[geargrrl]

This shouldn't be so hard. We order two 1 GB sticks of ram that is supposed to be compatible, unplugged computer, installed RAM, it won't boot up. I went back to original configuration, won't boot now. I have made as darn sure as I can that this stuff is seated correctly but it just keeps beeping at me, won't load at all. This was supposed to be easy, now what.

Oh, its the computer we use for our engineering biz. We are so screwed come monday if it's not working.

help?

gg

 

[binary visions]

Might have knocked something else out in the process. Re-seat all of your other cards and the CPU.

 

[SkaredShtles]

Get a new computer.

 

[Arkayne]

What is the beeping pattern? For example, long followed by short beeps?

 

[geargrrl]

update, I couldn't stand not being able to get it to work, so I took it to the local geek storefront and their verdict that either the MB or the processor went TU. They couldn't get their ram to work in it either; our ram booted ok in other systems, they checked all the connections etc.

Of course we are going to get a second opinion from someone we actually KNOW who has a computer repair biz. My geek child has always dealt with these issues for us but he's off at college finishing his senior project 6 states away.

Data should be intact, and we also have a carbonite backup to load onto the laptop if necessary. I guess the worst case scenario is new mb/processor? It's a custom built system, I hope they can find a compatible MB.

thanks anyway. I still don't understand what might have happened, I've done ram installs before that went just fine.

 

[SkaredShtles]

I suppose you were using one of these when you did the swap?

 

[geargrrl]

No, of course not. That's something that you find out about AFTER you kill the computer with an "easy" RAM install. Now, I would have thought that handling the case would have been enough ground but possibly evidently not. That's also one of those things that when you ask your geek friends about they say " oh, yeah", or "that rarely happens".

Oh well, whatever. Onwards.

 

[SkaredShtles]

No, of course not. That's something that you find out about AFTER you kill the computer with an "easy" RAM install. Now, I would have thought that handling the case would have been enough ground but possibly evidently not. That's also one of those things that when you ask your geek friends about they say " oh, yeah", or "that rarely happens".

Oh well, whatever. Onwards.

Yeah - I never use one when I'm doing personal computer work... maybe I should. oster_oops:

 

[Silver]

I never use the wristband, but I always discharge myself onto some metal before I touch anything with a chip on it or connected to it...

 

[geargrrl]

this will give us a good chance to see how the carbonite backup works. If it goes as it's supposed to, we should have everything we need to work, more or less restored to the laptop ( spare computer) by tomorrow morning.

 

[geargrrl]

Can one of you please tell me how to use the lap top as a hard drive so we can use our regular keyboar/monitor with it?

thanks as always

 

[stinkyboy]

Might have knocked something else out in the process. Re-seat all of your other cards and the CPU.

I've installed RAM, drives, etc. a couple hundred times, and things are usually easy (especially on Macs) nark: but if it was an older machine, I'd take the canned air to it and sometimes a fan cable or some other little random cable would get unplugged or sliced in the process (depending on my hangover).

Being under the gun with a problem is when you usually gain the most knowledge to use in the future though...

 

[binary visions]

Can one of you please tell me how to use the lap top as a hard drive so we can use our regular keyboar/monitor with it?

thanks as always

I'm not sure what you mean.

You can just plug the monitor and the keyboard into your laptop, ports in the back/sides of the machine. Is that all you mean?

 

[geargrrl]

probably, then point the settings at the new stuff? Hey, so I'm dumb enough to be dangerous, I know that...

 

[SkaredShtles]

probably, then point the settings at the new stuff? Hey, so I'm dumb enough to be dangerous, I know that...

 

[geargrrl]

blown capacitor = new computer, should be ready tomorrow

 

[binary visions]

probably, then point the settings at the new stuff? Hey, so I'm dumb enough to be dangerous, I know that...

Shouldn't have to point anything. There might be a setting on the laptop keyboard that'll tell it to output to an external monitor (usually the Fn or Function key, and then hit a key with a picture of a monitor on it).

 

[geargrrl]

since our new system will be ready tomorrow, this is now a non issue.

 

[Silver]

I've installed RAM, drives, etc. a couple hundred times, and things are usually easy (especially on Macs) nark: but if it was an older machine, I'd take the canned air to it and sometimes a fan cable or some other little random cable would get unplugged or sliced in the process (depending on my hangover).

Being under the gun with a problem is when you usually gain the most knowledge to use in the future though...

Ever done a hard drive swap on a MBP? I can do it in less than five minutes now...but it's not really a user friendly process.

 

[$tinkle]

gg, just curious - and this might be water under the bridge - but did you retain the prev ram & swap it back in to insure it wasn't bad ram? i ask b/c some people (on ebay especially) try & offload a hi-density module as interchangeable w/ a low-density module.

if you're curious: a primer here

 

[geargrrl]

Hey -

One of the shops took all the RAM ( old and new) and tested it in another computer and could not duplicate the problem.

After our experience with poo-pants computer tech, we found a really great place in town that built up a new system for us and had us up and running in 24 hours. It is critical for what we do to NOT have Vista or Office '07, so we needed a custom.

Also, Carbonite saved our butts. This is an online backup service that is $49 a year, restore was awesome. The tech that built our computer was able to retrieve our D drive files no problem, but for the C drive we were able to get them off carbonite.

We re used our sound card that has an optical outlet for the home theatre sound system. Now if I could just find the driver disk for it....

 

[dante]

wow, I changed out a motherboard of our computer on the carpeted floor of the living room a couple years ago. guess I probably should've been wearing one of those arm-static-discharge thingies...

 

[JustMtnB44]

We re used our sound card that has an optical outlet for the home theatre sound system. Now if I could just find the driver disk for it....

What card is it? You should be able to get the latest driver from the manufacturer's website.

wow, I changed out a motherboard of our computer on the carpeted floor of the living room a couple years ago. guess I probably should've been wearing one of those arm-static-discharge thingies...

I just built a new computer in my carpeted living room without a static wrist strap thing, no problem. I actually did have some weird issue with the RAM where the computer would not boot with a stick in the first slot, but I switched it with the RAM from my other computer and it works fine so there must have just been some weird compatibility issue.

 

[geargrrl]

What card is it? You should be able to get the latest driver from the manufacturer's website.


I just built a new computer in my carpeted living room without a static wrist strap thing, no problem. I actually did have some weird issue with the RAM where the computer would not boot with a stick in the first slot, but I switched it with the RAM from my other computer and it works fine so there must have just been some weird compatibility issue.

We've got to pull the card to get that info, and frankly after the RAM event, I'm chicken to do anything inside the case. The current plan is to wait for the geek child to come home on Xmas break and do it for me.