Strange dilemma. Removed RAM from a Pavillion a6000 desktop to give a good dust cleaning. Put RAM back in and now no post screen. In any slot or any configuration. Had 1GB PC2-4200 in one slot, 512 in other two slots. Last one open. Tried other modules I had around here, same result. Won't post for anything. Only thing I noticed was the slots are super-stiff and it did take a little more effort to get it in the slots, but that is all. So...w....t...f...? Thoughts?
RAM suddenly no longer works...
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gadgetfixup
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Time to pull the board out of the case so you can get a bird's eye view of those dimms going into the slots. Need to check all the wires as well once you have it out. One might have broken off or rolled under on you. 
Some of the dimms are cut short and can slide side to side in the slots so while you have the board out, get in there and center those dimm tabs on those socket wires.
Some of the dimms are cut short and can slide side to side in the slots so while you have the board out, get in there and center those dimm tabs on those socket wires.
NYJimbo
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RESEAT EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING. Also visually check everything. Sometimes you go in to do one thing and disturb another thing without noticing.
Put the original ram back in, remove the CMOS battery (if you can) and put it back in and see if it boots. Wouldn't hurt to check the voltage of the CMOS battery too. We had a HP tower a while back that came in booting at first, but then didn't later and the cmos was .50 volts. No error codes but also no boot until replaced.
Put the original ram back in, remove the CMOS battery (if you can) and put it back in and see if it boots. Wouldn't hurt to check the voltage of the CMOS battery too. We had a HP tower a while back that came in booting at first, but then didn't later and the cmos was .50 volts. No error codes but also no boot until replaced.
brandonkick
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I know this is somewhat unreleated... but it may lift your spirits a bit!
I had someone bring me a laptop just last week that had a hard drive
die in it. This guy is good about buying "refurbed" hard drives off eBay
instead of buying a new drive.
I charged him to fit it and install the OS plus data migration and configuration.
Less then two months later, the drive dies. And he claims the drive killed one
of his memory sticks. So I get the drive from him, do an RMA process and
wait a LONG time to get the drive. Then I have the drive almost three weeks
before he feels the need to bring me the laptop to fix it again.
I fit the new drive, install windows 7 home on it and this thing is running like
a real dog. So bad I'm almost to the point of giving up on it. I do a quick
check just to see if the machine is suffering from the svchost.exe sucking
up all the memory and I find that "all the memory" is a whopping 1GB.
1GB of TOTAL SYSTEM MEMORY! Wow... no wonder this thing is a dog.
Then I got to thinking about it.... I worked on this system before and it was
never this slow. Something must be up. I then remembered about how
his "ram stick got killed" so I decided to investigate. I take the back cover
off of the laptop to find the second ram dimm has been jammed IN BETWEEN
the first and second slots with the lone 1GB dimm plugged into the 1st slot.
I pull out the 2GB dimm from the space between the two slots, and then remove
the first stick as well and reseat them both. What do you know... 3GB of memory
and now the system runs much better! Boy was it funny when I told him I brought
the dead memory stick back to life.
But alas, he is one of those customers who will try to fix his own stuff and only
bring it to me once he has hit a brick wall.
I had someone bring me a laptop just last week that had a hard drive
die in it. This guy is good about buying "refurbed" hard drives off eBay
instead of buying a new drive.
I charged him to fit it and install the OS plus data migration and configuration.
Less then two months later, the drive dies. And he claims the drive killed one
of his memory sticks. So I get the drive from him, do an RMA process and
wait a LONG time to get the drive. Then I have the drive almost three weeks
before he feels the need to bring me the laptop to fix it again.
I fit the new drive, install windows 7 home on it and this thing is running like
a real dog. So bad I'm almost to the point of giving up on it. I do a quick
check just to see if the machine is suffering from the svchost.exe sucking
up all the memory and I find that "all the memory" is a whopping 1GB.
1GB of TOTAL SYSTEM MEMORY! Wow... no wonder this thing is a dog.
Then I got to thinking about it.... I worked on this system before and it was
never this slow. Something must be up. I then remembered about how
his "ram stick got killed" so I decided to investigate. I take the back cover
off of the laptop to find the second ram dimm has been jammed IN BETWEEN
the first and second slots with the lone 1GB dimm plugged into the 1st slot.
I pull out the 2GB dimm from the space between the two slots, and then remove
the first stick as well and reseat them both. What do you know... 3GB of memory
and now the system runs much better! Boy was it funny when I told him I brought
the dead memory stick back to life.
But alas, he is one of those customers who will try to fix his own stuff and only
bring it to me once he has hit a brick wall.
nlinecomputers
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Have you tried only one module in one slot?
Yep. Multiple times, multiple slots, multiple modules.
Have you tested the RAM in another system? Do you have liquid electrical contact cleaner you can use in the RAM slots? Did the 12V CPU power connection come loose? What about the 24 pin main connector?
If you still are hitting a wall, try building the system outside of the case...it makes it easy to swap out other components too. I'd try systematically replacing or removing everything (I had a faulty DVD-RW prevent POST once...).
You may also have dust in the RAM slot that has shorted out the MB and has killed it (I've never removed RAM when blowing out a PC, but I see the potential for issue to arise from it). If you have a compatible MB, move everything to it and see if you get POST.
If you still are hitting a wall, try building the system outside of the case...it makes it easy to swap out other components too. I'd try systematically replacing or removing everything (I had a faulty DVD-RW prevent POST once...).
You may also have dust in the RAM slot that has shorted out the MB and has killed it (I've never removed RAM when blowing out a PC, but I see the potential for issue to arise from it). If you have a compatible MB, move everything to it and see if you get POST.
Ha ha, I have several of those...good story.
nlinecomputers
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Good to hear. I was going to suggest testing the PSU next, then video.
Krynn72
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Got bit by this one recently too. Spent all morning redoing everything and was about to smash head on desk when I finally though to try another monitor. I proceeded to take the bad monitor and throw it, indelicately, into the recycle pile. At least the customer got back an absolutely pristine PC.
cypress
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Oh man that's great. This has happened to me as well! Good to know it has been resolved.
Larry Sabo
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Don't you just hate it when that happens? Any time I get no video, I try to remember to check for HDD activity to see if it's a video/MB or BIOS problem. Low CMOS battery, too, would be a prime suspect. However, since it worked just before removing the RAM, it's easy to assume it must be something you did during cleaning/re-assembly. Great that you got it sorted; thanks for the update.
Speaking of coincidences, I was once doing some rewiring at the telephone demarcation point in an old house and be damned if I could get internet access after that. Finally concluded it was an Bell or ISP problem and he'd have to call Bell to check the nearby distribution panel. Turned out a squirrel had eaten throuh the phone wiring while I was making the change and I just assumed it was something I must have done incorrectly.
