Erratic Trackpad Behavior - Result of RAM Upgrade?

Hello, all. It's been a long time since I last posted here, but I was wondering if anyone could offer their advice or expertise on an issue I've been having.
Last fall I decided to upgrade my MacBook from 1GB to 2GB of RAM. I installed the upgrade myself, and the RAM continues to work perfectly. Unfortunately, I must have been somewhat rough in re-inserting the battery (that, or I knicked something under the trackpad). Not long afterwards, my trackpad began behaving erratically, highlighting text I didn't want highlighted and generally skipping all over the place. The mouse button on my laptop is now all but un-pressable.
Fortunately, I use my laptop on my desk 90% of the time, and I have plugged in an external mouse with the "ignore trackpad when mouse is plugged in" setting on- and my computer functions as normal. However, I would like to see if I can regain proper use of my trackpad.
I know that the sensory hardware there must be extremely delicate (hence my problem), and most would probably recommend taking it to an Apple specialist to get fixed - but I'm not keen on forking over money for an issue that I can continue to work around. I would simply like to know if anyone else has had this problem, and/or knows of an easy fix/maneuver that might relieve whatever pressure is on the sensors and restore the trackpad to proper working order.

Thank you for the advice. I just tried that and it appears that with the battery removed, normal trackpad function is regained. Unfortunately, this defeats the purpose, because I only need to use the trackpad when I'm away from a power source.
Though this may be an issue for a separate topic, it seems the cause of this is a slightly expanded battery. (I've already heard of similar instances.) I'm frankly at a loss for how Apple could allow such an issue to affect the vital components of it's laptops. My current battery still works just fine and I'd prefer not to purchase a new one over a couple of millimeters, but I'd also hate to risk any permanent damage to the internal components of my MacBook.

Similar Messages

Very Erratic Trackpad Behavior - Heat?

The trackpad on my one-year-old MBPro has started exhibiting extremely erratic and intermittent behavior:
• Taps react as control-clicks
• Cursor jumps and becomes impossible to control
• Drags and scrolls behave unpredictably
The trackpad becomes impossible to use. Eventually, as now, everything returns to normal. I'm very experienced in the proper use of the trackpad, and am familiar with the 'phantom fingers' phenomenon, so no need to advise against keeping extra fingers and hands away from the trackpad.
This behavior has even occurred when standing well away from the computer: after fighting to control the cursor and restart the computer via the Apple menu, I left the room and returned to see a contextual menu of the Activity Monitor (set to auto-launch at restart) being self-activated.
I'm starting to guess that this is related to heat issues. In support of this theory, the following:
- This behavior was first seen a few months ago when I traveled to the south of France where it was quite warm, and the computer had been playing video for some time. The computer was indeed rather warm.
- Now it's summertime and the ambient temperature is warmer (though here in the Netherlands, it's not exactly tropical). The last two occurrences of this behavior (yesterday and today) have been hot sunny days. After allowing the computer to cool, the trackpad behaves as normal.
Others have reported strange trackpad behavior, but they seem to believe it is caused by defective or damaged hardware, or else user-error. It is often suggested they check their trackpad System Preferences. This post which supports my theory that this is indeed heat-related problem, also remarks that the problem is more likely when the battery is charging.
Can anyone offer advice, explanation or supporting arguments?
Thanks

Try using your laptop without the battery installed (ie remove the battery and run the laptop from the mains supply only), and see if that cures the problem.
If it does, then you have a warped battery casing, and will need to replace the battery.
The battery sits directly over the trackpad circuitry, so that if the battery casing warps, it presses against the trackpad circuitry and causes it to act as though you have pressed it.
If that doesn't cure the problem, then you probably need to replace the trackpad, itself.

Erratic trackpad behavior

The other day I replaced the hard drive in my iBook with a larger one, and every since I reassembled it the trackpad seems to be behaving erratically. I reopened it up and made sure that the trackpad ribbon cable was connected firmly, and it helped a little however the problem still remains. I know it is not a software issue because when I boot up holding option and play around with the cursor it has the same problem, skipping around and whatnot. I notice the mouse seems to work pretty well when I first boot, but gradually gets worse the longer the computer has been on. Could it somehow be related to the laptop overheating? Could heat from underneath the trackpad effect it? Would that explain why the longer it's on the worse it gets? That's the only conclusion I can come to. And just so you know I've reset the PMU, PRAM, and NVRAM. I've tried it all, wall outlet vs. battery (everything). So any thoughts? Is my theory valid?

I've never heard of overheating causing the trackpad to behave erratically.
I can think of several things that could cause this.
The PMU settings may be getting corrupted in some way.
From the Apple Knowledge Base article on _resetting the PMU_:
The Power Manager is an integrated circuit (computer chip) that is usually on the logic board of the PowerBook and iBook. As the name implies, it is responsible for power management of the computer. It controls backlighting, hard disk spin down, sleep and wake, some charging aspects, trackpad control, and some input/output as it relates to the computer sleeping.
Over time, the settings in the Power Manager may become unusable, which can result in operational anomalies with the computer.
Since making sure the trackpad ribbon cable was firmly connected helped a bit, it could be that the trackpad connector has been damaged slightly.
Another possibility is that the trackpad cable itself may have been damaged.

Will RAM upgrade on Macbook Air result in a bottleneck?

Ask a Question
86 character(s) left
170 character(s) left
Make sure your question follows the community guidelines.
Cancel
Continue
Edit Question
Preview Your Question
Will RAM upgrade on Macbook Air result in a bottleneck?
Hi I am planning to buy a Macbook Air with the base configuration, but was giving the RAM some thought. I was thinking of upgrading it from 4 GB 1600 MHz LPDDR3 SDRAM to 8 GB. With the student discount the upgrade will cost me an additional $90. I will be going to uni for life sci and will be be using it for work assignments, music, and maybe some small-time gaming. I currently don't really game much but maybe sometime in the future I may decide to play games such as LoL or Warcraft maybe? What I was wondering was that is it actually necessary to upgrade the RAM to be able to play these types of games without lag? I am fine with a little bit of low fps, as long as it isn't to noticable and stil fairly smooth. Maybe with like safari with music and a word processor and the game open, would the MBA be able to handle it effectively? Also, would the RAM upgrade be ineffective because of a "bottleneck" where the other specs limit the effectiveness of the increase in RAM? The rest of the specs are: 1.4 GHz dual-core Intel i5, Turbo Boost upto 2.7 GHz Intel HD Graphics 5000 128 GB PCle-based flash storage So overall, is it worth it? Will it make gaming significantly better, and more importantly, will 4 GB just be enough too? Thank you very much for reading that very long question! All answers will be appreciated!

Did you get a reply on that site?
Are you comparing 11-inch/13-inch MacBook/Air to 13"-15" MB/Pro?
A better idea would be to get the MacBook/Pro, since it has a better
processor and a higher RAM spec capacity, when or if upgraded.
More RAM will not be a bottleneck; a slow CPU processor & too much
demand could. Including video demand, and gaming is unlikely, too.
Check the specs at the Apple Store to compare MB/Pro w/ MB/Air;
even the basic MacBook Pro 13-inch without Retina has a fair CPU
and OK specs for most things; and you may be able to still upgrade
the RAM in that basic model (also has optical drive built-in) yourself.
See everymac.com and mactracker.ca for sources of specifications.
Good luck & happy computing!

Ram upgrade to 2GB - fan running faster

I have just upgraded my intel mac mini from 512 MB to 2 GB using a kingston upgrade kit (KTA-MB667K2/2G).
The system is performing a lot better but there is an annoying "trouble": when 2 GB are installed the fan is running more fast and more often then with 512MB.
During my tests, I have see that while using OS X the system is able to regulate the speed, it goes from very slow to very fast but it moves to fast more often then before and the system is definetly making more noise.
The bigger problem happens when booting using windows XP: when 2 GB of RAM are installed the fan is always running at top speed or near to top speed.
That is not happening while using the original 512 MB.
I have tried to reset the SMC by using the apple istructions here:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303446
but it didn't make any difference.
I have double checked all wires,I have switched from 512MB to 2 GB and from 2 GB to 512MB three times(!) but nothing has changed:
- when using 512MB fan runs slow;
- when using 2 GB fan is still able to change speed but is running fast more often.
Further more, to test, I have also left disconnected the fan speed cable in the front side, and in such way the fun starts at max speed and runs at fast speed all the time. So it is not a trouble with such connection.
Is that normal this behavior?
Does anybody have noticed any fan speed difference after RAM upgrade?
About BootCamp and XP running fan at max speed, could be that reinstall them could solve the "always on" fan trouble with 2 GB?
Thanks a lot for any help.

I have some updates about the problem.
I was thinking that it was a my fault about some missing setup needed when installing more ram to mac mini.
So, today, I have moved to a local apple center and I have asked them to install the RAM for me... they do, and it happens the same thing: the fun was running very fast quite often under OS X and was always fast under bootcamp-XP.
I have asked them why this happens and if that was normal, but they have no other mac mini with such amount of ram and they never see it before. They suggest me to test it for a week and eventually to give them the mac for a day to make some hardware tests.
Later, back into my office, the noise was too high and too annoying so I have called again apple to explain the situation.
They told me that they have no reports about similar problems, that it should not make more noise when adding RAM. They suggest me to try remove and reinstall better the RAMs or to try different RAMs (I am using kingston kit KTA-MB667K2/2G).
So I have also phoned to kingston support, and they say that it is a strange bahavior, that they don't have reports about that too. They are now investigating the problem and they let me know something in next days.
They also put to my attention the fact that the computer is able to see and work well with the 2GB memory, so the memory is working correctly. They think this is something related to apple hardware/firmware and could be that apple should fix it in next realases.
Unfortunatly, all this new infos and all the time lost for a "simple" memory upgrade didn't solve my troubles and I still cannot use the mac like I need.
So I have continued my tests by changing the kensington Dimms with other 2 GB dimms by Nanya technologies that were installed on my centrino duo notebook.
Mac mini was able to see and work well with them too, now the fun speed is a little bit slowly then using kingston ones but still more fast than with 512MB.
Bootcamp-XP is still not usable due to high fan speed and the high noise. OS X seems to control better the fan speed but it goes high there too for any little thing you do.
So I have made one more test suggested by kingston:
I have started mac mini while only one kingston dimm were inside.
In this way the mac mini was making some less noise that using the two nanya dimms, but it was still to high.
The last test I made was to check the cpu temperature with different amounts of RAM and results were interesting.
Using OS X with 512MB, the cpu temperature is about 33 C while iddle; if I try to start parallels desktop with guest windows XP, temperature goes up to 40 C and the fan is still running at quite low levels.
Instead, while 1 GB of RAM was installed, cpu iddle temperature was 35 C and starting parallels desktop will result in temperature levels till 50 C.
So there was a difference of about 10 C.
While doing these test I have left the mac mini open, so once stopped, I was able to quickly feel the RAM temperature with my finger and it was quite hot.
I didn't try temperature with both 2GB dimms, but I belive it will be surely more high.
So what I am thinking now is that probably apple is aware about higher temperature inside when using more RAM, so the bios starts the mac mini with the fun running faster because it detects the 2 GB memory.
OS X is able to control someway the fun so it is not always running fast (but quite often) while using boot camp with XP becomes impossible due to the fan always at max speed.
I don't think apple's rams could work at lower temperature than kingston ones, so the dubt now is that things are correct in this way.. so intel mac mini with 1/2GB could be a shame due to high level of fan noise... or... my mac mini has something wrong.
Is anybody here with a mac mini and 2 GB of RAM?
Anybody could make some test about that?
Thanks a lot for any help

MacBook Pro 13' Early 2011: Still Slow After 16GB RAM Upgrade

Hi,
I have a MacBook Pro 13' Early 2011 running Yosemite. After the RAM upgrade to 16GB, the speed of the computer is still not satisfactory, having some lag times in launching softwares and startup. Please suggest me what to do. Below is the report. Thank you!
Problem description:
The computer is still running slow even after the RAM upgrade to 16GB.
EtreCheck version: 2.0.11 (98)
Report generated November 18, 2014 at 5:40:20 AM EST
Hardware Information: ℹ️
MacBook Pro (13-inch, Early 2011) (Verified)
MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro8,1
1 2.3 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 2-core
16 GB RAM Upgradeable
BANK 0/DIMM0
8 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok
BANK 1/DIMM0
8 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok
Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported
Wireless: en1: 802.11 a/b/g/n
Video Information: ℹ️
Intel HD Graphics 3000 - VRAM: 512 MB
Color LCD 1280 x 800
System Software: ℹ️
OS X 10.10.1 (14B25) - Uptime: 0:7:52
Disk Information: ℹ️
ST9320325ASG disk0 : (320.07 GB)
S.M.A.R.T. Status: Verified
EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 650 MB
Macintosh HD (disk1) / [Startup]: 318.84 GB (156.62 GB free)
Encrypted AES-XTS Unlocked
Core Storage: disk0s2 319.21 GB Online
MATSHITADVD-R   UJ-8A8
USB Information: ℹ️
Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)
Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
Apple Inc. BRCM2070 Hub
Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
Thunderbolt Information: ℹ️
Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus
Gatekeeper: ℹ️
Mac App Store and identified developers
Kernel Extensions: ℹ️
/System/Library/Extensions
[loaded] com.Cycling74.driver.Soundflower (1.5.2) Support
[not loaded] com.marvell.kext.USBGenericPrinterClass (1.0.0) Support
[loaded] com.rim.driver.BlackBerryUSBDriverInt (0.0.74) Support
[not loaded] com.rim.driver.BlackBerryUSBDriverVSP (0.0.74) Support
[not loaded] com.wacom.kext.pentablet (5.3.0 - SDK 10.8) Support
Launch Agents: ℹ️
[loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist Support
[loaded] com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist Support
[running] com.rim.BBAlbumArtCacher.plist Support
[running] com.rim.BBLaunchAgent.plist Support
[running] com.wacom.pentablet.plist Support
Launch Daemons: ℹ️
[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist Support
[loaded] com.google.keystone.daemon.plist Support
[loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2.Agent.plist Support
[loaded] com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist Support
[loaded] com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist Support
[loaded] com.oracle.java.JavaUpdateHelper.plist Support
[running] com.rim.BBDaemon.plist Support
User Launch Agents: ℹ️
[loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist Support
[loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2Helper.diskSpaceWatcher.plist Support
[loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2Helper.scheduledScan.plist Support
[loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2Helper.trashWatcher.plist Support
[not loaded] com.valvesoftware.steamclean.plist Support
User Login Items: ℹ️
Dropbox Application (/Applications/Dropbox.app)
Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️
JavaAppletPlugin: Version: Java 7 Update 71 Check version
o1dbrowserplugin: Version: 5.38.6.0 - SDK 10.8 Support
WacomNetscape: Version: 2.1.0-1 - SDK 10.8 Support
Default Browser: Version: 600 - SDK 10.10
Flip4Mac WMV Plugin: Version: 2.4.0.11 Support
WacomTabletPlugin: Version: WacomTabletPlugin 2.1.0.2 Support
AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: Version: 11.0.09 - SDK 10.6 Support
FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 15.0.0.223 - SDK 10.6 Support
Silverlight: Version: 5.1.10411.0 - SDK 10.6 Support
Flash Player: Version: 15.0.0.223 - SDK 10.6 Support
QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3
googletalkbrowserplugin: Version: 5.38.6.0 - SDK 10.8 Support
SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.4.6 - SDK 10.6 Support
AdobePDFViewer: Version: 11.0.09 - SDK 10.6 Support
DirectorShockwave: Version: 11.6.5r635 Support
User Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️
CitrixOnlineWebDeploymentPlugin: Version: 1.0.105 Support
WebEx64: Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.6 Support
3rd Party Preference Panes: ℹ️
Flash Player Support
Flip4Mac WMV Support
Java Support
Time Machine: ℹ️
Mobile backups: OFF
Auto backup: NO - Auto backup turned off
Volumes being backed up:
Macintosh HD: Disk size: 318.84 GB Disk used: 162.22 GB
Destinations:
LACIE SHARE [Local]
Total size: 350.07 GB
Total number of backups: 5
Oldest backup: 2012-07-17 01:12:57 +0000
Last backup: 2014-03-19 07:05:24 +0000
Size of backup disk: Too small
Backup size 350.07 GB < (Disk used 162.22 GB X 3)
Top Processes by CPU: ℹ️
      9% mds
      6% WindowServer
      1% BBLaunchAgent
      0% AppleSpell
      0% fontd
Top Processes by Memory: ℹ️
103 MB mds_stores
86 MB Dropbox
86 MB ocspd
69 MB com.apple.WebKit.WebContent
52 MB Safari
Virtual Memory Information: ℹ️
13.07 GB Free RAM
1.71 GB Active RAM
740 MB Inactive RAM
1.66 GB Wired RAM
1.31 GB Page-ins
0 B Page-outs

First go to the RIM web site and look to see if they have an uninstaller for the device you had. Some times a reinstall of the application and then running the uninstaller is required for complete removal.
If no uninstaller is available, then you will have to use Spotlight to find all items with 'Blackberry' and 'Rim' in the titles. I would also download EasyFind and use that to locate such files. Often it will locate items that Spotlight misses.
Ciao.

Hard Drive and RAM upgrades for latest 15" MBP

I'm minutes from ordering a new MBP. Only concerns are whether I get hte Apple upgrades or shop around.
I like this Hard Drive...
http://www.compu2000.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=6433
And this RAM upgrade...
http://www.a-power.com/product-10937-311-4
If these are equivalent to the apple options I can save hundreds and get a 320 GB drive, which will make a great portable.
So, does my plan hold water?

You're on your own for support when you do your own upgrades like this, but generally speaking, it works fine.
Note that HDD is less risky than RAM. With RAM you run the risk of unstable behavior that is tougher to diagnose. That said, a quality RAM upgrade and some initial testing with any of many available tools is as good as a factory build.
HDD upgrades are less risky, and I've upgraded (well, replaced after HDD death) ones in my MBPs many many times. I crunch my hard drives more than normal and have to generally replace them about every year. Some of the MBPs don't make this easy, and prepare to get all sorts of cozy with little 0 and 1 sized Phillips screwdrivers and some T6 as well, but it is doable (just not quite for the truly faint of heart).
Again, you're on your own for support once you do this, so weigh that in your decision.

Battery drains while sleeping after RAM upgrade

Installed 16 GB of RAM and a Hybrid/SSD 1 TB internal HD on MacBook Pro 15" mid 2012 and now the battery drains while the computer is in sleep mode, about 1-3 % per hour. Before the RAM upgrade (stock 4 GB of RAM) there was no noticeable battery drain, so I assume it has to do with the upgrade. I read that it takes more power to maintain 16 GB of RAM during sleep, so my questions are as follows:
Is 1-3% per hour normal?
Will resetting the SMC help the issue?
Does the Hybrid HD have anything to do with this?
I am not too happy about the battery drain as it happens that I don't use my laptop for some time and prior to the upgrade the loss of battery charge was not an issue at all. Is this the price I have to pay for maxing out my RAM or is there a way (resets, settings, etc) to reduce the amount of battery loss
Thanks for your input.

Hi everybody. I have the same question. I have a macbook unibody late 2008. I have recently upgraded the OS to Yosemite. In order to have a smoother functioning of the system I have immediately replaced my original 2Gb (1+1) RAM with 8 Gb (4+4). Since then, I have noticed a dramatic reduction of my battery charge during sleep mode. Now after 8 hours of sleep it goes from 100% to around 65% (before it was 95%). Is it a natural consequence of having installed a larger RAM or there could be anything wrong with my settings?
I have read a couple of articles about standby mode and standbydelay setting but this does not apply to my model of macbook.
Here is my pmset -g result:
Active Profiles:
Battery Power        -1*
AC Power        -1
Currently in use:
hibernatemode        3
acwake               0
lidwake              1
halfdim              1
sleep                20 (sleep prevented by AddressBookSour)
ttyskeepawake        1
sms                  1
hibernatefile        /var/vm/sleepimage
disksleep            10
displaysleep         2
Thanks a lot for any comment / suggestion /hint.
Bye

MacBook not booting after RAM upgrade

I'm sorry if the case has been already posted.
Yesterday I took my MacBook Alu unibody late 2008 to a RAM upgrade (from 2 to 4gigs) to an offical Mac Reseller. They installed it and showed me that the system loads properly and recognized the new RAM.
I took it home, started working on After Effects and Photoshop and when i wanted to check a video on Quicktime, this program refused to boot.
Then photoshop freeze and after effects did so. I quited all aplications and restarted. On restart after the 'bong' i've got the grey screen white an apple logo and a loading bar underneath, that was it, it never finished loading but shutting down.
After the 2nd try the computer gave me the BAD RAM alarm signal right before the start button was pressed and nothing more. I just managed to start it ONCE on safe mode, but this one also freezed and colapsed.
Today i didn't get the BAD ram alarm but the grey screen and loading bar after shutting down.
I took it back to the reseler, the shop boss who did the upgrade wasn't there , the guys on the morning shift placed the old RAM back resulting the same. So they told me it's a software problem, not hardware and might be caused by a failed firmware update or something i did wrong and since i was showed that the system booted after the upgrade i can't complain or argue that they did somethiing wrong.
So basically the want 80euros to check what's wrong with my computer plus the 120 i already payed them for a RAM that doesn't work and of course the repair cost of the computer.
On monday i'll go to talk to the boss, what do you guys recomend me to tell him? i'm frustrated that the guys there treat me like if i broke my computer for beeing stupid and wanted to get it fixed for free, when it clearly broke after they did something wrong on it!
please advice me!
thanks!
Message was edited by: finn bell

What brand is the RAM? From what you said, it is obvious that the RAM is at fault. I would simply tell them that it is not compatible and return the RAM.
Check the System Profiler to see what it says about the RAM (Apple Logo - About this Mac - More Info) and run this application to test the RAM:
http://www.memtestosx.org/joomla/index.php
If either shows any errors, print out the results and take them with you to the store.

2011 iMac CPU,GPU,Ram upgrade Plans

Hello all:
The following is to assist those who wish or plan to upgrade:
I'll be upgrading my iMac's CPU, Graphics Card & RAM this coming week.
current system:
2011 iMac 2.7ghz (27")
Radeon HD 6770M (512mb)
16gb RAM
240gb SSD (system)
1tb hdd (data)
upgrading to:
Core i7-2700k (3.5ghz)
Radeon HD 6970M (2gb)
32gb RAM
I ordered the graphics card from www.dvwarehouse.com, so should have necessary firmware:
1 x Video Card AMD Radeon HD 6970M 2GB for iMac 27" Mid 2011 661-5969.
CPU & RAM upgrade: I'm fairly certain this should go smoothly and work fine afterward, that is if I take the precaution and time needed during the process.
I will report back later in the week on my results, I'll post my before & after system info screenshot also. Wish me luck
Kenny

The culture is changing with the ability to upgrade the newer machines. I've noticed a lot of people on this forum more closed to the idea of upgrading, most are unaware it can even be done, which is sad in my opinion. Maybe because this is the official support forum. But the other mac sites are like what I'm used to in the past working with pcs:
check out these:
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1323028
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/imac-aluminum-faq/imac-intel-aluminum -processor-upgrade-instructions.html
http://www.hardmac.com/articles/335/page1
the list goes on.
etresoft, we know that mac computers are the best...period. Hardware upgrades are also better for some of the same reasons that make apple computers better; not as customizable -- only certain upgrade paths are possible. Upgrade process more difficult because of mac's intricate design. But once you do the upgrade right, it just works beautifully. And you extend the life of you machine another two years at less than half the cost of getting a new mac.
Open you mind brother. Apple has done everything right, this is just another part of their strategy and I think it's great.

Problems with RAM upgrade iMac G5 1.8GHz

Stuck - Need Help!
I've previously upgraded up iMac to 2 500Mb RAMs and felt recently that it needed that little bit extra, so I ordered two 1Gb chips from crucial.
Followed instructions to T, but with the two new chips in, the machine won't load.
Interestingly, it boots up with the following RAM combinations
old 500MB + new 1GB (in any combination) - recognised as 1.5GB
one new 1GB RAM (again either one) - recognised as 1GB
I spoke to crucial who said that as the RAMs work individually, there isn't a problem with them, it could be a Firmware issue. I've upgraded all my software, and don't know what to do next?
Anyone overcome a similar problem in the past?
Thanks

I'm experiencing something very similar to shaow. I'll share my experience in gory details - sorry for the long post but I've spent more hours trying to stabilize. I should have worked the hours at walmart and bought a new iMac with the money I could have earned
Anyway, here goes:
Two iMac G5 1.8Ghz 17" (both Fall 2005 model), will call one A and the other B.
Prior to attempting ram upgrade: A, config working fine: both a config using 1GB slot 1, 256MB slot 2 and a single 1 PC3200 1GB stick. OS X 10.4-10.5.7. No problems. I did have the motherboard replaced under warranty after having sleep problems - capacitors were expanded. No problems since that motherboard swap.
Prior to attempting ram upgrade: B, config working fine: 2 x 256MB sticks. OS X 10.3.9
Ordered 3 PC3200 400Mhz 1GB sticks from Data Memory Systems.
Upgraded A: Added 1GB stick = 2GB total
Upgraded B: Removed both 256MB sticks from B and added two 1GB sticks = 2GB total
Booted B, experienced gray screen of death with the multi-language crash message - somethign like: 'Please hold down the power button and restart'. Power cycled B, booted off a retail box DVD of OS X 10.5.6. Began upgrade to 10.5.6. Gray screen of death part way thru upgrade. Power cycled, gray screen of death again during early boot phase.
Decided to run tests on B. I could not locate the Apple Hardware Test (neither on system dvd 1 nor on a separate DVD). I resorted to using TechnoTools Deluxe which was included with AppleCare box. No hardware problems found including on the 2GB memory.
Removed both new 1GB sticks, pulled older working 1GB stick from A and installed into B. Completed upgrade with just 1GB memory on B to 10.5.6 and subsequently pulled down all updates for OS X 10.5.8. Powered down, added second 1GB stick to B, booted into 10.5.8 successfully. Repaired disk permissions, restarted. Began using applications, then after only about 5 minutes experienced gray screen of death. Powered down, removed new 1GB stick, replaced with one of the two remaining new 1GB sticks. Read about reseting PRAM/NVRAM. Followed steps to reset PRAM then decided to do the reset NVRAM within openfirmware. Started back up and logged into 10.5.8. Ran several applications - did not experience gray screen of death after about 20 minutes use. Have not had time for further tests on B yet.
Back to my saga with A (my original iMac G5 that was working fine with 1GB stick on 10.5.7):
Called Data Memory Systems and they sent me a replacement for the 'bad' 1GB stick.
While I was waiting for the new 1GB stick from DMS, I was struggling to get machine fully updated. Software Updater was failing with the weird network error (network was fine) and after following steps to troubleshoot, I backed up the user accounts and decided to reinstall OS X fresh from the 10.5.6 retail box (family license). Finally, I had OS X 10.5.8 all fully updated on the 1GB iMac G5 (A).
New memory arrived, installed 2nd 1GB stick. Booted up, immediately I got the gray screen of death. Restarted, booted up got about 5-15 minutes use then gray screen of death. Puzzled, I called DMS who said unlikely I got 2 bad sticks. They suggested I try memtest. So I did...
So on A, I first ran memtest from single user mode on the 2GB config. It crashed immediately with some 'Unexpected' error. Did not look like a memory error. I powered down, removed 2nd 1GB stick, and ran memtest from single user on the 1GB stick. Ran all tests 3x over a couple hours - no problems found. Retested after swapping the 1GB stick for the other. Both tested fine. Installed both sticks again and ran memtest all tests, one pass (didn't want another 6 hours lost) on the 2GB config, and all tests passed. Booted up and got gray screen of death - I don't recall if it was on bootup or after running but I ran fsck with no disk problems found, then restarted, logged in, ran disk utility to repair all permissions. Some repairs were made. Restarted A, reset PRAM and NVRAM again, booted successfully.
I haven't had much time to run extensively apps on A yet. It's sleeping as I type this on another mac. My next test will be to reset SMU.
I'm starting to wonder if the original iMac G5 has firmware problems that would prevent it from being unstable with two 1GB sticks??? My experience on two identical models of iMac G5 plus reading this post with VERY similar behaviors and after all the normal tests. I've concluded the memory is A-OK and something more sinister is lurking...
Any thoughts are appreciated.

Anyones Ram Upgrade Working??

I was just curious after reading several posts about how everyone is having issues after replacing their ram up to the 4GB, if anyones ram upgrade has actually worked, and not resulted in constant freezing, or any freezing/locking up for that matter.
Thanks!

I installed a 4GB kit from http://www.datamemorysystems.com/ and my 2.4 GHz MacBook started crashing during sleep and random usage. I emailed DMS and they're sending me a replacement. I'll let this thread know how that goes.
The 2GB that came with the MacBook are Samsung branded.
The 4GB I ordered from DMS are AVANT (assembled in the USA) chips and stickered "DMS Certified." DMS has been really nice over email and told me they haven't had any customer complaints (besides mine) as of yet.

Erratic trackpad due to humidity?

I have an erratic trackpad on my min-09 MB Pro, which began this evening. The pad is unresponsive to hand motion but also generates spontaneous cursor motion and clicks. After some googling, I saw that the pad can be sensitive to humidty and failing to cure the problem with restting the PRAM I took it down to the basement (55% humidty down here). Almost instantly the behavior disappears and normal operation is restored. I have tried the calibration by palm proximity technique and cleaned both the pad and my hands, to no avail. Is there a fix for this in software (ie calibration file)? If I swap a new keyboard/pad in will that fix it?

I should note, the erratic behvior returns if I go back up to the kitchen and disappears when I return to the basement. The humidity level in the kitchen is high but not out of the ordinary for New Jersey. I am not shutting down or sleeping the machine while moving up or downstairs.

Macbook erratic trackpad and stuck on right click! NEED HELP!

Hi,
Got a Macbook Unibody, 10.6.8, 2.4GHz, 8GB RAM.
Basicly it was working fine. I installed a driver for a Tascam audio interface, still working fine for about 2 hours. Took it round to my girlfriends and after a few more hours the pointer started moving around the screen on it's own, clicking only operates the right click function and it will right click on it's own sometimes.
I've removed the driver and software that came with the Tascam Driver the best I can (Not sure how to do it fully on a Mac, Windows is much better at these things!), I've clean the pad itself and tried 'resetting' it by placing my palm on it for a few seconds. All these things haven't worked.
USB mouse seems to work ok but even the erratic trackpad will take over sometimes.
The interface was plugged in via USB and I'm wondering if this could have effected it?
Any help is much appriciated, it seems like everytime I touch her computer something goes wrong with it!!!
Oh and no Apple warranty so going to apple ain't an option.
Many thanks,
Karl.

If you have a model with a removable battery, pull the battery and try running without it. I had a problem with my battery swelling and it created all weird trackpad issues. I replaced the battery and it cleared them all up.
Check out the new remodeled MacOSG website! 24-hour Apple-related news & support.
 MacOSG: An Apple User Group  iTunes: MacOSG Podcast  Follow us on Twitter: MacOSG

Compaq Presario C303NR Doesn't Completely Start-up after New RAM Upgrade

Hello Paul,
This is Tammy. I finally made time this morning to upgrade the ram in my laptop, model C303nr. And, I'm in desparate need of help because something went horribly wrong.
The laptop boots up to my desktop, but then I get nothing but moving vertical lines, much like tv snow, but more structured. I've taken the new memory out a couple of times and tried to re-seated it, but I get the same results. Moreover, when I tried to put the old memory back in, the exact same thing happens. Have I completely broken my laptop?
Can you or someone out there please help me. This is my first attempt to do something like this and I feel absolutely heartsick over the results.
Clinging to hope for a fix,
Tammy
This question was solved.
View Solution.

Hi Paul,
After the other tech responded by asking me to connect the laptop to an external monitor to check the video card, I decided to take another go at the ram first. Note: My only external monitor is packed knee-deep in a storage room and would have been a nightmare to unearth, so going toe-to-toe again with the ram seemed considerably less challenging at that point.
I have a small hand-held vac that I use only for blowing dust off of figurines, so I pulled it out and blew the inside of the laptop out as best I could without taking the entire bottom cover off. Then I blew the old ram off for good measure. After I re-installed the old ram, the laptop booted and the screen about windows not shutting down properly came up. (Note: Because of my earlier problem with the ram, I had to do a hard shut-down.) Safe-mode was one of my options, so I chose it. After fully booting into safe-mode everything appeared okay... no vertical, moving, snowy lines. I shut the laptop down and then started it again in normal mode. (Note: Didn't use restart. Did it the long way.) The laptop booted fine again.
Somewhat encouraged, I decided to take a chance on the new ram. So I blew it off for good measure too and installed one stick. Restarted and everything worked just fine. Shut it down and started it again. Everything still okay. Blew the second stick off, installed it, and restarted the laptop... fully expecting something to go wrong here. Nothing did. Shut the laptop down and started it again. All surprisingly okay. I hadn't used this laptop since our previous modem/router went out, so I had to set-up wireless connection. All remained okay... and appears to still be okay. Currently running, though it is not the one I am typing this message with.
In summary, the only thing I can figure out is that I inadvertently introduced dust into either the ram seat or onto the ram itself. Or, that in spite of the ram appearing well seated to a novice, it wasn't. (I had read someone else's thread that indicated this as being a possibility.)
(Note: I went into such detail above in the event this thread might help someone else at a later date with his/her own ram upgrade problem.)
A much relieved and grateful...
Tammy

Erratic Trackpad Behavior - Result of RAM Upgrade?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for