PC3200 1gb Ram won't work in T42p

[amdaman]

Hi I've just bought a stick of PC-3200 RAM (DDR1) got my t42p and it won't boot with it in. Tried both slots, the laptop comes on but then just a blank screen. No beeps even.

I imagine pc3200 is fine as it will just down clock? Faulty stick probable?

[ajkula66]

PC3200 is by far the most hit-and-miss of all the RAMs I've dealt with...

Try getting a replacement or refund...

BTW, who's the manufacturer?

[sjthinkpader]

That small chip on the SODIMM is called SPD (serial presence detect). What they put in it is likely the problem and not the memory itself. The PC reads the SPD first to determine what is on the SODIMM, make any adjustment in memory access then starts to boot. If it didn't see what is acceptable, then stop to boot.

So if a PC3200 SODIMM's SPD doesn't also specify PC2700, then the PC will not boot.

[jamiphar]

FWIW, my brother's T42p is running 2 x 1GB PQI PC3200 sticks. No problems whatsoever, got them from Newegg a couple months ago.

[awolfe63]

I have 3 T42s and a T40 running on PC3200. You probably just have a bad SODIMM.