Post AbmsQMbNmh4anrFrYu by PeteZ@mastodonbooks.net
(DIR) More posts by PeteZ@mastodonbooks.net
(DIR) Post #AbmoZLkXvGDEwwZQx6 by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-11-14T04:43:13Z
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Does this make any sense to computer people?My computer has been really slow, so I got some new RAM. When I installed it in two empty slots, one of the two cards started smoking.I took the new cards out, and moved the old cards to the two slots where the smoking was just to see if those slots still worked.And now … my computer is super zippy. No new RAM. I just moved two cards to the other two empty slots.That seems super weird to me, but is it something people have heard of before?
(DIR) Post #Abmp1kekuiw6IwPAum by Legit_Spaghetti@mastodo.neoliber.al
2023-11-14T04:48:19Z
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@grammargirl one of the two cards started smokingThat... uh, that seems like a house fire waiting to happen. When you say "smoking," do you mean like actual smoke coming from the RAM? Because that sounds like a pretty big problem.
(DIR) Post #AbmpATRKIIe9VxHaam by GrahamDowns@c.im
2023-11-14T04:49:53Z
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@grammargirl Definitely something wrong with those slots. They're working, but perhaps not at the correct frequency for the new RAM, which is what caused it to let the smoke out[*] when you plugged the new chips in.Then you put the old chips back in, and it works because the old chips don't require the higher frequeny... but it's slow because the old chips would prefer to be faster.The other slots can accommodate the old chips at their preferred, faster speed.That's just pure speculation on my part, but it feels reasonable to me that that's what's happening. :)
(DIR) Post #AbmpE6fys33m4YryAi by mykl@infosec.exchange
2023-11-14T04:50:34Z
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@grammargirl You may have a faulty DIMM slot. I recommend you get it checked out. Also, do the new DIMMs exactly match the old ones for specifications?
(DIR) Post #Abmq5GAOJeDUr3RHX6 by danblondell@masto.nyc
2023-11-14T05:00:09Z
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@grammargirl maybe there was a foreign object on the contact that caused the smoking and blocked a contact point? (This is a wild guess)
(DIR) Post #AbmsQMbNmh4anrFrYu by PeteZ@mastodonbooks.net
2023-11-14T05:26:24Z
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@grammargirl Back up everything on that computer that you care about right now. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200.Someone will have to look at the actual computer. But I’d guess you have a loose or bad memory socket. I’d further guess that it’s only accidentally working at the moment.
(DIR) Post #AbmsVD3mgk2weoqmTw by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-11-14T05:27:17Z
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@mykl Thanks! The DIMM set that had one smoke was 64 gigs (two 32s) and the old ones are 4 gigs each.
(DIR) Post #AbmsefNukOL76wm8DQ by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-11-14T05:29:00Z
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@Legit_Spaghetti I didn’t actually see smoke, but there was a bad smell like an electrical fire, and when I pulled out the card, part of it was black and a little melted.
(DIR) Post #Abmss5MxRrvzSuj7Ee by paul@fedi.nlpagan.net
2023-11-14T04:46:11.706692Z
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@grammargirl That... is odd. I've never heard of that. The only thing I could imagine is, that the new slots are for faster RAM chips, and the ones you had were simply in the wrong slots, but... that would be strange. I doubt your computer was slow from the start.
(DIR) Post #Abmss8ZTXmjJObbefA by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-11-14T05:31:20Z
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@paul Correct. The old RAM is what came with the computer, and it worked fine for at least three years.
(DIR) Post #Abmt0qJAoYY3MQ8GDw by zkarj@mastodon.nz
2023-11-14T05:32:58Z
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@grammargirl moving slots affecting speed, sure. Smoking from *anywhere* inside a computer? No!
(DIR) Post #Abmt1sKolVtJw3OTfk by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-11-14T05:33:11Z
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@GrahamDowns Thanks!
(DIR) Post #AbmtFoxg6ULjWmDiCG by mykl@infosec.exchange
2023-11-14T05:35:39Z
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@grammargirl There are also speed/frequency ratings that will usually need to match, but it’s really sounding like a slot may be faulty. I’d check those other specs, and if the computer is important, I would get it checked out by a technician, just to establish that the DIMM slots are sound. BUT, it’s entirely possible you got a bad DIMM too.
(DIR) Post #AbmtGvGU9ZnXMnXgx6 by danblondell@masto.nyc
2023-11-14T05:01:37Z
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@grammargirl Probably time for a new computer if it’s literally smoking though
(DIR) Post #AbmtGzsuycuvh9YRPc by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-11-14T05:35:55Z
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@danblondell But now it’s working almost like new. Maybe the smoking burned off a speck of dust that was blocking something? Seems unlikely that a near fire would fix anything. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
(DIR) Post #AbmtUemqDQKSJaE328 by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-11-14T05:38:21Z
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@PeteZ LOL. It’s double backed up — locally and through a cloud service — so at least I wasn’t stressed about that.Excellent point about the current good working condition likely being temporary.
(DIR) Post #AbmtXgPybhkIF6yRUm by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-11-14T05:38:56Z
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@zkarj 😀
(DIR) Post #AbmtePexJSVAIKBnEm by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-11-14T05:40:08Z
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@mykl Thanks! That’s helpful.
(DIR) Post #AbmtqJVvzHnAi3e0dU by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-11-14T05:42:13Z
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@sindarina Thank you! I did check the specs, and they said it could handle up to 128 total. It’s a 2019 iMac.
(DIR) Post #AbmtusxM9isfn3ePAX by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-11-14T05:43:08Z
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@sindarina Good advice not to leave it unattended too. Do you think it’s OK as long as it’s turned off or should I actually unplug it?
(DIR) Post #AbmtwRZGxMFfQS82b2 by danblondell@masto.nyc
2023-11-14T05:43:25Z
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@grammargirl And yet! (Yeah I have no idea what a mystery!)
(DIR) Post #Abmuh0PVkEqeoClVhI by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-11-14T05:51:48Z
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@sindarina Yeah, it’s a four year-old iMac. I was hoping to put off buying a new computer for another year or two, but it seems like it’s probably time to bite the bullet. Fortunately, it’s double backed up.
(DIR) Post #AbmxUEaA2it4rMLfNo by glennf@twit.social
2023-11-14T05:56:43Z
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@sindarina @grammargirl Yes, I am very concerned about the smoking.
(DIR) Post #AbmxUFbGG7MU13s3jk by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-11-14T06:23:06Z
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@glennf @sindarina OK! Thanks a lot.
(DIR) Post #AbmxkAeERFCDI5qrtg by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-11-14T06:26:00Z
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@sindarina Thinking about it, it’s possible I didn’t get one of them in quite tight. It was awkward getting in there.
(DIR) Post #Abmxuu80CP8nEztX7o by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-11-14T06:27:52Z
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@sindarina Thanks again!
(DIR) Post #Abn1ZUON5bJJ9paxzU by tewade@aus.social
2023-11-14T07:08:51Z
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@grammargirl it's like in the office when you get rid of the smelly smoker and everyone else is so happy they just start working more efficiently...
(DIR) Post #Abn3aSL4POOazHdjXM by OliverKennett@mastodonapp.uk
2023-11-14T07:31:28Z
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@grammargirl Love this maverick approach to IT!
(DIR) Post #AbnKjmVqTF5fNliE9g by ianRobinson@mastodon.social
2023-11-14T10:43:38Z
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@grammargirl Bear in mind if getting a new Mac that you can’t add more ram to most of the current models after buying. Get one with at least 16GB RAM when buying. 8GB will be okay, but 16GB will be better if you can afford it. For reference, my M1 Mac mini has 16GB. This is were almost all of my work is done. My M2 MacBook Air has 8GB. This is an emergency backup and sofa computer.
(DIR) Post #AbnWaA2lKM90usHvFY by dashdashado@wandering.shop
2023-11-14T12:56:15Z
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@grammargirl Once you have replaced the Mac and experimentation is prudent, you can move the memory cards back to the old slots to see if the computer becomes slow again; it's the sort of thing I'd do simply to satisfy my curiosity.(With non-tech-savvy users, the speedup might result not from moving the memory cards but rather from the power-down-power-up necessitated when moving them; I'm confident that powering down and back up was tried here before the memory cards were moved.)
(DIR) Post #AbnWzb69sKt2450OzA by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-11-14T13:00:45Z
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@sindarina Yay! It’s launch day! 📚🎉
(DIR) Post #AbnX7le0Y8cT5ajZzs by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-11-14T13:02:23Z
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@ianRobinson Thanks!
(DIR) Post #AbnXmDw8mJKkQ6VTSS by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-11-14T13:09:46Z
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@dashdashado I’ve been thinking about moving them back to see what happens — my old biology lab experience is kicking in.I wondered if the 20 minutes unplugged could have caused it to start working normally again because I had read about that as a troubleshooting step. I tried it a couple of times about a month ago, and it didn’t help, but I think I only unplugged it for 3-5 minutes back then.
(DIR) Post #AbnmUXHTcK94VyVh7w by 1024@mastodon.uno
2023-11-14T15:54:35Z
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@grammargirl if you are able to make a USB bootable key, it's easy to run a diagnosis software. I'd definitely recommend you to check this tool: https://www.memtest86.com/
(DIR) Post #AbnmqLhnKqX2z7Dnqy by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-11-14T15:58:36Z
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@1024 Thanks! I'll check it out.
(DIR) Post #Abo32Yk0IFhC9i6Cn2 by tc_morekindness@c.im
2023-11-14T18:59:58Z
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@grammargirl As others have suggested, maybe the socket that smoked was faulty all along, so you were really only operating on 4 gigs when you thought you had 8. But now, in the other slots, all 8 gigs are working. Hence, zippiness.
(DIR) Post #AboZBB210kb7lGg1nE by fivetonsflax@tilde.zone
2023-11-15T01:00:10Z
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@grammargirl Excessive heat can cause a system to slow down to protect itself from overheating. Is it possible that in all this futzing, you incidentally removed some dirt or hair that was trapping airflow, blocking a fan, etc.?
(DIR) Post #AbomPwyDPiYBKdsGW0 by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-11-15T03:28:31Z
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@fivetonsflax It's possible. I was surprised to find some dust inside the chamber that holds the RAM. It wasn't a lot, but the receptacle seems well sealed. I was surprised there was any.
(DIR) Post #AbopmtMvGnM0gX3uUa by dxzdb@mastodon.social
2023-11-15T04:06:17Z
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@grammargirl @danblondell that is weird! I was going to suggest dust was what was smoking - maybe previously you had an inoperative memory chip and the smoke inspired reseating got it working again.
(DIR) Post #AboqDcJgmGKNcLIE08 by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-11-15T04:11:05Z
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@dxzdb I didn't get a picture, but the RAM card had a black melted spot on it. The smoke was definitely more than dust. I'm actually going to buy a fire extinguisher tomorrow. We had one, but it got lost when we moved, and I remembered yesterday, at what could have been an inopportune time, that I've been meaning to get another one.
(DIR) Post #AbosCQ2b8GlJADr5Rw by dxzdb@mastodon.social
2023-11-15T04:33:16Z
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@grammargirl the materials that the memory module is made out of are required to have a low flammability rating. It would be fun for a mythbusters episode to show how likely a fire would be. it’s pretty hard to explain the shift from not working well to working great without some sort of physical change - maybe the burned pin was higher resistance causing it to heat up and torch and when it did it cleared itself. Won’t happen on a new Mac - because replaceable RAM isn’t an option. 👍👎
(DIR) Post #AbpzFCHFehGyBNwP9k by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-11-15T17:26:46Z
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@dxzdb FWIW, it stopped working well and is as laggy as it ever was. So the improvement was transient.
(DIR) Post #AbqLGulPwHDBR7H6sC by dxzdb@mastodon.social
2023-11-15T21:33:42Z
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@grammargirl bummer! Is this a 21.5” or 27? Looks like the smaller one only has 2 memory slots. Does Activity Monitor show high memory pressure? I like this tool for monitoring https://bjango.com/mac/istatmenus/ $12 for iStat.
(DIR) Post #AbqM3x2uF7W2hgq0Bs by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-11-15T21:42:36Z
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@dxzdb It's a 21.5. I don't think Activity Monitor was showing problems. I used a tool called CleanMyMac X that measured a lot of different things, and I didn't see any big red flags.
(DIR) Post #AbqfFlQFBPq3G36G8G by dxzdb@mastodon.social
2023-11-16T01:17:39Z
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@grammargirl Hmmm - Apple would probably recommend running this: https://support.apple.com/en-us/102550
(DIR) Post #AbqkySCnyckwSawXnk by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-11-16T02:21:45Z
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@dxzdb I did that too! :)
(DIR) Post #AbqrM9r8S160E1UfCK by dxzdb@mastodon.social
2023-11-16T03:33:14Z
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@grammargirl you’ve probably talked to Apple too? Is dragging it to a retail store next?
(DIR) Post #AbquCmNKgL9Ieolzcm by grammargirl@zirk.us
2023-11-16T04:05:13Z
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@dxzdb I have not. I’m quite far from the closest Apple store, and for some (perhaps irrational) reason, I despise bringing my computer in for service.