laptop write/read error?

[hdeck]

my laptop crashed and gave me this error.

just want to make sure this is a ram error and not something more complex.

laptop is dell inspirion 4150
p4 1.8ghz
384ddr ram (1x128, 1x256)
30gb hdd

the laptop works with the 256 stick out, but crashes randomly with it in.

 

[Matthias99]

Did you try memtest86? That would tell you definitively if the memory stick is bad.

 

[hdeck]

it crashed while memtest was running.

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: hdeck
it crashed while memtest was running.

Wow.

Either the RAM is bad, or the motherboard/memory controller is shot. Did you try your 'good' RAM in the other slot (if the laptop supports running like that)? And/or the 256MB stick by itself? It could be that the second SODIMM slot is bad.

Beyond that, yeah, it sounds like bad RAM, but you need to test it with known good RAM to be certain.