Installed RAM into SR, now it wont start, HELP

I upgraded from 1gb to 4gb and after installing it. My SR wont start. Help me.

 

Put the 1 GB back in.

 

Thats a considerable increase, does the hardware support it? It doesn't neccessarily because its new.

Also, there might be the possebility that your RAM is faulty, either due to its manufacture or due to a static discharge from "you".

But as Lithus said, put the 1GB back in and see if it then runs fine, if it does you know that either your hardware doesn't supporet 4GB or that its faulty.

 

Well i put the 1gb back in, and it still doesnt start. Should i call sony and tell them? Should i mention i tried to upgrade. WOW i cant believe this is happening. The light turns on, but the screen stays black and doesnt boot up anything.

 

Oops you might want to check/ask if it's allowed to install your own memory before you tell them.

 

Does anyone know why its doing this. Im going to call and just tell them it doesnt start.

 

No, don't do that.

1) Check the manufacturer specs to make sure it supports that much RAM

2) Run memtest86+ to test the RAM modules. Run the test once for each chip.

 

It's an SR, ofcourse it should support 4gb. Be worried if it didn't.

 

One possible risk of installing your own RAM is when you have some static electricity (don't know if this is the correct word) on your hands. It may damage the notebook.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/82184/avoid_static_damage_to_your_pc.html

 

Never assume such things. Purchasing an upgrade part before checking that the computer can utilize it is not very smart.

 

Maybe you missed that he said it won't even start with the original 1GB.

 

Well ii put the 1gb on the opposite side it came in and now its working fine. Now i just gota find out about the 4gb. Thanks for all the hlp. reps.

 

Pfff you must have been releaved.

You can try 1gb + 2GB and see if that starts. Maybe just one of your 2GB sitck is defective. Or maybe the first slot is defective.

You haven't told us yet what type of RAM you bought.

 

Where did you get the RAM? If you bought the cheapest you could find, that can spell big trouble.

Also, I think you do not void warranty by upgrading memory since they tell you how to do it in the SR100 user manual.

Do what Phil said. Try each 2GB in the slot that 1GB works in. And be very careful you don't corrupt your harddrive with flaky RAM. Make sure you have compatible DIMMs....check with Crucial or Kingston.

I * always* buy my RAM from Crucial website because they make sure what they sell works perfectly in your system. RAM is a very critical system component and has to work flawlessly since there is no parity or ECC to tell you it is bad. You find out it is flaky when you get a BSOD or, even worse, Windows won't boot.

Here is Crucial link for SR:
http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.aspx?model=VAIO VGN-SR190 CTO
and for FW:
http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.aspx?model=VAIO VGN-FW190 CTO

BTW, Crucial is owned by Micron Technology who makes the actual DRAM chips...so they know the memory business.

 

Oh great..I'm about to install new RAM into my laptop when it comes in today...

How exactly did you do it? Did you install it before you booted up for the first time or did you install it after? Was everything unplugged? ect...

And yes... the model, brand, speed, ect... of the ram would help if you could tell us.

 

And battery completely removed.

 

okay well either he is enjoying his laptop because it works now or he's hanging 1 foot from the ground with the AC adapter around his neck.

I tried looking through his past posts but couldnt find any model information on the ram he planned to install.

 

Are you certain that the RAM is DDR2 800? There is a lot of DDR2 667 floating around, and yes the SR works fine with 4 GB of RAM.

 

Sorry guys just got back from work, but i have got good news. I retryed to install the ram i bought and after messing around with the ram a little bit i got it to work. It was wierd because the computer would turn on and the green light would flicker off after 15 sec of run time, then restart again. Hopefully that wont be a problem. But im using the same RAM Duke ordered from Newegg. Ill keep you guys updated if this problem persists.

 

Hey prod. I'm actually going to install that RAM now. I'll let you know what happens. Hope everything goes okay!

I'm running off 1 GB and to my surprise it's not that bad! I was burning discs, surfing the net, d/l installers and uploading pics and hardly any slow down. Sure prog. took slightly longer than normal to open but it wasnt bad at all.

 

I have a concern about your SR's memory slots.
You said you put original stick back in your SR and it wont start. Then you switched to other slot, and it works fine.
You may want to check by put 2GB module in the slot which works for original stick. As usual, you can put RAM into either slot and it should work fine.

 

Hi all. This threat makes me wonder whether it'll be possible to upgrade the ddr2 to ddr3 on the p8400?

 

To anyone else installing RAM, I try to avoid static damage by discharging myself on a metal object connected to the ground, like the heating.

There are better ways to do it like using a special wrist strap.

It may be possible but it will not improve performance.

 

I have had success with the OCZ 4 GB ddr2 PC6400 RAM kit on my SR. Works like a charm

Oh look..666 posts! oooo I is the Satan! jk

 

When are we getting the pics Duke?

and include a video of your 9 second boot too!

 

Ah, reading this I was almost freaking out about a metal thing.

Then I realized that this house has a humongous AC unit that's in a closet that does touch the ground. So I'll just use that to ground myself... But there isn't a table near it. Hm.


And: Lol at the video thing. xD

 

hey duke im getting mine today, how did u install the ram. Just open the bottom?

 

Yeah. I'm looking forward to it too. :smile:

 

How I installed RAM on the SR:

1. Power down, unplug from power, remove battery

2. Unscrew the door on the bottom of laptop (the one near the touchpad) and remove it.*

3. !!!GROUND YOURSELF. TOUCH A METAL OBJECT, SUCH AS A SCREW OR A DESKTOP COMPUTER CHASIS. You don't want static to zap the RAM!!!

4. Move the little metal arms holding the existing RAM gently outwards with the tips of your fingers. For example: The | are the arms, the arrows are the direction to move . **

<--- |RAM HERE| --->

5. The RAM will now elevate. Pull it gently at the angle it is at by the edges, being sure not to touch the black chips on the RAM or the gold connectors. Place it somewhere safe and dry.

6. Open the new RAM and (you may want to ground yourself again for safety) insert it into the open slots, at a 30 degree angle, making sure the notch on the gold connector matches with the slot.

7. Push down on the corners of the ram to make it snap into place. If it doesn't push down easily, then you probably didn't insert it correctly.

8. Close lid and screw it back in place. Enjoy your upgraded RAM. Right Click on "My Computer" and click Properties to ensure all your RAM is recognized.

* The door for the RAM doesn't slide off completely, at least I had trouble with this part. After you unscrew, slide it toward the mouse pad direction as far as it can go, then gently LIFT it out of place. You will hear snapping, but its just because there are plastic teeth holding it in place. At first I thought I would snap the door since its so flimsy, but it came out easily. Again, perhaps mine was defective, but it took force to take it off.

** There are flimsy plastic black films covering the RAM. Just fold them back gently while you work on the RAM. Don't crease them, just hold them back slightly so you have enough room to work.

If my direction confused you, sorry! I tried my best, but here's a detailed video to see RAM installation action, although not on the SR, it is the same idea for the most part:

<object width='425' height='344'><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/dqJhaYgGP3Y&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/dqJhaYgGP3Y&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width='425' height='344'></embed></object>

 

I might be just a tad bit difficult to run memtest86+ when the OP states that the machine won't even boot. Ahhh nevermind, I see someone else already pointed this out.

Gary

 

Another good way is to take your shoes and socks off. Seriously, any static electricity will immediately discharge through your feet. This little gem was shown to me MANY years ago by a tech. This was back in the days when static electricity was a much bigger issue with hmmmm was it MOS or CMOS integrated circuits. Anyway the tech forgot his wrist strap and was swapping out some chips on a machine he was repairing and he started taking his shoes and socks off. I asked him, "What the hell are you doing?" He explained. I have used the trick ever since when a METAL COLD WATER pipe or proper ground strap was not at hand. (Why a cold water pipe you might ask? The hot water system in your house is not necessarily electrically connected to ground. And if you have plastic pipes in either the hot or cold water system, all bets are off.)

Try it your self, see if you can generate ANY static electricity in your body without shoes and socks on.

Gary

 

ok my SR from newegg arrived, i dont see or notice the battery wiggling.

all i did was write down the hardware name and model and i found 64bit drivers for them, so tomorrow my hdd arrives and ill put the new ram and hdd in there and install vista ultimate 64 bit

first impressions : i really like it, its a great change from the laptop in my signature!

 

That's good to hear!