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Ram or motherboard problem?


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#1
BlueWiSp

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Hello,

My friend has an old computer with 3 memory slots, and only one memory card, an Apacer 512MB UNB PC2700 CL2.5 The problem is:
- Starting the computer by using slot 1 and 2 "rarely" work (fans spin, but no display and no "ok beep sound"). They worked, sometimes (passing POST and display working)
- Slot 3 always work, I can pass POST but impossible to load windows, not even in safe mode, the screen freeze while loading the files.
- Memtest86+ load thousands of errors in test #1, the kind of "Expected: ff, actual: 00"
- Using a windows dvd to boot give an error at "line 1773 of arcdisp.c" which is typically a ram issue, according to microsoft.
- Using a ubuntu cd fail with error: boot loader file not found, another typical ram issue, according to ubuntu
- Sometimes just after the beep of POST, BIOS hang forever instead of displaying "512MB ram ok"

This is how I concluded that ram is the problem, but having only one memory card I cannot test another one to determine if the problem is the card itself or the motherboard. Please don't tell me that buying a decent computer would be better, I know this, but it's not mine and I have a chance to learn to dicern a ram or motherboard issue.
So, it is the ram or the motherboard?

Thank you!
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#2
foxdogface

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It sound like RAM is your problem here. Another way to test would be to remove the ram to see if you get an error from the mobo, it will usually be a series of beeps. If you can successfully create errors then the mobo is probably good.
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#3
BlueWiSp

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Yep, with no ram at all I got long beeps. Also, there is no capacitors that seem damaged. So I guess Im going to buy a ram stick. Thank you!
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