CertiGuide to A+ (A+ 4 Real)  9  Chapter 4: Diagnosing and Troubleshooting in the Windows OS       9  Lock-ups

Power Supply 1 Overclocking

BIOS settings could be bad or reset, causing an issue with the CMOS.

RAM problems can cause lock ups and many Windows and application errors.

If RAM does not work, it is easy to notice that because the hardware and basic software you have in PC will tell you that. A challenge is RAM which has some malfunction like a very small part of RAM is not okay like a couple of bytes, or what’s worst at times RAM is functioning completely ok and at times some part is not function okay. Sometimes RAM will not fail until “under stress” created by high temperatures and/or full load.

I once saw where a computer would only lockup on very large graphics. The user installed more RAM. They carefully paid attention to the type of RAM, and not carefully enough. The original RAM was PC –133, and the user installed PC –100. When the new ram was accessed, it was not able to handle the PC –133 speed and a system crashed, but only on very large graphic files.

Bad RAM module is not the only RAM problem. Read the user’s manual of your motherboard to see their Qualified Vendor List, BIOS settings and other RAM stability related information. Make sure all modules are seated properly.

Power Supply 1 Overclocking