Fix a crashing Windows PC by talking it through with ChatGPT voice: bad RAM, then a repair reinstall

Posted

Oct 14, 2026 by David Gewirtz (ZDNET / Yahoo)

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Last checked

Oct 22, 2026

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Method:

How we verify

Evidence: Article or interviewA newsletter, journalist or interview account of what happened.

Outcome

David Gewirtz's PC had games crashing, Windows Update failing and a RAM error. Writing for ZDNET, Gewirtz talked it through with ChatGPT by voice on a phone, sending photos of BIOS screens and memory error dumps. ChatGPT walked through resetting the BIOS to defaults, clearing CMOS via the CLRTC pins and turning off overclocking (running the memory at 2,133 MHz), checked voltages, and advised against reflashing the BIOS. MemTest86 found errors on both 16GB sticks, so Gewirtz replaced the RAM (a Timetec 32GB kit for $190; the G.SKILL kit had cost $75 in 2023 and is $265 now), and MemTest86 then passed. DISM still failed at 28.1% and SFC didn't fix it, so ChatGPT suggested Windows' "Fix problems using Windows Update" reinstall, which took about 90 minutes and kept apps and files. Afterwards DISM completed, SFC found nothing, and updates and games worked. Gewirtz says it "may have saved me a few hundred bucks and many hours" and could have been done alone, but messier.

AI tool

ChatGPT

The source didn't share its exact prompt, so we wrote this from what it describes.

What the prompt labels mean

Before you start, ask me 1–3 short questions about anything important that's missing below. Keep them quick. Then do the task, checking in with me at the key points.

Goal: Find out why my Windows PC keeps crashing or failing to update, and fix it step by step without losing my files.

What I can give you (ask for whatever's missing):
- What's going wrong, with any error messages or codes: [SYMPTOMS]
- PC make or motherboard model, RAM and Windows version: [PC DETAILS]
- Photos of BIOS screens or error dumps, if I have them: [PHOTOS]

Rules:
- Go one step at a time and wait for me to report back before the next one.
- Test the hardware first (memory, then disk) before suggesting reinstalls, and tell me which free tool to use and how to read its result.
- Prefer settings resets and repairs that keep my apps and files; warn me before anything that could wipe data or brick the board, like a BIOS flash.
- If a part needs replacing, tell me exactly what spec to buy so it's compatible.
- Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify.

Output: A short running diagnosis: what we've ruled out, the likely cause, and the next step.

You'll know it worked when: the PC passes a memory test, Windows updates install, and the crashes stop.

Before you start, ask me 1–3 short questions about anything important that's missing below. Keep them quick. Then do the task, checking in with me at the key points.

Goal: Find out why my Windows PC keeps crashing or failing to update, and fix it step by step without losing my files.

What I can give you (ask for whatever's missing):
- What's going wrong, with any error messages or codes: [SYMPTOMS]
- PC make or motherboard model, RAM and Windows version: [PC DETAILS]
- Photos of BIOS screens or error dumps, if I have them: [PHOTOS]

Rules:
- Go one step at a time and wait for me to report back before the next one.
- Test the hardware first (memory, then disk) before suggesting reinstalls, and tell me which free tool to use and how to read its result.
- Prefer settings resets and repairs that keep my apps and files; warn me before anything that could wipe data or brick the board, like a BIOS flash.
- If a part needs replacing, tell me exactly what spec to buy so it's compatible.
- Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify.

Output: A short running diagnosis: what we've ruled out, the likely cause, and the next step.

You'll know it worked when: the PC passes a memory test, Windows updates install, and the crashes stop.

Before you start, ask me 1–3 short questions about anything important that's missing below. Keep them quick. Then do the task, checking in with me at the key points.

Goal: Find out why my Windows PC keeps crashing or failing to update, and fix it step by step without losing my files.

What I can give you (ask for whatever's missing):
- What's going wrong, with any error messages or codes: [SYMPTOMS]
- PC make or motherboard model, RAM and Windows version: [PC DETAILS]
- Photos of BIOS screens or error dumps, if I have them: [PHOTOS]

Rules:
- Go one step at a time and wait for me to report back before the next one.
- Test the hardware first (memory, then disk) before suggesting reinstalls, and tell me which free tool to use and how to read its result.
- Prefer settings resets and repairs that keep my apps and files; warn me before anything that could wipe data or brick the board, like a BIOS flash.
- If a part needs replacing, tell me exactly what spec to buy so it's compatible.
- Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify.
- Before any repair install, remind me to back up my important files and say how long it's likely to take.

Output: A short running diagnosis: what we've ruled out, the likely cause, and the next step.

You'll know it worked when: the PC passes a memory test, Windows updates install, and the crashes stop.

Before you finish: re-read my goal and constraints, check your answer against each one, and list anything you assumed or couldn't confirm.

Source

https://tech.yahoo.com/ai/chatgpt/articles/used-chatgpt-talk-fixing-corrupted-123117797.html