R/W RAM problem - what IS it?

What does it mean when I start booting up, and get a message: "R/W RAM test failed, press F1 to continue." It shows up before it presents the list of choices for how to boot into Windows. I keep hitting the button to re-initiate the PC, until the screen lets me into the list. I won't press F1, since it could mean I'd get a faulty bootup.

I have W98SE, 256 MB RAM, which I know is very inadequate, and most of my equipment is growing beards, too, but still seem to be functional. I'm upgrading both my OS and my equipment gradually, particularly the RAM memory. I hope I'll be able to afford one of those memory sticks next month. I think it will have about 1000 MB RAM.

But that doesn't explain this R/W RAM thing. I never even HEARD of it before.

I don't know why I get a message about this unknown form of RAM, nor do I know what I'm supposed to DO about it.

Help?
PS: How about a nice little tutorial describing ALL the various types of memory to we who thirst for knowledge? The only kind I know anything about is basic RAM, that holds data till you save it. There are lots of others, I've found out. Could you enlighten us?

 

Hi my friend , this message pointed ram faulty i think , you must create this useful cd

http://www.hirensbootcd.org/download/

burning with

http://majorgeeks.com/ImgBurn_d4870.html

testing your ram memory using memtest86 for 6 hours at least !! :wave

 

So as I understand it, the message concerns my DVD-ROM device? If it's faulty, what good would it be to burn a CD on it?

So R/W memory has nothing to do with reading and writing EXCEPT on rewritable CD ROMs and DVDs? I'd thought that the R meant read and W meant write, but was thinking of such activities in standard memory. If it only pertains to my CD drives, can I assume it means my rewritable drive might be failing?

That is a very important question, because I've been planning to format C. Before doing it, I want to write to a CD all the important software and data that I don't want to lose. But if my CD rewritable drive is failing, I'd be hesitant to trust using it.

And doesn't memtest86 test standard RAM? I don't have any problems with standard RAM memory, other than not having enough of it. Which I hope to fix quite soon.

You guys are great. Thanks muchly. At least I know where to focus, and maybe you can help me do that better than I've written about here. I'm extremely intelligent, but I stand in awe of people who have a deep understanding of programming. It's beyond me.

I wish I had a good friend who was also a programmer; I'd burn his ears off with questions!

 

No you have a ram problem your computer has failed a quick ram POST test,plod was giving an example to explain the acronym 'RW.'

You need to run memtest as falcon attack suggested.

Also be aware the windows 98 is no longer supported with security updates if you connect to the internet using that computer you are vulnerable to attack,I would also advise you upgrade everything all at once along with your operating system rather than pumping money into an obsolete computer.

 

I agree with Rikky about upgrading. You may be able to find more RAM that is compatible with your motherboard (essential) but it likely is obsolete RAM - no longer in production and therefore, getting harder to find and expensive. Used RAM is surely available, but buying used electronics is always risky.

Here's my canned text on testing your RAM. It might clear up (or make worse ) some confusion.

You can test RAM using one of the following programs. Both require you to create and boot to a bootable floppy disk or CD to run the diagnostics. Allow the diagnostics to run for several passes or even overnight. You should have no reported errors.

Windows Memory Diagnostic - see the easy to follow instructions under Quick Start Information,
or
MemTest86+ (for more advanced users) - an excellent how-to guide is available here,
or
Windows 7 users can use the built in Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool.​

Note that software based RAM diagnostic tools are good, but not conclusive. So you might try running with just a single RAM module to see if it fails. Repeat process with remaining modules, hopefully identifying the bad stick through a process of elimination.

 

Yeah, I think, R/W, the way it is used here is confusing. Today, we normally associate "R/W" with optical disks, hence plodr's comment. But the reality is, all memory, including RAM, HD, SSD, flash, cache, buffer, and CMOS have R/W specifications - even if it is Read-Only or WORM - write once, read many. Or program, then read only - such as with PROMs and EEPROMs.

But, yeah, I am pretty sure this is your BIOS yelling at you and not Windows98. Meaning, as Rikki said earlier, your system is failing POST - power-on self test, apparently during RAM testing.

When was the last time you replaced the motherboard battery in that thing?

 

You can get all sorts of errors with a failing battery, not just your F1 or F1 examples. For example, drives might not get recognized, boot order changes, date & time change, checksum errors, etc.

This is clearly a very old system. It may not even have a wafer-type battery, and certainly, there may be nothing wrong with the battery. But still, they don't last forever.

 

I fix computers, many times when the ram tests bad, it is only oxidation on the contacts. To clean use a small piece of copy/print paper folded so the memory strip contacts are rubbed with the paper, keep using a fresh paper till no dirt comes off onto the paper. Re-insert the strip and re test. Do not touch the gold colored contacts!

 

I agree that dirt and crud can create oxidation and corrosion on electrical contacts. Typically reseating the modules (pulling and re-installing) a couple times is usually more than sufficient to scape the contacts clean, allowing for a good mechanical contact (essential for a good electrical contact).

It should be noted memory module contacts do not normally get dirty when installed properly in the first place. However, they can when just sitting on the shelf.

I personally do not recommend using copier or printer paper. Many have special coatings to make the paper shine, appear whiter, or to optimize inkdrop disbursing/containment. Also, paper attracts static electricity and leaves paper dust. Instead, a clean pencil erasure is a tried and trued method and any residual erasure materials are easily blown away. And a crisp new dollar bill is also great - and used to clean electrical relay contacts for years. Since dollar bills are made of natural fabric and not paper, static and dust are not an issue.

In any case, proper ESD precautions are essential. Always unplug the computer from the wall, and be sure to touch bare metal of the case BEFORE reaching in.

 

About 2 months ago, my expert cleaned my PC. It had gotten a lot of dust; this is an ancient volcanic area and in dry season the amount of ultra-fine dust is incredible - and gets into everything.

It should be fairly clean now, and rainy season is due in June (yeah!).

My system by now is a hodgepodge. I've replaced older equipment on it for years. No way can I afford to do it any other way.

So is it safe to assume the R/W message also pertains to my regular RAM memory? I usually reboot with the button when I see the message, until it boots without it, which it usually does after a time.

That doesn't mean the R/W won't fail while I'm using the PC, though. I'm guessing it's a sometimes on sometimes off thing. Which is why I will not burn data onto CD until I have my new memory stick and this R/W thing goes away. I won't format C until I know my data is safe on CDs.

howiefix - fear NOT! I never meddle with my PC's tower; I leave it to the pro. "He who knows not and knows not that he knows not, is a fool - shun him". Well, about PCs, I'm that kind of person, but I'm no fool.

My expert has recommend upgrading my RAM with a memory stick. My present RAM memory is 256MB, and it's DIMM memory, which is very old, so I'll dump the whole thing and just use the 1000MB stick. That should help lots of things. I'll be able to buy it next month (I hope) when my SS arrives.

I'll have my expert check the battery for the motherboard when I buy the new stick. I'll have him check ALL the batteries.

You're right, the system is old. I'm using a VERY old video card, a POS Sound Blaster (Ensoniq) "SB synthesizing" sound card at least 8 years old, and I don't know how old the motherboard is, since I got it used. My 256MB RAM is at least 15 years old, so I'm not surprised it's singing a swan song. One HD (D: drive) is at lest 10 years old and has lots of bad sectors. I use it to store data, but each time I do, I run a full surface scan, so no data gets put on a bad one. I know one can happen later which has data on it, but it's usually no big deal (so far). My C drive is about 6 years, but has no bad sectors. My peripherals seem okay, and the mouse is brand new.

Digerati - you're right. This HAS to be BIOS giving me the message, because BIOS is all that is functioning when I get it. It hasn't yet booted config.sys or autoexec.bat, which are then loaded in DOS. And a warning from BIOS is one I'd better NOT ignore, right? I've gone to the links you gave and will check them out. If this message includes my RAM chip, that'll clear up very soon when I replace it all with the new 1000MB stick. I hope.

Rikky - I know 98SE is vulnerable, but I also understand that malware writers probably don't bother making their malware applicable to it any more. Could be wrong, of course, since I DO get malware. But as I understand it, 98 is NOT vulnerable to things like rootkits, while newer OSs are. My dove, I simply CAN'T afford to upgrade everything at once. I'd love to, but I'm only a hair above impoverished.

falconattack - There's little point in doing the 6-hour RAM test before I acquire my new RAM stick. If my problem remains, then I will test it.

I have been as prepared as possible for hacks, particularly, for several years now. There is no private data useful to anyone - that's all on PAPER. I knew, when I began writing on certain subjects, that I would be targeted to silence me. I've formatted C about 4 times in the last year, which helped some. Somebody was actually able to put a bot on my machine that could open Word documents, even offline! I was playing a PC game, offline, when I got a nice friendly popup from Windows that it couldn't open a Word file with a name showing it contained passwords and e-mail addresses. It didn't open, of course, because I hadn't reinstalled Word after the last attack! And it was also password protected. I replaced the file's contents with a lovely billet-doux dripping with obscenities that this little old lady never uses normally. Hope they read it. Tee-hee.

Thanks, to all of you, for your help.
Holly

 

For the record, I recommend everyone inspect their computer interiors once a month - then clean out the heat-trapping dust as needed. So if it has been 2 months, and your computer runs a large percentage of the day (meaning the fans are sucking in dust much of the day), it may be time to clean out again.

Not sure it is ever safe to assume anything. This is pointing to the RAM, but it could be a problem with the memory controller, perhaps power has drifted out of tolerance, or some other problems is causing these (apparent) RAM issues.

If your current 256Mb consists of more than one stick (2 x 128Mb was commonly used), as mentioned earlier, you can try running with just one stick.

Oh, there is, or should be, only one battery. And if your date and time are still correct after your computer has been turned off over night or longer, then your battery is probably still good.

 

Your right most malware is directed toward NT based systems but PC security isn't my forte so I'm not gonna argue one way or the other.

Be fore making your purchase then make sure your motherboard or computer supports 1gb modules,if your unsure the name of your motherboard or the model of your computer download and install speccy from the download section "delete your user/pc name if you wish" and add the report with your next post or go to crucial's memory website and enter the name of your motherboard manually.