Removing RAM-stick - Video problems

[argan]

Hello

I am going to get more RAM for my old (4 years!) computer, so I decided to pluck out my two 256mb PC2100 DDR sticks from it...I noticed that there was one thing more I needed before going to the store tomorrow, so I put one of them back in, but now my monitor does not show anything. It doesn't show that "No signal"-message, it's just blank, and in standby-mode. Could me removing the RAM have somehow affected my video card (ASUS Nvidia GeForce 6600 256mb DDR)? I have tried several times putting the video card back in it's slot and switching the port which I put the RAM-stick in, but to no avail. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[niz]

Hello

I am going to get more RAM for my old (4 years!) computer, so I decided to pluck out my two 256mb PC2100 DDR sticks from it...I noticed that there was one thing more I needed before going to the store tomorrow, so I put one of them back in, but now my monitor does not show anything. It doesn't show that "No signal"-message, it's just blank, and in standby-mode. Could me removing the RAM have somehow affected my video card (ASUS Nvidia GeForce 6600 256mb DDR)? I have tried several times putting the video card back in it's slot and switching the port which I put the RAM-stick in, but to no avail. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I presume you used a wrist-strap or at least grounded yourself before touching anything so you didn't zap your computer or memory with static, right?

 

[argan]

Nope...I guess I should have? According to a friend of mine it was just to "pick it out". Only tried changing the video card before, and that went fine, so didn't think of it...So I suppose something's screwed now...in any case, for future reference, is there a particular kind of wrist strap to be used for such work?

Oh, and is the damage done by it irrevocable? Also, if what happens is as I described, what components do you think were affected?

I just saw that the fan of the graphic card is not moving whatsoever, so I'm guessing that's where the fault lies...is there any way to "reverse" this damage or do I have to get a new card?

 

[PKRipper1]

If you captured the smoke as it leaked out of the video card, then there is hope. Just put the smoke back in. JK. No fan spin on video card could also mean toasted AGP/PCIe slot which spells bad motherboard.

Good luck.

 

[niz]

Nope...I guess I should have? According to a friend of mine it was just to "pick it out". Only tried changing the video card before, and that went fine, so didn't think of it...So I suppose something's screwed now...in any case, for future reference, is there a particular kind of wrist strap to be used for such work?

Oh, and is the damage done by it irrevocable? Also, if what happens is as I described, what components do you think were affected?

I just saw that the fan of the graphic card is not moving whatsoever, so I'm guessing that's where the fault lies...is there any way to "reverse" this damage or do I have to get a new card?

Another question: Did you pull the plug on the power rather than just assume because the PC was off there's no power running? In most cases this isn't actually true. Most off PC's are actually in a 'soft-off' mode where 5V is still running round some parts of the board (for network/keyboard wakeup etc) so messing with plugging stuff in/out while its still connected to the wall at all is a bad idea.

It sounds like your PC isn't getting past POST so it may not necessarily be your video card. The video cards fan will only come on when the CPU tells it to, so don't rely on that as an indicator of a bad video card.

In your first post you said you just pulled the ram... if thats all you did there's really not a lot of reason why your video card would be the thing that went down..

Reasons your PC might not be booting include
1) ram fried by static

2) bad connection to the ram ( is it fully in the right socket and the right way round for sure, sometimes it takes a hard push to get it to click in properly. Sockets are arranged in banks too. You need to make sure the ram is in the same slots you got it from).

3) The insides of old PC's are usually really dusty, are you sure there's no dust or oxidation buildup between the memory stick contacts and the pins in the connector? Its ok to clean the contacts (use acetone or something, not water). Touching the contacts with your fingers is to be avoided at all costs as finger grease is a bad conductor, and causes corrosion over time.

4) bad power supply: maybe you momentarily shorted it if it wasn't unplugged when you pulled the ram... Or did you unplug any power cables or anything else to get to the ram and then something was not put back right?

Theres still millions of other possibilities too.

The only way to really be sure whats broken now is to get the PC of your friend who told you just to pull the ram, and swap your ram, PSU and video card (one at a time) into his computer until you find exactly what isn't working.

To answer your question: static literally melts/blows tracks and junctions in the chip so static damage isn't recoverable. chips are designed to handle around 0 - 5 volts. A static shock is thousands of volts.

 

[argan]

I switched the on/off button by the power supply to off and pulled that plug before removing the other cables and removing the chassi.

Okay, so it might not be the video card...

2. Yup, I've tried several times, and it clicks down nicely.

3. They look pretty clean to me. And it's kind of weird that it would become dirty all of a sudden like that... In any case, any special tips on how to clean them? Use those tops-things?

Alright, I guess I'll have to use it as a testing machine. :twisted:

Is there any way to prevent static discharges when doing this kind of stuff? Using some kind of gloves, perhaps? And what were the wrist-strap you were talking about? Also, are all components as sensitive to static discharges?

 

[argan]

Alright, I bought one of these...

http://www.webhallen.com/prod.php?id=54289

Any suggestions on how to actually use them? :?

Edit: Got some help with it, and have now changed the old memory sticks for two brand new ones...however, the exact same problem persists. But I must have seen incorrectly yesterday, the graphic card's own fan does indeed work, so I suppose it might be something else....:?