Re: new ram... wont boot

PhillipJr89 · #1 (**permalink**) 06-09-2008, 11:08 AM

I'm no expert... but wouldn't trying to put in the 1GB along with two 512's lower the 1GB down to the speed and space of the 512's? Then again, I have a question similiar to this in a way. Well, I had RAM in the first slot (a 1GB RAM)... and well, it kinda caught fire. Would anyone think it would still work if there was a way I could use the other RAM slots? (the fire was limited to the first RAM slot). Right now, all's the computer would do is beep (unsure of what the beep code means because it is just a single long beep (maybe 2-5 seconds long), stop, and then repeat. My motherboard also has "KV2 Lite Extreme" in the manual itself, so i just considered it as "KV2 Lite" on ECS's site. I am also trying to replace the 1GB with 2 512's of 333Mhz (if i remember right) DDR ram in Slots 2 and 4, but i'm not sure how it works.

Thank you for any help anyone can provide.

Digerati · #2 (**permalink**) 06-09-2008, 06:28 PM

Since you replied to a post over a year old, and since you are asking new questions, I moved your post to a new thread.

Quote:

but wouldn't trying to put in the 1GB along with two 512's lower the 1GB down to the speed and space of the 512's?

Speed, maybe. But not space. Assuming that RAM is compatible with that motherboard, you can put any size (256Mb, 512Mb, 1G, 2G) in the slots and the system will add the capacities together.

But, the system will slow down to the lowest common denominator. So in theory, you can have a fast 512Mb 533MHz RAM + a slow 1Gb 400Mhz RAM and end with 1.5Gb of RAM running at 400MHz.

Quote:

Would anyone think it would still work if there was a way I could use the other RAM slots? (the fire was limited to the first RAM slot).

The fire might have been but how do you know the damage was? Not all may be visible. Motherboards are typically multi-layered, with many circuits running through more than just the top and bottom.

As far as would it work. I would not venture a guess. Certainly it could have been the RAM in the slot that actually caught fire and what you see is smoke damage, and no additional damage. Some motherboards don't really care what slots are used (except for Dual Channel). Your beeb code does indicate RAM. It could be the memory controller - a motherboard component.

The risk is anything you plug into that motherboard, CPU, drives, RAM, cards, etc. are at risk if something else did fry.

I recommend taking it to a shop where any further damage is their problem, not yours. If you insist on further troubleshooting, you should disconnect all drives, all but one stick of RAM, keyboard, mouse, and a cheap monitor, and boot. It should beep once, and you see the graphics splash screen initial boot staged, and it will stop when it can't find a boot sector on a drive. If it fails, change RAM stick, or slot and work your way through to see if you can find a lucky combination. Keep fingers crossed, but be ready for any good RAM sticks to be destroyed.

Fires with RAM are usually caused when RAM is inserted or removed while the power supply is plugged in, or when RAM is forced in the wrong way against the slots designed to prevent that, or the wrong pin-count RAM is forced in.

PhillipJr89 · #3 (**permalink**) 08-09-2008, 10:27 AM

Thank you for the reply. Yes, you're quite right about the RAM... It seems to have been inserted the wrong way and that seems to be why it caught fire in the first place. When i checked the area, the burn mark seems to have been restricted more towards the top of the RAM slot. I'll try that method of testing that you suggested. Though I have tried plugging it in before to see if i could get it to work in other RAM slots; So far I didn't see any damage to any drives, monitors, or anything else.

Digerati · #4 (**permalink**) 08-09-2008, 01:21 PM

Another advantage to taking it to a shop is they have external power sources, and spare, semi-expendable, parts like old power supplies, RAM, graphics cards etc., they know are good, and can swap in. They can test your power supply to see if it did not sustain damage. Unfortunately, when a short (abnormal drop in resistance) occurs in one part of an electronics system, it causes an increase in current flow in another part, or parts. When current goes up in a circuit, so does heat. Heat is the bane of all electronics. If the components cannot handle the heat, they too may be destroyed.

I think if you are going to continue to troubleshoot yourself (often the most painful, but best way to learn), you need to ensure your PSU is supplying all the voltages needed.

I use a FrozenCPU Ultimate PSU Tester for power supply (PSU) testing when I am away from home. It is not as good as a qualified technician testing the PSU under a "true" (realistic) load with an oscilloscope or power analyzer, but close. The advantage of this model is that it has an LCD readout of the voltage. With an actual voltage readout, you can better detect a "failing" PSU, or one barely within specified tolerances. Lesser models use LEDs to indicate the voltage is just within some "range". These are less informative, considerably cheaper, but still useful for detecting PSUs that have already "failed". Newegg has several testers to choose from. All these testers contain a "dummy load" to fool the PSU into thinking it is connected to a motherboard, and therefore allows the PSU to power on, if able, without being attached to a motherboard - great for testing fans, but again, not a true load. Alternatively, you can swap out the PSU with a known good one that meets the computer's power requirements.

I do not recommend using a multimeter to test power supplies. To do it properly, that is, under a realistic load, the voltages on all the pins must be measured while the PSU is attached to the motherboard and the computer powered on. This then requires poking (with some considerable force) two, hard and sharp, highly conductive, meter probes into the heart of the computer. One tiny slip can destroy the motherboard, and everything plugged into it.

Don't forget to keep you and the computer at the same "potential" - touch bare metal of the case before reaching in, and as much as possible thereafter.

Good luck.