps:

Check to be sure you have adequate disk space. If a driver is identified in the Stop message, disable the driver or check with the manufacturer for driver updates. Try changing video adapters.

Check with your hardware vendor for any BIOS updates. Disable BIOS memory options such as caching or shadowing. If you need to use Safe Mode to remove or disable components, restart your computer, press F8 to select Advanced Startup Options, and then select Safe Mode.

Technical information:

*** STOP: 0x0000007E (0x80000003, 0x804FEF70, 0xF79B6144, 0xF79B5E40)


Hope this helps. Also, I've looked in BIOS and can't find any "memory options such as caching or shadowing" to disable.


P.S. I don't know why my computer experience shows as 'very experienced'. I didn't select this and this is most definitely not the case LOL. I'm just an average user.

 

Hi, thanks for that information the stop error though is a bit of a general purpose one covering quite a few different issues, have a look here=

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/330182

My guess though is the new memory card may not be fully compatible, possibly because it is a different value in MB, some systems require additional memory to be matched.
Remove the new card and try again, if the system then boots OK, take out the existing card and fit just the new one and try again.
If it boots OK it will be a mismatch problem, if it doesn't boot then the card could be either faulty or not the correct type for your motherboard.
Nev.

 

With just the old stick of memory it seems to work fine. The problem only occurs when I put in the new stick along with the old stick, and with the new stick by itself (in either of the 2 slots).

I thought it was compatible since I matched the specs to that in my user manual and the computer does detect the new memory when I turn on in Safe Mode. Might this not be case then?

 

Try going to http://Crucial.com and do a computer scan. It is safe and will recommend what is needed for your computer. You do not have to buy from them although many consider them to be the best.

You will see a tab for System Scan right below the big blue ad.