Member Avatar for jwallace

Hello, thanks in advance for your help

I upgraded the ram on Sony Vaio PCG F707 yesterday but I believe I have made a big mistake.

I bought 256mb ram 133mhz, problem is the laptop is designed to take 100mhz.

I put the 133mhz in not relising my mistake and now my computer wont switch on. The power light comes on and the harddrive light comes on and the HD makes a noise but nothing else happens. The DVD slot will open but thats it.

So far I tried putting the old ram back in, used the reset switch underneath but still no luck.

The ram is definately inserted correctly and it also works in my other laptop. (Which Im using now)

Any ideas on what the problem may be? Could the motherboard be fried? Or could there be a CPU problem?

Many thanks again for taking the time to read this.

  • 3 Contributors
  • 2 Replies
  • 448 Views
  • 3 Days Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by brchoate

Dani AI

Generated

Useful, compact troubleshooting you can run before assuming the worst (motherboard/CPU). This follows the thread from and the comments from and but focuses on safe, ordered tests you can do yourself and where to look in the service docs for the PCG‑F707. (manualscenter.com)

Start with power/reset isolation: remove AC and the main battery, press and hold the power button for 30–60 seconds (power drain), then reinstall only AC and try to power on. Next, remove ALL memory and power on — note any beep codes or LED blink patterns (those are diagnostic clues). If you hear nothing, install one known‑good, compatible SODIMM into the primary slot and try again; if that works test the other slot and the second stick one at a time. Also try powering with the HDD/DVD removed (simplifies POST). These are the standard memory-installation and test steps. ()

If the above fails, do a full CMOS/BIOS clear (not just an external reset switch): with power removed, open the bottom panel and remove the coin cell (or follow the manual’s clear‑CMOS procedure) for several minutes, then reassemble and retry. While open, visually inspect the RAM slot and surrounding board for burn marks, bent contacts, or loose cables — physical shorts or damaged traces are common causes of a no‑POST condition after a component swap. Use ESD precautions when handling parts. (manualscenter.com)

If none of these isolation steps produce POST (beeps, BIOS logo, or screen activity) the fault is likely on the Vaio side (slot, board or BIOS) rather than the DIMM itself — especially since the stick works elsewhere. At that point a shop with POST diagnostic tools or a board replacement estimate is the practical next step; document the tests you ran and keep the original parts. (ifixit.com)

Recommended Answers

All 2 Replies

Member Avatar for madoverclocker

it's hard to tell, the mobo and cpu are the two most likely problems... but if it needs 100mhz ram the computer is probably too old to be worth repairing. if you can even find the parts.

Member Avatar for brchoate

Hi jwallace,

Hopefully I can help you out a bit. I work at Kingston Technology. The act of putting a 133MHz module into a machine meant to use 100MHz in and of itself should not damage your machine. They have the same number of pins and use the same form factor. Typically the 133MHz should dumb itself down to 100MHz, but the 256MB 133MHz modules are finicky for some reason--if they aren't made with the correct chipset, then they don't downgrade and won't work.

I would try and see if you could reset the bios--maybe it got tweaked when you booted the 133MHz. Make sure the 100MHz chip is firmly and correctly inserted in the slot. Outside of that, it sounds more like you possibly have fried memory rather a fried MB. You could try picking up a new stick of 100MHz memory memory. If you want guaranteed compatibility you can always purchase directly from Kingston at www.kingston.com. It'll cost you a little more, but its guaranteed to work in your machine--which can be more of an issue with older "versions" of DRAM like PC100 and PC133 memory. Or you can just try and hunt down a PC100 stick.

Outside of that, if you got the dough, you might want to consider upgrading--we are about to see DDR3 hit the scene and that is three generations removed from PC100 memory.

Hope this helps!

Bryan
http://dukeofdram.blogspot.com/


Hello, thanks in advance for your help

I upgraded the ram on Sony Vaio PCG F707 yesterday but I believe I have made a big mistake.

I bought 256mb ram 133mhz, problem is the laptop is designed to take 100mhz.

I put the 133mhz in not relising my mistake and now my computer wont switch on. The power light comes on and the harddrive light comes on and the HD makes a noise but nothing else happens. The DVD slot will open but thats it.

So far I tried putting the old ram back in, used the reset switch underneath but still no luck.

The ram is definately inserted correctly and it also works in my other laptop. (Which Im using now)

Any ideas on what the problem may be? Could the motherboard be fried? Or could there be a CPU problem?

Many thanks again for taking the time to read this.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.