t22 ram problem

[gatgilbert]

t22 2647-4eu originally 900mhz 128mb ram win 98. after warranty added another 128mb ram and installed xp pro. worked fine. recently 128 mb ram stopped working. remove, reinstall and it would work for a short period of time. assumed bad ram. put in a 256mb and tried both 128mb in other bank. one bank always works, other bank works occasionally. Has anyone encountered this problem?

[rkawakami]

Welcome to thinkpads.com!

I have not personally had a problem like this in the T2x systems but there can be a couple of causes:

- dirty contacts on either the module or the socket
- bad soldering on the sockets on the motherboard
- other motherboard problem

Taking the first issue... Remove the problem module and lightly rub a pencil eraser (not ink; it's too abrasive) across the gold contacts on BOTH sides of the module. You could also use a cotton-tipped swab dipped in isopropyl alcohol to clean the traces. Cleaning the contacts in the socket is much harder. For that you might have to get a paper towel and fold it so that it's thick enough to barely fit inside the edge of the socket to clean the contacts. Again, use a small amount of isopropyl alcohol and allow to throughly dry before re-installing the module.

If that doesn't seem to to the job, then try a trick that some T30 owners have used: fold up a piece of paper and wedge it between the module and the memory bay door. You might have to experiment with the thickness and placement to find the right spot.

The last issue is of course the hardest to isolate and repair. Most people, if neither one of the preceding tips help, will simply replace the motherboard and hope that solves the problem.

There is a recent post about memory socket problems which when I find it again, will update this post. Ah.. here it is:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... 526#352526

[gatgilbert]

Thanks for the info. I tried the easy stuff, no results. It probably is a motherboard problem.

[vanaya]

Ray didn't mention his #1 rule , try memtest on each module to definately elimate bad RAM.

[rkawakami]

True, but as the problem seems to be isolated to one particular memory slot, I'd say that there's a contact problem associated with that connector, rather than a defect in any module.