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I recently bought a new memory stick for my windows xp home. I have a 1.9 gHz processor and two hds both 80 GBs. When I purchased my computer it came with two 256 MB PC2100 RAM chips, and I went to my local best buy and asked a tech guy there what would be best for an upgrade. I ended up buying a new 512 MB PC2700 (which says it would be compatible with 2100). So I now have one 256 and one 512. When I'm playing a game it randomly freezes and I have to press the power button on my computer. (the whole screen is frozen, mouse won't even move). I've also noticed it seems to take a little bit longer to start up some programs now, and recently when I started windows just now, I logged onto my account and the explorer bar was completely dark blue, and wouldn't show up. I could access the taskmgr and I managed to log off then on again, and it showed up fine. Any ideas to what could be causing this or how to fix it? I assume it could be bad memory, but I really don't feel like trying to return it or wasting more of my money.

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Dani AI

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Short, practical troubleshooting for (and follow-ups to and ).

The symptoms you describe — random freezes under load, sluggish program start, and occasional Explorer display glitches — can be caused by bad memory, mismatched memory timings/voltage, or unrelated issues (video driver, overheating, or PSU). was correct: the fastest, cheapest first test is to run the system with only the new 512MB stick installed, then only the original 256MB stick, to see whether one module triggers the fault.

Steps to isolate and fix

  • Power down, unplug, ground yourself, then reseat modules and test one DIMM at a time in the motherboard’s primary DIMM slot.
  • Run the built-in Windows Memory Diagnostic (quick check) and then a thorough bootable test with MemTest86 — create a USB image and let it run several passes (4+ or overnight for intermittent faults). If MemTest86 reports errors on a module in any slot, that DIMM is bad and should be RMA’d. Windows Memory Diagnostic (Microsoft). MemTest86 how-to and downloads.
  • If each stick is fine alone but the system crashes only when both are installed, it’s likely a compatibility/timing/voltage issue. Mixing PC2100 (DDR266) and PC2700 (DDR333) usually works — the faster module will run at the slower speed — but mismatched modules or subtiming differences can cause instability. Manufacturers advise against mixing different kits. (See vendor/FAQ notes on mixing speeds and stability.)

If problems persist after tests: reset BIOS to defaults (or clear CMOS), update motherboard chipset/BIOS and GPU drivers, check temperatures and PSU health, and test in Safe Mode. If everything else checks out and mixed sticks still cause freezes, use a matched pair or return the new module. If you post the exact motherboard model, RAM part numbers, and GPU (as asked), more specific advice is possible.

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Member Avatar for Yzk

I can't tell what you have, might you know what kind of Ram you have? Like SD-Ram or Ram-bus? And could you tell me also what kind of graphics adapter you have? Perhaps then I can tell you more.

Member Avatar for dvr

I dont think mixing the ram is a good thing, even if it says it is compatible.
did you try with just the 512 stick?

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