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Article ID : S700023604 / Last Modified : 22/07/2019

Troubleshooting memory-related error messages and blue screens

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Our support team has created this step-by-step guide enabling you to: determine if the problem is caused by a hardware or software fault, and find the steps to solve it
	Difficulty rating: Easy		Time needed: 15-30 minutes activity

1. Using VAIO Hardware Diagnostics to detect a hardware faults

Make sure the VAIO is shut down completely.
Start the VAIO and immediately press the F10 button several times.
The VAIO Recovery Center will open.
Select VAIO Hardware Diagnostics, and press Start.

Click Run Test.
Warning: a full system test may require several hours.
Depending on the result of the test, please move to the following section:
- VAIO Hardware Diagnostics reports a hardware problem
- VAIO Hardware Diagnostics does not report a hardware problem

2.a. VAIO Hardware Diagnostics reports a hardware problem

1. The hardware problem is NOT memory-related

Please contact VAIO Support.

2. The hardware problem is memory-related

Warning: improper installation of memory modules may cause damage to your system. If you feel insecure carrying out below steps, please contact VAIO Support for further assistance.

We need to determine exactly which memory module is at fault.

If two memory modules are installed, follow below procedure from step 1.
If only one module is installed for 2 memory slots, start from step 4.
If only one module is installed for 1 memory slot, please contact VAIO Support.

Shut down the VAIO, unplug the AC adapter and remove the battery.
Remove one memory module following the instructions in Adding and Removing Memory Modules. [addlink]
Run VAIO Hardware Diagnostics - Individual test - Memory.
If the memory module is diagnosed as faulty, move it to the other memory slot.
Run VAIO Hardware Diagnostics - Individual test - Memory.
Repeat this procedure for the other memory module.
Contact VAIO Support, and share the results of your tests.

2.b. VAIO Hardware Diagnostics does not report a hardware problem

The problem may be caused by software configuration.
One of he following steps may provide a solution. As each of these steps may lead to a solution, we recommend to test after every step.

Restore the BIOS Defaults
Restoring BIOS defaults:
- press F2 at boot
- in the BIOS menu, use the right arrow to move to the Exit tab
- use the arrows to select Get Default Values, and press Enter
- select Exit Setup, and press Enter
Use VAIO Update and Microsoft Windows Update to make sure your system is up-to-date.
If your problem started recently, restore your system to a previous date (click the Start button and type System Restore)
Use Task Manager to determine if the problem is caused by a specific application.
to access Task Manager, you have these options:
- right-click on an empty part of the taskbar, and select Task Manager
- press Control-Alt-Delete, and select the option Start Task Manager

to do this, access Task Manager when problems appear, to see if a particular application is using a lot of the system resources.
If this is indeed the case, try uninstalling or disabling this application, to see if the problem persists.
check with the manufacturer of the application if there is a fix or updated version available.

Use Event Viewer to check if there are program errors and support information
- Click Start, type Event Viewer, and select Applications and Services Logs
- Check if there are events with classification Error or Critical. You may find a solution for this event by clicking Help at the bottom right of the window.

If none of the above steps leads to a solution, a next required step may be a complete system recovery.

Warning: a complete system recovery causes data-loss. Remember to back up your data before proceeding.