Virtual memory too low...

Well, that was a disaster.

I think it's the new extra memory related that my computer croaked today. Some mixup with a driver or whatever -- in any case, my windows startup files could not load, could not be recovered, and i had to let the nice customer service guy walk me through wiping my computer squeaky clean.

as if it just came from the store. no documents, no music, no photos... -that's more or less ok, those are on a backup hard drive. but also no programs that i acquired here and there over time. SPSS... Dreamweaver (which i can find online in my account on Adobe website, but for some reason cannot download), no MS Publisher (which I need tomorrow)... nada.
gah.

Well, alright. The Dreamweaver is bloody downloading, but I won't get my SPSS back. That was a copy someone let me have, I don't have a CD or anything.
It's gonna be hours and days of hassle to get all I need back together on my computer.

Now, my question is: what do I do to the store that sold me this memory card? It was through ebay, but it's a big store that sells new equipment. It said it's compatible with my computer model... but I think it hardly is.

They rand a diagnostic test (well, I did, I was guided over the phone) - at that time i had the original memory card back in. all hardware was ok, he said. So it was a software/driver cause. I didn't install anything else anytime recently, the memory card was placed in on Friday. I don't think I can prove it's a direct cause of it crashing my system, but I'm 93% sure it was.

I still want a bigger RAM though. Should I return this card, demand a refund (if not even some reimbursement for damage!) and just suck it up and go for a more expensive Dell card?

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

My company always uses Crucial memory.

http://www.crucial.com

Just tap in your computer model, and they'll tell you exactly what you need.

Only problem I ever had was on a server that required two identical memory sticks, and we'd only ordered one.

Well, I'm not sure if it's related. I know nothing about computers. But when I put the 1GB memory in, first it wouldn't start (blank black screen, turn off). Then it started but I got the blue screen a few times (software or driver problem). It ran, erratically, for two days, and then crashed completely. Even when I switched the original RAM card back in, it just wouldn't start. Beyond resurrection.

That has to be related, right? Perhaps some driver that the new memory card needed crashing with stuff? Dunno, but I wasn't happy. I know I'm not putting that new card back in under any circumstances.

Too many variables, frankly. Usually you get an error if you put in the wrong type of memory.

The blue screen did say it was "memory management".

Still, I know I cannot prove that it was the RAM card that crashed my system. The sweet guy (he was indeed very very nice) from somewhere in India told me it's impossible to claim anything of the sort. I just want to return the damn thing and get a refund for now.

And try to run a limited number of programs at any one time for awhile. Also, not to stuff my hard drive up to almost full capacity this time (I had nearly all of 60 GB full) and if I cannot take it, I'll probably go for the Dell RAM card, though it's twice as expensive as this one was.

A system message after changing the amount of memory is standard, nowadays.

Nonono. That I gathered. It does say that the amount of memory has changed. All fine. Then Windows start (or later...it doesn't)... I work for awhile and THEN I get a blue screen, hours later, saying something about memory management and software and drivers problem and how i should shut down and reboot in safe mode. The trouble is... it won't reboot even in safe mode. The windows startup files being corrupted incorrigibly.

so, now i have a brand new computer...except the computer itself is old. just the software is starting from scratch. sort of wish it could be the other way around- all of my software on a brand new computer... sigh.

virus.. maybe..

that's also possible, especially since my McAffee anti-virus was giving me problems for a few days - had to shut down because of some error all the time.
Who really knows.

But! when I wiped my computer clean and started from zero, I put the new memory back in and got the blue screen again. Then, when I restarted (getting rid of that memory card for good), I got a "Windows has recovered fom a serious error caused by a device or a driver" - which leads me to think that it indeed was the memory card.

Maybe it's just my karma.