When installing or handling computer memory, you need to be careful of a handful of things. Most importantly you should prepare against Electro-Static Discharge or ESD. It is extremely important to keep yourself properly grounded when working with computer memory. You can ground yourself with an Anti-Static Wrist Strap. Or you can discharge any built up static electricity in your body by touching the metal frame, or chasis, of the inside of your computer.

When installing or handling computer memory, in addition to keeping yourself grounded, you should try to handle the memory by only touching the edges of the memory module. Also, try to keep your fingers off the pins. The oil from your fingers can possible fry a pin when when the computer is booted up with the module installed.

One last tip, if you’re installing memory in a desktop, make sure the computer is powered off, but leave the power cord connected. This will help keep the entire computer grounded while you are installing the memory.

If ESD causes any damage to your memory, the effects may be immediate and the computer won’t work with the ESD damaged memory module installed, or a problem could arise at a later date, making it difficult to diagnose the source. These tips can help prevent major problems down the road.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 13th, 2007 at 4:43 pm and is filed under How To's. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.