WinXP Mystery when adding RAM

[CaptnKirk]

Bizzare !

2nd time - added a stick of NEW PC2700, DDR333 Crucial RAM. First time a 512MB stick, this time a 256MB stick.

System won't post - displays 'Missing xxxx.DLL File' - Memory works fine in an identical system with same Op/Sys.
How can just adding a stick of RAM cause a .DLL to dissapear?

Will try to install missing file from WinXP CD this evening, if that fails, I'll copy the file from my Sys &
try Copy C/: from a floppy in the DOS-Emulator.

Not my system, friends system - his wife does play some games on it though.
2 weeks ago it corrupted so badly with the 512 stick that we had to Format &
Fresh install OS & run all 50 updates. Here we go again. Any clues? MBR Boot Virus?

 

[Yomicron]

It is possible that the memory settings are wrong, the system may be running at DDR400. If you are running the memory out of spec it can end up corrupting files. The stick that is already in there may be able to run at 200MHz just fine, but the new RAM isn't able to run as fast, and thus causes errors when it is used.

 

[cleverhandle]

Sharp suggestion by Yomicron...

Less likely, but possible, is that the mobo doesn't like something about Crucial PC2700. It's pretty rare that a mobo has issues with a single memory vendor's sticks, especially with Crucial being very standard, but it can happen.

 

[CaptnKirk]

FYI - For those who care:

The system has ALWAYS had Crucial PC2700, this only manifested itself when an additional stick was added.
The 'Missing" file is 'Sys32/HAL.DLL' - and appears to be a programming error within WinXP. MSKB mentions it.

The fix was to change BIOS to 'Boot from CD' , and run the Replace/Repair MBR.

We still have to put another RAM stick in, but next time we'll be ready.

Don't know why this file dissapeared, the system ran flawlessly for 7 months before adding the RAM.

Still open for suggestions.

 

[Convergys]

If you removed the stick of 256... Did you still get the error?

 

[CaptnKirk]

Yes, have to boot from WinXP CD & run repair to re-install HAL.DLL.
3rd time now. Will try to add stick again and see if I have to repair again.
MS Knowledge Base mentions this as a Software glitch in some systems.
3 identical systems to this do not have this problem, only this unit.

 

[Soulkeeper]

lower the mem timings and see if that helps

 

[CaptnKirk]

Been all ober the BIOS settings, RAM placement, Etc. Microsoft even states this may happen with
some of the software, and it refers to a MBR software fix, but it's annoying.
Something that they found a couple years ago in NT, fixed it with a HAL.DLL 1.1 update,
but still is known to happen.
Microsoft HAL.DLL

 

[Abzstrak]

I would highly suggest downloading and running memtest86 on that RAM, souns like the timings are off or one of the sticks are flakey.... Also, sometimes one stick wont like another and will not work well when installed with it.

 

[CaptnKirk]

FINAL REPORT - CONCLUSION

Added the RAM again, and the program booted and ran fine.
The problem was in fact a WinXP software glitch in the HAL.DLL at the MBR level.
Re-install and repair per 'Boot-from-CD' put program in correctly - in the 3rd attempt.

It's called the "Bug-Factory"

 

[Abzstrak]

The HAL has nothing to do with the mbr man, thats not the problem

 

[CaptnKirk]

Whatever you say, that's what Microsoft said to do to fix the problem, and that's what it took to make it happen.
That's how they wrote the software - they might know since they've seen this many times before.