HELP! I think i fried my daughters hard drive

It all started when my daughter said new game wanted more video memory, she has a 256mb card, I had a 512 card spare and I new she only had 2 gb ram and I also had 4gb spare so I thought do those at same time, when turned computer on it gave out a continuous high pitched tone, and wasn't booting up eg nothing on screen. so I put the old ram back in, but same result . Then I put the old video card back in but still same result. now I was worried. so I took video card back out and back in and the tone stopped and it booted up only as far as bootup option screen and then rebooted and does it over and over ,so I went into bios and it gave me info on mother board the ram and of course graphics is working cause I had screen but the bios was giving me no info on hard drive ie model and size etc. so I put my xp os disc in to boot up, it gets so far and I get a blue screen that says it had to stop to avoid damage to computer, I tried a few times with a couple of different error messages (IRQL_not_less_or_equal) and (Page_fault_in_nonpaged_area) so what do you think is wrong?

 

First off, the only way you can fry a hard drive, is if you hook it up to 120vAC. Your problem was most likely incompatible RAM for her computer, and possible bad video card.

In order to know what the BSOD is about. You would have to pull the Dump log and run through "WhoCrashed", to find out exactly what the issue is. BSOD's are mostly hardware related. very few are driver or software related.

 

My son tells me that incompatible ram won't fit in the dimm slots, is that true?
Also where would I find the dump logs?

 

Knowing more about the computer in question would be helpful . . . Make and model if a commercial PC, and any upgrades that have been done (add in video card, RAM, etc.). If a custom build the make and model of motherboard. amount of RAM, add-in video card if present, and any other hardware that has been added to the board.

I'm also not clear on exactly what you mean concerning her "256mb card" . . . do you mean her video card had 256mb of on-board ram? By extension, you meant you had a spare video card with 512mb of onboard RAM? I assume this is the case.

The only times I can recall having a continuous high pitched whine coming from a computer that failed to boot was when I'd forgotten to plug in power to a video card (some of them require a power connection straight from the power supply), and once from a dying power supply. Did the video card you installed require a connection from the power supply?

But, since you put the old card back in and it managed to boot into BIOS that issue seems resolved. Perhaps when you were installing and removing cards and RAM you bumped a cable and unplugged the hard drive from the motherboard, or unplugged the power plug to the hard drive. It does happen, especially if the drive is a SATA type . . . the data cables for SATA are the very narrow ones and can often be easily dislodged from the motherboard. Whenever a motherboard loses contact with its hard drive after a major unrelated upgrade, this is often what has happened.

The IRQL_not_less_or_equal and Page_fault_in_nonpaged_area can refer to RAM (among other issues), which warrants checking since you did change the RAM out. It's possible you damaged the RAM when you uninstalled/re-installed it . . . RAM can be damaged by static discharge when being handled. If the computer was very dusty you also may have knocked some dust into the slots and that is causing memory errors.

General trouble shooting tips for all computers:

--Make sure the computer is off, and the power cord is unplugged from the wall. This should always be done before doing any work inside a computer case.

--Unplug everything from the back of the case. Put the computer on its side on a table where you have easy access to it.

--Remove the side cover of the computer. Touch the frame of the computer (metal edge around the case opening is best) to discharge any static electricity present in your body. Try not to move your feet during troubleshooting, and always touch the frame before touching or removing any component.

--Check the hard drive. Make sure there are two cables attached to it - one power feed from the Power Supply, and one data cable, be it a ribbon cable for PATA drives or the narrow cable for SATA. Follow the data cable visually to the motherboard, and make sure the other end is plugged into the motherboard. If it isn't, often the cable end will be hanging near where it needs to plug in. The cables are keyed so they can't be plugged in the wrong way.

--Make sure the CPU fan is plugged in and turns easily. Inspect the heat sink. Verify it is clear of dust, and that it is properly seated on the CPU. Also make sure the power supply vents are free of dust.

--Remove the video card, taking care to unplug any power connections it has from the power supply. Be careful not to touch the contacts along the edge of the card. Check the video card slot for any debris, such as dust. Use canned air in a brief burst to clear any debris. Replace the card, making sure it is fully inserted into the slot. Plug in any power cables needed.

--Remove the RAM, taking care not to touch the contacts along the edge. Inspect the ram slots for any debris, such as dust. Use canned air in a brief burst to clear any debris. Since you may be having an issue with the RAM, only plug one stick, in the first (usually labeled 0 or 1) position.

--If you can, bring the monitor, keyboard, and mouse to the table where the computer is. Plug in only the monitor, keyboard, and mouse. As long as there are no fans on the other side of the case, it is ok to leave the case laying on its side.

--Plug in the power cord, then turn the computer on. Verify the CPU fan is turning . . . also any case fans and the fan/s on the power supply. Boot the computer into BIOS. Check to see that the CPU and RAM are being read properly. Hopefully the hard drive will be showing as well. Reboot and see if windows will start. If there is still an issue, boot into BIOS again, and choose to "Load failsafe defaults and Exit". If it still fails, follow the instructions above and remove the stick of RAM, and try another in the first slot. If it still fails to boot, follow the instructions above and put the RAM into a different slot.

If it fails to boot into windows after all this, then something more serious than a bad RAM stick, unplugged hard drive, or unplugged CPU fan is going on. Knowing more about the computer in question will help people here providing a more tailored set of trouble shooting tips for you.

 

No. RAM can still fit in the slot, but be of a type that is not supported by the motherboard.

 

ok using can of compressed air I cleaned the video card slot, the dim slots and the cpu fan and heat sink. started it up, nothing not even graphics, so I swapped the ram over , and she started and booted all the way to the desk top, daughter is most impressed. I still want to upgrade though, so I checked out the new ram on their website(strontium) and the 2gb sticks are ddr2 same as existing ram. by having to swap over the ram ,just like what you suggested their may be an issue with one of the sticks, which would suggest the stick in dimm2 is probally the faulty one, if I put a new stick in dimm2 and see if it boots with the new stick , is this a logical step? the new graphics by the way which has 512mb of mem on board has a large heat sink which interferes with sata 1 which cdrom is plugged into, if I move it to sata4 which is further away from heat sink, will this cause any problems, the motherboard by the way is asus p5n73-am, the current video is GeForce 7600gt, the new one is an asus en9400gt, current ram is 2gb, new ram is 4gb which is maximum according to motherboard specs. the cpu is Celeron e1400 2ghz

 

Glad it's booting into windows. I misunderstood, I thought you had already switched the original RAM back. I apologize, I'm doing a few things at once here, lol

Yes, if the computer boots into windows with just one of the RAM sticks, and not with another of the same type installed, that does indicate the particular RAM stick is defective (the slot could be, but it's usually not). It is a logical step to try another stick of compatable RAM. Be advised that motherboards have a limit to the amount of RAM they can support. Check the manufacturer's site or the motherboard maker's site for information on the type and and amount of RAM your motherboard supports. Another consideration is the memory size of a RAM dimm stick (1gb, 2gb, 4gb, etc.). Some motherboards have no problem supporting 2gb sticks, lets say, but are unable to accept 4gb sticks for example. All this info should be on the manufacture's site.

Moving the CD rom to another SATA port should not be an issue, but you should boot into BIOS and make sure it is showing up on the new port, and select "Exit Saving Changes" . . . in point of fact it's a good idea to do that whenever you make a change to a computer system.

Make sure the 512mb card is compatable with the computer, and if it needs a direct connection to the power supply. Check the card manufacturer's site and see what wattage power supply is suggested for it, and make sure your existing power supply is up to the task.

 

Looks like the P5N73-AM has two RAM slots, which will support a Maximum of 4 GB of DDR2 800/667/533 Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory.

That's a decent board. I like ASUS boards, and most of my builds have used ASUS products.

 

sorry I think there was some confusion ,when I said I swapped over ram I meant I swapped the same ram but to different slots, so when it didn't start the possible faulty stick was in dimm1 so when I changed them over that possible faulty stick was in dimm2 , even though when I checked bios it was still showing 2gb installed, must be just a minor fault. I still want to install the 2 new sticks, 2 gb each. if I installed one at a time, like put 1 new stick into dimm2 and then look at bios to see if it has 3gb installed and then install second stick into dimm1, is that a logical way to go or is there a safer method.
as for the video card ,it doesn't connect to power, it has no fan ,just a big heat sink. I have the exact same video card installed on another computer which is a p4 and it works fine. I should install one thing at a time and see if it works after each install, what do you think?

 

That sounds like a good method, though I would try one dimm stick in the first slot, and if that works, try the other in slot 2. Some motherboards get flaky if a single dimm stick is not the first slot. Check the ASUS site and see if there are any suggestions as to RAM placement on that board when using a single dimm.

Ref the "3gb" in your post, you mean 2gb, right? :confused

This is a good practice. That way if there is an issue with a particular component, you know where to start troubleshooting.

 

my last entry for this subject, I've given up on the upgrade, I put the new graphics card in and nothing at all, it made all the right noises but nothing on the monitor, so I won't even try changing the ram, no point if graphics card becomes a weak point when playing games. so I will give her my p4 which has a 512mb graphics and 4gb ram. I was going to sell it, but hopefully if I give it to my daughter she won't bug me for a new computer

 

LOL I can relate. I've got two sons (both adults now, sad to say) and we did the upgrade dance for a while. They used to get my old parts for upgrades, but now the tables have turned. Their computers are generally much faster than mine. :-D

Sounds like that video card is bad.

 

my son had the video card in his computer so it may have been damaged, my son and I have an ongoing thing to see who can have the better computer within our budgets, at the moment I'm in front, I just built a new computer for $800, core i5 cpu , asus motherboard, 8gb ram upgradeable to 32gb, 1gb graphics card, NVidia 630gt , 1tb hard drive, my daughter gets our old parts , if they work lol