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Macbook won't start after installing new ram

A

aff501

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 9, 2008
5
0
My new 1 gb of ram arrived in the mail today. It is a SAMSUNG 1GB DDR2 SODIMM PC-5300 667Mhz module, so it should be compatible with the macbook.

So I followed the instructions on Apple's website to replace one of the 256 mb chips with the 1 gb chip. I made sure I pushed as hard as I could so that the ram was seated properly. It is as far back as it will go.

When I start up the computer after installing the ram, it will start up, show the apple logo, and show the little boot-up wheel. After a few seconds of showing this, however, it restarts itself. It then continues like this in an infinite loop until I hold the power button to force it to turn off.

What could the problem be? From what I've read, if people don't have the ram seated correctly, the macbook won't start at all. The blue sleep light on the front will just be on but that's it. Mine actually tries to boot up. Does anyone have any advice?

Thanks a lot :)
 
aff501 said:
My new 1 gb of ram arrived in the mail today. It is a SAMSUNG 1GB DDR2 SODIMM PC-5300 667Mhz module, so it should be compatible with the macbook.

So I followed the instructions on Apple's website to replace one of the 256 mb chips with the 1 gb chip. I made sure I pushed as hard as I could so that the ram was seated properly. It is as far back as it will go.

When I start up the computer after installing the ram, it will start up, show the apple logo, and show the little boot-up wheel. After a few seconds of showing this, however, it restarts itself. It then continues like this in an infinite loop until I hold the power button to force it to turn off.

What could the problem be? From what I've read, if people don't have the ram seated correctly, the macbook won't start at all. The blue sleep light on the front will just be on but that's it. Mine actually tries to boot up. Does anyone have any advice?

Thanks a lot :)
Click to expand...


Reseat the memory - it takes a good solid push to seat it. Perhaps one chip isn't fully seated.
 
I've tried reseating 3 times now. I have pushed as hard as I possibly can, but it still won't start up correctly. I still can't figure it out.
 
If it doesn't start at all..I would be afraid to say...static? A while ago I installed an upgrade chip into a laptop and I blew the motherboard because there was static...
 
Could simply be bad RAM. Do you have another computer you can try it in? If it works there, you know something is funky on the MB. Otherwise, try swapping which socket you're installing it into. Also try reinstalling the original RAM just to make sure you've got the install down. Sounds like you're doing it right, but when you're down to troubleshooting you need to work on pinpointing where the problem is.
 
Regarding static, I followed the precaution on apple's website about touching a metal part inside the battery compartment before I touched the ram chip. I also wasn't wearing any wool or socks and I didn't walk across the carpet. Could it just be a bad RAM chip?
 
When attempting to push the ram in I find that it is easier to use the back of a small screw driver or a pen to get the ram correctly seated. It is a very tight fit. Does it start with the old ram?
 
DocSmitty said:
Could simply be bad RAM. Do you have another computer you can try it in? If it works there, you know something is funky on the MB. Otherwise, try swapping which socket you're installing it into. Also try reinstalling the original RAM just to make sure you've got the install down. Sounds like you're doing it right, but when you're down to troubleshooting you need to work on pinpointing where the problem is.
Click to expand...

Well, I reinstalled the original RAM and it works fine. I guess I just got bad RAM. There is a sticker on the RAM. Could that be causing the problem? The reason I ask is because the sticker doesn't go straight across the black bars like the one in this picture.

It is kind of crooked and overlaps onto the chip itself. Could this be the cause?
 
Ummmm.... it's theoretically possible that the sticker could cause a problem, but unlikely. I certainly would not try to remove the sticker. Go ahead and get it replaced with another stick of RAM, that should fix it.
 
Quite a while ago (around 1990 on an SE30 Mac -- anyone remember those?) when I was upgrading my RAM, I got my RAM chips and they didn't work. Then I exchanged them for a new set and *those* didn't work. Then I exchanged them again, and they finally worked. So, in my experience, bad RAM is not as uncommon as many people would think.
 
I know this is a long shot, but could the problem be the fact that you're either not installing RAM in pairs (512 + 512) or you are installing RAM that doesn't pair up to the other chips?

My computer teacher told me matching RAM should be done in order for the computer to work properly, but from what I believe, she's talking about older model systems.
 
Removing the sticker voids the warranty, so I'm not going to mess with it. I will just return it and get some new RAM.

Thanks so much for the help everybody. :)
 
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