problem with RAM

mp3 ash · January 5th, 2006, 01:33 AM

Hey, im not very good with computers... so i'm looking for some help

Today i tried putting a new stick of ram into my computer along with the one that was already there. I put it in and was pretty sure i had it right. Then turned on the computer and nothing showed on the monitor, even though it was plugged in and the monitor was on. So then i took out the new RAM, leaving just what was in there before. Same thing happened, the monitor was on but nothing was showing. The monitor is connected to the back of the tower just as it has always been.

Any ideas on what happened and why the monitor is blank?

PC TECH250 · January 5th, 2006, 06:03 AM

A bad stick of memory wouldn't knock a system out like that. Are the drives lighting up at
post time? It sounds like something was already on the way out for this to be seen. If you
not seeing and the drives seem to be going through their regular routine you may have a
video card slightly lifted from moving the case around or simply pressing on the card just a
little too hard when unplugging it after loosening the fasteners.

If there is absolutely nothing seen along with no sound of drives try swapping a p.supply
to see if that went or a connector inside came unplugged while moving around there. If you
pressed against a cable or wire too much or against the video card when adding the mem.,
you could have bumped the card up in it's slot.

vikeor · January 5th, 2006, 07:27 AM

are there any beeps when u press the power button?

SeanC · January 5th, 2006, 12:03 PM

Open up the computer and make sure the video card is in securely. Either press on it to make sure it's in the slot properly or remove it and put it in again.

mp3 ash · January 5th, 2006, 07:06 PM

Yes, there are three beeps when i turn the computer on, and yes the lights are on when i turn it on. Everything sounds normal when it's running except for the beeps at the beginning. I'll see if the video card is dislodged.

TheBigCarp321 · January 5th, 2006, 09:02 PM

You could try reseating the original memory too just for the heck of it. In my experience, some different brands of computers will beep 3 times because of either memory or video.

amdkt7 · January 5th, 2006, 09:09 PM

You may have to clear the CMOS to get it booting again. I suspect that the new stick was not compatatible with either the other stick or with the motherboard.

If you can post more information about your system and the type of ram that you bought. Knowing your mother board and the memory specs can enable us to look it up on the internet and see if it should work.

Do you know how to clear the cmos?

gigahertz205 · January 5th, 2006, 09:12 PM

well i dont know what mobo you have but i believe the meaning of 3 beeps is that video card is not installed properly. this happened to me before and taking the card out and putting it back in fixed it. you can also go to your motherboard's company website and in the manual section, they tell you what the beeping codes mean

PC TECH250 · January 5th, 2006, 10:27 PM

What was good on some of the older model boards was a locking tab that slid into place
once the video was seated in the agp slot. That kept a bump against the card while working
in the case from allowing the card to rise up even slightly to cause a problem like the one in
discussion here. Not too many boards have that these days unfortunately.

mp3 ash · January 5th, 2006, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amdkt7

You may have to clear the CMOS to get it booting again. I suspect that the new stick was not compatatible with either the other stick or with the motherboard.

If you can post more information about your system and the type of ram that you bought. Knowing your mother board and the memory specs can enable us to look it up on the internet and see if it should work.

Do you know how to clear the cmos?

Don't really know any of the specs, but im just trying to get it to work with the original memory, not worrying about the new stuff right now. And no i dont know what cmos are and how to clear it.