What happens when you put RAM in backwards?

[keldysh]

You connect component with physical protection (notch) with GREAT FORCE, turn on and it produce smoke (any time smoke eminate from electronic component this indicate trouble of high nature!) then you surprise when it work but halfass?

Sound fishy to me! Take ram to agent with SIMMTESTER, they will check out for you and advise. This hardware have PROTECTION motherboard do NOT so you will know if memory stick is motherboard killer or not. At best your stick may be ruin, at worst you need new motherboard and stick.

 

[TomKazansky]

it smokes, and u burn ur ram/mobo ram socket, either one or both can go bad

 

[JohnVM]

Update:

I have different RAM in now, and I formatted the HDD and reinstalled OS - computer runs "better" but still has catastrophic failures. I'm pretty sure the mobo is fried now.

 

[JohnVM]

Could something like this fall under homeowners insurance? Insurance IS for stupid sh*t.

 

[biostud]

Originally posted by: JohnVM
Could something like this fall under homeowners insurance? Insurance IS for stupid sh*t.

Insurence does generally not cover when a person uses an item in a wrong way, which results in destruction of that item.

 

[cryptonomicon]

you know, the ram slot with notches is one of the more annoying // poorly designed features I think of the modern atx form factor computer building thingy.

i've actually gotten it wrong quite a few times, but never to the point of forcing the stick. i mean I can think of many other ways they could have designed the stick of ram to notch a certain way and have many less disasters. color coding? and arrow pointing a certain way? or a notch of a certain thickness that will only fit in one orientation?

the current design, with the notch in the MIDDLE, means that if you arent paying attention, you might think the ram is seated and is waiting to be forced in. why they didn't position this notch more off center, I do not know.

 

[CrispyFried]

Originally posted by: biostud

Originally posted by: JohnVM
Could something like this fall under homeowners insurance? Insurance IS for stupid sh*t.

Insurence does generally not cover when a person uses an item in a wrong way, which results in destruction of that item.

Yup.

If the computer had burned your house down, the house and contents would of been covered, even if you basically caused the fire by inserting the ram incorrectly. But it generally doesnt cover the item itself if it was misused.

 

[extra]

I have not posted to these forums in probably 2 years... LoL.. But this topic made me reply. I too have put in ram backwards once. It was early in the morning an I was super tired , years and years ago. It was regular sdram not ddr. I KNOW it will not fit, but trust me if you push hard enough it will sorta go in.. anyway i turned the computer on and ther was like smoke and a terrible smell i immediately went oh s4it and turned it off... took the ram out, one of the contacts has a black spot above it where it was totally toasted, it BURNED my hand to touch it.. i said well s4it, put it in right, started the machine up *and it worked fine ever after, no problems with that stick ever*

 

[bluestrobe]

Originally posted by: JohnVM

Insurance IS for stupid sh*t.

Insurance is accidents caused by pure chance and other people's faults. It seems you don't know much about insurance. Save up the money, mow some lawsn, clean the garage, do whatever you need but you'll need a new motherboard and probably ram. Its not the best thing to stick good parts into known bad parts such as good ram into a bad motherboard.

 

[Fern]

Originally posted by: JohnVM
Update:

I have different RAM in now, and I formatted the HDD and reinstalled OS - computer runs "better" but still has catastrophic failures. I'm pretty sure the mobo is fried now.

Reluctantly, I admit to doing the same.

Wasn't hard to fit ram in the slot the wrong way.

Result was dorked dimm slots in the mobo. Ram was fine.

I think your mobo is now bad.

Fern