# Dual channel RAM can't boot



## fenurch (Feb 24, 2016)

I've rewritten this as the previous post was no longer valid.

My motherboard is ASUS P8Z77-V LX and after accidentally clicking on the OC Tuner option in BIOS, I couldn't boot because I was met with BSOD every single time, regardless of resetting the CMOS or any other action. Eventually I decided to try taking out a stick of RAM (I typically run dual 4GB but tried single channel) and somehow this allows me to boot with no problems. Every time I try putting the other stick back in the channel, the system BSOD's. I've ran Windows Memory Diagnostic on each of the sticks in Single Channel mode and it reports no errors.

What has gone wrong and how could I solve this?


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## CJCerny (Feb 24, 2016)

You've already tried re-seating your RAM? How about setting the BIOS back to the default settings?


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## kronic1 (Feb 24, 2016)

you need to clear the cmos, its just trying to run a overclock thats 2 high, easyest way is to ether push your cmos reset button on the back i/o of your motherboard if it has one, or there will be  a jumper or button on the motherboard it self , dont forget you will most likely have to re set boot order and mabey a few other things depending on your setup after you have reset your bios.


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## kronic1 (Feb 24, 2016)

check that your sata controller is set to ahci , if it is try setting it to ide , and see if that will get it to boot


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## fenurch (Feb 24, 2016)

Okay, this is sorted. I did as follows:

Removed PSU cable.
Flicked PSU switch.
Took out one ram from my dual setup and put that aside.
Removed CMOS battery.
Set bios reset jumper as instructed by ASUS.
Wait 15 seconds.
Replace jumper to appropriate slots.
Put the battery back in.
Flick the switch and plug in PSU cable.

And for some reason it worked.

Thanks to everyone who tried to help.


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## fenurch (Feb 24, 2016)

Alright, another update. 
I've discovered the reason behind the boot issues. It was the RAM.
I have 2 Corsair 4GB sticks in my normal setup and that was fine until the OC tuner accident.
If I take 1 out, the PC runs fine. Any of the 2 sticks in any of the slots (there's 2 black, 2 blue) in a single config work just fine. 
If I put both in any configuration, it crashes with BSOD. 

Any ideas? Contact Corsair?


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## eidairaman1 (Feb 24, 2016)

fenurch said:


> Alright, another update.
> I've discovered the reason behind the boot issues. It was the RAM.
> I have 2 Corsair 4GB sticks in my normal setup and that was fine until the OC tuner accident.
> If I take 1 out, the PC runs fine. Any of the 2 sticks in any of the slots (there's 2 black, 2 blue) in a single config work just fine.
> ...


Replace the ram, read the board manual to ensure you are putting ram in proper slots per priority


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## eidairaman1 (Feb 24, 2016)

fenurch said:


> I am and always have but problem persists.



Id say the ram is crap


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## eidairaman1 (Feb 24, 2016)

If they dont budge, Go Mushkin, Crucial, GSkill.


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## Caring1 (Feb 25, 2016)

Doesn't sound like Ram to me, if both sticks work individually.
Using one at a time, run a test on them using Windows Diagnostic Memory Tool:
To get to it, open Control Panel and then click on Administrative Tools. You can also open Control Panel and just type the word memory into the search box. You'll see a link to diagnose your computer's memory problems. It'll then ask you if you want to restart immediately or run the *test* the next time you reboot.

Or
use Memtest, which you should be able to download.


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## SnakeDoctor (Feb 25, 2016)

kronic1 said:


> check that your sata controller is set to ahci , if it is try setting it to ide , and see if that will get it to boot



+1


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## fenurch (Feb 25, 2016)

I've updated the initial post and title to reflect the change in the situation.


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## fenurch (Feb 25, 2016)

Have just updated BIOS and thought it might help but unfortunately it did not.


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## sneekypeet (Feb 25, 2016)

Why are you double posting, and constantly removing your posts so that it looks as if others are double posting?
Sort of hard to get any help especially when you are constantly removing bits of information along the way.


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## fenurch (Feb 25, 2016)

sneekypeet said:


> Why are you double posting, and constantly removing your posts so that it looks as if others are double posting?
> Sort of hard to get any help especially when you are constantly removing bits of information along the way.



So that what I'm trying to get across is more clear since the problem has changed completely instead of creating a new thread.


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## sneekypeet (Feb 25, 2016)

Creating a new thread and editing your posts are two completely different things.


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## fenurch (Feb 25, 2016)

sneekypeet said:


> Creating a new thread and editing your posts are two completely different things.



If you prefer, we can close this and create another.


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## sneekypeet (Feb 25, 2016)

fenurch said:


> If you prefer, we can close this and create another.



No I would prefer that you not double post, and you not keep deleting posts.


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## jaggerwild (Feb 25, 2016)

PO,
 Have you tried the stick you suspect  is bad where the good stick is? And Visa-Versa? Make sure no bent pins in the CPU socket, when you do a CMOS clear can you unplug the power supply also....


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## fenurch (Feb 25, 2016)

jaggerwild said:


> PO,
> Have you tried the stick you suspect  is bad where the good stick is? And Visa-Versa? Make sure no bent pins in the CPU socket, when you do a CMOS clear can you unplug the power supply also....



I've run the memory diagnosis tests on both and no errors on either. And yeah, I've tried all combinations of ram sticks and sockets in single channel and all worked the same. No bent pins on CPU either and I did unplug PSU when resetting CMOS. Thanks though


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## jaggerwild (Feb 26, 2016)

fenurch said:


> I've run the memory diagnosis tests on both and no errors on either. And yeah, I've tried all combinations of ram sticks and sockets in single channel and all worked the same. No bent pins on CPU either and I did unplug PSU when resetting CMOS. Thanks though



 Cool, So not sure on your board but should be a CMOS jumper and the cmos battery right? Remove the Battery(put the jumper on CLEAR CMOS position) and leave it for 14 hours(MAKE SURE THE BATTERY IS IN AND JUMPER IS BACK TO NORMAL)before powering it back up(did that on a P67 board, toasted it). Its a long shot........................


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## 95Viper (Feb 26, 2016)

First boot into the bios, how ever you can, check under the advance settings to see what your frequency is set to... if it is not correct...  correct them.
Then, try both in the blue slots.  If not, then switch to the black slots.

Have you done any work inside the case?


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## fenurch (Feb 26, 2016)

Frequency is correct through XMP and I tried both blue and black slots. Regardless, I think I may know what was the problem. Bent pins on the CPU socket. When I changed my CPU fan (which is when this issue arose), I took it out to get all the old paste off and when putting it back, must've been careless and bent a pin or two. Noticed that again today and accidentally bent a whole bunch more beyond repair. Idiotic and simple mistake but have never dealt with bent pins and was very heavy handed. Ordered a new 1155 motherboard and realised how extremely rare they are these days, had to buy a used one from eBay since there was literally nothing else online. 

TL;DR Bent pins on CPU socket and ordered new motherboard.


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## jaggerwild (Feb 27, 2016)

fenurch said:


> I've run the memory diagnosis tests on both and no errors on either. And yeah, I've tried all combinations of ram sticks and sockets in single channel and all worked the same. No bent pins on CPU either and I did unplug PSU when resetting CMOS. Thanks though



 You said no bent pins?  Smmh what do I know.


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## fenurch (Feb 27, 2016)

jaggerwild said:


> You said no bent pins?  Smmh what do I know.



I'm not 100% that I bent them the first time but yeah, my fault.


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## jaggerwild (Feb 27, 2016)

Are they badly bent? Can you post a clear picture of the socket?


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## fenurch (Feb 27, 2016)

Yes, completely destroyed and much too late for any possible repair.


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## rtwjunkie (Feb 27, 2016)

When you get the new board keep the CPU level, holding onto two corners, and gently set it into the slot.  

There is a rim that it will rest on, and if done this way, pins will not bend.  Do not force it. It should drop easily in there.

Good Luck.


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## Flow (Feb 27, 2016)

Asus boards like it when you set ram frequency, voltage AND ram timings ( the first 4 ) manually.
Having said that, your overclock on the ram most likely caused minor damage.
Running one stick is less stressfull for the system opposed to running multiple sticks, although with 2 sticks it usually shouldn't cause any problem.
It's when 4 sticks are used where the system will definitely be stressed more.
For instance, I used 2 ram sticks in my system and could use the oc button in bios for a 4,4Ghz overclock, while not preferred by myself, it did work flawless.
Eventually I upgraded with 2 extra ram sticks, filling all 4 slots. This works great upto today, however, I can't use the bios oc button anymore, whatever I try. It will crash at boot and go into recovery mode allowing me to readjust the bios settings.

Ok, what you can try is lowering or loosening some cas timings, like 9-9-9-24 to 10-10-10-24 or even higher numbers. Alternatively you could check what voltage your ram requires, if it's 1.5v you could overvolt it a little bit.
Beware!!! A little bit really means a tiny little bit of overvoltage. Best to check for your ram specs and overall system behaviour if you really can safely overvolt your ram.

In any case, bad or unstable ram usually can be cured by loosening cas timings and/or upping the voltage a bit. It will help you in finding out if your ram has degraded.

ps. replacing your damaged motherboard most likely wont cure your ram problems since it started before the bent pins?


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## fenurch (Feb 27, 2016)

Flow said:


> Asus boards like it when you set ram frequency, voltage AND ram timings ( the first 4 ) manually.
> Having said that, your overclock on the ram most likely caused minor damage.
> Running one stick is less stressfull for the system opposed to running multiple sticks, although with 2 sticks it usually shouldn't cause any problem.
> It's when 4 sticks are used where the system will definitely be stressed more.
> ...



Thanks for the insight but the ram problems only started after I had installed my new CPU fan for which I stupidly took it out to clean the old paste off. When I put it back in, I was rushing and a bit careless and probably bent a few pins.


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## jaggerwild (Feb 28, 2016)

LOL @ mem test, I haven't had a bad set of memory in as long long time. Tom's hardware=run memtest  never used it never will.


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## Flow (Feb 29, 2016)

jaggerwild said:


> LOL @ mem test, I haven't had a bad set of memory in as long long time. Tom's hardware=run memtest  never used it never will.



Unfortunately I did have this happen several times. I've had ram going bad, needing looser timings, I've had ram causing bluescreens on a phenom2 965BE system, then I had corsair ram where 1 stick didn't work out of the box. And at present we have ram in a 4790k machine that's going bad probably due to old age of the ram, plus it was cheap at the time.
However, having used several brands of ram I keep getting back at corsair, but that is personal taste and feeling.

I had the ram that went bad tested with memtest86+ and it did reveal several errors, comes with an usb installer nowadays for easy installing and running from. When in trouble, it can't hurt to give it a run.


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