Question Any fix for a solid Red DRAM Light coming on after waking a PC from sleep?

Feb 20, 2024
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I have a Windows 11 PC with an ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 4S motherboard and Intel i7 chip. I bought it in 2009 from MicroCenter and it's a PowerSpec.

I recently had MicroCenter upgrade the memory from 16 GB (2x8) to 32 GB (2X 16) of compatible memory. I had them check the motherboard requirements for the memory before I purchased it. I originally purchased another brand there but after I tried to swap it at home for the original sticks, the PC wouldn't boot into Windows, so I took it to MicroCenter to diagnose. They ran a PC Doctor test and it passed everything and they were able to install the RAM I bought.

But, once home, I ran into a problem.

Since then, whenever the PC entered into "sleep" mode, a solid DRAM light comes on upon waking. The only way to get the light to shut off is to power off and then power on the PC via reboot or shutdown and restart. Once it boots up, it works fine. Then, if/when the PC goes back to sleep, again, upon waking it, the red solid light comes on.

So I took it back to MicroCenter and exchanged the RAM for a different brand, this time, Crucial Pro RAM.

MicroCenter ran yet another PC Doctor test and all of the hardware "passed" again.

So I get home and the same problem is happening again. Whenever the PC goes into "Sleep" mode, the instant I wake it up, the solid DRAM light comes on again and I can only get it to turn off by either restarting or shutting down and restarting the PC.

Note: I haven't tried updating the Bios and it still has the original one from when I bought the PC. I looked on AS Rock's support tab for this motherboard and there have been Bios updates with the last one being in 2021.

Should I try to update the BIOS and will that possibly fix the solid red light issue? Any other troubleshooting ideas or suggestions?

Or, should I just ignore the red light since the PC is otherwise working fine?
 
ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 4S
What BIOS version are you on for your motherboard at this moment?

When posting a thread of troubleshooting nature, it's customary to include your full system's specs. Please list the specs to your build like so:
CPU:
CPU cooler:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:
Monitor:
include the age of the PSU apart from it's make and model.

Might want to also pass on the links to the rams you're using.
 
Thank you. I've tried to include most of the information you requested below:

I have a PowerSpec B743 Windows PC, which I bought at Microcenter in November 2019.

Here is a link to the model and specs: https://www.microcenter.com/support...hics_630;_windows_10_pro;_10-100-1000_lan__wi

CPU: Intel Core i7 9700K (3.6GHz)

CPU cooler: I don't recall. I will need to open the case later and check.

Motherboard: ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 4S

Ram: I just had MicroCenter take out the existing 16 GB of pre-installed RAM and replace it a few days ago with: Crucial Pro 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 PC4-25600 CL22 Dual Channel Desktop Memory Kit https://www.microcenter.com/product...el_Desktop_Memory_Kit_CP2K16G4DFRA32A_-_Black

SSD/HDD:
1) PCIe NVMe M.2, 500GB (pre-installed)
2) Inland Platinum 1TB SSD 3D TLC NAND SATA III 6Gb/s 2.5" Internal Solid State Drive (recently installed 2 weeks ago)

GPU: Intel UHD Graphics 630 (integrated). Driver Version 27.20.100.9415, 3-22-2021

PSU: I'm not sure, but the description on the specs page reads "ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 4S system board powered by a 600W power supply". I believe it is a Cooler Master Masterwatt Lite MPX-6001-ACAAW-US 600W 80 PLUS ATX 12V V2.31 Power Supply

Chassis: I'm not sure what chassis means, but the description reads:
PHYSICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Width
8.25 in. (209.55 mm)
Depth
17.00 in. (431.80 mm)
Height
19.00 in. (482.60 mm)

OS: Windows 11 Home (Latest build)

Monitor: HP Pavilion 27Xi (purchased in 2019 or early 2020). Note: I'm also having an occasional problem with this monitor. Sometimes, after it goes to "sleep", upon waking, white "snow" appears on the page. I tried swapping out the HDMI cable with a newly purchased one and not sure if the monitor is failing. Are there any other troubleshooting ideas?

Include the age of the PSU apart from its make and model: I don't know the make and model, but the 600-watt power supply came pre-installed when I bought the PC from MicroCenter in 2019.

Might want to also pass on the links to the rams you're using: I've included a link above next to the description of the RAM

Also, I went to the Motherboard's Bios Download page: https://pg.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z390 Phantom Gaming 4S/index.asp#BIOS

I've never updated the BIOS since I bought the PC and MicroCenter suggested I try that. The current version installed is:
BIOS Version String P1.10A
BIOS Version 5.13
Release Date 09/11/2019

So I unsuccessfully tried to install the 1.40 BIOS (from Jan. 2/2020) update in 2 ways;a) via the Windows method and b) by the "Instant Flash" method. Neither method worked. For Windows, after I downloaded the file and clicked on the executable, it returned a "cannot install driver" error. For the Instant Flash method, I saved the unzipped folder to a new USB stick and booted up while pressing F2, and then, after going into the Tools section of the BIOS dashboard, Instant Flash didn't see any file or even see the USB stick (which I tried variously inserting into USB ports on the top and back of the PC). I don't know what I was doing wrong or if there is an alternative method to these 2 methods to install the BIOS update.
 
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