Solved Memory_management mystery...

C

craig67

Member
Hi all,

About 6 months ago I began to get the dreaded Memory_Management BSOD whenever I would start up my computer in the morning. When I would re-boot the system, it would go away and my computer would then function normally for the remainder of the day. Over the course of time, the problem became worse, however, to the point where now, I might have to restart my system 3, 4, 5 or even 6 times to get it functioning in the morning. Once I get it going - it goes fine for the rest of the day 99% of the time without incident. It goes all the way into windows, and then, after about 30 seconds or so, the BSOD comes up. 90% of the time it is the Memory_Management screen, sometimes it is IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL sometimes it is BAD_POOL_HEADER - and a few other random messages have shown up from time to time. I am beflumuxed by what has been happening.

I have run the basic memory check by hitting esc when the machine turns on and choosing that option - no problem. I have run chkdsk in the same place, still no problem. I survived a near disaster by flashing my BIOS from F52 to F65 and then back again, no help there from the manufacturer website. I ran Memtest86 today until like 125% on one window, and 90% on the other window and still no problem.

The Memory_Management BSOD has come up when I have been running in safe mode - so that does not seem to be a good thing.

I recently even saved all of my files and reinstalled Windows Vista to the factory specs, to no avail - wiping the HD clean in an attempt to straighten out the problem.

Virus scans have revealed nothing. I am apparently running a clean system.

Again - once I get my computer going - it runs fine. I am not being plagued by random shutdowns hours into my day - it only happens right when Windows is starting up.

I am running a Compaq CQ60 417DX with a 138GB HD, 3GB of RAM - the computer is 3 years old and is a great little machine for me - but, I must admit, I am quite frustrated with the startup issues and am probably going to summon up the courage to open up this baby and start fiddling around on the inside - maybe by reseating the memory - if that is even possible.

I am hardly computer literate in the truest sense - so opening up my computer seems like a risky thing to do. But it seems that I have run out of alternatives as far as the software is concerned and as far as my research has taught me.

I would truly appreciate any help or suggestions from the experts here on this board as to what I may be missing, or to what other steps I might take to get rid of my Memory_Management BSOD startup problem.

Thank you very much.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Compaq CQ60 417DX

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS420
    Memory
    6 gig
    Graphics card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD3650 256 MB
    Sound Card
    Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell SP2009W 20 inch Flat Panel w Webcam
    Hard Drives
    640 gb
    Cooling
    Fan
    Mouse
    Dell USB 4 button optical
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Other Info
    DSL provided by ATT
Hi,

1. What is the exact and complete error message you get when you get blue screen?
2. Did you make any changes to the computer prior to the issue?
 

My Computer

System One

Hi Rebpiz,

Thanks for your reply. I didn't understand what to do with the first reply to my posting, so I thought that my thread was dead - thanks for bringing it back to life.

Alright, so here we go:

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

Memory_Management

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

Check to make sure any new hardware or software is properly installed. If this is a new installation, ask your hardware or software manufacturer for any windows updates you might need.

If problems continue, disable or remove any newly installed hardware or software. 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: 0x0000001A (0x00041284, 0x003A4001, 0x00000000, 0xC0802000)

Collecting data for crash dump...
Initializing disk for crash dump...
Beginning dump of physical memory.
Dumping physical memory to disk: 100
Physical memory dump complete.
Contact your system admin or technical support group for further assistance.

_______________________________________________________________________

In response to point #2 - No, not that I can recall. Certainly no hardware changes - if I downloaded something from the internet and installed it, I don't remember and I haven't made any software purchases for installation whatsoever.

Thank you for any help you may be able to provide.

I have not modified my BIOS as the blue screen has suggested - and I don't know how to do that. Do you think that could be the simple key to fixing this problem?

Thanks again.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Compaq CQ60 417DX
If you try to follow my instructions in the first post, we will have a lot of information that can help us solve your problem.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS420
    Memory
    6 gig
    Graphics card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD3650 256 MB
    Sound Card
    Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell SP2009W 20 inch Flat Panel w Webcam
    Hard Drives
    640 gb
    Cooling
    Fan
    Mouse
    Dell USB 4 button optical
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Other Info
    DSL provided by ATT
Hi Richc46,

After reviewing the information further - I believe that I have been able to put together the information that you are looking for.

I have attached it as a zip file per the instructions.

Thank you for your continued attention to this matter.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Compaq CQ60 417DX

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS420
    Memory
    6 gig
    Graphics card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD3650 256 MB
    Sound Card
    Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell SP2009W 20 inch Flat Panel w Webcam
    Hard Drives
    640 gb
    Cooling
    Fan
    Mouse
    Dell USB 4 button optical
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Other Info
    DSL provided by ATT
Hi Richc46,

I ran my computer all night last night on the MemTest86 - got 1210% coverage with 0 errors as of this morning.

As far as taking each stick as testing it in a known 'good' slot - I have absolutely no idea how to do this. I opened up my laptop case the other night and examined where the memory is located - without touching anything. The space is so tight in there that I do not believe my fingers would ever fit in order to snap anything out, and the directions instructing me on how to do this were vague at best - even with the pictorials. It seems I would need a special set of tools to get in there and 'pop' the memory out. I am almost certain I would damage something in the process.

Why would there be a problem with my memory if the MemTest86 came back with clean results after more than 12 passes? Is this the likely problem still - a physical one - or, as I just started thinking, could it be something with my motherboard?

Again, I am simply not sure how I would ever get the memory out of my computer without some special tools - and knowledge - and then, back in - all without damaging something, probably beyond repair.

Thank you again for any input and/or advice you might have on this matter.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Compaq CQ60 417DX
About the 12 passes the answer is yes. Sometimes the good sticks can cover for the bad stick.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS420
    Memory
    6 gig
    Graphics card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD3650 256 MB
    Sound Card
    Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell SP2009W 20 inch Flat Panel w Webcam
    Hard Drives
    640 gb
    Cooling
    Fan
    Mouse
    Dell USB 4 button optical
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Other Info
    DSL provided by ATT
Monday morning update:

Well last night I finally gathered up the courage to actually attempt a RAM module memory removal procedure from my computer. I shut it down, unplugged it, flipped it over, removed the battery, and proceeded to remove the panel where the RAM is located. All of this after one last review of the procedure of the Compaq/HP manual on how to do this for the Compaq CQ60 417DX online. After staring at the card for a few minutes, I got my fingers in there, pushed back the clips on the side, and the RAM card tilted upwards just as it was supposed to do. I carefully removed it without touching anything sensitive, not knowing if I would ever be able to get it back in, or even if my computer was going to be functional anymore. Since I didn't have any electrostatic bags or anything of the sort, I placed the RAM module on a paper towel on my table, and then covered the RAM module with a cereal bowl, so that dust would not get onto it while I was figuring out the results of what I had just done.

I replaced the panel, reinserted the battery, flipped over the computer, plugged it in, and started it up. It seemed to be working just fine. I got into windows and went to see how much RAM my system was now using - it said 2GB. So I was down 1GB now, but the computer was still going OK. I did a little bit of research as to whether windows Vista could run adequately with only 2GB of RAM, and the answer, with very few qualifications, was a resounding yes.

I checked my system resource meter and the memory usage was either 45 or 47% with Opera running with 3 tabs open - all doing different things at the same time.

I then ran MemTest86 on the 2GB which were still in there and it found 0 errors in a quick 115% pass. It was only 7pm or so - so I wasn't going to leave it running all night at that point, I just wanted to give it a once go over.

The big test would be this morning. My big problems were getting my machine going in the morning on a cold start. I came out here this morning - and it was actually quite chilly in my apartment as I have not turned the heat on yet and the nights are becoming pretty chilly - pressed the power button and waited. And I'll be darned. For the first time in as long as I can really remember - my computer started right up, got into Windows, and then, to my amazement, did not crash into a Memory_Management blue screen. The computer just worked.:D I couldn't believe it. I went and got my cup of coffee and came back, and still, no blue screen - no errors - it was a miracle. It seems as if I may have had a bad RAM module after all, and by simply getting it out of there, my computer seems to be fixed. Now this was only the first day without any errors, so I will, of course, be nervous going forward for a while - but the fact that I had no Memory_Management issues this morning after months and months of the same recurring problem - day after day - and to then have them suddenly disappear after removing a RAM memory module, certainly seems to be a highly coincidental occurrence.

I have no immediate plans to replace the missing memory, as my computer seems to be working just fine without it and after doing some research last night on my own using the official replacement part #, I was a bit turned off by the range of prices being advertised on various sites - from like $26 to probably $99(why the price disparity), there is the issue of whether I would even be able to 'get it in there' on my own. Just because I managed to remove the memory, by no means is any indication of my ability to safely reinsert an identical card without incident, and, based upon what I could see, the official replacement item seemed to be advertised as a 2GB memory, when, according to what I could see, only 1GB was actually removed from my system - so that caused me some confusion and concern also. All in all, at this point, it simply does not seem like the hassle of replacing the missing part justifies the potential benefit.

Bottom line - a miracle occurred this morning - thank you richc46 for all of your assistance - a find it very, very, VERY hard to believe that it was purely coincidental that after having removed the memory stick, my computer decided to finally, after so long, to not give me any problems upon startup in the morning. Problem solved.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Compaq CQ60 417DX
Wish I could perform miracles, but what probably happened one stick was dirty or not seated properly. You removed it and reseated it and now all is well. Glad that we could help.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS420
    Memory
    6 gig
    Graphics card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD3650 256 MB
    Sound Card
    Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell SP2009W 20 inch Flat Panel w Webcam
    Hard Drives
    640 gb
    Cooling
    Fan
    Mouse
    Dell USB 4 button optical
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Other Info
    DSL provided by ATT
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