Compaq Problem - Bad Memory?

wackojackouk

Hi guys

Just acquired a used Compaq from a mate who hasn't used it for a good 18 months.

Was working fine before but now when I connect it up it's not working.

When I boot it spins HDD, all fans etc but shuts down reasonably quickly then reboots itself and I get a short beep and two long beeps.

First of all I thought the graphics card might be !!!!!!ed so I tried an old one and got no signal on the screen.

Went back to basics, removed card and now I think this is probably a memory problem but can someone advise please

WJUK

ps - I also tried booting with no memory and it didn't reset but got the same beeps straight away.

pps - It's Compaq Evo P4 with a single 512 stick DDR ram.

colin79666

can you "borrow" a stick of ram some another machine to test it?

Also have you tried the memory in the other slot(s)?

wackojackouk

30111987 wrote: »

can you "borrow" a stick of ram some another machine to test it?

Also have you tried the memory in the other slot(s)?

I have two other PC's but different RAM.

Yes, same result.

When I opened the PC up originally the RAM wasn't seated.

I checked Crucial.com and it should be 2700 DDR - link

Removed the 512 module and it's got a compaq part # 175925-001 but on other side says

Infinion PC2100U-20330-B1,

512MB DDR, 133Mhz CL2

HTH

WJUK

wackojackouk

Anyone else got any ideas?

Don't want to buy some more memory and find out it's the motherboard.

wakandem

Infinion PC2100U-20330-B1,

512MB DDR, 133Mhz CL2

The ram youare using is pc2100 and the ram required is pc2700. PC2100 runs at 266mhz & 2700 runs at 333mhz so make sure the mb is set to that speed on the ram speed. Try resetting the mb 1st. Take the battery out & short the connectors on the mb for a few secs before replaceing.

albertross_2

The beep codes mean something, if you have a look on the HP/Compaq site for your model, you should be able to get an indication of what the cause is.

wakandem

you say the ram wasn't seated. ram does not fall out & i would bet that someone tried the ram before & it didn't work or solve the problem

wackojackouk

wakandem wrote: »

Infinion PC2100U-20330-B1,

512MB DDR, 133Mhz CL2

The ram youare using is pc2100 and the ram required is pc2700. PC2100 runs at 266mhz & 2700 runs at 333mhz so make sure the mb is set to that speed on the ram speed. Try resetting the mb 1st. Take the battery out & short the connectors on the mb for a few secs before replaceing.

Cheers m8

To reset the battery do I just take the battery off the motherboard (it's the round circle one like a car remote battery isnt it?)

What did u mean by short the connectors for a few secs?

WJUK

ps my boss gave me the pc (it was his) and he took the memory out in front of me before and just didnt reseat it properly.

pps - Just checked on Kingston memory website and it says I need 2100 memory - argh don't know what it should be now

wakandem

take the(it's the round circle one like a car remote battery isnt it?) battery out completely & the battery connectors on the mb are exposed. short them out with a bit of tin foil or something for 10 secs, with the power cord removed from the psu aswell. There is also a jumper to short them out. use that if you can see it. A mb that is speced at whatever ram speed should be able to work with ram of a lower speed of a similar type. There is good poss that a reset will work

wakandem

2100 mem is the lowest spec ddr ram so most mb's will take them you could try the stick in another pc though do not mix them with other specs

wackojackouk

wakandem wrote: »

take the(it's the round circle one like a car remote battery isnt it?) battery out completely & the battery connectors on the mb are exposed. short them out with a bit of tin foil or something for 10 secs, with the power cord removed from the psu aswell. There is also a jumper to short them out. use that if you can see it. A mb that is speced at whatever ram speed should be able to work with ram of a lower speed of a similar type. There is good poss that a reset will work

Hi m8

Removed the battery but underneath there isn't anything apart from a small clip (black casing surrounds the battery) so not sure what you mean by shorting it out?

What next?

Cheers

WJUK