AC adapter causing PB to lock up?! :(

[Earendil]

After Installing new RAM I am experiencing a problem that doesn't seem likely to be related, but here it goes.

Quite simple, my Powerbook (specs below) completely locks up when I plug the AC power cord in.
By Locked I mean cursor, time, and the entire interface. cmd-opt-esc does nothing. The only thing that works is a hard restart, unplugging the AC power does not bring it back.

Tested conditions:
Different power outlets (2 diff at home, one at work)
Different power cords (both my original and my spare apple one)
Battery in, Battery out. Both cause the lock.

On start up it will make it as far as the blue screen, which is pre OSX loading before it goes no further.

The computer starts and opperates fine using battery power. The battery charges (seemingly) fine when turned off and plugged in. It may charge while on (and locked up) but I haven't checked that.

Has anyone ever heard of something like this? Can anyone think of some further tests that may help others figure it out? I am completly lost on this and haven't ever heard of this case or something similar.
I just took a semester off from college because money is tight. I know my baby is going on three years (no Apple care) but this wasn't quite the excuse I wanted to get a MacBook

Cheers guys, and thanks for any help this fine community can provide.

~Tyler

 

[Earendil]

SOB!!

Further testing suggested by a co-worker.
He mentioned that one change that happens with AC power being plugged in is the laptop will disengauge from a power saving mode and go into pull boar proc mode. Sure enough, I know I had my settings set this way, to go "best performance" when plugged in, and to save power when unplugged.

So I tested this... I set the AC power settings to "save power" and plugged her in... lockup.
HOWEVER!
I started up off the battery which I know to work fine, went into prefs, and changed it from energy saving to "normal", not even "high performace" and the thing locked.

So my question is, how @#$% am I?
What changes in these settings? Could it be the RAM after all? Does the RAM have an energy savings mode that is changed? Just the proc? What could be happening here?

Cheers,
Tyler

 

[Earendil]

Further testing (Don't know hy I didn't do this before).
I figured I'd look at the settings that were different between the default options for energy saving. Under "powre saver" the proc performance is set to "automatic" by default for AC power. I changed this to "reduced" and plugged AC power back in... IT RUNS!

So it seems that when the Proc performace switches from "Reduced" to "automatic" or "Highest" that the entire computer locks down.

So my question is the same, what could be wrong?
With an additional question: What changes with this setting? More than the proc speed?

~Tyler

 

[Earendil]

Even though this is starting to feel like my own personal blog than a place to discuss hardware issues, I'm going to continuing

In addition to the other issues, my computer will not wake from sleep. As it is a powerbook I can see the display without the backlight, so I know it hasn't shut down. The interface is there but locked. Only a hard restart fixes this.
(same result both closing the lid and manually selecting "sleep")

This seems to point to the RAM for sure as I believe OSX offloads/uploads information to the RAM upon sleep/wake and in this case it may ignore the power "settings", and blast as much info as fast as it can through the chip. This is my theory anyway...
Since yesterday I have misplaced the tiny little screw driver required to open the door for the RAM, so I'm out of luck taking the new piece out and restoring my itsy bitsy 256mb stick

Cheers to anyone that can help me, give me advice, or just pat me on the back...

Oh yes, and it's OWC RAM, for which I've sent back twice now. The first gig stick worked for 3 months and failed. I sent it back, and it was replaced with a stick that didn't even allow my computer to start up past the login screen. Now this piece, which after my complaining they swear they checked out in a similar Alum PB before sending it to me...

I know the Alum PBs are finicky about RAM, but this seems ridicules?

~Tyler