My AMD Sempron 2400+ started rebooting randomly a few months ago. It's gotten increasingly worse. Now I am getting these Stop Error blue screens. I thought my processor was overheating and rebooting, but it's running at a lovely 50-something degrees. I am also getting this blue Stop Error screen as I try to re-install my copy of Windows (Win 2k Pro, long story) when it tries to write files to the HD. Sounds like a bum drive to me, but it sounded like a temp problem at first, so you can imagine the ammount of faith I put into my hardware detective skills. Anyone who knows any more about this and wants to take a minute to share would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

10/17/2005 12:39:08 PM

I had a similar issue when my RAM died, one easy test is to run Memtest86. Its easy, you burn and boot a CD, let the test run, and it'll tell you if you have any memory errors.

get it here http://www.memtest86.com/

Also, look in the Windows System Event Log for any errors or warnings. I've got a machine here at work with a dead/dying hard drive, Windows keeps blue screen crashing during failed paging operations. Its all in the Event log.

To get to the event log, right-click My Computer, click Manage, then look under Event Viewer.

10/17/2005 12:59:15 PM

With DMA, data from storage devices is buffered directly to memory from the CPU and device, then (if writing) read from memory and written to the device by the DMA controller... so bad memory can appear to be a bad disk sometimes. It could be any number of things, though... try another memory module, for starters, and if that doesn't help, start pulling stuff and attempt to re-install Windows after each device... if pulling something makes it work, then it is probably what you pulled that is broken. When you run out of stuff to pull, find another computer to test the remaining components in. If you run out of components to pull or test, it may be the PSU.

[Edited on October 17, 2005 at 1:14 PM. Reason : *]

[Edited on October 17, 2005 at 1:15 PM. Reason : *]

10/17/2005 1:13:27 PM

I got a LOT of errors from that memory checking program. I'm looking into replacing it now.

Thanks again for the help everyone.

Of course it could be my motherboard maybe?

[Edited on October 17, 2005 at 2:36 PM. Reason : ]

10/17/2005 2:36:17 PM

I guess it's possible, wouldn't hurt to swap out the ram for some you borrow off a friend before you buy some more.

10/17/2005 2:52:18 PM

Definitely check the RAM. If you are getting all sorts of random errors during reinstall windows, most likely the culprit. Son of a bitch drives you crazy the first time it happens until you realize whats wrong

10/17/2005 9:48:56 PM

Yes it did! Thank you everyone fro your help@

This shit drove me nuts, but I needed to re-install windows. I hate losing all of my other goodies though.

10/18/2005 12:26:32 PM

pc load letter??

wtf does that mean?

10/18/2005 1:00:12 PM

I ran Memtest86+ v1.65 on both my work machines last night, one worked fine with 14 hours of memory testing through 47 passes on 1GB of memory

The other machine actually had errors that crashed memtest! HAHA... they need to stop giving me hand-me-down hardware here. Lucky I've got a spare 1.5GB of ECC memory laying around.

10/18/2005 1:55:27 PM

10/18/2005 2:00:31 PM