RAM damage?

[i2kdave]

Can installing 2 sticks of RAM incorrectly (e.g. in slots 1 & 2 when it should be 1 & 3) cause damage to the RAM? Thanks for any help.

 

[o1die]

No. As long as you're not installing them backwards, which could damage the slots. Usually, if the ram is installed correctly, you'll get 2 clicking sounds as the end clamps lock down.

 

[evongugg]

You just won't get dual channel most likely.

 

[i2kdave]

Okay, that's good. The reason for my question is, I was building a new system last night and, after XP failed to finish installing, I realized that I had the RAM in the wrong slots. Well, I reinstalled the RAM, formatted the HDD, and attempted to reinstall XP. Now, at varying points during the installation, I get a "PFN_LIST_CORRUPT" error and the memory dumps. Having researched the problem, the most likely culprit seems to be bad memory. I plan on running memtest tonight when I get home. However, I'm wondering if resetting the BIOS would help? It could be bad RAM, but it just doesn't seem that likely to me. Any ideas?

 

[i2kdave]

sure enough, one stick failed the memory test :/