HELP! Lock ups and weird memory errors

swamp-fox · December 29th, 2001, 08:43 AM

Last week I had to reinstall OS getting weird crashes.Thought i had a bug try to run norton virus scan aftr updating all virus files. Now it scans couple thousand files and locks up with blue screen I have run it many times and seems to lock up at same spot everytime. Also Norton works tells me both of my ram sticks are bad now. Try to run system restore from every restore point I have and it also stops about 40% through the job everytime??I put another stick of ram in it and went to check bios again and the ram timing was at cas2 instead of cas3 I know it faster at 2 just wondering how it changed itself? set at SPD I slowed the cpu down to 1000mhz Under standard in bios still not helping. I can't figure this out. Kids use my puter to go online alot thought maybe I have bug?? ERROR-file name Vcache(01)+000015A4 error:OE 0028:C004EC40and when I reboot I get (Unable to initialize the virus scanning engine database files). here are my specs.

asus a7v133 mobo
athlon@1.33ghz
geforce2 mx 400
512mb ram
win ME

AzKidd69 · December 29th, 2001, 08:52 AM

Take a look at this....

And as far as norton telling you your ram is bad. I would not believe it. It has told me that many times when I know mine is good. I would try finding another utility to test the Ram...

swamp-fox · December 29th, 2001, 09:23 AM

ok got norton to run all the way through with no viruses detected .Also coudn't run sysedit (from the mskb article you sent me) no file found with that name.Some people have told me norton system works is trash don't use it just use windows utilities Is there another ram tester I can't believe both sticks went bad one is kingston and one stick is from TCWO warehouse no name on it. When I was moving ram around, sytem woudn't boot with the no nome stick in by itself but would boot with kingston but norton said bad memory

Philip1952 · December 29th, 2001, 09:44 AM

I have seen problems with norton on the compressed files in windows. Try changeing the attributes to not scan compressed files.
I have seen this on Norton 2000/2001 models. 2002 seems to have cured this problem.
I wouldn't worry about the ram check. I don't know anyone who has had memory pass the norton test yet.
If it won't boot off the no name stick. It might be bad. Leave the Kingston in and get a replacement for the no name.

swamp-fox · December 29th, 2001, 10:35 AM

ok Uninstalled norton completely, running on one stick of kingston 128mb. For some reason I can't run the restore option to restore to a former date when system was working fine? It still hangs at about 40% and then reboots and my active desktop is gone. Earlier when I checked the restore option was disabled and I don't think I did that. This thing's been humming along for couple months with no problems untill few day's ago Thanks for advice I'll be checking back frequently as I'm trying different things and ay just reinstall win ME again. Would norton stop my system restore from backing itself up??? thinking out loud.Thanks

Philip1952 · December 29th, 2001, 12:57 PM

Norton won't stop the system restore. I just removed ME a couple of weeks ago. Norton had no effect on the restore feature.
Or at least 2002 didn't. I only used ME for about 1 month so I have not had it on Norton 2000 or 2001.
The way I did the resore part was. I turned it off the first thing on install. After I had windows and all my programs installed and working good. (I allowed 1 week for this part). Then I turned on system restore. I ran it for a couple of days then I turned it back off. That way it won't keep adding to itself and corrupt the back up. What you might have going on is a slow corruption of the regestry over time from system restore running. It adds each start up into the file and deletes an older one.
One small error on top of another it all adds up over time to a regestry that is bad. My version of ME didn't have system file checker on it. Or M$ removed it for ME ,one of the two. I like system file checker.

jerrygarcia · December 29th, 2001, 01:09 PM

I had that sort of problem. I checked my ram in another computer and it did the same thing. Went out and bought 256mb Crucial and now running like a dream, well after I added that one, I went out and bought another 256.

Philip1952 · December 29th, 2001, 06:23 PM

There you go try to over dose Windows.

Lost1 · December 30th, 2001, 06:03 AM

Sounds like a RAM problem to me...
Try replacing with known good RAM & see what happens.

BTW- System Restore will generally not work if you are running a firewall program. Don't know if this applies in your case- just an idea...

Good luck

swamp-fox · January 2nd, 2002, 05:00 PM

Thanks everyone seems to have been ram. had same problem while back are they making it defective now since its so cheap?? First two sticks I had to take back Now another gone bad all no name from TCWO. will stick with kingston or crucial
Thanks again
swampy.