[squirrelson76]

I was givin a comp by my bro in law and it worked fine then i tried to put memory from my old comp into the new one i was givin but it didnt fit, now the comp turns on for 10 secs goes off then boots bk up but with nothin on the monitor and the harddrive doesnt seem to do much. have i blown my motherboard.

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Remove the memory you say "doesn't fit" if you haven't already. memory varies by type as well as by it's dimensions. You can't just go putting any kind of memory into a PC (even if it fits) -- it has to be the right specification, and with older computers the capacity that each memory slot can handle is limited to either 128, 256, or 512MB -- so you can see getting compatible RAM is sometimes a minefield.

Now check the memory that was already in the PC is properly fitted in it's slot - you may have dislodged the clips that hold it down, allowing the module to lift. Check all other connections and cables in the system box as well. Using the wrong memory does not usually do any harm
to the motherboard, it will just refuse to boot properly and you'll hear unusual POST beeps telling you there's a hardware problem.

However, though fitting the wrong RAM does no damage, that assumes you have taken the necessary precaution of purging static electricity from your body before poking around on the motherboard components (by touching the metal chassis first). If you had static in your fingers
when you trying to fit the memory, you could have 'fried' one or more of the motherboard components including the memory modules themselves which are particularly sensitive to static damage.

Give everything inside the system box a careful but thorough check for dislodged cards, memory modules, plugs (including those small ones that slide on to motherboard header pins but do discharge static from yourself first!

Edited by phillip22, 13 November 2008 - 06:06 AM.

[phillip22]

Remove the memory you say "doesn't fit" if you haven't already. memory varies by type as well as by it's dimensions. You can't just go putting any kind of memory into a PC (even if it fits) -- it has to be the right specification, and with older computers the capacity that each memory slot can handle is limited to either 128, 256, or 512MB -- so you can see getting compatible RAM is sometimes a minefield.

Now check the memory that was already in the PC is properly fitted in it's slot - you may have dislodged the clips that hold it down, allowing the module to lift. Check all other connections and cables in the system box as well. Using the wrong memory does not usually do any harm
to the motherboard, it will just refuse to boot properly and you'll hear unusual POST beeps telling you there's a hardware problem.

However, though fitting the wrong RAM does no damage, that assumes you have taken the necessary precaution of purging static electricity from your body before poking around on the motherboard components (by touching the metal chassis first). If you had static in your fingers
when you trying to fit the memory, you could have 'fried' one or more of the motherboard components including the memory modules themselves which are particularly sensitive to static damage.

Give everything inside the system box a careful but thorough check for dislodged cards, memory modules, plugs (including those small ones that slide on to motherboard header pins but do discharge static from yourself first!

Edited by phillip22, 13 November 2008 - 06:06 AM.

[phillip22]

Deleted -- posted twice by mistake.

Edited by phillip22, 13 November 2008 - 06:05 AM.