E1505: "Known" issue: Memory Parity Error

Please let me know if youve heard of an E1505 with this issue.

I have had my E1505 for a few days. I have been getting the following error every now and then, until this morning when the system is now unusable due to it happening a few seconds to a few mins after start up.

*** Hardware Malfunction

Call your hardware vendor for support

NMI: Parity Check / Memory Parity Error

*** The system has halted ***

This error can happen at different times. Its happened while in gmail. Its happened having just booted and moving the cusor to the start button. This morning like I say it is significantly worse all of a sudden. I notice thin pink lines at the bottom of the screen while windows is booting.

This is not down to faulty Ram. It happens with the factory 512 dimm in either slot. It also happens with the 2x1GB G.Skill 677MHz CAS 4 I ordered from Newegg. I actually left the Prime95 blended test running for six hours with my G.Skill with no problems a couple of days ago.

Last night I ran 3dMark05 twice getting a score of 18xx both times no problems (latest dell vid driver from 4/19). This morning it errors every time within seconds of starting 3dMark05. Either during loading, or just into the first test. Either the error stated above, or just black screen.

Occassionally this morning I have booted but had no picture, just black screen.

I have had this error on the initial bloat system shipped by dell and a clean XP Pro SP2 install. I started to look around forums. Now Im a little worried. The following thread at the dell forums has been going since the middle of last year regarding the Precision M70.

http://forums.us.dell.com/supportfo...message.id=4502&view=by_date_ascending&page=1

After many people coming up with many theories and solutions, eight months later it seems dell *may* have *kinda* fixed the problem with a video driver release. However its a little worrying that the E1505 doesnt even use the nVidia card from the M70. I have the ATI X1400 of course.

I know this error message can be general and cover many problems so in theory this could be a totally different problem, but I dunno. Having read all 20 pages of that thread this just seems too similar.

Anyway, thanks for reading this far. Now to my point. In one week, on Sun April 30, I am leaving the country for a number of months. Ill be needing my notebook daily. It was bought specifically for this trip. The thing is I have not read of ANY other E1505 user having this problem, which is hopefully good!

So I have a decision to make. I dont have time to work with them on this, and I have no desire to if it will take eight months. However, if there are no other reports of E1505 having this problem, I am considering taking a chance on having them replace it with a new system (assuming theyll do that-they better, or it just goes back for a refund).

Therefore, can anyone with the E1505 let me know if they have either experienced this issue, or heard of someone else with it. If Im not an isolated case then I cant afford to even take a chance with a replacement, ill have to go with another company. Five business days left to go another route is already pushing it.

Thanks for any help guys. This is such a disappointment because other than this issue the specs of this thing are perfect for me. And I like the look of it. Everything was spot on for me. I would be so very happy with this thing if it wasnt for this. Its really nice I guess maybe the price was just a little too good though huh? Hmmm.

Please let me know if youve heard of an E1505 with this issue.

Thanks,
Gogo1.

 

hmmm, well, i didn't read the whole thread you posted, but the first few mentioned the pagefile. maybe there's a HD issue? do you have another 2.5" notebook drive laying aorund you can pop into the computer and see if it stops ?

 

Well, I dont have a spare drive, but in that thread people were having all sorts of components checked and replaced multiple times. And they stopped talking about the pagefile pretty early on. Pretty sure they discounted it.

Posted the problem on the dell forums and the first thing someone has asked is have you run dell diagnostics. Ill run that now but im not very hopeful. That kind of basic stuff was done early in the M70 thread with nothing coming from it.

Ill mess around a bit more today and see what happens. Really curious to see if anyone else is getting this with an E1505 though. Hope not. I really want a swap to work out. Dont want to have to start reading notebook reviews again.

 

I have a an e1505 with the 1 GB RAM deal (2 x 512). I had reformatted and repartitioned, did a clean install of XP MCE, and downloaded all the drivers for dell/support. I've been noticing a lot of peculiar "glitchy" behavior (putting my cursor over taskbar icons will often give a half-hidden info box)...but that could just be Windows in general (I grew up with a Mac ).

Just yesterday, upon starting the game KOTOR II (which is known to be very buggy) I got the exact same error, verbatim, that you did. After restarting, I haven't noticed a problem with it. However, the system does seem to be abnormally sluggish--but I can't narrow that down to this.

I have no clue what this means...and would love to know if I need to get some hardware replaced or what. It could aslo be a problem with the way I installed my drivers (ATI especially). Since I'm a windows newbie, I didn't install the drivers in the "proper order"--and after finding out that, I reinstalled them (without cleaning the registry or uninstalling anything prior) on top of the old ones. I'm thinking that could be bad .

Sorry to say you're not the only one.

 

I also have an E1505 with a X1400 video card and the exact same problem. Memory Parity errors.

I've noticed that just before it crashes I get pink lines on my external video screen. Twice I've gotten an ATI driver error after the pink lines and it does not crash.

I found that if I don't have the wireless/bluetooth disabled it seems to happen less frequently so the machine is usable on my desk at work.

When I'm running off battery and have the wireless turned on I can forget about doing anything. It crashes every few moments.

I updated the BIOS to A04 and Video Drivers to 8.232-060228a-031631C-Dell but I still have no resolution.

I've requested a replacement laptop from Dell. It should be here any day. I don't know if it will solve my problems though. Sounds like a ATI driver problem more than anything.

 

looks like I am one of the few people who brought the e1505 and have no problems with it

 

Add me to the list..no problems with mine either.

 

I recently thoroughly uninstalled the Dell ATI driver (using the Drive Cleaner and its instructions) then freshly reinstalled them. Since then, I haven't had any problems. Just an idea. Note that my original problem was that repeatedly reinstalled the ATI drivers without doing a "full" uninstall to clear the registry. I guess things just got messy.

 

I have this exact problem! I own a E1505 and after playing video games for awhile (on the x1400), when trying to re-enter windows, my computer crashes, with the "Memory Parity Error" Has anyone decided what they will do to fix this? Or has anyone called Dell?

 

I have not had any parity errors, but I have certainly had my share of "glitchy" behavior. I have already done 3 clean installs of XP and my computer is less than three weeks old. This computer is very touchy, but I am finding that if I install everything a 'certain' way, things run fine. There are definetely some issues with this model that hopefully can be addressed with future BIOS updates (my wife's E1505 has similar issues as well).

Just recently, I was having an issue with the power management scheme (I think), my E1505 would literally slow to a halt whenever I plugged in my AC adapter and my CPU clock would alter between 500mhz and 1.00ghz...However, once I unplugged the AC, everything would immediately go back to normal. I finally determined that the problem was most likely with my NHC (notebook hardware control) software and I uninstalled it and did a system restore now everything is peachy.

If you are getting memory parity errors, I would always take a look at your RAM first. Try using a utility like MemTest86 ( http://www.memtest.org/) and scan for any failures. If you get errors, contact Dell and get a new stick(s).

 

I've also got the issue, I think I first noticed it after upgrading the bios or installing new chipset drivers, either way it's fatal, I've done all the diag. and memtest86 and there are no faults, so I'm testing the memory blocks one by one to see if they could have something to do with it.

 

Dell this week released new X1400 drivers and an A07 bios. It might not solve the problems, but it's worth a shot.

 

Willdo, dell support said it might be a memory or harddrive problem.

 

My money is on the video card. Is your memory overclocked at all? I kept getting memory parity errors on a desktop that I had a while back, and it passed memtest every time. I replaced the RAM, tried a different CPU, neither helped. When I replaced the video card it worked flawlessly again.

 

I just had this problem happen on my e1705. I took out my third-party RAM and installed the OEM RAM and still memory parity error. Called Dell they thought it was the motherboard, but it was not. It turned out that my 7900 GS GPU was the problem, and I am guessing that anyone who is getting these errors has a problem with their video card. It's annoying, but Dell fixed it fairly fast, at least once they figured out what was wrong.

 

Mine has done this many times, mostly randomly whilst browsing the internet or typing a paper. It seems to occur when the machine gets very hot, and I believe I've only seen it when using wireless.

 

I had there error a few times before I reformatted, havent had it in months though, and I use the machine heavily, and for those of you having the problem, and have upgrraded your video drivers without COMPLETELY removing the old ones first, I highly reccomend you remove them, I like using driver cleaner pro, http://majorgeeks.com/Driver_Cleaner_Professional_d3214.html then install the latest DELL drivers, and see how it works for you

 

I had this same error for a couple of days and then it became a permanent problem. I called Dell they Said it was the memory they sent me new memory. It did not solve the problem. They then sent me a new hard drive. It did not solve the problem. I then demanded they send me a replacement computer they sent me a brand new machine in 3 days. Voila no problems since I now have had the replacement for 5 months works perfectly. Don't let them jerk you around demand a replacement they will comply.

 

I 'M HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM THERE, WHICH WAS ON THE FIRST DAY I GOT MY SYSTEM.

I have some question to ask :

- WHile you do the clean the installation - do u experience any blue screen or the system froze while installing?

I have a DEFECTIVE
E1705 with ATI X1400

Finally i found someone who are experiencing the problem that i'm having. I posted 3 or 2 threads about this but i found no solutions. Even with Dell calls and chat. I wrote letters to Dell's representatives and said that i'm disappointed with this. I asked them to replace my system with another one. ( Along withh many pictures of blue screens )

Like alk1 said, they did send me another hard drive but the blue screen is still there. I'm complaining to dell and i said that they should replace another system for me. I can't work with a BSOD system like this. And yep, they 're working on it and i'll get my replacement system in few days.

I ran out of the 23 days return period, so i didn't get a chance ot get a new system, cause i was lazy to call the support. I thought the blue screen memory parity error is minimal error due to some kind of conflict. but times goes by, blue screens keeps on show up on my computer every 2 or 3 weeks of running.

That's the whole story. I'm waiting for a " new " refurbish system to come. Does anyone have any Idea where are these refurbish system come from? ( Dell outlet maybe?). i"ve seen some good ones in the dell outlet that match my CPU Duo 2.0ghz . If they get those replacements from there , i could get a better computer than i have right now.

IN CONCLUSION, JUST CALL, EMAIL, COMPLAIN TO DELL AND GET ANOTHER SYSTEM, PARTS REPLACEMENT WILL NOT FIX THIS ISSUE EASILY.
WE CAN MAKE A COMMUNITY OF DELL USERS WITH " MEMORY PARITY ERROR" GROUP!!!

 

I did a memtest for my laptop today.

My ram is fine, but somehow I get this error ocassionally.

 

Sorry to bump, I know I made the OP over a year ago. I only just found this thread again by accident and never saw most of the replies.

To update on my story, I decided to get a refund soon after making the OP since I was due to go to Europe in a few days and needed it sorted quickly. Otherwise I may have taken the chance with a replacement.

From reading the rest of this thread now, Im sure glad I made that decision. I just want to make a general comment about Dell. (I know, I know, nothing new about the following complaint and I probably shouldnt even waste the bandwidth.)

I just dont understand this company sometimes. From one thread in the Dell forums I greatly suspected the problem with the E1505 was the video card. But no, Dell insist its the HD, then its the MB, next it probably would have been "plz clean your cookies."

They must really really keep the skilled technical staff to an absolute minimum and then just put a bunch of kids on the phones with a script. I feel sorry for the Indian call center staff. They probably get a lot of abuse. People probably give them all sorts of trash about the support being bad because they are through to an Indian. But it is totally Dell's fault. If these people dont have the necessary skills, then Dell shouldnt employ them no matter how cheap they are. They are just trying to earn the best wage they can. And I bet they are given zero training as well. I bet its a few days to learn the phone and computer system and then they are on their own with a script.

This was my first experience with Dell and it was a truly awful one. I had heard all about Dell's reputation, but I honestly did not comprehend just how bad they are until I found out for myself. I even thought it was probably just hate for the "big boys" to a certain extent, like the kind of hate Microsoft gets. But there is no way I would ever dare go with Dell again. A few years ago I might have taken a chance when these stupidly cheap deals come along, but I just cant be bothered with the hassle these days. These huge discounts simply price in the risk. They are actually a fair price, not a good price, when you take into account the increased probability of technical trouble and the time/effort needed to get competent assistance from Dell.

OK, that's the end of my whinging. I wont let the door hit me in the ass on my way out

 

pretty good rant, I thought I would check this thread since I am posting in the e1705 thread of the same issue. I can only pin graphics down on my issue as well, so I wouldn't be surprised if you put a working card in and it solves the problem on 1505.

 

Wow. I had never seen that thread since it was created eight months after I made my post on the issue. But it is truly horrifying that they still have that problem going on. People are still posting in that thread right now today.

I made this thread on the issue about 14 months ago! And in the OP I refer to a thread on the Dell forums that had this issue a year before me! So Dell has had this thing going on in their systems, at least three different systems, for over two years now. Worse still, they seem to bring out brand new systems with the same problem.

Either they are not really aware of the issue, or they have no idea what the problem is, or they simply dont care. I think its a mixture of the last two. I dont think they have the technical staff to be able to figure the problem out, and I think they are so big that they couldnt care less if every single person in that other thread never gave another penny to Dell.

What incentive have they really got to spend time and money to fix it? They would just rather keep selling duds to consumers that dont know any better. They are not going to lose any business over this. The average AOLer thinks Dell is the Cadillac of computers, and if a few informed people on the forums stop buying from Dell its a drop in the ocean to them. And when the AOLer complains Dell just fobs them off with some BS about it being their fault for installing some sooftware or another. And the AOLer is not informed enough to know better and will probably just put up with it.

 

hey guys.. the past couple of weeks I've had this error happen about 6 or 7 times. It's really starting to get annoying. I'm trying to get on Dell support right now to see what they have to say.

edit: So the support chat guy ran the Dellconnect thing and he changed the size of the page file.. He says this is going to fix the errors (I doubt it) so we'll see.

 

Ugh, its just laughable. When that doesnt work he is going to tell you to clean your cookies. Amazing...

 

I posted this for the R1705, but I have a hunch this is the case for all Dell laptops suffering the same fate :

I'm not sure if anyone even visits this discussion, but I'm sure somewhere down the line someone will search for "Memory parity e1705" in Google as I did, and I'm happy to be able to give some answers.

First of all, lemme say that just recently a friend let me have his e1705 laptop to use to help him do some web development work. He did warn that "It crashes to blue screen randomly" saying it was "some kind of overheating issue". Sure enough, after the laptop sat running for anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours, it would go right to the dreaded bluescreen of death that I know you all have already come to loathe.

Well that would never do. This was a really nice laptop - 2ghz dual core processor, 2 gigs of RAM - and I wasn't just going to accept that this was something it "just did". So what to do?

First, I considered it might be a drivers issue, which doesn't make a LOT of sense, since it was a memory issue, but what the hell. I went to Dell and updated all their software. Rebooted, held my breathe and waited... CRASH

Then I scanned for viruses, malware, spyware, and general disk errors. Reboot, wait... CRASH

I understood that laptops don't generally just start overheating so this was most likely a cooling issue. Unfortunately I will say it's a freaking 2 hour ordeal to get to the fans, but it is possible. Please note that doing this yourself WILL VOID YOUR DELL WARRANTY, but if you're brave enough and you have a small screwdriver, you can find everything you need here : http://repair4laptop.org/disassembly_dell.html. Note that you will have to remove the LCD screen to open the case (yes really) but it's not as bad as it sounds.

So I open the case and remove both cooling fans (on cools the processor and one cools the video card) and I was horrified to find a mutant caterpillar living in each one. Okay, not really, but the size of the dust bunny in each was amazing. This thing sucks up dust better than my vacuum cleaner! It was apparent that this was the problem. With this giant dust ball blocking the sensitive equipment the fan was supposed to be cooling, this was obviously the problem! The parts were overheating from not being cooled and BAM! I cleaned and dusted the internal parts thoroughly, flossed dust from the blades of the fans, reassembled the laptop, patted myself on the back, powered it up and all was well... for about 45 minutes. CRASH!

After much weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth, I decided to test the memory directly. I had already run burn-in tests and the memory passed with flying colors. This is because memory errors are somewhat random on the chips. Burn-in tests can assault the chips, but if it doesn't hit the problem area in just the right way, the memory will work. I mean, you can boot into Windows and use it for a while, right? No reason why the memory wouldn't pass a test. But just to be sure, I took out one of the chips and rebooted. The laptop actually seemed more responsive on the one chip. Maybe this is it, I thought. I used it for about 15 minutes and CRASH!

This is going nowhere, I thought. Such a shame too because it's a really nice laptop. So I swapped to the other chip, rebooted... and it's been running for 2 days straight. Hasn't even hiccuped. I can now say with at least 95% assuredness that the problem is solved.

So let me back up here. The MAIN problem is the fans aren't / didn't cool. This problem MUST BE ADDRESSED, otherwise if you swap bad ram out it's just going to get fried again. But chances are this is just bad, cheap RAM (who the heck is Hynix anyway?) and was destined to fail anyway. Nevertheless, there are plenty of good components, and although 1gig of replacement RAM is only $26, you should price the processor and video card! If your laptop is over a year old like this one, expect that yours has the same buildup.

I hope this serves you well. Your laptop isn't broke, Dell tech support is a joke for not knowing how to fight this problem, and if this fix saves your day, feel free to drop me a tech support donation at my Paypal account - [email protected]... but an email of thanks would be good too!

Your techie pal in the know,
Rush Montgomery III