Worked on XP not on Windows 7

[Blín D'ñero]

I replied, I asked about game suggestions. and said I could grab something off of steam.

https://store.steampowered.com/

i'll try the nodvd file. Going to go to bed 1st.

Oh i assumed you just have more (demanding) games on DVD laying around...

[seoulguy]

Hmmm.

Just downloaded the demo for Arcania and had it crash out on me two times so far. Somethings gotta be a mess with my setup

[seoulguy]

K, I'm running through the list of things on Steams webpage for troubleshooting.

I'm trying memtest86 https://www.memtest86.com/
To test my memory. Problem is, the problem locks up during the memory test.

So, I take a look at the support section for known problems and it says

Memtest86 can not diagnose many types of PC failures. For example a faulty CPU that causes Windows to crash will most likely just cause Memtest86 to crash in the same way.

Often the memory works in a different system or the vendor insists that it is good. In these cases the memory is not necessarily bad but is not able to operate reliably at Athlon speeds. Sometimes more conservative memory timings on the motherboard will correct these errors. In other cases the only option is to replace the memory with better quality, higher speed memory. Don't buy cheap memory and expect it to work with an Athlon! On occasion test 5 errors will occur even with name brand memory and a quality motherboard. These errors are legitimate and should be corrected.

do you think it could be my cpu?...
or maybe just memory that doesn't go well with my board/cpu?

[Blín D'ñero]

Could be the memory, but then: did all this hardware run flawlessly on Windows XP? Was that 32-bit XP?

Try with only one harddiskdrive (detach the other two).

[seoulguy]

just ran memtest https://hcidesign.com/memtest/
It gave me an error message... so I guess it's my ram.

this was the error message

"Memory error detected! Copying between 2b24348 and 2b243011 did not result in accurate copy.

MemTest has detected that your computer cannot accurately store data in RAM.
You need to fix this.

See the online FAQ, question #2 (https://HciDesign.com/memtest) for advice on what to do next."

the website FAQ says :

2) MemTest tells me "Memory error detected...", what does this mean?

This is not normal. Your RAM is bad, or your system is incorrectly configured. Even just 1 error means that you have a problem. If you have overclocked your machine, or selected aggressive RAM timings in your BIOS you should try more conservative settings before judging the RAM fully bad. If you can't get MemTest to run without errors even with conservative BIOS settings, however, your RAM is bad. Replace it, or you will experience stability and corruption problems. Correctly functioning RAM has no errors, even if you run MemTest for days.

Read the manual for more details on how to determine the exact cause of the problem.

So I am guessing that one or more of my RAM is shot. I am hoping it's not an issue with compatibility, because two sticks are from 2008 and two are from 2010.

The manual goes on to say:

If you have more than one DIMM and you find errors with both, even when you test them one at a time, this suggests that your RAM is probably OK. Either your motherboard is failing, you are using memory timing settings that are too aggressive, or your RAM is not compatible with your motherboard. You can experiment with memory timing settings in your BIOS, which may allow you to use your RAM without errors at a small performance cost. Another thing to check is that you are using the proper voltage setting for your RAM (not all BIOSes let you set this). Please refer to your motherboard manual for information on this topic - HCI Design cannot provide specific recommendations for BIOS settings.

Another potential cause of memory problems is overheating - make sure your machine is well ventilated and try running the test again.

So I guess I'm going to go do a list of trials. Going to try each stick separately.

[Blín D'ñero]

Yes do that, and:

two sticks are from 2008 and two are from 2010.

but they are the exact same type? The Samsung?

And, i/m not sure but does your motherboard support dual channel mode? If so, and you're useing that, make sure you have the identical RAM module pairs in A + C / B + D

[seoulguy]

they are identical ram. just different dates.

A+C / B+D... hmmm. that could be my mistake.

they are color coded. and labeled 1 to 4
1,2 is yellow
3,4 is red.

So I am guessing I should be doing
1 2008
2 2010
3 2008
3 2010
?

I had it like this
1 2008
2 2008
3 2010
4 2010

[seoulguy]

however, I have not set any prior settings for dual channel mode. I'll have to check on if my board supports it, and how to set it up

[seoulguy]

"This Gigabyte GA-M56S-S3 Motherboard Manual is published by Gigabyte, without any warranty.

1. Supports AMD Phenom X3/ Athlon X2 processors*
2. Supports high performance Dual Channel DDR2 800 memory
3. Integrated NVIDIA SATA 3Gb/s with RAID function
4. Optimized Gigabit LAN connection.
5. Integrated T.I. IEEE1394 FireWire interface
6. Features 8 channel High Definition Audio
7. RoHS compliant motherboard for green computing
8. Supports Windows Vista Premium"

so apparently it supports it... now I just have to figure out how

[seoulguy]

"If two memory modules are to be installed, it is recommended
that you install them in the DDRII_1 and DDRII_2
sockets.
1-4 Installing the Memory
Two Modules
Four Modules
DDRII_1 DDRII_2 DDRII_3 DDRII_4
DS/SS DS/SS - - - -
- - - - DS/SS DS/SS
DS/SS DS/SS DS/SS DS/SS
Dual Channel Memory Configurations Table
(SS=Single-Sided, DS=Double-Sided, "- -"=No Memory)
Read the following guidelines before you begin to install the memory:
• Make sure that the motherboard supports the memory. It is recommended that memory of
the same capacity, brand, speed, and chips be used.
(Go to GIGABYTE's website for the latest memory support list.)
• Always turn off the computer and unplug the power cord from the power outlet before
installing the memory to prevent hardware damage.
• Memory modules have a foolproof design. A memory module can be installed in only one
direction. If you are unable to insert the memory, switch the direction.
1-4-1 Dual Channel Memory Configuration
This motherboard provides four DDR2 memory sockets and supports Dual Channel
Technology. After the memory is installed, the BIOS will automatically detect the
specifications and capacity of the memory. Enabling Dual Channel memory mode
will double the original memory bandwidth.
The four DDR2 memory sockets are divided into two channels and each channel has two memory
sockets as following:
Channel 0: DDRII_1, DDRII_3
Channel 1: DDRII_2, DDRII_4
Due to CPU limitation, read the following guidelines before installing the memory in Dual Channel mode.
1. Dual Channel mode cannot be enabled if only one DDR2 memory module is installed.
2. When enabling Dual Channel mode with two or four memory modules, it is recommended that
memory of the same capacity, brand, speed, and chips be used and installed in the same
colored DDR2 sockets for optimum performance."

After the memory is installed, the BIOS will automatically detect the
specifications and capacity of the memory. Enabling Dual Channel memory mode
will double the original memory bandwidth.

So, It detects the specifications and capacity... Not sure if this also suggests it automatically puts it into dual channel mode. I am guessing not. It is interesting though, that this boards color coding system is wrong. I'm guessing by the wording, that it's probably in the bios.

I just finished checking all the ram separately. no errors reported. Though I did see some weird glitch on screen, the task manager window actually folded over, looking like a bad clipping from the old school games.

I'm tossing the ram back in the original, wrong, way I had it before and am going to test to see if I can get the error again. After that I'll switch it, then test it with the four in the right way.