Palm has warned that around 200,000 of its Palm handheld devices could contain a faulty chip that can corrupt data and has advised users to run a diagnostic check.

The problem is caused by defective 8Mb DRAM memory chips, developed by Micron, which could affect Palm IIIc, IIIxe and Vx models manufactured between October 1999 and May 2000.

TRG Products, which develops Palm-based devices aimed at enterprises around the world, has also warned that most of its products could be affected by the defect.

Palm has posted a software patch on its website for models IIIc and Vx, and a remedy for the IIIxe will be available shortly. Customers are urged to check the site to determine whether they should run a diagnostic check or to install the patch which Palm claims takes less than one minute to download.

A Palm spokeswoman said the company has issued a global alert because it can not determine where the models that were manufactured between those dates have been sold.

A spokesman for TRG Products, which has customers in Europe, said the company has issued an upgrade to its version of Palm's operating system which can be downloaded free of charge from its website.

The faulty chips could damage information such as telephone numbers, to-do lists, calendar and data entries.

Officials from Micron failed to comment on the faulty chips.

More information is available at http://www.palm.com/support/dram/