I'm almost at a loss here...

[Firask]

First some background:

 

About 1.5 month ago I experienced random BSODs on the PC i built back in January. They got worse and worse until I eventually discovered the issue via windows memory diagnostic. One of my two 4GB RAM sticks that were running in dual channel was faulty. No big deal, I ran solo stick until it was a convenient time for me to RMA both of them (Corsair required both to be sent back). Two weeks later I received my replacement sticks, and this is where the trouble begins.

 

The Issue

 

I didn't seat the RAM correctly, motherboard told me so on the display. I reseatted the RAM and was confronted with windows telling me I had a new hardware configuration, which was going from 4GB to 8GB. I then BSOD, my computer automatically restarts and boots into windows. I spend the next few hours playing games and browsing the internet. The following day I turn on my computer, only to encounter a black screen with a cursor on it(cursor functions) after the starting windows screen. After a few restarts I eventually get into the desktop. Business as usual. The next day however I simply cannot get into the desktop no matter what I do. After every restart I either end up on the starting windows screen indefinitely with some weird artifacts, on the black screen with cursor or on the welcome screen which also loads indefinitely.

 

So...

 

I re installed Windows 7. I reformatted my HDD with the NTFS file system and did as fresh an install as I could. I got into the desktop without incident and immediately ran chkdsk several times, sfc /scannow (error but it was fixed), and memory diagnostic. I then rebooted several times with out incident and ran them again to be sure. Then I installed my motherboard drivers, and when that was finished began the tedious windows update process.

 

But..

 

Part way through the windows update after one of the reboots the windows GUI went wonky. The left and right edges of everything was cut off and shifted around strangely and my background was cut horizontally about 30% up, shifted 50px to the left and had some weird colouring effect as well as graphical errors on it. The picture itself that I was using was also modified. After the updates completed I ran those programs again and rebooted several times without issue so I assumed it was a bug that was patched in an update. The next few hours were uneventful, re installed all my programs and a couple games, and spent the next few hours procrastinating(I rebooted several times during this period to be sure). 

 

But 2.0...

 

The next day I experienced the exact same thing i got the previous day. I concluded it most definitely was not a software issue and moved onto the hardware. I tried multiple configurations of my two RAM sticks as well as running each one solo, each change seemed to make the problem slightly worse. I reset my CMOS and attempted to boot, I then removed my GPU and hooked up my monitor to my motherboard. Only to find out that I could not get a visual display. It would post all the way to A2(Everything loaded correctly and we will now give you the BIOS) but I could not get anything from that. 

 

Trial and Error

 

Since then I have swapped my motherboard with another i borrowed from a friend, and run that with the bare minimum(CPU+cooler, 1 stick RAM, ). Unlike my board, this one will give me a visual of the BIOS, and I assumed that I had a faulty motherboard until I re installed windows and got the EXACT same issues I had previously. What I plan to try tomorrow is using a different CPU, and using a different HDD. If that still causes issues then I am 100% stumped and can only conclude that I have an issue with either my powersupply, or my RAM which was more or less the catalyst for all this.

 

Specs:

CPU: i7 4770k(not overclocked, stock cooler, but regular temps) (ALT some pentium)

MOBO: MSI Z87 GD65 (ALT Gigabyte Z87X D3H)

RAM: XMS3 CMX8GX3M2A1600C11

PSU: 750W Corsair gold

HDD: 1TB seagate HDD 

 

Notes:

I can get into a Linux boot off of USB without issue.

Minidumps are unavailable

 

Please someone help :'(

 

Update 1:

Ran Memtest86 on both sticks of RAM, both passed even after 2-3 passes.

 

Update 2:

I borrowed a stick of RAM from my friend and inserted it in. No errors at all, everything boots fine. I will restart a few times and attempt to reproduce issues but at this point it is looking like the RAM i received in the RMA wasn't exactly the same, or is faulty in an almost undetectable way.

[killcomic]

Just putting this idea on the table. We could be talking both sticks of RAM being bad. Perhaps you can ask your friend if he has a spare stick of RAM.

[Firask]

Just putting this idea on the table. We could be talking both sticks of RAM being bad. Perhaps you can ask your friend if he has a spare stick of RAM.

yes i forgot to mention that I was also going to run Memtest86 tomorrow to see if that determines something diagnostic can't. If not then I will attempt to obtain a stick of RAM I know is working to test.

[JefferyD90]

You never mentioned drivers being installed.  So that is kinda a big issue.

 

also you had a disk error, even though Windows "fixes" it, this fix is only meant to be temporary.  I would suggest that the disk may be actually damaged.

 

Also is your memory and motherboard compatible?  Sometimes the timings and such don't load automatically causing the board to default to a "basic setting" of which the memory can not operate correctly.

 

 

---

 

There are 3 things to try.  Need more info, ask.

[Firask]

You never mentioned drivers being installed.  So that is kinda a big issue.

 

also you had a disk error, even though Windows "fixes" it, this fix is only meant to be temporary.  I would suggest that the disk may be actually damaged.

 

Also is your memory and motherboard compatible?  Sometimes the timings and such don't load automatically causing the board to default to a "basic setting" of which the memory can not operate correctly.

 

 

---

 

There are 3 things to try.  Need more info, ask.

I had all drivers installed before and after each wipe

Would, or even could a faulty disk cause these types of errors?

And yes the memory I am currently using is the exact same as the stuff I bought originally which is compatible with my board.

[nick99n]

something similar happened to me ,after a lot of trial and error i found out it was my motherboard

[Firask]

something similar happened to me ,after a lot of trial and error i found out it was my motherboard

Thing is, as I said above, I have swapped motherboards with a known working one and I am experiencing the exact same errors.

[Firask]

Solved: Ram was the issue, swapped it out for a friends and everything is working fine atm with all my original parts back in.