Can a Bad Hard Drive Cause a Parity Error?
While most any computer hardware, including a bad hard drive, can cause a parity error, it's not the only thing that causes this error and it’s not the most typical cause. A failing or faulty motherboard, a corrupted operating system or even a memory stick that isn't working right will cause a parity error. Parity error occurs in the computer's memory.
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Memory Parity Errors
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The leading cause of a memory parity error starts with the memory stick or module in the computer. If you just installed a new memory stick and on boot-up receive a parity error, turn the computer off and remove the newly inserted memory module. Replace the memory stick with the previous one and restart the computer. If the computer works, the new memory stick is the culprit. When purchasing new memory, confirm that it will work with the motherboard in your computer. Installing the wrong memory module, such as a non error correcting code memory stick in a motherboard configured for ECC memory will cause the error.
Motherboard and Power Supplies
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The motherboard provides the slots that hold the random access memory of the computer. If the electronic circuitry of motherboard fails at the memory location, this will cause a memory parity to appear on the screen. This problem requires replacement of the motherboard. When purchasing a new motherboard, confirm that it will work with your existing installed cards, periphery equipment and hard drive. Malfunctioning power supplies or cords can also cause a parity error.
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Cards
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Expansion cards can cause a parity error, especially if configured incorrectly. When the card has a physical fault not easily detected on inspection, it can cause a parity error, usually on boot up of the computer. Try removing the card and rebooting the system to see if this corrects the problem. Input-output address conflicts or direct memory access errors will also cause parity errors. While corrupted software can cause these errors, start with examining the computer’s hardware before attempting to resolve the error through software.
Parity Checking
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Parity checking is a process that analyzes the odd and even zeros and ones in a byte of data in the computer’s memory. It compares this against a single binary unit. When parity checking detects an error, it halts the computer, or freezes the screen. Parity checking was used in earlier systems to check for errors in data written to the computer's memory. During the parity checking it checks the memory and reads it back again to detect these errors.
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