Test that Memory (also checking log files and turning off Automatic restart)

 By Lee Brannon

 Revised - re-posted 1/31/09

There are certain programs that every tech or home computer enthusiast needs to have.

I recently ran into an issue with a “Brannonstein” computer. It was a PIII built from parts. For all intents and purposes it was fine, but then it started randomly rebooting. There were no error messages. There was no “bluescreen” it just rebooted on it’s own.

Now when something like this happens Windows will prompt you to send in an error report to Microsoft. Sometimes you get lucky and it reports back with information about what exactly is causing the problem. Most of the time it reports back nothing helpful. In this case it reported back that the solution was unknown, but it gave three possible causes. None of them were correct.

The problem was that I had installed a memory chip that had errors. Device drivers were one of the problems suspected and it was a good guess since when they activated the system rebooted. It also rebooted when I was in the middle of working on something.

I had suspected that the 133 Mhz chip was the cause of the problem and I had removed it, but the problem continued. So it was time to run a memory test.

When you boot your computer it checks the memory with a BIOS test, but these test are not very effective and they basically just let you know that the memory you put into the computer is actually there. To test memory you need a good test. I am sure there are dozens of commercially available test out there but there is a free one that nearly every tech will mention when talking about the subject. That program is “memtest33”.

If you suspect a memory problem, start with this test. I must warn you that the free version has little or no documentation and the website talks mainly about all the techno-babble concerning how it conducts the test and why this test is better than a BIOS check etc.

What you need to know is that it creates a boot floppy that you

1. Download the program from the website. http://www.memtest86.com/

2. Format a floppy diskette. Presumably a 3.5 inch.

3. Run the Install (Simply called Install). The floppy will be turned into a bootable disk that will run the program.

Warning: This diskette is not readable in DOS or in Windows once it is prepared, so don’t think something is wrong with it

4. Reboot your machine.

Provided that you have setup your BIOS to boot from the Floppy Drive the program should run automatically. If, as in my test, it finds errors it will display them. Let it run through all 4 test. If it finds nothing start looking for another cause to your problem.

If it finds an error it will display the Megabyte area and give you some address information. In my Case the errors showed up around 69 MB, so I knew it was the second of three 64 MB SIMM’s I had installed.

In my case I swapped out the SIMM and presto! No more reboots.

Checking the Log files:

When this was happening I also ran across a very good tip that I plan to use in the future.

Some of the ways you can use to find the cause of a mysterious reboot is to check the Event log files. These are located in the Administrative tools in the Control Panel.

1. Go to the Start Menu.

2. Go to the Control Panel.

3. Open Administrative Tools.

4. Open Event Veiwer.

Everything that is done on your computer is recorded in these event logs. There is one for Applications, One for Security and One for the System.

Looking through these log files you will find Warnings and Errors. In this example a Warning was posted in the Application Log. Opening the Warning reveals that some form of Registry problem occurred.

Generally you can use the number posted or the link at the bottom of the text window to lookup possible causes for the problem on Microsoft’s site.

Turning off Automatic restart

Another useful tip I ran across while fixing my memory problem was the use of the Startup and Recovery options in the Advanced Settings of the My Computer Properties. Unchecking the “Automatically restart” will most likely prevent your random reboot problem and possibly give you a better chance at finding the issue in the log files.

To change this:

1. Go to My Computer and right-click on it.

2. Select Properties.

3. Hit the Advanced button.

4. Click the settings buttons next to Startup and Recovery.

5. Now just uncheck the box next to “Automatically Restart” and click the OK button.

Now, hopefully when the problem occurs you will get a better chance to look at it and not have to wait fro the system to restart.

Microsoft product screen shot(s) reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation.