Problems? See this thread at archive.org.
Two or three months ago, I suddenly began to see a pop-up of an ATI Graphics Screen coming up at start up, saying that I did not have permission to change Catalyst Control Setting and referred me to Administrator.
This last Sunday (ironically four days after the three years under warranty, two of which were paid extension) my Inspiron E1505 Intel® Core™ Duo Proc T2500 (2GHz/667MHz/2 X 1MB L2 Cache) 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHZ, 2 DIMM 256MB ATI MOBILITY™ RADEON® X1400 HyperMemory™ 120GB 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive suddenly started getting blue screen NMI: Parity Check / Memory Parity Errors at start up . I contacted Dell Support and paid a one incident extension of service, so they would even talk to me, and was connected to a very good female technician in Japan. She spent nearly four hours on the phone with me and she rapidly ran diagnostics and said everything is okay. Everything is okay? She rephrased and said that it does not appear to be hardware related. We took out one card, then put it back and took out the other, exchanged them around. We next flashed the BIOS up to A17. She then installed new driver for the ATI X1400. All of these actions had no long lasting impact to the problem.
She then said that she would have to do some more research and call me back the next evening around same time. I found out two nights later that she had the exact same problem with another customer that next night and couldn’t call me as promised. The next night I brought my laptop from the office so I could chat with Dell Support this time instead of juggle the phone. I was not able to link to the same technician this time but received another that even though she worked hard, she was not as thorough, knowledgeable, or cordial as the first I had the pleasure of working with.
This newly assigned Dell Support Technician arranged to provide me a link to Dell Drivers where they had loaded not only the newer version driver for the ATI X1400, but two older versions as well. It was the theory of the first technician that possibly installing an earlier version of the driver for the ATI X1400 256MB Mobility Radeon HyperMemory might correct the problem and I did initially get a clear screen one or two times out of dozen or so startups while working with this new technician, but the resolution was small, the colors deep, and still no way to adjust it.
After installing the older driver for the ATI X1400, only minimal temporary improvement was seen but would return to either parity errors or low grade graphics at next start up. This new tech said the only recourse was to know reload OS which she would glad to help; however, I was not provided OS disc when the system was delivered, but she offered to sell me one. I told her that it would take a couple days to get all of my personal files off the E1505 because I was unable to write to CD or DVD because of the system errors and would be forced to upload to a 2GB thumb drive and download to my work laptop. She never thought of suggesting partial system restores through XP, Dell, and/or Norton Ghost (preloaded but I never licensed it) restore utilities.
I DO NOT WANT TO RELOAD MY OS SYSTEM. I have read dozens of blogs in the last few days that report that card movement around in laptop, replacement card installs, new hard drives, and OS reinstall all did not remedy the situation; therefore, I do not want to go through that for nothing.
Before I forget, I want to praise the first Dell Support Technician Maria Criselda did all of her thorough testing and diagnostics by directly taking over my desktop remotely. The second technician didn’t suggest linking or even consider it. And here is true devotion to work, Maria even called me on my phone, while I was working with other technician via chat, to follow up and make sure her recommendation was working. Since I couldn’t keep both technicians simultaneously, I felt that I needed to stay with the one in chat since I had just spent the couple previous hours with her and let Maria take another call. I really regret that decision.
What it is most ironic through this whole endeavor is that Dell really gave me the impression that they perceived this to be a new problem. I found hard to swallow since I have already read hundreds of problem reports in the last three days, identical to mine. And even funnier, when I attempted to research this problem in Dell Forums on their website the last three days, every time I have clicked on discussion on this subject , I get error saying their website is down on this Forum Discussion not available. lol
For the most part, most all my regular startups now either result in NMI: Parity Check / Memory Parity Error or start up mode like appearance with low resolution screen that is grainy with lines as if started up in safe mode. My E1505 is pretty much useless right now.
I have given up pretty much on Dell Support since that last contact. I have spent now the last ninety six hours in tech blogs trying to find solutions. Two experts suggested to administer partial restores with either Windows XP or Dell system restore utilities. I attempted and completed a three month back restore and a six month with the Dell utility which had no impact on the problem. I also found that Norton Ghost (pre-installed at delivery by Dell, but I still had not licensed it to this day) has restoral points in the past or restore to original factory condition. I want to avoid doing restore to original factory condition or a OS reinstall because I have some software installed that I no longer have the programming disc like Photoshop CS3 (which I had dual work/home licensing when originally installed) that I would lose with reloading OS System or going back to far.
I am really having a terrible experience with all of this. I have always had excellent results with Dell products but here I am where I cannot use my E1505 laptop in its current condition , and only four days outside of my extended warranty.
I just do not know what to do now. I cannot afford to purchase a new laptop right now. And I have to have my home laptop up and running daily without problems in order to support post work activities in several web communities and an online proprietorship. I cannot find a specific resolution to the problem (preferably written so functional people like me, with limited technical skills, can understand and hopefully, carry out. And shipping out or taking into a computer repair shop does not seem feasible either right now. Somebody out there has to have a viable solution. If you do and you share it with me, I will never forget it or keep it to myself like my praises of Maria with Dell mentioned earlier.
HELP ME! HELP ME PLEASE!
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NMI: Parity Check / Memory Parity Error ATI Graphics X1400 on Dell E1505 Still Unresolved
Discussion in 'Dell' started by HowldaMoon, Sep 5, 2009.
