PB 1400 memory issue detected

#1 Fri, 27 Feb 2015 - 00:45 68kMLA

Im going to assume there is some defect with the RAM card I installed. But what threw me off is that it boots then halfway through startup it pauses to say something about a memory defect being detected. I can clock okay and carry on. It sees 16MB of RAM, which I think is right. The chip I installed is barely populated.

Im used to Macs testing the memory first, then booting. Not like this.

#2 Fri, 27 Feb 2015 - 01:02 68kMLA

Well after reseating it a few times it now works. Looks like my base RAM is 16MB and the chip is 8MB for 24 total. Well back on the shelf I guess.

#3 Fri, 27 Feb 2015 - 06:06 68kMLA

It said something about detecting a hardware defect later in the startup process? I'm intrigued now... how did it say it?

#4 Fri, 27 Feb 2015 - 08:03 68kMLA

Yup, about mid-way. I would assume this could happen with an upgrade card when a driver loads. But odd on stock hardware. So not sure. It detected the defect and did not use the RAM.

#5 Fri, 27 Feb 2015 - 09:41 68kMLA

That's definitely strange! I wonder if any other Macs have done something similar, and if so how many...

#6 Fri, 27 Feb 2015 - 16:51 68kMLA

It's that lousy connector. I have a Gateway Solo 9200 (PII@266MHz) which all the boards (Video, I/O, CPU, HD, Power) are sandwiched together by these connectors. It took a nasty fall and the connectors popped out of each other! I thought the Gateway was dead! A couple of years later, I opened up the Gateway and found all the board separated. Putting them together got the Gateway alive and running again!

It is the same connector as in the 1400, and G3 Wallstreet/Lombard/Pismo PBs for the CPU/RAM card. One good hit if it is not anchored down, it will pop off the board.

#7 Fri, 27 Feb 2015 - 18:37 68kMLA

Ya, it is a piss-poor connector for sure. I thought the same thing after install, that a solid bump would free it.

#8 Fri, 27 Feb 2015 - 18:41 68kMLA

If you get one of these shipped it's a good idea to reseat everything anyway, even if it is screwed/latched down.

#9 Sat, 28 Feb 2015 - 00:55 68kMLA

There was a P4 toshiba laptop designed the same way, the DC-DC board was bolted on with one of these, and it always caused problems