Computer restarting when starting up

[Rabblerouser]

EDIT: Silly me forgot to add why we've been doing all this memtesting and stuff.
Basically, the computer just locked up one day and would start freezing upon startup. Just within a minute or two, it would either freeze or shut down on it's on.

Since then we've been going through system recovery and hard drive formats (from the HDD's disc) as much as we can, in an effort to fix it, but to no avail.

---------------------------------

Well, I've already got as far as doing a Memtest scan on another forum, unfortunately, it's a gaming forum, not a tech support forum, so they couldn't make sense of what Memtest returned.

Memtest86+ v1.70 (bootable, of course)

And this is the error we just came up with.
http://i36.tinypic.com/18yx6a.jpg
(Taken just about half an hour ago)

Now we JUST put in NEW RAM, but it's the same type as it was before (512 MB PC2700 DDR DIMM SDRAM (two sticks)) and it's still halting at the same exact test as the old RAM (Test 7). So I'm guessing we wasted $100 on RAM I didn't really need.

So... what am I to do?


Computer:
HP Pavillion a430n
Windows XP (though the recovery seems to mess up, even after formatting with the disc that came with the hard drive (Maxtor 160 GB, 7200 RPM, 8 MB cache).


Btw, right now, I can't even get the system recovery to finish. It can get as far as Windows XP welcome screen with no problems, but when it gets there, it likes to shut off on its own. Furthest I've gotten is the ten-minute countdown after the welcome screens. So if you want to recommend a program, make sure it's bootable from a CD or something.

[Rabblerouser]

I guess I'm not going to get a reply.

Well thanks anyways.

[stroyal]

I've never tried to interpret the error message, If I get any error message, the memory is NG.

If in doubt, try the memory in another computer, If it BOOTs run memtest86.

Edit; Also did you try 1 stick at a time? Maybe only 1 stick is bad.

[Rabblerouser]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stroyal

I've never tried to interpret the error message, If I get any error message, the memory is NG.

If in doubt, try the memory in another computer, If it BOOTs run memtest86.

Edit; Also did you try 1 stick at a time? Maybe only 1 stick is bad.

I don't understand why that'd happen.

These are brand new RAM sticks. But I'll do that when my sister comes and picks up her son. Babies plus open PC cases don't mix well.

EDIT: Testing them one at a time, I mean. I don't have another computer to test it with.

[stroyal]

I know it shouldn't be but new RAM that is NG gets shipped all the time, even from reputable dealers.

[Rabblerouser]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stroyal

I know it shouldn't be but new RAM that is NG gets shipped all the time, even from reputable dealers.

What gets me is no matter what the RAM, it always halts at test 7, which leads me to believe it just might be something else.

[stroyal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rabblerouser

What gets me is no matter what the RAM, it always halts at test 7, which leads me to believe it just might be something else.

That's why I suggested trying it in another computer.

[Rabblerouser]

Well, it seems all RAM sticks fail at the same test. Sometimes different percentages, but even the old RAM stick, when given multiple tests, would stop at random percentages when it came up with that error.

[stroyal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rabblerouser

Well, it seems all RAM sticks fail at the same test. Sometimes different percentages, but even the old RAM stick, when given multiple tests, would stop at random percentages when it came up with that error.

Is this in another computer?

[Rabblerouser]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stroyal

Is this in another computer?

I don't have another computer to test it in, sadly.