Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

rytc · Jun 19, 2004, 03:08 AM

A week ago I upgraded my iBook by replacing the 256MB RAM module I had in there with a new 512MB chip. This was only temporary as the chip was for my sister's laptop, however, upon replacing the 256 MB chip, OS X no longer booted. I was able to boot from OS 9 externally and then start the computer up in OS 9 from the computer's HD. This showed that the RAM was not being recognised, and only the 64MB built in chip was showing up, explaining why OS X would not boot - not enough RAM. Reseating the RAM however, just lead to the three beeps indicating that tests of the RAM banks had failed. Replacing the 256MB with the 512MB gave the same three beeps, removing them allowed the iBook to boot OS 9 as before.
SO, am I to believe that the RAM slot on my laptop is now buggered? Or is it a case of the RAM being stuffed? I find the latter unlikely as both work fine until the switch over.
This being a clamshell, and if the RAM slot is stuffed, then a motherboard replacement certainly wouldn't be worth it.

Thanks for any insights.

Ry

ghporter · Jun 19, 2004, 08:59 AM

Those RAM slots are tricky things. Sometimes it looks like you have the stick properly installed, but the slot disagrees-and the RAM doesn't work.

Make sure the stick is fully inserted. You should barely, if at all, see the gold contact fingers above the connector slot. Then make sure the stick is fully seated. It should be completely flat, and the hold-down levers should engage the notches in the sides of the stick-nowhere else!

chipchen · Jun 20, 2004, 04:14 PM

well... unless you did this on an anti-static work bench with the proper anti-static wrist band and grounding.. i'm gonna say you fried the ram slot and/or the whole logic board.... of, if you're lucky, you only friend the two pieces of ram... that's my guess...

ghporter · Jun 20, 2004, 05:56 PM

I disagree with chipchen; it's hard to get that kind of static problem in this situation. The RAM comes in static-safe bags, and you have to touch metal shielding parts to get at the slot, which discharges any static you may have on your skin. But it IS possible to get everything closed up with the RAM not properly seated, so go back in and check it.

Now if you have a wool carpet, a dehumidifier giving you desert-like interior conditions, and you always walk with a shuffling gait, then chipchen's probably right, and I withdraw my disagreement...

rytc · Jun 21, 2004, 06:33 AM

Hmm not sure what happened to my reply yesterday seems to have disappeared into the ethos.

I think RAM is sturdier than its made out to be, I've taken RAM in and out of other laptops and discharged only via touching the shieldind, but I guess your mileage varies and in my case it's run out.

From my investigations I'm pretty sure it's the RAM slot, both RAM modules work fine in another iBook but not in mine. Closer inspection to check the little contact wires with a magnifying class, I was hoping for a simple bend or something, revealed nothing.

It's strange that I managed to damage the RAM slot itself and not the RAM, and all the more annoying!! I'd much rather spend $100 bucks and get some new RAM. As it is, I'm now stuck in OS 9 until I upgrade. Gives me an excuse to buy a new iBook, I guess is the only positive.

It couldn't have happened at a worse time, 1 week out from my thesis submission, I have to thank Apple to think up and add features such as Firewire Target disk mode, hooking this laptop up to computers at school and selecting it as the startup disk, has minimised my down tme.

Cheers Ry

rytc · Jun 29, 2004, 10:36 PM

Okay, in a bizarre twist to the story it's now fixed. After a week in OS 9 with 64MB of RAM, experiencing the internet using 4 year old browsers and broadband being reduced to the speed of dialup, and long being able to listen to any of my m4a encoded music, I decided to fiddle around with the RAM. I took it out, blew on it, and put it back in and was greeted with the friendly Mac bong and the words "320 MB builtin RAM" in the about box.
I can't say how happy I was! It seems bizarre after spending hours attempting to fix it, it would just work again like this.

Anyway, thanks for you help.

Later

ghporter · Jun 30, 2004, 07:22 PM

As an electronics tech for over twenty years, I can't count the number of times I just "laid hands on" something that was causing the user all sorts of grief, and had the thing work perfectly. I think you un-bent a contact or cleared off some sort of junk on the DIMM that kept it from working. I'll bet the 512MB unit works now, too, but I'll also bet you're a little hesitant to try it-I can't blame you.

RadarBob2 · Jul 1, 2004, 08:08 AM

Try a different brand / model of RAM.

My 700MHz iBook came w/ a free RAM module. The memory was not recognized by the computer. The tech explained to me that the computer recognizes only certain RAM. I'm not sure how the machine determined that - something about reading the "model" number directly from the module; but the point was that even though this RAM was electronically correct for the iBook, the machine simply refused to use it.

rytc · Jul 3, 2004, 06:57 PM

Originally posted by GHPorter:
As an electronics tech for over twenty years, I can't count the number of times I just "laid hands on" something that was causing the user all sorts of grief, and had the thing work perfectly. I think you un-bent a contact or cleared off some sort of junk on the DIMM that kept it from working. I'll bet the 512MB unit works now, too, but I'll also bet you're a little hesitant to try it-I can't
blame you.

I'm sure it would, however, I was burgled the same evening that I fixed the laptop, and the clamshell was one of the things he saw and took. So I'm now completely computerless. Such is life.

ghporter · Jul 5, 2004, 08:22 PM

Ouch! Technically, that "sucks." I hope you have insurance and a vigilant police force. And having been in your shoes, I feel for you. Your "such is life" attitude is healthier than most people realize, and will help you get past this. Of course a good insurance policy will help you get a new computer, too!

Good luck.

rytc · Jul 8, 2004, 05:42 PM

Originally posted by GHPorter:
Ouch! Technically, that "sucks." I hope you have insurance and a vigilant police force. And having been in your shoes, I feel for you. Your "such is life" attitude is healthier than most people realize, and will help you get past this. Of course a good insurance policy will help you get a new computer, too!

Good luck.

Thanks, I think my greatest annoyance is the invasion of my house and the loss of all the files on my laptop - most of which I didn't back up : ( No fingerprints and the tracker dogs losing his trail meant noone was apprehended and I'm not holding out much hope of seeing any of it again. Luckily the house and contents insurance had my laptop specified, so I'm typing this on a new 12" PB, very nice indeed - good to have some good things come out of the whole experience.