Bad or faulty ram can definitely cause the Blue Screen error as well as a plethora of other problems if not fixed or replaced. Blue Screen errors are a common symptom of failing hardware that is not just limited to RAM.
Hardware like hard drives, disc drives, graphics cards, and even your computer’s power supply can be the culprit for your dreaded Blue Screen Errors. As you can see, the list can be quite broad and finding out what piece is causing your errors can be tedious.
We will be looking further into the issues associated with bad or faulty ram. How to know if your ram is causing the blue screen errors, how to fix these errors, and what causes your ram to go bad in the first place.
How Do I Know if My Ram Is Causing Blue Screen?
Knowing if your ram is what’s causing your computer to blue screen is crucial as you don’t want to immediately replace your RAM only to find out that your issue has not been resolved.
Typically when there is a blue screen on your computer, there is some type of hardware issue that is occurring. Some computers can have more than one stick of RAM and even if only one of them is bad, you will still encounter problems.
Knowing how to troubleshoot your RAM is an important skill to have and can save you a lot of time and money in the long run.
Open Control Panel
The first step to checking your RAM is to open your control panel. You can get to the control panel by clicking on the start or home button and clicking on control panel. If you cannot locate your control panel, you can click on the search bar and type it in manually to find it.
Use the Diagnose Memory Problems Tool
Once you are in your control panel, you will want to click on the search bar. type in the word “memory” and press enter. Now look for the administrative tools section and select “diagnose your computer’s memory problems.
You will then be prompted to restart now and check for problems. Go ahead and run the scan. Restart your computer and follow the on screen instructions and your computer will let you know if there were any issues found.
How Do I Fix a Blue Screen Ram?
Before changing out your RAM completely, there are a few steps you can take to see if you can fix your blue screen errors.
The first and foremost step you should take is updating and restarting your computer. If you have pending Windows updates, be sure to install the latest updates.
Try Using Mem Test86
Download and install a third party application like MemTest86. This application will test your RAM for issues and faults even if your windows memory diagnostic tool did not find anything.
Make Sure Your Drivers Are up to Date
Another overlooked step is making sure your drivers are up to date. To do this you will have to click on your start button and search for your device manager. Once inside the application, look for any exclamation points or errors with your hardware.
Run a Check Disk Scan
Every Windows system comes equipped with Check Disk. This is a simple tool that verifies the file system and fixes issues that it may find.
The quickest way to access the check disk tool is to click on your start button and type in command prompt into the search. Right click on the command prompt and run it as administrator to avoid any potential issues of opening.
Once in the command prompt type in chkdsk /r and press enter. This will start the check disk process. Allow it some time and follow the on screen instructions.
Replace Your RAM
If all else fails, you will need to physically replace your RAM stick or sticks on your computers motherboard. A quick youtube search for a tutorial on how to change out your RAM. If you are not comfortable with doing so, you will need to contact your computers manufacturer or a third party pc repair company.
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What Are the Causes of Ram Failure?
There are a number of reasons why RAM goes bad. Many of these reasons are unfortunately out of your hands, but a few are. Here are a list of reasons why your RAM could go bad.
Manufacture Faults
This is simply a fault during the manufacturing process. Usually going with a high quality brand like Corsair can help alleviate faulty RAM or dead on arrival RAM sticks.
Temperature/Voltage Damage
Overclocking or underclocking your system can cause temperature fluctuations which may lead to damaging your RAM and other hardware connected to your motherboard.
Mismatched or Incorrect RAM
Every motherboard requires a specific type of RAM in order to operate without issue. Installing the incorrect type of RAM may cause system instability. The same applies to installing two different RAM sticks. RAM sticks should match each other for the best results.
Faulty Motherboard
The connectors on the motherboard can be damaged or go bad which can cause your RAM to malfunction or not function at all.
Final Thoughts
RAM that is bad or faulty is one of the most common causes for the Blue Screen error. Diagnosing what is causing your errors is crucial in determining if you will need to change out your computers RAM or if you need to further diagnose other pieces of hardware.
Be sure to run all your computer’s system checks as well as perform any system updates to ensure none of these are the culprit of your blue screen errors.
Other common pieces of hardware that can cause the Blue Screen error can include a faulty PSU, bad hard drive, a GPU that is on its last leg, as well as any other add-ons.