T30 - installed 256MB of extra RAM - is it working????

[g8tzl]

I recently acquired a 256MB RAM module for my T30.

My T30 already has 256MB installed - so the total is now 512MB.

The "new" 256MB RAM had badly tarnished pins but I carefully cleaned them using a pencil eraser and some contact cleaning spray.

I installed the extra 256MB RAM and the T30 booted up no problem. I checked out the "System info" and this now displayed 512MB of RAM.

To be honest , I did not see a big change in boot up speed etc but assumed any extra RAM follows the "law of diminishing returns" over a certain threshold (ie. there is a big difference when I increased my 570 RAM from 64MB to 128MB ).

I've been using the T30 for about 3 years - its very stable running Win XP. But yesterday , the T30 very briefly crashed , I think for the 1st time. I got a blue screen for a second but then the T30 automatically rebooted and is working OK.

I have a simple question - if you insert new RAM and the T30 boots OK and the System info displays the new total RAM , does this mean that the extra RAM is working OK??

On my other Thinkpads, bad RAM either causes the laptop to not boot or if it does , its not recognised in the Sytem info.

I guess I could try running some Memtest software but just wanted to get some feedback - my T30 is booting and the total new RAM is displayed so you would think that everything is OK?

Thanks

[ArtShapiro]

Hmmm...yes, if it's being reported (you can confirm with a right click on My Computer / Properties and see what the last line on the General tab says), you can be assured it's being used.

I'm a bit surprised that you don't notice a behavioral improvement between a severely low quarter gig of memory and a marginal half gig.

Art

[rkawakami]

I have a simple question - if you insert new RAM and the T30 boots OK and the System info displays the new total RAM , does this mean that the extra RAM is working OK??

A simple answer, "no".

I guess I could try running some Memtest software but just wanted to get some feedback - my T30 is booting and the total new RAM is displayed so you would think that everything is OK?

Not necessarily. The POST diagnostic that checks system memory is not a very intensive verification that the memory is totally good. An unexplained blue screen immediately after you altered the memory configuration is a pretty good indication that something is/was wrong. You would do well to get a copy of memtest86+ and run it for at least three complete passes (I'd say about two hours for 512MB). If you get any errors (they'll be highlighted in red), then run each 256MB module by itself (for the same three passes duration).

http://www.memtest.org/

[g8tzl]

Thanks for the feedback.

I got the blue screen after 2 weeks of using the "new" RAM - my T30 still seems to be working OK so maybe it was just coincidence.

Some of my other Thinkpads are really slow (using 32MB, 64MB RAM etc) so the T30 with 256MB has always seemed fast. I think it is probably booting faster with 512MB.

I will try the MemTest software - thanks for the link.

If some errors are reported , can the RAM still be used?? Is it like pixels - a few bad pixels does not make the LCD totally useless

[rkawakami]

A single bad memory bit can ruin your day . If you find any errors when running memtest86+ on your memories, you will need to replace the defective module. It's not like a bad/stuck pixel on a screen (which you will eventually overlook) or a bad sector on a disk drive (which gets mapped out by the filesystem). A bad bit of memory can cause intermittent blue screens or alter your files if they use the defective memory location. A .JPG (picture) or .MP3 (audio) file could probably survive having one bit flip from a zero to a one and still be useful (playable), but doing that to your TurboTax file might be disastrous.

[madkat]

maybe the bad memory slot issue is starting to appear?

[g8tzl]

Can you have a bad bit of memory but the TP continues to function as "normal" ie no blue screens?? So you never actually know there is a problem!!

OK on the memory slot issue - I checked out the archives - seems to be due to dry joints where the pins are soldered to the MB PCB. Was this a production fault?? Or are the dry joints caused by lots of use/dropping/vibration etc. I've owned my T30 from new and its still in mint condition (except wear on keys) - so I don't think I've done anything to cause the fault.

[rkawakami]

Can you have a bad bit of memory but the TP continues to function as "normal" ie no blue screens?? So you never actually know there is a problem!!

I guess it's theoretically possible that if the bit is in area of memory which does not get much use, then you would never know. However, I'd still consider it like a time bomb that is waiting to go off at the worst possible moment .

OK on the memory slot issue - I checked out the archives - seems to be due to dry joints where the pins are soldered to the MB PCB. Was this a production fault?? Or are the dry joints caused by lots of use/dropping/vibration etc

My guess would be that it's a combination of the then new use of lead-free solder, flexing (vibration) and/or thermal expansion cycles (heating and cooling over the life of the system).

[g8tzl]

Thanks again for the feedback.

I have now run Memtest86+ for 4 passes - no errors reported

Each pass took about 22 minutes - about 1 hour 28 minutes of testing in total.

511 MB of memory was identified and testing was from 128k-511MB.

The hard part of running Memtest86+ was copying the iso file to a CD-RW disk and remembering to set up the BIOS to boot the CD-ROM before the HDD

This question is a bit OT. I think the 1st CD-RW disk I copied the iso file onto got corrupted. It did not run at boot up. Once you have copied an iso file onto the CD-RW , is it possible to then erase the CD-RW?? I was using a "new" TDK CD-RW - if I now try to erase the CD-RW , my 570E (which I was using as it has Deepburner installed) locks up until I eject the CD-RW disk from the external USB CD- writer. When I used a Sony CD-RW disk to copy Memtest86+ (again new but old stock 1-4X) , it worked OK??

Any thoughts?

Cheers

[RealBlackStuff]

You don't copy an .ISO file onto a CD, you burn it.
Maybe the first CDRW was not formatted, or only partly?
Could also be a duff CD, those things happen.

[NovaKnowledgeNow]

Try taking out the good stick and seeing what happens. Just because windows is recognizing that the extra stick is there, doesn't mean that it is working fine.

[rkawakami]

I have now run Memtest86+ for 4 passes - no errors reported ...<snip>... 511 MB of memory was identified and testing was from 128k-511MB.

Then that sounds like both modules are properly working. Hopefully you do not have an intermittent contact causing you any problems (i.e., the dreaded memory slot issue). To determine that, I'd say that you could run memtest86+, while at the same time applying slight pressure with a fingertip along the length of the SODIMM connectors.

This question is a bit OT. I think the 1st CD-RW disk I copied the iso file onto got corrupted. It did not run at boot up. Once you have copied an iso file onto the CD-RW , is it possible to then erase the CD-RW??

It's quite possible that the TDK CD-RW was/is defective/incompatible. Examine the written surface for any dust, fingerprints or scratches, especially near the center hub (data starts from the inside and expands outward). If this was the first time you used that particular brand of CD-RW then maybe your drive has a problem with it. Yes, you should be able to erase the disk no matter if you wrote an .ISO file to it or used "drag-and-drop" software to fill up the disk. If your external USB burner has a problem with erasing the TDK disk(s) but works okay with the Sony disk(s), then I'd say you have an incompatibility with your drive and TDK disks. It happens.

[g8tzl]

Ray - many thanks for the great feedback - its much appreciated.

Cheers