DQS training failed on previous boot

Turned my PC on and it failed to boot. Monitor ok.
After a while it beeps, and says this:
"DQS training failed on previous boot, reverted to slower Dram speed." in DOS, and takes me to BIOS setup, when I exit it starts ok, but is now happening on each attempt to start-up.

Can anyone tell me might be/is wrong?
And how to fix?

 

Enter BIOS look through the menu, probably under an Advanced page or tab for the DQS settings and if it`s got an Auto or Default option, choose that. If it has a seperate choice for DQS training to be switched on or off, make sure it`s off.

If you can't find that, then there are two other reasons for this error: RAM going vad or CMOS battery needing replacement.

 

Thanks will check those.
Eventually booted & started windows tonight without going into BIOS...I'm scared to turn off and try to go into, will do it when i'm finished for the night.
Does this mean CMOS battery ok (date on pc is correct)?

 

On the CMOS battery, do you cut electrical power to the PC when you turn it off? Meaning turn off the light switch or power to the outlet after you turn it off.

Usually, even with a bad CMOS battery if the PC is still plugged in it will keep BIOS settings. If a bad CMOS battery and all power is cut it loses the settings. So if you turn off a power strip besides shutting down your PC then it is likely the battery causing the trouble.

 

I turn power off fully, as other items are on same strip, whcih I prefer to turn all off, so by your advice likely battery, will open shortly...and get a new....will advise results.
THANKS

 

It should probably be a standard CR2032 type battery. Any big drugstore or supermarket should carry them. Someone on the board said they have had good luck with ones from the dollar store.

I think I new battery will fix things up.

 

Tried a replacement battery (CR2032), though an oldie in my drawer, and PC was worse, could,nt even get into BIOS. Reverted backl to old one, and got into BIOS, and couldn't see any DQS settings, after schecking all pages/tabs!? But noted it had definitely lost the time now.
So was my old battery bad, if PC hadn';t lost time?
Will get a battery today.

 

If you hadn't checked time in BIOS before and only checked after Windows started then it is hard to say because Windows is usually set to adjust time automatically from the internet.

I think you will be well served by replacing the battery because a bad one can cause all kinds of weirdness on boot up. You can always test the theory by leaving power to the PC after shutdown for a few hours and seeing if it starts up normally. But even in that case a bad battery can occasionally cause trouble in certain models. Batteries generally last 3-5 years so you are probably due and won't have to worry about it for a while after replacement.

If it doesn't remedy the problem we can still troubleshoot.

 

HELP! New battery inserted, failed to boot....after ~5-8mins of waiting it eventually did, and i accessed BIOS to correct time. Then during windows start-up, I noticed a message "applying update 5482", whatever that is.
Then after ~4mins in windows I got the blue screen (of death)....any ideas?
Guessing battery may not have been the fault.
Any diagnostics I can run etc?

 

I'm guessing the two are unrelated.

You put the new battery in and BIOS auto-corrected as it has been doing except this time the settings should be remembered. So your next boot should be good.

Now, it sounds like Windows finished applying an update it had started before shutting down last night. The update would probably be the cause of the blue screen. After it bluescreened were you able to start up again and has it run stable or were you unable to restart?

 

Ok, thanks sach2.
Will post results after a few re-starts, provided no issues.

 

I'm no expert on bluescreens but if it only happened once I wouldn't worry about it.

You might want to open Windows Update (type wu into Start/Search box and hit enter) then when Windows update opens click on the left for view update history to see which update just installed and write down the KB number so if you have further problems you know where to start looking. If you do have further problems doing a System Restore to the day before the update is a possibility but probably not the best fix. Let's see if it was a fluke.

 

No more BSODs, but failed to boot again, though once it did (although I don't know how or why it eventually does?), it gave same DQS warning and time in BIOS was ok.....ideas?

 

Hmmm,

I did Windows update yesterday and there were several "for x64 systems" updates that were new so I think the blue screen could have been related to one of those.

Plodr did say that there was the possibility of a memory error so that is a possibility.

I would leave the PC connected to electric for one night to see if it boots with no problems the next morning. That should tell us if it is related to the power loss/battery.

When it gives you the DSQ error do you have the option to "save changes and exit" ( usually F10 and enter) and have you used it? I would save changes if you haven't.

 

Left connected to electric overnight, and same issue this moning??

 

I'll take another look around tonight to see if I find anything. So you are getting the DQS error but no more bluescreens?

You should probably consider burning a CD with memtest 86+ on it and running a memory diagnostic. Parted Magic would have memtest on it. You need to burn the ISO file you download as an image file not data. Imgburn's "Burn Image File to Disc" option will work.

Or you can write the ISO to an empty flash drive using Lili if you'd rather boot from USB. Then run memtest86+ and see if you get any errors. Usually errors will begin showing up immediately if the RAM is bad. Any errors means there is a RAM problem.

Memtest is in the Extras menu. http://partedmagic.com/lib/exe/detail.php?id=screenshots&media=bootscreen.png

 

Thanks, yes no more BSODs.
Will try memtest on a flash drive (have used in the past), liekly later in w/end.

 

Good. I really didn't find much with that error searching before other than the manual page plodr linked to so I'm not that hopeful. Just to be sure when you get the error and go into BIOS, have you Saved changes and Exited rather than Discard changes and Exited? I want to rule that out as a possibility.

 

I have gone into BIOS, and as stated prevosly cannot find anything to do with DQS, so i haven't changed, nor saved anything.

 

But when you get the error that says it changed to lower speed and takes you to BIOS when you exit BIOS by hitting Esc or F10 or whatever it gives you an exit menu that usually asks if you want to save or discard the changes. You should opt to save so it won't have to lower the settings again the next boot.

 

Understand, though not sure what i have done, likely exited without saving. Will do a re-boot and save, and see if that makes a difference, yes?

 

Yes, go ahead and save as that might eliminate the problem the simplest way.

 

Saved and exited this morning, then 2 mins into windows, BSOD (MEMORY MANAGEMENT), then repeated save, and again after ~10mins another BSOD (BAD_POOL_LAYER).
Then ran memtest, no errors detected.

 

What memtest did you run? I ask because after the errors you just got, I see it as a memory problem.
What memory is in the computer? Give size of sticks and other particulars like speed.
One person who got the memory management error switched sticks from slots 1 and 3 to 2 and 4. I'm not saying that would work for you but it may be a simple thing to try if the errors continue to pile up.

Is this correct? I've seen Bad_pool_header

 

I agree with plodr it does seem like a memory problem.

Forget saving the changes as that seems to cause more trouble.

To add to the model numbers and brands of memory, please give the BIOS version you are running. Also, how long have you been running that machine?

One thing I have been looking at is there is a setting in BIOS to suppress memory error messages. It is possible that that was set to enabled and then a CMOS battery failure set it to the default (disabled) and thus the constant message. It doesn't get to the root cause but I would be curious if the machine booted up normally with it enabled. Just putting the idea out there as a possible test case.

 

Thanks for your continued help.....update and answers...
It may have been HEADER, was writing from memory, sorry likely my mistake.
Agree with not saving changes.
PC was purchased June 2011 (now out of warranty).
Ran latest memtest 4.0 from CD.
Entered PC this morning to answer your questions, another BSOD.."PAGE_FAULT_IN_NON-PAGED_AREA".
It now doesn't boot, meaning no access to BIOS or Windows.
I have opened case, and I believe I have 2 x 2GB of Kingston memory, not sure what other information on stick may assist you. Note that I only see 2 slots on mobo, so suggestion to move not achievable.
Also, i notice that PC is noisy on a cold start, though this may have pre-existed, and only noticing now due to these issues.
Have no idea how to proceed....

 

I have read meany threads about the same problem. Almost every time it is not the memory sticks themselves causing the problem but something presenting itself that way.
Still, in your case with no boot, I would try booting with just one memory module at a time to see if it is a particular module causing trouble.

So, remove one module, the one furthest from the center of the board and see if the PC boots. If not remove the one closest to the center of the board and place the other one in that slot and try to boot. If it boots note whether or not you see the DQS error or just a note about the change in amount of memory available.

If no boot then try them each individually in the other slot furthest from the center of the board.

 

As in no power? Maybe a marginal and now dead power supply was causing these issues.

 

PC booted last two mornings, issue seems to have cleared, although likely temporary.
Much less noise at boot, and initial start.
I did remove one memory stick, to read info, to provide below, and have re-fitted it.

 

had similar problem in my machine
CMOS battery was ok, 3.1 volts
I blew all the dust out of my unit and reseated the memory modules and problem has not reappeared.

 

I had the same problem with a Biostar mobo, a Phenom II 555 (@B55) CPU and 2x4GB Kingstom HyperX Blu DDR1600. Every memtest was OK, however the system crashed randomly. I've found AMD memory controllers couldn't manage 1600MHz mem freq. I changed it to 1333MHz (lower latency, almost same performance) and everything works fine now.