HP 8200 Elite SSF
Windows 10 pro 1909
I suddenly developed boot issues. The monitor stayed black but the power supply fan would run. After about a full minute, the fan would rev up to full speed and continue until I forced a shutdown.
I may have solved this problem on my own. I will post one way or the other when I know for sure. Til then, I need some help in understanding how bad RAM affects the performance of good RAM.
I searched the Internet looking for a solution to the boot issue. Most sites were in agreement that with my particular set of symptoms, more than likely, bad RAM was the cause of the problem. They suggested testing RAM before any other troubleshooting.
I have four sticks of RAM. I removed the first. There was no change in the boot issue. Leaving the first out, I removed the second stick. There was no change in the boot issue. Leaving the first and second stick out, I removed the third stick.
With only the fourth stick of RAM in place, the computer did boot normally and ran OK (although I did not test for performance or speed). I concluded the third stick was bad. While leaving it out, I replaced sticks one and two. Again, I got a normal boot.
There seems to be no doubt that the third stick is the problem. Later today, I will return the third stick to its slot. If I then get boot failure again, I can be sure the problem was due to the third stick being faulty. Right?
Here is where I need help understanding just what's going on. If I understand, I will be far less likely to forget what I have learned.
If you have four light bulbs wired together in a particular configuration and one bulb burns out, the other three will continue to burn whether the burned out bulb remains in its socket or removed and the socket left empty.
This is what I would have expected with four sticks of RAM. I now think I am wrong. It seems that leaving a bad stick of RAM in place affects the normal operation of the other three, while removing that bad stick permits the other three to operate normaly.
Am I correct in this or do I have it all wrong as to how good and bad sticks of RAM affect the performance of each other?
Thanks for any enlightenment.