Questions about reseating RAM

[RegEdit]

What is it about reseating the RAM chips that causes a computer to become fixed and boot again?

I had a customer bring in a desktop that would display just a black screen when turned on. No blinking cursor. No ability to enter the BIOS. The fans were running.

I put a new CMOS battery in. Problem fixed.

Then 2 months later. Same problem. CMOS was fine. I reseated the battery after blowing compressed air. Still won't boot. So next I cleaned and reseated the RAM. Then it boots up fine. So that was the solution, but I want to know why. Was dust getting in there? How the hell does this happen?

 

[morr]

Most likely "Chip Creep", something the clips should in theory prevent...... but don't entirely eliminate

 

[RegEdit]

Chip creep IS creepy! Hope they don't have chip creep on the space shuttle.

 

[Rob]

What is it about reseating the RAM chips that causes a computer to become fixed and boot again?
So next I cleaned and reseated the RAM. Then it boots up fine. So that was the solution, but I want to know why. Was dust getting in there? How the hell does this happen?

This is an extremely common problem where I live, we generally clean 2 or 3 a week. We're on the coast, it's salty and humid. The contacts on the RAM & occasionally in the mb socket get a thin corrosive layer on them. Reseating the RAM generally scratches through this layer and the computer can once again detect the modules, and boot as normal. We use a contact cleaner & occasionally a pencil eraser before reseating them, and then load up the case with moisture absorbent sachets.

 

[RegEdit]

This is an extremely common problem where I live, we generally clean 2 or 3 a week. We're on the coast, it's salty and humid. The contacts on the RAM & occasionally in the mb socket get a thin corrosive layer on them. Reseating the RAM generally scratches through this layer and the computer can once again detect the modules, and boot as normal. We use a contact cleaner & occasionally a pencil eraser before reseating them, and then load up the case with moisture absorbent sachets.

I always thought that if metal is contacting metal then you're good, but I guess what you're saying is that corrosion can work its was IN BETWEEN metal on metal contact. Makes sense.

What do you use the pencil eraser on? Just the RAM chips?

How many moisture absorbent sachets do you put in there, where do you put them and how do you attach them?

Great ideas by the way!

 

[Rob]

The pencil eraser gets used on the contacts too. We don't use it as much any more as the contact cleaner is pretty effective.

The sachet tip is one we learnt from a local trawler fisherman who literally filled up a sock(!) with them and left it in the bottom of the tower that lived on his boat. We normally put 1 or 2 loose in the bottom, they're non-conductive so they won't short anything - we tell the owner not to lie the tower down when taking it home so they keep out of the fans.

 

[RegEdit]

What contact cleaner do you use?

 

[Rob]

It's an aerosol spray that we get from Dick Smith (sort of like Best Buy). It's a nondescript generic can, no brand that I can remember sorry. I've also experimented with WD-40, and it has been effective too. Probably a very similar product.

 

[RegEdit]

I use Xtreme Klean air duster spray. I think it's just compressed air.

Regarding this product that you use, do you have to wipe it off or do you just spray.

 

[Rob]

Wiped off with a lint free cloth.

 

[FoolishTech]

Over the years I've see this a lot. We called it heat creep.

But many times the problem is not why the person brought the PC to me, maybe it was a virus or a problem with Word, but the issue then occurs somehow during transport because when I get the PC, it doesn't POST. RAM sticks don't look loose, but reseating them does the trick. I don't know... I just shrug, reseat, and go from there...

 

[NETWizz]

I too have seen this many times... At least 6+ if not more. I used to seee it A LOT when I was a Computer Tech.

I still have seen it a few times in recent years.

In my experience, the system would beep out tones on most Dell systems. If you check the A, B, C, D or 1, 2, 3, 4 lights they would indicate something like "Check RAM"

On HP systems, a light on the front usually becomes RED.

Either way, the fans are on and nobody is home... It acts as if there is no RAM installed in the system.

I just re-seat the modules. Now, I do a RAM rotation. If there are two sticks, I just flip-flop them figuring it is less likely to experience this "chip creep" being the metal contacts will be ever so slightly different in different sockets/DIMMs.

Same logic applies to rotating a car's tires. The wear patterns will be ever so slightly different.

I have never cleaned the contacts or pulled out contact cleaner, but this is not a bad idea.

 

[ahmadumair]

This is an extremely common problem where I live, we generally clean 2 or 3 a week. We're on the coast, it's salty and humid. The contacts on the RAM & occasionally in the mb socket get a thin corrosive layer on them. Reseating the RAM generally scratches through this layer and the computer can once again detect the modules, and boot as normal. We use a contact cleaner & occasionally a pencil eraser before reseating them, and then load up the case with moisture absorbent sachets.

This is also the case with me (humid conditions , near the coast[Karachi!]). I got three PCs in a day with these symptoms:

1'st PC started (was a Dell Optiplex 240 ) and gave some error about memory being damaged or something. Reseated the RAM and it worked


2'nd PC would not start at all! (Blank Screen , No POST nothing (Optiplex 960)) . it was Eid day for me and i thought "Whoa! work on Eid day too!"!!

Reseated the RAM (suspected Bad RAM just wanted to check and it worked)

 

[NETWizz]

This is also the case with me (humid conditions , near the coast[Karachi!]). I got three PCs in a day with these symptoms:

1'st PC started (was a Dell Optiplex 240 ) and gave some error about memory being damaged or something. Reseated the RAM and it worked


2'nd PC would not start at all! (Blank Screen , No POST nothing (Optiplex 960)) . it was Eid day for me and i thought "Whoa! work on Eid day too!"!!

Reseated the RAM (suspected Bad RAM just wanted to check and it worked)

Good work. The OptiPlex 960 surprises me; since, it is so new! Usually this happens only after computers run for a long time, but I may as well agree with "chip creep" as well as it being more common in humid conditions.

That said, I saw this before when I worked in California, which had almost 0% humidity... That said, I tend to agree that it is more prevalent now that I live in South Carolina.

What I always do is rotate the RAM like rotating tires. I figure it is less likely to re-occur as the contact points should be just a little bit different.

Regardless, in both of the above cases, I would recommend running MemTest 86+ or MemTest 86 before giving it back to the customer.


In a corporate environment, you just re-seat or rotate the RAM and move on. If it re-occurs, the HelpDesk tracking system will have that in the system's history, so the second time you trouble-shoot and either replace the RAM and/or motherboard to be more proactive. Basically, you don't have time to run a ton of checks after fixing it. It is not like you will have an angry, paying customer come back at you, either...


Side note... Wasn't the OptiPlex 960 covered under warranty by Dell?

 

[ahmadumair]

Good work. The OptiPlex 960 surprises me; since, it is so new! Usually this happens only after computers run for a long time, but I may as well agree with "chip creep" as well as it being more common in humid conditions.

That said, I saw this before when I worked in California, which had almost 0% humidity... That said, I tend to agree that it is more prevalent now that I live in South Carolina.

What I always do is rotate the RAM like rotating tires. I figure it is less likely to re-occur as the contact points should be just a little bit different.

Regardless, in both of the above cases, I would recommend running MemTest 86+ or MemTest 86 before giving it back to the customer.


In a corporate environment, you just re-seat or rotate the RAM and move on. If it re-occurs, the HelpDesk tracking system will have that in the system's history, so the second time you trouble-shoot and either replace the RAM and/or motherboard to be more proactive. Basically, you don't have time to run a ton of checks after fixing it. It is not like you will have an angry, paying customer come back at you, either...


Side note... Wasn't the OptiPlex 960 covered under warranty by Dell?

You are right about the memtest suggestion but i forgot to tell you that both of them were relatives and that i was at their place when they complained to me about their problem i used their computers for about 2-3 hours , but yeah i should be more careful when handling customers computers (really un-Professional of me )
Thanks!

And with regards to the warranty, most of the branded PC's in Pakistan are either

1.PC's which were bough by foreign companies in bulk but were never used or auctioned and then imported here

or

2.PC's which were used then imported here only to be refurbished and sold again.

In both cases there is no mention of any warranty.

both of these PC's belonged to the 1st category.

 

[NETWizz]

I glad I don't work or live in Pakastan. The United States is mostly a good place as I would imagine Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom are, too.

 

[ahmadumair]

I glad I don't work or live in Pakastan. The United States is mostly a good place as I would imagine Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom are, too.

Lucky people...................................... you guys make me jealous!