Did I fry my RAM?

G

Guest

Guest
Greetings all!
Captain Newbie here! I decided to upgrade my memory to 256 mb of DDR yesterday. I took the new ram out of it's antistatic bag and as I was reaching in my case to install it, I carelessly brushed it against my cotton shirt. I heard a distict noise like a spark (popping sound) :( Does this mean the memory is zapped for good or do I still have any hope? I was called away before I could finish installing all the components and try the new ram - But I can't wait any longer to find out. This has been drivin me crazy all day as it is expensive PC2400 DDR ram!
Thanks in advance!
SHODAN
 

NickM

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It's safe to install the memory and see what happens.
Sometimes it takes a couple weeks (don't remember exactly what was in A+ test, ~10 days?) to discover that electrostatic discharge did the damage.
 

CALV

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fit it, if it fails send it back from whence it came (forgetting of course to mention the shirt...........)


Next time you wave - use all your fingers
 

Spdy_Gonzales

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I wouldn't have guessed that cotton would generate static. Maybe the noise was because you snagged a thread with a sharp edge.

BTW: Does anyone know if the seller could determine if the memory had been damaged by static electricity?

I wonder...what is the speed of gravity?
 

NickM

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[Quote: <b> Does anyone know if the seller could determine if the memory had been damaged by static electricity? </b>

I'm sure, no, couldn't be possible. And you're right. It sounds funny ...the shirt..
I remember I passed a stick of DIMM to my Sys Admin after he and I had been walking through carpet covered office. That was a real spark. The memory worked OK..., not sure how it was after some period of time though.