Did I just brick my laptop?

[TreyWinston]

So I wanted to install more RAM in my vintage Compaq Presario 915,
which came with 256 Mb. I bought two chips of 512 MB each and happily
installed them. The laptop booted, but instead of about 1Gb, it only
recognised 496 MB (or thereabouts). I shrewdly deduced that one of the
chips might have been faulty, and switched them around to see which
one it could be.

At the last try to boot, the laptop didn't boot at all. The fans comes
on and stays on, the power light is on and stays on, the harddisk
light comes on for a second, then goes dark, and I can hear the drive
switching off. I interpret this to mean that the harddrive searches
for RAM, finds none, then switches off. This is with a Gb of RAM in
place.

Is there hope, or did I brick it?

Any insights appreciated.

Trey

 

[Paul]

So I wanted to install more RAM in my vintage Compaq Presario 915,
which came with 256 Mb. I bought two chips of 512 MB each and happily
installed them. The laptop booted, but instead of about 1Gb, it only
recognised 496 MB (or thereabouts). I shrewdly deduced that one of the
chips might have been faulty, and switched them around to see which
one it could be.

At the last try to boot, the laptop didn't boot at all. The fans comes
on and stays on, the power light is on and stays on, the harddisk
light comes on for a second, then goes dark, and I can hear the drive
switching off. I interpret this to mean that the harddrive searches
for RAM, finds none, then switches off. This is with a Gb of RAM in
place.

Is there hope, or did I brick it?

Any insights appreciated.

Trey

Return to the original RAM configuration. Does it still work ?

I'd double check that it supports memory that large. I'm not finding
a match on Crucial for the model number, but perhaps if you head
on over to Crucial.com, you can find a reference to your machine,
and what size the max memory is. Crucial has a scanning tool, but
that is only going to work, if the machine is booted.

When working on RAM, I recommend removing all power from a computer
you are working on. On a desktop, I unplug the power supply, so I
can be absolutely sure +5VSB is disabled. On a laptop, I'd probably
pop the battery pack. That way, there won't be any raw voltages
on the RAM slot. If you change RAM while the slot is powered,
something could get damaged. A RAM which is the wrong capacity
should not damage a computer, but having voltage present while
doing the change, could damage something. (The BIOS is supposed
to check the SPD on the DIMM, and decide how to configure the
hardware. If some RAM is not compatible, the BIOS should not
be enabling the RAM slots, and should issue a beep code.)

Paul

 

[Jan Einar Wettre]

Thanks for the reply

I did use Crucial's tool, and bought the RAM using it. Considering
that the laptop did boot once (just recognizing half the installed new
RAM), the type of chip should be correct for the computer. The laptop
should also be able to take 1 Gb.

It now doesn't boot at all, even in the original configuration of 256
Mb RAM. I did not pop the battery when I did the switch, but I took
the power and (of course) turned it off. I'm sure something could have
gone wrong and I somehow shorted all three chips and/or both slots.

This doesn't look good. Should I give up hope?

Trey

 

[TreyWinston]

Thanks for the reply

Return to the original RAM configuration. Does it still work ?

No. It now won't boot in any configuration.

I'd double check that it supports memory that large. I'm not finding
a match on Crucial for the model number, but perhaps if you head
on over to Crucial.com, you can find a reference to your machine,
and what size the max memory is. Crucial has a scanning tool, but
that is only going to work, if the machine is booted.

I used that tool when I bought the RAM, and I'm sure that it is the
right type of chip. The computer should be able to take 1 Gb.

When working on RAM, I recommend removing all power from a computer
you are working on. On a desktop, I unplug the power supply, so I
can be absolutely sure +5VSB is disabled. On a laptop, I'd probably
pop the battery pack. That way, there won't be any raw voltages
on the RAM slot. If you change RAM while the slot is powered,
something could get damaged.

I took the power, but I didn't pop the battery. That could be it, I
guess.

A RAM which is the wrong capacity

should not damage a computer, but having voltage present while
doing the change, could damage something. (The BIOS is supposed
to check the SPD on the DIMM, and decide how to configure the
hardware. If some RAM is not compatible, the BIOS should not
be enabling the RAM slots, and should issue a beep code.)

As far as I can tell, there's no beep at all.

I guess I could have shorted out all three chips and/or both RAM
slots, since I didn't pop the battery.
This doesn't sound good. Should I give up hope?

Trey

 

[Paul]

Thanks for the reply


No. It now won't boot in any configuration.


I used that tool when I bought the RAM, and I'm sure that it is the
right type of chip. The computer should be able to take 1 Gb.


I took the power, but I didn't pop the battery. That could be it, I
guess.

A RAM which is the wrong capacity

As far as I can tell, there's no beep at all.

I guess I could have shorted out all three chips and/or both RAM
slots, since I didn't pop the battery.
This doesn't sound good. Should I give up hope?

Trey

Is there a procedure for clearing the CMOS ? That is the only
procedure that comes to mind. And that may not be documented in
the literature that came with the product. Since I wasn't able to
find anything worth having on the hp.com site, I can't advise
further, on which access plate you might have to remove to get
at a CMOS jumper or remove the tiny CMOS battery.

Or, you could try starting the laptop once, with no RAM present.
Listen for beeps. Do you get a beep error code ? A beep means
the processor might still be running (there is no reason
anyway, to assume the processor was affected, so it should
still be trying to run).

After the boot cycle attempt with no RAM, shut down, pop the
main battery, and put the original RAM back. And try again...

Motherboards are expensive to replace, although in terms of
material value, they shouldn't be any more expensive than a
desktop motherboard ($50 to $150 or so). But the manufacturer
will price them, to squeeze as much as possible from the
customer. Many people buy a new laptop, when expensive
maintenance of this sort seem imminent.

You can always sell the laptop on Ebay for parts, indicating
that just the motherboard is bad, and you might get some money for
the display. Since there are always a few people out there
with cracked displays, there will be a market for the display
part of the laptop. The processor itself, probably less so.
And the keyboard may be of use to someone. You can keep the
hard drive, to copy over your files - a 2.5" external enclosure
with USB interface, can be used to do that.

It is even possible that there are people on Ebay, who take
two busted laptops, and scavenge enough parts to make
a good one. As a sort of business.

Paul

 

[TreyWinston]

It works!

Or, you could try starting the laptop once, with no RAM present.
Listen for beeps. Do you get a beep error code ? A beep means
the processor might still be running (there is no reason
anyway, to assume the processor was affected, so it should
still be trying to run).

After the boot cycle attempt with no RAM, shut down, pop the
main battery, and put the original RAM back. And try again...

That worked. My laptop is now running with the 1 Gb of new RAM.
I didn't think of booting without any RAM present, but it looks as if
that may have cleared something. I next got it to boot with the
original RAM, then with the new chips. Must have been some sort of
gremlin, or (more likely) I did something wrong.

Thank you very much, I was sure I'd have to buy a new computer.
I really appreciate it, Paul.

Trey

 

[Paul]

It works!


That worked. My laptop is now running with the 1 Gb of new RAM.
I didn't think of booting without any RAM present, but it looks as if
that may have cleared something. I next got it to boot with the
original RAM, then with the new chips. Must have been some sort of
gremlin, or (more likely) I did something wrong.

Thank you very much, I was sure I'd have to buy a new computer.
I really appreciate it, Paul.

Trey

Excellent. Another one saved from the dumpster

Paul

 

[Bill in Co.]

Excellent. Another one saved from the dumpster

Paul

Yup! It would be interesting to know WHY that worked, however. What
exactly changed to allow it to work after temporarily removing all the RAM
and then replacing it?

I'm guessing it's not as simple as the electrical contacts being cleaned a
bit (in the process of R&R the RAM), but that the answer lies in some
software routine executing correctly, this time after booting up.

 

[Paul]

Yup! It would be interesting to know WHY that worked, however. What
exactly changed to allow it to work after temporarily removing all the RAM
and then replacing it?

I'm guessing it's not as simple as the electrical contacts being cleaned a
bit (in the process of R&R the RAM), but that the answer lies in some
software routine executing correctly, this time after booting up.

It really shouldn't do anything. But I've heard it suggested as
a procedure before.

In terms of information storage, the BIOS has the 256 byte CMOS
RAM to work with, and also has DMI/ESCD segments in the BIOS
flash chip itself. I find it hard to imagine enough code working
at that point, to reflash DMI/ESCD, but maybe that is what it plays
wirh. DMI/ESCD are supposed to be reflashed by the BIOS, after
every hardware configuration change (i.e. RAM added or removed).
I wouldn't have even expected the BIOS to get to the DMI/ESCD
parsing and checking code, if there is no RAM present.

It could be resetting the CMOS, but that too seems out of scope.
As a user, I wouldn't particularly want to lose my custom
CMOS settings, just because the computer had no RAM in it.

So the procedure plays with something, but I've never tried
the experiments, to find out what it is doing.

Paul

 

[Gurney]

So I wanted to install more RAM in my vintage Compaq Presario 915,
which came with 256 Mb. I bought two chips of 512 MB each and happily
installed them. The laptop booted, but instead of about 1Gb, it only
recognised 496 MB (or thereabouts). I shrewdly deduced that one of the
chips might have been faulty, and switched them around to see which
one it could be.

At the last try to boot, the laptop didn't boot at all. The fans comes
on and stays on, the power light is on and stays on, the harddisk
light comes on for a second, then goes dark, and I can hear the drive
switching off. I interpret this to mean that the harddrive searches
for RAM, finds none, then switches off. This is with a Gb of RAM in
place.

Is there hope, or did I brick it?

Any insights appreciated.

Trey

Why ask HERE? This has NOTHING to do with the OS (notice WINDOWSXP in
the title of the group).

Ask elsewhere

 

[RobertVA]

Why ask HERE? This has NOTHING to do with the OS (notice WINDOWSXP in
the title of the group).

Ask elsewhere

what's that ".hardware" after ".windowsxp", chopped liver?

 

[sgopus]

he's appointed himself Topic monitor, sic simper tyrannis.
nobody listens to him anyway LOL

 

[Bill in Co.]

what's that ".hardware" after ".windowsxp", chopped liver?

But he doesn't know what hardware is. You could at least explain that
advanced term to our adolescent.

 

[Gurney]

what's that ".hardware" after ".windowsxp", chopped liver?

No, but you have to put them TOGETHER: WindowsXP.Hardware. Questions
about PURE hardware, having NOTHING to do with the OS, are out of
place. Pay attention.

 

[Gurney]

But he doesn't know what hardware is. You could at least explain that
advanced term to our adolescent.

Sure I understand what hardware is, but I also understand the GROUP
TITLE whereas you DON'T. I also understand what hardHEADS are: all
you who don't understand why I post.

 

[M.I.5¾]

what's that ".hardware" after ".windowsxp", chopped liver?

What are you replying to? There is no post from Gurney here.

Gurney doesn't understand the significance of the word 'hardware' as he's a
****wit.

 

[M.I.5¾]

But he doesn't know what hardware is. You could at least explain that
advanced term to our adolescent.

Many have tried. Many have failed. He is mentally ill and has but a single
obsession.

I see people replying to him, but I haven't a post out of him for 2 weeks.

 

[Gurney]

What are you replying to? There is no post from Gurney here.

Gurney doesn't understand the significance of the word 'hardware' as he's a
****wit.

MI doesn't understand any of my posts as he/she/it is a hypocrite