Corrupt files

[Cabages]

Its pretty rare when I can completely extract a .rar file. I have no idea why, but the last 3 times I have tried to download this file I am trying to get, it always comes back saying its corrupt. Its not just this either, I would say 75% of the files I download are corrupt.

Also, it seems like whenever I reformat, all the files (drivers and update files) always end up being corrupt when I try to install them, which is especially weired because these arent .rar files. Eventually I just keep trying to download them and it turns out ok, usually takes a day or two after I reformat for everything to stop being corrupt, but the rar files never seem to not be corrupt.

I am running windows xp (i couldnt get SP2 installed because the installer would end up corrupt), and the last time I installed it gave me errors that it couldnt be read from the disc. I guess its gotten scratched up to the point of unreadability, but can I request a new disc from Microsoft, or do they not offer that? And could this even be whats causing all these errors?

 

[dclive]

When you go to Event Viewer and look at the System and Application logfiles, what do you see?

 

[corkyg]

You really should have SP2 installed - in fact, it should be slipstreamed into your XP on a new CDR. Sounds to me like your system is corrupt.

 

[btcomm1]

To me it sounds like you may have bad ram or a bad hd.

I would run memtest overnight and see what happens.

 

[daveybrat]

Originally posted by: btcomm1
To me it sounds like you may have bad ram or a bad hd.

I would run memtest overnight and see what happens.

I second that.

 

[Cabages]

Alright, I finally got around to running memtest last night.

Right now, its on test #8 with 55,296 errors. Its been running for 12 hours, I just looked and its now on test #3. Does this eventually end, or does it just keep going in a continuous loop?

But it pretty much seems I have bad ram, right? I havent run one of these tests before...

I guess what I really need to know is if 55,296 errors in memtest is usual (I doubt), and if my ram is bad. Then I guess I would just contact G.Skill for a replacement?

Thanks for all the help BTW.

 

[Cabages]

Ok, i kinda need to know. Could someone PLEASE answer my question?

 

[dclive]

You could google it, or you could read the documentation, but ... just guessing ... I'm betting if memtest says you have bad ram, you probably have bad ram, or a related subsystem (motherboard, typically).

 

[mechBgon]

Or your RAM is not getting sufficient voltage for its real-world needs. What memory voltage is your RAM spec'ed for, and how much have you been giving it?

 

[Cabages]

Originally posted by: mechBgon
Or your RAM is not getting sufficient voltage for its real-world needs. What memory voltage is your RAM spec'ed for, and how much have you been giving it?

Ok, im really sorry. Ive checked my BIOS, and searched google for some programs that would tell me what voltage my ram is at. I dont know much to begin with which makes it worse. How do I check this, is there some kind of program I can download?

Also, is there some utility I could use to check my motherboard isnt messing up?

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: Cabages

Originally posted by: mechBgon
Or your RAM is not getting sufficient voltage for its real-world needs. What memory voltage is your RAM spec'ed for, and how much have you been giving it?

Ok, im really sorry. Ive checked my BIOS, and searched google for some programs that would tell me what voltage my ram is at. I dont know much to begin with which makes it worse. How do I check this, is there some kind of program I can download?

Also, is there some utility I could use to check my motherboard isnt messing up?

If you have a link to the precise memory modules you bought, that might answer the question of what they're spec'ed for. Also, what's the brand & model of the motherboard?

To answer your question, yeah there are utilities out there, possibly even one made by your motherboard manufacturer. But you could begin by taking a look in the PC Health section of the BIOS, or wherever the voltages are reported, and they might include the VDIMM voltage there.

If you have "high-octane" RAM and a motherboard with no adjustability, consider getting some "vanilla" RAM that's designed for normal industry-standard voltages (for DDR2, that means 1.8 volts).

 

[Cabages]

RAM

Motherboard(Asus A8N SLI)

I have the pc probe utility from asus and cpu-z, couldnt really find any others. If it would help, I could take a screenshot of the memory tab in them, but I couldnt find anything that specifically said "voltage", unless its listed under something else.

Edit: Ahh, found the AI booster utility, says memory is at 2.6v, which is in the normal operating range right?

I should probably just buy some RAM from a local store, test it, then return it. In fact, I might do that tomorrow.

 

[mechBgon]

For the A8N series, default voltage (2.6 volts) is already 0.1 volt above industry standard, but some RAM will not be happy with less than 2.75V+. Unfortunately your link to GSkill is not showing me the specific modules you have, so I can't be sure what they're expecting, but if you wanted to try 2.7 volts, nothing's going to blow up. Replacing the RAM would be another option, though.

At any rate, it sounds like you've found the root of the problem :thumbsup:

 

[Cabages]

Damn, sorry. Link fixed.

Says test voltage 2.6~2.75. But I guess ill just buy some extra stuff, stick it in, run memtest again, then return it.

Thanks for all the help, special thanks to btcomm1 and mechBgon.

 

[btcomm1]

No problem, sorry I didn't get back to you after my initial post.