Installing RAM in PAC

[Drum]

Hi All. Have acquired a 1GB stick of RAM, and am going to have to try installing it myself. Have been swotting up online about how to do it (in particular how to minimise the risk of something getting damaged from static electricity) but there are wildly contradictory articles about "correct procedures" and masses of warnings about the horrible things that can happen (the scariest being a couple of articles that say you can severely damage the PC without there being the slightest indication that anything is amiss, but that in reality the PC can be "slowly dying" from internal static damage and this will days, weeks, or even months later begin to manifest as increasingly sluggish performance and eventual lockups/freezes).

Have got an Anti-Static Wristband and a couple of big rubber mats (I live in a "caravan" or what in America would probably be called a "trailer", and it has carpet throughout): one of the "anti-static" websites said if you have to work on the computer where the floor is carpeted then you should stand on a rubber mat, and also have a rubber mat on the table or surface that you are going to put the computer on to work on it.

I wear rubber boots with bare feet in them too!!! Some websites say to keep the PC power-cord plugged into the PC and the power-socket on the wall,(but with the power switched off!!!)but others say do NOT do this!!!

There are even people who say that anti-static wristbands, etc, are "overelaborate" overcautious paranoia and that no precautions except for what they call "common-sense" are necessary at all!!!

I am not the only one who is confused: some of the websites are Tech Forums where bewildered newbies to upgrading computers are wanting instructions on how to safely install RAM, etc, and some of the badly-written replies they are getting cannot possibly be of any practical use. Surely installing RAM cannot be similar to brain-surgery (and as fraught with peril)???

Cheers Malwarebytes Forum.

[rgabbard]

Wear the wristband... And always ground yourself before grabbing any electronics. Typically the computer case will be steel or aluminum which should be enough to ground your self. Replacing ram is relatively easy and you shouldn't have any problem. Just make sure it's lined up properly and you should be good to go.

[COMPUTIAC]

Hello, I agree with wearing the wristband, grounded to the case of the machine. I think the rubber boots thing is overkill ! I have never heard of anything manifesting for any amount of time, and doing damage at a latter date.

If static electric shock is going to do any damage, it will happen instantaneously, You may or may not hear the dreaded zap, or see a small blue spark. You will know it when you boot up the machine, if it boots at all or is not functioning properly.

When you finish installing the new RAM and boot it up, it will recognize the new stick right away and continue to act normal and the job is done.

Before you start this; you should disconnect everything from the machine, keyboard,mouse,speakers,anything external.

YES, " Do remove the power cord " , then press the power button to drain any residual trace power left in the machine.

While working inside the box always have the ground strap on and grounded to the machine. If you have any other questions, please post them.

You can go to: http://www.smartcomputing.com if you want to learn no nonsense answers to any problems pertaining to your machine.

Let me know how you make out with the installation.

[DarkSnakeKobra]

I don't see any reason why you need to have the computer on or plugged in when upgrading ram. Not only is this dangerous, but unnecessary. I've done this plenty of times. Once you unplug everything take the casing off(usually the panel slides off or some screws). Desktops usually have the ram slots around the center(while the tower is laying down) from what I've seen. You'll see two slots next to each other with one slot free(may vary depending on the current ram installed).

[Drum]

Thanks very much you guys for your answers, but just one more question: when the alligator clamp of the anti-static-wristband is clamped onto the chassis of the PC, then where can the static electricity go to when the chassis is not Earthed? The dudes on the other websites who advocate having the PC plugged into the power-main (but as said, with the mains switch turned off) say that any static electricity will go to ground through the Earth wire. I live in a place that has got road-wheels on it, and the only route to Earth from it is through the mains Earth wire. I have not at the moment got the gear to make up a seperate Earthing system, and could do without the hassle of having to knock one up.

Gooday Buttons, you are probably wondering why I am posting a question about RAM installation when I have already asked about this in another, earlier post. The reason is that back then I did'nt have any new RAM (as was said, it is infernally expensive in my country: a new 1GB stick of Kingston RAM is around US$56.00. That is in direct currency-exchange value. All digital stuff is like that here, if you saw the price of second-hand, years-old computers, you would absolutely Freak!!! Today I found a website from my country put up by Gamers, and they are spewing about the price of just a can of compressed-air: US$24.00!!! These guys are doing things like taking their (opened-up) computers to gas-stations and using the compressed-air tyre-inflating gear to air-blast the dust and crap out of the insides of their computers!!! Another guy uses a pump that is meant to be for inflating blow-up mattresses!!! They have to do this kind of thing, people are always having to improvise. There is a MASSIVE trade in second-hand computer PARTS: computers are always being torn apart and components pirated from them. Even the second-hand parts are NOT cheap!!! The RAM I only a few days ago obtained was a 1GB second-hand stick of Kingston RAM and was around US$32.00; this is why very few Geeks in my country ever buy even a single thing here, but instead get a member of their (large) community who is gong overseas, and especially Europe or the US, to buy their stuff there and bring it back: they can do all this for at most only half the price they would have to pay here for exactly the same equipment) and pretty soon was scouring the main auction website in this country for a decent second-hand PC as I did'nt know enough about RAM back then to be able to look for second-hand RAM - of which there is always an astronomical plethora - and the price of new RAM was extremely daunting, especially when I was so paranoid about trying to install any due to the stuff on the "Scare" websites about how "get one LEETLE thing wrong and yer computer will go straight to Digital Heaven". Exile360 also suggested that if confidence was lacking in being able to safely install RAM then it would be best to get a local Tech to do it. But Exile360 has not seen their Eye-Watering charges!!! So, spent just about forever on the auction website that I use trying to score a so-called "reasonably priced" PC that had plenty of grunt, but it was absolutely futile: anything that is any good gets huge numbers of people bidding for it (I strongly suspect that there is a lot of Dummy-Bidding going on as the relentless upbidding happens every time and there are s@%tloads of 2nd-hand computers always "up for grabs").

Ended up just having to find out more about precisely the kind of RAM needed for the PC I have got, and used this information to hunt and hunt and hunt for any 2nd-hand Kingston RAM of this exact type (there is always vast amounts of Asian generic RAM with strange names that no-one has ever heard of!!!) and it aint easy. Was lucky in this country to be able to eventually, after many days of searching, find a stick of Kingston for, as said, around US$32.00. So, now it has gotta be installed! And there is only me to do it!!!

Thanks again everyone, your advice has been very helpful and is greatly appreciated.

[Drum]

Buttons: just a slight revision for the price given for new Kingston RAM (US $56.00) - was only going by memory (meaning the remaining booze-shattered neurons) , but have re-checked and it is actually US $64.00!!! Your hair is standing on end Buttons!!!

[Drum]

PPS Buttons: as you will probably be coming back here for a look, want to say that if my computer manages to somehow survive my Brain Surgery on it, then will be wanting to ask you about Linux if that is okay. I know about the amazing Linus Torvaalds!!! Am right now using Firefox and T-Bird for the email and also have several other Open-Source programs that are the result of the Cyber-Revolution that Linus Torvaalds engineered with the help of, very soon, the resolute assistance of millions of Geeks not only in Europe, but nearly everywhere in the world also.

But the BIG problem still is this, Buttons (outside of the massive governmental determination worldwide to educate their schoolchildren with Microsoft whilst simultaneously and with astonishing hypocrisy utilising Linux Technology for their military/spook communications systems!!!) for the tyro: User-Friendliness. I got a Linux "Mint" installation CD and pressed "Install" and it did not tell me anything about what was going on!!! Even William Gates got his Indian software Architects to make his Microsoft platforms more user-friendly than that!!!

Am able to obtain an "Ubuntu" installation disk (the latest Ubuntu) but Buttons, you are are gonna have to convince me to buy and install it. So please convince me!!!