Laptop RAM/RAM Socket

[caltemus]

I have been having problems with BSOD's and I swapped out one of my RAM sticks. The problem calmed down a lot, but every so often I'll get a BSOD or my program will crash. Any ideas?

[Biased]

Does the BSOD tell you what the problem stems from (if you mean the BSOD that tells you there was a serious crash)? If it gives you a small error code to reference, google it and see if anyone has a similar problem. If it actually tells you what hardware or software the problem stems from, work on reconnecting/reinstalling, changing settings, or removing what is causing the problem. Otherwise you may need to reinstall your OS to make it stop. That worked for me, but it isn't a recommended first action.

[marshallh]

Check to see if your BIOS has voltage level monitoring - if so, compare the voltages the PSU is supplying versus what you need (3.3v, Vcore, 5v, 12v etc) If there is any deviation you may need a new (higher grade) power supply. Happened to me many times.

[tom61]

Check to see if your BIOS has voltage level monitoring - if so, compare the voltages the PSU is supplying versus what you need (3.3v, Vcore, 5v, 12v etc) If there is any deviation you may need a new (higher grade) power supply. Happened to me many times.

This is a laptop that's being talked about, power supplies inside the system are typically not replaceable.

I have been having problems with BSOD's and I swapped out one of my RAM sticks. The problem calmed down a lot, but every so often I'll get a BSOD or my program will crash. Any ideas?

If you've played around with Linux, many boot CDs of Linux include a memory test/'memtest' option, if you don't have any Linux boot CDs download Memtest Pre-Compiled Bootable ISO, and use it to test the memory. First I recommend doing it after the laptop is cool from not being used and see if any errors pop up. If they do, it's very likely the RAM is bad. If it passes the tests then, use your computer until it BSODs again, and then test it again with memtest. Errors now would very likely indicate a heat issue.

[marshallh]

Whoops, missed the whole "laptop" thing in the title.
Haven't had a laptop internal PSU fail on me yet.

[caltemus]

My comp had been down since the initial post. I used memtest86 and all was fine. I reinstalled windows and it works-ish. It is a little slow but the BSODs have stopped for the time being. Thanks for the info.