Predator 17 G9-793-77Q5 - Can boot with internal RAM slots #1 and 3 empty?

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Sheist
Sheist Member Posts: 2 New User
edited March 2023 in 2017 Archives

I suspect one or two bad RAM sticks (due to unexplained and many, many different BSOD's) and the only RAM currently in the machine are tucked in the internal slots #1 and #3 underneath the keyboard.  Since they are hard to access and require service to remove the motherboard, I want to relocate the RAM to the two external slots.  (the two slots #2 and #4 accessible easily via the access cover)

 

1. -Will the machine boot with RAM in only external slots #2 and 4?  (leaving the internal slots #1 and 3 empty)

 

I want to be able to test the slots/modules individually myself after relocating them to the easier-to-reach external slots, since trying to use the internal slots for testing is problematic.

 

2. - Also, is it possible to unscrew the motherboard enough to get access to remove/swap the internal RAM but without dislodging the cooling unit from its CPU paste?

 

Predator 17 G9-793-77Q5, 4 total RAM slots, 64gb max RAM.

Answers

  • IronFly
    IronFly ACE Posts: 18,413 Trailblazer
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    if you are under warranty, don't do it.

     

    are you sure it's a ram issue?

     

    download this tool, whocrashed:
    http://www.resplendence.com/download/whocrashedSetup.exe

    before running it, browse to C:\windows\minidump
    delete all files apart the first 2-3 files (newest)
    then install whocrashed and run it
    click on Analyze
    report here the result.

    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • Sheist
    Sheist Member Posts: 2 New User
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    Useless gesture.  There are 10-15 different BSOD error descriptions that whocrashed cannot specifically isolate, across RAID0 boot with original Win10 Home install, HDD with Win10Pro and then wiped RAID0 with Win10pro.  Happens less now, but always during a day or so and usually after running something like Windows Defender or Microsoft Scanner or any virus tool on all drives.  If I leave it doing nothing, it stays up for days fewer crashes (but still crashes), but if I run something like a full scan with anything, it eventually bugcheck boots.  Only a couple of times has it finished any scan across ALL drives without a bugcheck boot... but rarely will it finish this way.  All the virus scanners work fine across any drive individually, and finds nothing (suggesting it takes "time" before it hits a critical memory spot)... but if I run anything like Sophos, Bitdefender, Comodo, Zonealarm, Windows Defender across ALL drives at once, it eventually crashes after a few hours.  Or, it crashes later with nothing running and nothing being installed or replaced... but it takes more time.  The gamut of whocrashed findings points to everything and nothing, but most to ntoskrnl, which is the kernel... even had a SEVERE MEMORY MANAGEMENT error.  All drivers are manufacturer-current, BIOS is 1.09 Acer-current, and some drivers are newer than even Acer's website offers, but still crashes across 3 OS installs, HDD and RAID0 hardware.  All virus tools find nothing on each drive and the system separately, as they can finish quicker. 

     

    It is never the same BSOD reason twice in a row.  Always a new error or one non-sequentially seen before, completely unrelated to anything installed or recently updated.  If it isn't RAM, it is nothing else.  I ran the better Memtest that checks DDR4 RAM when it was UEFI installed on the RAID0, and it instantly found 2 errors on pass one, then none the next 3 passes.  Sadly, without UEFI, the older memtest found nothing.  Windows memory test itself found nothing on 2 runs and it ran quickly on 2 different occasions, but running it this last time on my 32gb of RAM has taken about 5 days to get through to 80% of pass 2, finding no errors so far.  When this finishes, I will test Windows 7 with USB drivers included to see if I can get it to crash.  

     

    I really need an answer to my question, will it boot with slots 1 and 3 empty and only slots 2 and 4 populated?

     

    I fully intend to remove or replace the RAM in slots 1 and 3 before this is solved.  If I can just relocate the RAM  and continue testing each module individually, this will save me about $230 USD to start with, which is preferable.

     

  • IronFly
    IronFly ACE Posts: 18,413 Trailblazer
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    Acer mention that slots 1-3 are always populated, so i can't tell you if your laptop works without ram modules in them.

    in my opinion 1-3 must be always populated but it's not an "official" statement.

     

    i strongly suggest you to contact Acer support by phone.

    I'm not an Acer employee.