BleepingComputer.com: Is my RAM module bad ?!?

I was trying to upgrade my Gateway SOLO 1450 from by adding a 512 MB chip to the already existing 128 MB. I called Gateway and also went through the crucial.com memory chip selector to make sure I got the right one.

I purchased a KINGMAX 512MB PC133 chip from newegg. When I put the chip in along with the 128 chip. It starts to boot and then I get the following blue screen of death message:

STOP C0000218 {Registry File Failure} The registry cannot load the hive (file): \systemroot\system32\sonfig\DEFAULT or its log or alternate. It is corrupt, absent, or not writable. Beginning dump of physical memory.
Physical memory dump: (countup) Contact your system admin or technical support group for further assistance.

If I take the upgrade ship out then the computer boots fine with the message that it recovered from a serious error:

BCCode : 1000007e BCP1 : C0000005 BCP2 : 80608809 BCP3 : F8A45A08
BCP4 : F8A45708 OSVer : 5_1_2600 SP : 0-0 Product : 768-1

I haver tried swapping the memory around and the same thing happens. I have tried booting with only the 512 memory and I dont even see a boot screen. When both modules are in the BIOS reads Slot1: 128MB Slot2: 512MB.

I have also tried to upgrade video drivers and repairing windows from a boot disk. When I tried to repair the drive, a message said the the C: drive was corrupt and unrepairable.

I was wondering if I just have a bad module or is it some other problem?? If it is a bad module, would the BIOS be able to read that it was a 512 chip??? Thanks for any info anyone can give.

Hi, I never used the crucial.com memory selector, but I was still wondering, what was the brand and mhz of ur old chip?

128 MB PC133 Not too sure of the brand

This sounds like a bad ram module, have you tried using a different slot?

And what speed is the new ram that you purchased, alot of times with older systems if the upgrading ram is not the same speed as the default ram then it will generate errors.

for example, if your gateway has one 128 megabyte stick running at 233 mhz, then you insert a 512 stick running at 400 mhz the entire systems memory will not only run at 233mhz, but usually it will be incompatible .

If you go to the link below and download this program it will tell you what brand the module is, and just about anything else you could want to know.

http://www.snapfiles.com/download/dleverest.html

Are they both Double Sided modules?

If one is double sided and one is single sided, then that could be your problem.

Some motherboards can only handle single sided memory, or double sided.

Just a thought....