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General discussion

Hardware Parity Error

Jan 17, 2005 2:47AM PST

Hi,
Im asking this on behalf of my brother, he has an IBM thinkpad and has just come to me for advice as he cannot go online at the moment. he has told me that when he was shutting down his computer (windows xp pro service pack 2) just after the screen that says 'windows is shutting down' a blue screen came up and said:
Hardware Parity error
Please consult Hardware Manufacturer

then once starting up the computer, the fan would start but thats about it....the screen would still be pitch black instead of having a 'back light' effect. the hard drive light would flash for about 10 seconds then stop and turn off.

now my brother has told me that once he has left it for a while, when he turns it on, he gets the IBM Thinkpad bios screen but thats it....it doesn't go any further. i think he said that at the time of the error apperance he could smell something burning as well.

how can i find out what is at fault, what can i do about it and if i cannt do anything, is there any way of transfering all of his important documents from his hard drive to another computer?

thank you for your help in this matter

aman

Discussion is locked

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Two topics.
Jan 17, 2005 5:36AM PST

1. What's the failure?

My opinion is that either an added memory stick has failed or the CPU overheated. This is strictly my best guess and is subject to ridicule.

2. Data recovery.

I usually boot up the KNOPPIX CD and look around with that, then copy the files out over a network connection.

Baring that easy fix I use an under 4 dollar drive adapter and place the drive in a desktop to copy the files out. See -> http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=HD-108&cat=HDD

Bob

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Parity error suggests bad system RAM (memory chips)
Jan 18, 2005 4:57AM PST

The word parity usually refers to your system RAM so try taking out the RAM and reseating each one (you may have RAM in 1 slot or both slots) -- most notebooks only have 2 RAM Slots. Some notebooks have the RAM slots in separate locations but some have them together.

If you do have 2 RAM slots and have RAM in each try booting the notebook up with RAM in 1 slot only and if it works with 1 and not both you have bad RAM for the one that will not boot.

Did you put in aftermarket RAM sticks or is the RAM as configured from the manufacturer ?

Remember you have to be grounded when removing RAM so either use a grounding strap or touch a large metal object before doing the process. Also, remove the A/C power and the battery from the notebook before removing RAM.

You can go to a site like Crucial.com and find your notebook model to confirm what memory type your notebook uses if determine this is the problem and you need more RAM ....