Member Avatar for Oompa D.

So... I got a new computer and decided to try and upgrade the old one. I went out and bought a DDR2 card. Come to find out, the slot was actually for a regular DDR card. Somehow it fit into my RAM slot, but when i hit the power, it wouldn't boot. Now,all it will do is spin the fans. It won't even put anything on my monitor. I have no idea what the problem is. I checked my MOBO for scorching and there wasnt any. PLEASE HELP!!

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A short, practical isolation checklist to work down now that other replies have suggested memory swaps, diagnostics and asking for help (, , and ).

Start with a bench/minimal-boot test: open the case, unplug everything nonessential (drives, USB, PCI cards). Leave only the motherboard, CPU + cooler, power supply (24‑pin and 4/8‑pin CPU power connected), one known-good DIMM in the manufacturer‑specified slot (or the video card if the board has no integrated video), and a system speaker for POST beeps. Use the front-panel power switch or short the power pins briefly to start. A POST beep pattern is a diagnostic — if the board beeps for “missing RAM” or similar, the CPU/BIOS are alive; if it is totally silent, proceed to the PSU and board checks below.

Power supply checks next: swap in a known-good PSU or use a PSU tester/multimeter to confirm the +12V, +5V and +3.3V rails under load. Many failures look like “fans spin but no POST” when the PSU provides standby but not stable main rails. If uncomfortable doing voltage checks, swapping PSUs is the safest quick test.

BIOS/CMOS and hardware inspection: with power off, reset CMOS using the jumper or by removing the coin battery for a minute (consult the manual). Inspect the board closely for bulging/leaking capacitors, discoloured components, or bent CPU/socket pins. Diagnostic POST cards or the motherboard’s debug LEDs (if present) give useful error codes.

When to stop and get help: software tools like PC Doctor are only useful after POST, so they won’t help at this stage (as hinted). If the minimal bench, PSU swap and CMOS reset don’t produce any POST activity, component‑level repair or replacement (motherboard/CPU) is likely. Photograph suspect damage and contact the manufacturer or a trusted repair shop; avoid repeated power cycles if there’s any burning smell.

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Member Avatar for humbll

Finish this sentence for me:

I took out the new DDR2 memory and replaced it with the old memory and my computer....


A. (Does the same thing)

B. (Works just fine now)

C. (Went up in a cloud of sparks and smoke)

D. (Started flying about the room like a bird)

E. (Other)

Member Avatar for bobbyraw

So... I got a new computer and decided to try and upgrade the old one. I went out and bought a DDR2 card. Come to find out, the slot was actually for a regular DDR card. :scared: but when i hit the power, it wouldn't boot. Now,all it will do is spin the fans. It won't even put anything on my monitor. :twisted: I checked my MOBO for scorching and there wasnt any. PLEASE HELP!!

are you for real, you fit a ddr2 in a regular ddr slot and you say you dont know what the problem is

MEMORY IS MADE FOOL PROOF. IT CAN ONLY GO IN ONE WAY

Member Avatar for joytech22

lol i had the same problem when i bought DDR ram by accident instead of DDR2...

Member Avatar for joytech22

if the RAM did fry your MOBO then you might want to call your PC Manufacturer, if anything else and a cocroach fried your mobo like what happened to my old pc, kill them all MWAH HAW HAW

Member Avatar for Groox

@Oompa D, I'm sorry you ran into problems with your new RAM. I'm also sorry that the people here at DaniWeb seem to think your problems are more for their entertainment than a request for help.

As far as I know, there is a chance your motherboard might be okay. It depends on exactly what you did.

If you are still looking for help here, I'm afraid DaniWeb seems to be the wrong place. ExtremeTech or Tech Support are just a couple of forums that might help you properly. They have experts who remember when they, too, began their own process of learning about computers.

Member Avatar for joytech22

ok im sorry for my bad post above, i have a new test for you to perform. if you can get the motherboard to boot windows xp, download pc doctor 5, and run a test on motherboard, RAM and CPU. if it finds nothing wrong, check to see if your video output is dead. my 8800GTS wasnt detected by my mobo while it was having problems, still having them now ='-S. now i have to use onboard and even the PCI-E slot doesnt work anymore.

Member Avatar for Oompa D.

Finish this sentence for me:

I took out the new DDR2 memory and replaced it with the old memory and my computer....


A. (Does the same thing)

B. (Works just fine now)

C. (Went up in a cloud of sparks and smoke)

D. (Started flying about the room like a bird)

E. (Other)

That would be A. It definately does the same thing even if there is no RAM in it at all.

Member Avatar for gerbil

It is guaranteed not to work without any RAM. I feel that if your sys will not work with the old [which I presume did work?] or new RAM then the mobo is in some way damaged. But as pointed out earlier, the DDR and DDR2 keyways are different, as are the number of pins.... perhaps it did not insert fully, but with pins overlapping anything could happen.

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