tylerbasow

Junior Member
Feb 13, 2005
14
0
0
I have a HP Pavilion ZE1201 that is prone to either freezing or simply shutting down unexpectedly. Could this be a memory issue? The system originally came installed with 128 MB RAM and I added 256 more (no more empty slots). Should I swap out the 128 and get another 256? TIA
 

dphantom

Diamond Member
Jan 14, 2005
4,763
327
126
If this http://www.memoryx.net/hewpacpavnot78.html is the memory you got for a total of 384MB and you are not getting memory errors, then I might look elsewhere.

Anti-virus up to date, spyware, patched, any particular application you are using when it freezes or reboots?

anything in the event viewer application or system log that gives warning or errors messages?
 

tylerbasow

Junior Member
Feb 13, 2005
14
0
0
I have gotten the memory dump blue screen but wouldn't know how to check the log anyway. Virus/spyware definitions up-to-date, but the PC craps out when performing tasks such as scans or defragging. In fact, I might not be doing anything and the computer just shuts down after a while. Could it be a heat issue? I'm not currently at my computer so I can't check the event viewer.
 

LiLithTecH

Diamond Member
Jul 28, 2002
3,105
0
0
Originally posted by: tylerbasow
Should I swap out the 128 and get another 256? TIA

Yes you can add another 256.
The max memory for your laptop is 1028 (1gb).
The memory banks are treated as single banks so mixing is not the issue.

Did you try installing the Memory modules seperately?
What brand memory did you purchase?

 

tylerbasow

Junior Member
Feb 13, 2005
14
0
0
Haven't tried separately, but stability was not an issue until the past year. I got Crucial memory . . .
 

LiLithTecH

Diamond Member
Jul 28, 2002
3,105
0
0
Have you tried running the e-Diagtools to make sure the cooling Fan
is functioning properly?

To run e-Diagtools:
1. Power on the laptop
2. Press F10 at the HP Logo screen
3. Press F2 to choose basic hardware test, then F2 again for Advanced
 

paulsiu

Member
Feb 7, 2005
156
0
76
Install a utility like speedfan and take a look at the temperature reading. If it's hitting around 70C or something, the cpu will shutdown.

Check the manufacturer's website. My girlfriend's Toshiba was prone to shutting down due to a problem that was fixed in the later bios.

Paul
 

tylerbasow

Junior Member
Feb 13, 2005
14
0
0
I accidentally wiped the HP partition so I can't run e-Diagtools. Tried installing Speedfan and am hovering around 60 degrees. There is a bios update on the HP website but I don't have a floppy drive and it doesn't appear to fix this issue . . . At the risk of sounding like a noob, can memory go bad? Any way of testing it?
 

ZYFER

Senior member
Nov 2, 2002
720
5
81
check out http://www.memtest86.com/
you boot the computer up with it and it should check thigns for you, will have to have it run awhile. Don't worry though, they have a CD ISO image of it on there as well.
 

LiLithTecH

Diamond Member
Jul 28, 2002
3,105
0
0
If you use MEMTEST86, be sure to put your power management settings to "Always on"
as AMD's 'PowerNow' (similair to Intel's SpeedStep) feature tends to skew the results.
 

tylerbasow

Junior Member
Feb 13, 2005
14
0
0
Problem half-solved. I do think heat is partly an issue because after installing Speedfan, I notice the notebook hitting the high 60s, after which the only solution seems to be shutting down and letting the system cool off (or buying a cooler). I'm wondering if using the PC in a different country has anything to do with it (I'm using a voltage adapter plug and recently noticed my electric toothbrush charger has warped from the heat). OTOH, I tried running MEMTEST86 once, and after about 40 minutes the thing shutdown, although there didn't seem to be any errors. Booting up the system immediately after showed a temp of ~50, so it couldn't have been the heat. Something I forgot to mention about the memory, they are not exactly the same! I believe the original 128 is CAS 2, but the Crucial brand only offered 3.