I think I killed moms computer

[mcool61]

It is a Infinity systems about 4 or 5 yrs old, I know it had a amd k62 cpu, anyway I tried to put a stick of ram it it. She only had 32 meg & 8 of that for onboard video.

Her original ram is pc100 in 1st slot, I put 128mb pc133 in second slot & comp. wouldnt boot. Removed pc133 no boot. Reseated original ram, no post. no beeps nothin. cpu fan is running, drive lites flash but no boot.
Beside the rams slots it says udram 3.3v. what is that? I've heard of sdram. Tried reseting cmos & removing batt.??
What's udram?

[sm8000]

Go to crucial.com and research your mom's pc. It will tell you what kind of memory your motherboard will accept. You can also buy it there, they sell good stuff.

[omega31]

UDRAM is probably Unbuffered DRAM, Unbuffered Dynamic Random Access Memory. Probably meant to say unbuffered sdram.

[mcool61]

Unbuffered is what i put in it I think. Maybe it couldn't support a stick that large but why can't I get it to work again with the original memory. Nothing was wrong with it, I just wanted her to have more. I thought reseting the cmos would take care of it. Maybe it would if I had a keyboard. I brought it home to work on without realizing i don't have an AT keyboard but still it should beep at me to compain about no keyboard, I can't get the thing to post.

[AlexGee]

Well, forgetting the mysterious udram for a moment, how we gonna boot that PC with the existing 32 meg chip?

If you are SURE you cleared the CMOS then maybe try that old stick of RAM in another slot.

Before that I would clear CMOS again. Sometimes these things go away after system sits for a while . . .

If all else fails and your reasearch comes up with nada I would certanly at least try to boot with another power supply in there.

[mcool61]

Fans spin & what not so I think the pwr supply is ok. Your right, it should boot with that original ram.
I think I'm going to leave it alone till I get the right keyboard cause if I get a config. screen I probably won't get anywhere with a mouse.

[AlexGee]

PSU is probaly OK, you're right, or else the fans wouldn't spin but that doesn't mean for sure good voltage is getting to everything . . don't give up without testing that for sure is all I'm saying.

I would also try stripping out all cards and unplugging all drives. Attempt to boot with the old RAM in all possible slots. I suppose there is a chance you killed the motherboard with static discharge or maybe cracked it with too much pressure putting in the RAM but I wouldn't jump to that conclusion yet.

I find it hard to believe the new RAM killed it but anything is possible with an old system like that.

If it is dead you could probably get a old socket 7 board for next to nothing so don't fear.

[tranka32]

did you blow the slot out with compressed air?? Try cleaning the contacts,, if its old maybe some build up.. I don't know if this is the approved method or not but I use isopropyl alcohol also start from scratch with the basics of the system, I hate the old at keyboard trick,, happened to me once or twice now I have an old one I keep handy just in case,, Good luck..

[mcool61]

I fear your cracked mother board theory may be on target but will investigate other suggestions cause i'm a cheapskate. I guess i should just build her another computer & say happy mothers day, merry christmas, happy birthday!!!!

[BigBlue66]

Sounds to me like you just totally confused the CMOS. Chances are very good with a motherboard that old, that the DIMM slots won't support a 128mb stick of memory.

Can you remove the CMOS battery? Is it a coin sized battery that has numbers something like CR 2032? If so, remove it and leave it out for 24 hours. Maybe that will clear the CMOS.

Otherwise, if you know which jumper it is to clear the CMOS, try that again, but make double **** sure you unplug the power supply from its power source before messing with the jumper.

[mcool61]

I took the bat. out & reset cmos, no go. Fans spin but no post.

[paramufay]

you may have knocked something loose. check all cards and connectors. including connection on the back of the pc.

pc133 will never work in this machine

[ukulele]

First of all, hook up the KB before trying to run the computer (an adapter is all you need). Next, check the MB site and download the manual for that board. PC 133 will work if the motherboard supports pc100 ram but the size of the chip may be limited to 64mb chips. Check it out first in the MB manual specs. If still no go then you have a messed up slot, MB or ram chip.

[BipolarBill]

Build her a new PC, you cheapskate! It's your mother!

They don't make sons like they used to. :(


:p

[ukulele]

Of course you could just give her yours and build yourself a new one. That way you can still be a cheapskate and still make her happy. ;)

[Bovon]

I know you have already tried this, (you have said you reseated the ram)...several times maybe. But, just in case...remove the ram module that was in there originally, take a pencil eraser and scrup the contacts, remove any left over eraser residue with a lint free cloth, dampened with alcohol.

Replace the ram module in the #1 or #0 slot (where it was when you started) push the module down in the slot good. There is a latch tab at each end...when the module bottoms out in the socket, those tabs will latch themselves...don't try to help.

Many of the older socket 7 motherboards will not work with high density ram...such as what is available today. Many people write that ram is backwards compatable..this is true, but only if the motherboard chipset supports it.

PC 100 and PC 133 SDRAM both work on 3.3 volts...most times where a motherboard is set to use SIMM or DIMM (but not both) the CMOS (BIOS) recognizes which is being installed and applies the correct voltage...other motherboards have a jumper to change between SIMMs and DIMMs. Obviously, the board you are working on was already setup for DIMMs. (Some older, 1st generation EDO DIMMs did use 5 volts.)

No post or post beeps usually are related to ram problems ...otherwise, it could be a cracked motherboard. These boards are several layers thick with circuits front and back of each layer, and the dang ram slots never have decent support right behind the slots...but ram was designed to be installed before the mainboard is mounted in the case.

Stick a PCI video card in it...see if any video comes to screen.

[mcool61]

Originally posted by paramufay
you may have knocked something loose. check all cards and connectors. including connection on the back of the pc.

pc133 will never work in this machine

Maybe not in this machine but i've done it in other. The pc100 had to be in the first slot or it wouldn't work. I'm givin up on the extra ram idea, i'll just be glad to bring it back to life.

[mcool61]

Originally posted by BipolarBill
Build her a new PC, you cheapskate! It's your mother!

They don't make sons like they used to. :(


:p

Where do you think I learned it from.:)

[mcool61]

Yee ha!!! Bovon you were right. It was memory related, I tried your idea with the pencil eraser etc. I was about to give up when I decided to try a stik of 128mb pc100 I had in another machine. Wala. Post.

I put her stik of 32mb pc100 in my computer & it works too.?
I noticed it was very hard to get that stik all the way in the slot so i probably wasn't getting it seated all the way in moms comp.

THanx to all for the help. mc :t