oh shoot wot have i done

[vaineh]

i needed to get new gfx card, so i opted for a ti4400
thort while im at it i could do with a bit more ram, so i got another 256 pc2100 to take me up to 512, so the package arrives this morning, woohoo! i whack in the vid card, alls fine, install drivers etc, works fine.
then i put ram module in, start up, says i only have 256mb still, so i think hmmm thats strange, maybe its wrong type or something, i take out the old ram and try the new ram by itself, start up, nothing happens, no error beeps nothing, then i start to smell something, SHIT BURNING!! turn power off straight away. inspect the ram and on a couple of the connectors is some blackness, and in the corresponding bit on the ram slot are little black residues wheresomething has melted
now i try the old ram in a diff slot, cos didnt think would be wise putting it in the same slot that jus burned, and now all i get is the beep tone saying that the ram isnt seated properly!

could my mobo be thinking the residue is a bit of ram not seated properly ??
is there anyway to disable that ram module and just use the other two, or is my mobo completely fukt now and i need to get a new one
ka266-r by the way

any help much appreciated

 

[TheBlueRaja]

Nasty....

Ok, if there is any "residue", still on the pins clean them with something like CD Cleaner and a cotton bud until you can see the pins again. This will provide a proper contact for the ram to connect to.

You usually have to put any ram you have in the First slot, so this may be why its not currently being recognised. Clean the pins and if you have the johnson for it put the good RAM back in the first slot. (Although as i write this i am slightly concerned what this may do to your remaining good module - definate risk here).

However there is a definate possibility of a screwed motherboard here, i mean, you gotta ask why the ram started to smoke in the first place.

Good Luck..

 

[Geffy]

RAM can start to burn if there is a bad contact. The electricy builds in the connector which heats up and starts the PCB burning.

I would clean the burnt connector and then turn the mobo upside down and shake a bit to make sure there is nothing inside it. You could also use an AirDuster to clean out the slot.

Dont spend too much trying to get the slot to work as the whole mobo could be screwed.

Just so you know WinXP will not ask you to re-install or activate (shouldnt do this really, but might be possible) when it boots with another mobo unless WinXP is tied to the BIOS of the motherboard, though this only occurs in brand name PCs and then typically only in Laptops

 

[[CpK]Bastid]

if it is the mobo shouldnt he do a clean install unless u get same exact mobo maybe....i dunno

 

[vaineh]

the residue aint gonna come off, its seems to be melted plastic or something, dunno where it could have come from tho

 

[[CpK]Bastid]

just get a new board and ram
when in doubt buy new...lol


maybe thats why i got enuff spare parts for several more computers

 

[_DM_]

Exchange your motherboard and ram for a new one contact your computer technical support and they'll probably replace ur mobo and your ram.