I recently just got a BIOS Checksum Error while trying to boot up, It wouldn't go away and got stuck in a loop.
I opened up my rig and decided to see if it was my RAM as i felt the RAM could be causing some BSOD's aswell.
Turns out that with both sticks in (DDR2 2gb Corsair DOMINATOR) It just cannot boot,
I left one in and it still didn't get out of the loop.
Though when i swapped them around it got past the loop and booted up with no problems.
So far no BSODs or problems though I'm terrified to turn off the computer.
The question is, The odds are that the stick that isn't being used now is faulty and causing all my problems? or something is wrong with the BIOS?
Any advice/help would be great, Cheers again.
This problem was experienced on my end, but in a much more nefarious way, and I identified that the RAM was not the cause by switching through DIMMs. In my case, the CMOS is completely fried, and I am waiting for a RMA from Gigabyte (this was a custom-built system). In my case the board had a backup BIOS on-board and its still fried. This is due to a corrupt CMOS, as no matter what BIOS version I flash to it sees it as having an "invalid checksum". If there is a BIOS checksum error occurring and you are fortunate enough to actually gain access to the operating system once again, I would highly suggest you look into flashing the BIOS to the latest stable release. Then reintroduce the memory modules. If not, it could in fact be a problem with the RAM, but my experience has been that even a single overvolt of the machine can damage the CMOS chip and BIOS itself. Some techniques that are recommended include completely removing the CMOS battery, all power going to the PSU, and draining the power from the system by holding down the power button for around 5-10 seconds. At this time the RAM should also be completely removed from the system, and you should wait around 4 hours to make sure everything has been completely cleared. If you continue to receive the BIOS checksum error even after performing all of these tasks, and evaluating the RAM, the CMOS itself may be damaged. However, because you are able to gain access to the system with 1 stick removed I would be highly inclined to think this is a memory module problem.
However, by flashing the BIOS, clearing the CMOS, and completely resetting the system, you may be able to clear whatever is causing this error. This is not a 100% proven method, as often times it may not be the RAM but the board itself unable to handle the memory. If you could only test these modules in another system you would know for sure. I highly recommend carefully trying the above mentioned steps to see if this does anything to remedy the problem. BIOS Checksum Error can be very serious if you get locked out, as often times the BIOS will be fine but the CMOS chip believes you have a faulty BIOS flash.
Remember, in my instance, no matter what RAM I used it didn't work, BIOS files also received a checksum error, and so forth... so the problem may in fact be the memory in your case. But to absolutely make 100% certain it is the memory, you will want to try to perform these operations. A good question would be for how long did the RAM work, at any time, before this problem started? I suspect it could be the RAM as the most obvious choice, but it could also be the board.
