Member Avatar for SHENGTON

Hi DaniWeb experts, good day. :)

Every time I had a customer and if the problem is in the memory. I used to clean it with eraser, and viola, the computer will had a display again.

Someone told me that cleaning a memory using eraser is not advisable. It's because it will fry the RAM chips.

Questions:
1. Is rubbing an eraser to the memory contacts can fry the chips of RAM?
2. Is rubbing an eraser across the connectors will produce a LOT of static electricity?

Do you think that his statements are true?

Honestly I'm a bit doubt with his statement when he told that to me. I've already searched it in Google and found nothing that his statements are true.

Thanks and God bless. :)

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by ohmz214

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Short answer: the pencil‑eraser trick often “works” in practice but it carries real risks. Several members in this thread — and — report success with a white eraser, and many technicians still use it as a quick fix for intermittent contact. That anecdotal success doesn’t remove the technical downsides: rubbing can cause mechanical wear and can generate static that damages sensitive ICs. (forums.tomshardware.com)

What happens physically: most module edge contacts are a thin protective plating over copper (the familiar “gold fingers”), so aggressive abrasion can remove the plating and expose underlying metal that oxidizes faster and causes repeat faults. Eraser crumbs and any graphite/contaminants left behind can also interfere with or change contact behavior. These are the main long‑term failure modes behind the “it worked once, then failed again” stories. (protoexpress.com)

Why “fry the chips” is a misleading phrase: an eraser doesn’t literally cook DRAM, but triboelectric charging from rubbing can produce electrostatic discharges (ESD) that permanently damage ICs or cause latent faults that show up later. ESD events are often invisible and can be fatal to semiconductors even when no external sign appears. (en.wikipedia.org)

Safer, practical workflow (used by repair pros):

  • Power down, unplug, and discharge chassis to ground; work on a non‑carpeted surface or use an anti‑static wrist strap.
  • Inspect slots and modules; blow dust out of the DIMM slot with short bursts of canned compressed air.
  • Clean contacts with a lint‑free swab lightly moistened with 90%+ isopropyl alcohol; allow full drying.
  • If an eraser is the only option, use a soft white vinyl eraser very gently, then remove all debris and follow with an IPA wipe.
  • Retest; if instability persists, treat the module as faulty and replace or RMA. (howtogeek.com)

Bottom line: the eraser trick can fix poor contacts immediately, but it’s a higher‑risk, short‑term fix. Preferred practice is non‑abrasive cleaning plus ESD precautions; if a module still misbehaves after careful cleaning, replacement is the safer next step. (howtogeek.com)

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Member Avatar for caperjack

i use white eraser and have never had a problem

Member Avatar for OlyComputers

Any physical strain on a circuit board or it's contacts can damage it. If you're careful it should be fine, just don't do it excessively or when it's not needed.

Member Avatar for ohmz214

I always use eraser to clean my memory when my PC don't boot mostly the problem came there.

Ever since it helps me a lot & there were no problems at all.

Or maybe he just want you to buy a new one!

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