Upgrading RAM on a HP Pavilion m8000?
By
Back_Blast,
Posted on: 2010-03-29 21:51 in ALL ACCESS Gameplay Technical Issues Bugs
That's strange because looking at HP's support site, it looks just like any of their desktop PCs. However there are a bizillion different versions of that model so I may be wrong.
But assuming that it's this motherboard it appears straightforward with the only question being what the speed and timings of the memory he already has which can be done with CPU-Z or looking at the BIOS settings.
Father Xmas - Level 50 Ice/Ice Tanker - Victory
$725 and $1350 parts lists --- My guide to computer components
Tempus unum hominem manet
It's less of a compatibility issue and more of a "reaching the memory slots without taking a sledgehammer to the chasis" issue.
It's not like they weld it shut. It's called a Phillips screwdriver or a hex nut driver. Buy a computer tool kit. You kids with your thumbscrewed side panels and tool free cases. 
Father Xmas - Level 50 Ice/Ice Tanker - Victory
$725 and $1350 parts lists --- My guide to computer components
Tempus unum hominem manet
Apparently they welded the hell out of it, actually. Anyway, I'll might be best to post the IM conversation when I get back home.
Pictures perhaps? If we can see the problem, perhaps we can see a way past it. But surely there is a way to access it.
It is known that there are an infinite number of worlds, simply because there is an infinite amount of space for them to be in. However, not every one of them is inhabited. Therefore, there must be a finite number of inhabited worlds. Any finite number divided by infinity is as near to nothing as makes no odds, so the average population of all the planets in the Universe can be said to be zero. From this it follows that the population of the whole Universe is also zero, and that any people you may meet from time to time are merely the products of a deranged imagination.
Quote:
Yeah, that would simplify things quite a bit, so we'll be having none of that.|
Originally Posted by Back_Blast
Pictures perhaps? If we can see the problem, perhaps we can see a way past it. But surely there is a way to access it.
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(16:34:42) GHL: *shakes his fist at you*
(16:34:59) Quinch: ....
(16:35:05) Quinch: Okay, is your computer open now?
(16:35:11) GHL: ....
(16:35:17) GHL: I'm talking to you right now, right?
(16:35:21) GHL: so no
(16:35:37) Quinch: ...you know, the computer can run just fine with the cover off.
(16:35:40) Quinch: But anyway.
(16:36:00) Quinch: Did you find the actual RAM slots?
(16:36:05) GHL: Yes
(16:36:10) Quinch: But?
(16:36:30) GHL: I can't get to them without ripping out part of the frame and the Hard Drive
(16:37:51) Quinch: Alright. The motherboard is, I presume, screwed to a panel which is in turn screwed to the frame?
(16:38:05) GHL: Yeah
(16:38:52) Quinch: So have you considered unscrewing the panel, so you could have better access to the motherboard?
(16:39:19) GHL: Sure
(16:39:24) Quinch: But?
(16:39:42) GHL: But to get to the screws I hat to cut away half of the frame first
(16:39:56) Quinch: Yyyyeah I kinda doubt that.
(16:40:53) Quinch: Unless the screws are on the inside, i.e. on the motherboard side, which would be... just spectacularly bad design.
(16:41:03) GHL: Look...I've been at that for over an hour myself today... do you really think I haven't considerd that in that time...That I haven't searched for those screws...
(16:41:19) Quinch: Wait, so you can't find the screws?
(16:41:25) GHL: Yes
(16:42:50) Quinch: Okay... let's assume... for the moment... that the motherboard panel can't be removed.
(16:43:02) GHL: No
(16:43:05) Quinch: What's blocking the memory slots from the front side?
(16:44:09) GHL: The Hard Drive and some sort ofcage that's supposed to hold an external Hard Disk or whatever they mean by Personal Media Drive
(16:46:36) Quinch: I'm guessing removing the hard disk wouldn't be a problem... any screws on the cage, or is it welded in?
(16:57:15) GHL: Sorry I heard some doggies and had to play with them
(16:58:40) GHL: Well actually...it is.. The screws for the HDD are on the inside of the cage...
(16:59:02) GHL: And the cage is pretty much bolted to the frame
(16:59:21) Quinch: Bolted? Are you sure?
(17:00:03) GHL: Well those aint screws that I've seen. They were little bolts, bolts that where welded to the frame
(17:00:18) GHL: Whoever built this thing was'nt a friend of customization
(17:00:44) Quinch: Still not sure how the hard drive can be screwed in on the inside.
(17:01:14) GHL: Inside the frame.to the cage
(17:01:37) Quinch: But if the cage is blocking the access, it's a moot point.
(17:02:42) GHL: Exactly, I can't slide out the cage with the HDD still on and I can't get to the HDD without taking out the cage
(17:03:05) Quinch: Wait, so the cage isn't bolted to the frame?
(17:03:30) GHL: Yes, sorry, I ment the frame is bolted, I'm tired
(17:03:48) GHL: The cage, you could slide it out but the HDD is in the way
(17:03:51) Quinch: But if it's bolted, how can you slide it out, hard drive or no?
(17:03:57) Quinch: Ah.
(17:04:24) Quinch: I'm trying to visualize this...
(17:04:45) GHL: But I if I unscrew the HDD it's just hanging in there, so to speak, that cage is the only thing the HDD is attached to,
(17:05:06) GHL: As far as I can tell of course, it's difficult to see with the cage and part of the fram in the way
(17:05:46) GHL: Oh and lets not forget the cables that are all mushed into this, right attop the ram slot
(17:06:01) Quinch: Meh, cables can be disconnected and reconnected easily.
(17:06:05) Quinch: That's the least of your problems.
(17:06:25) Quinch: I hope.
(17:06:26) GHL: True... first I had to reach tose plugs, behind the fram
(17:06:35) GHL: and the cage
(17:07:26) GHL: Let me say this, I think this is the last time I consider Hewland Peckard for my computer needs.
(17:07:43) Quinch: Oh jesus christ, it's a prebuilt?
(17:07:47) GHL: Of course I never actually did, My grandmother bought this computer for me
(17:07:56) GHL: Yes
(17:08:07) Quinch: Well, that explains a lot.
(17:08:39) Quinch: But anyway, are you sure that you can't slide out the cage with the disk inside? What's blocking it, exactly?
(17:10:42) GHL: The front of the computer mainly
(17:11:10) Quinch: Wait, it slides out forward?
(17:11:47) GHL: only the inner part.
(17:12:28) Quinch: Ugh. Okay.
(17:12:58) GHL: The goodwill, it burns, does'nt it?
(17:14:11) Quinch: What burns is the likelihood that I could tear that ****** apart, install the RAM and put it back together in fifteen minutes if I was actually there.
(17:14:47) GHL: Yeah and the though of you being in throtteling range is kind of alluring too.
(17:15:23) Quinch: Then again, distance probably has its upsides too.
(17:15:50) GHL: Oh well, there's 70 bucks I'll gonna miss, dearly.
(17:16:04) Quinch: Yyyeah.
(17:16:14) Quinch: Okay, try to revisit the motherboard angle.
(17:16:24) Quinch: Try to figure out what's holding it in place, exactly.
(17:16:31) GHL: screws
(17:16:39) Quinch: Which you can't find?
(17:16:46) GHL: I can find one of them
(17:16:53) Quinch: But?
(17:17:09) GHL: The rest is obscured by the CD drive the power unit and cables
(17:17:44) Quinch: Wait, the back panel screws are on the inside as well?
(17:18:05) GHL: Yeeeeees
(17:19:10) Quinch: Are you sure you're not talking about the screws that are holding the motherboard to the panel?
(17:19:28) GHL: I thought we wre talking about those the whole time?
(17:20:11) GHL: You ment the panel it's on?
(17:20:13) Quinch: No.
(17:20:15) Quinch: Yes.
(17:20:24) GHL: That one's bolted and welded
(17:20:24) Quinch: The screws fastening the panel to the frame.
(17:20:38) Quinch: Grn....
(17:20:55) GHL: HP, the most sold brand in Switzerland
(17:24:33) Quinch: Okay, the screws for the disk... which way are they facing?
(17:24:49) GHL: Up?
(17:25:06) GHL: But as I said I can't reach them?
(17:25:19) Quinch: What's in the way? The cage itself?
(17:25:25) GHL: Yes
(17:25:38) Quinch: You can't approach them from any angle? Or just from the top?
(17:25:58) GHL: I can't get to them at all
(17:26:18) Quinch: The front of the frame, is it a closed surface?
(17:26:40) GHL: You mean?
(17:26:42) Quinch: I.e. is the frame itself blocking the cage, or just the plastic front?
(17:27:11) GHL: The frame
(17:27:24) Quinch: Well, it had to be inserted somehow.
(17:27:43) GHL: I personaly vote for black magic
(17:27:53) Quinch: Hm. Well, it is HP.
(17:28:49) GHL: Also, most of the points you've brought up until now I've tried out myself
(17:29:14) GHL: Ah well, at least it'll be able to play L4D2, which should come tomorrow.
(17:29:22) Quinch: Yay?
(17:29:31) GHL: That is unless all my tinkering and tampering has unhinged something inside
(17:30:33) Quinch: Anyway, since I'm running out of things to guess at, try asking Cherry when she comes online. She's had more experience with prebuilts, so...
(17:30:49) GHL: Mmmmno. Let's not.
(17:31:28) Quinch: Because?
(17:31:36) GHL: Personal Prejudice
(17:31:51) Quinch: Seventy bucks' worth?
(17:33:16) GHL: Yes
(17:34:08) Quinch: Suit yourself.
(17:34:57) GHL: Also I'm sick and tired of this ****. I never want to open that computer ever again.
(17:35:15) Quinch: Anyway, if it's really just the hard disk being the main problem, see if you can loosen the screws with a butter knife or something equally long and thin and then unscrews them by hand.
(17:35:21) Quinch: Well, alright.
(17:35:59) GHL: Not with this combined headache, backpain, leg pain thing anyway
(17:36:20) Quinch: Okay. Lemme think.
(17:36:28) GHL: And lets not forget the sore arm from dragging my computer around
(17:36:29) Quinch: Do you know the model of that abomination?
(17:36:55) GHL: Not offhand.
(17:37:18) Quinch: Is there a sticker on the back?
(17:37:44) GHL: Yes
(17:38:02) Quinch: What's it say?
(17:38:48) GHL: It only is about the Windowsversion
(17:39:21) Quinch: And no other stickers?
(17:39:46) GHL: Look I'm trying to turn this thing around without causing a short fuse
(17:40:00) Quinch: Alright, nevermind then.
(17:40:18) GHL: Hmmmm Pavilion m8000?
(17:41:41) Quinch: Yeah, that's it.
(17:41:43) GHL: Does that mean something?
(17:41:46) GHL: Ah
(17:42:56) Quinch: Well, I'm gonna post on the CoH technical forums, see if anyone knows how to walk you through it.
(17:43:01) Quinch: Or you can, if you want.
(17:44:23) GHL: You have a better way with words than I do
(17:45:06) Quinch: Your funeral.
(17:45:20) GHL: How fitting, I feel dead inside.
Ok, this looks to be the 'Upgrading and Servicing Guide' for the system. Looks like the HDD and the assembly it is attached to, including the 'cage' are removed by pulling them out the front of the case which requires removal of the front panel. Instructions for all that are in the guide. After that it looks like the memory is (relatively) easily accessed.
http://bizsupport2.austin.hp.com/bc/.../c00841394.pdf
Good luck.
It is known that there are an infinite number of worlds, simply because there is an infinite amount of space for them to be in. However, not every one of them is inhabited. Therefore, there must be a finite number of inhabited worlds. Any finite number divided by infinity is as near to nothing as makes no odds, so the average population of all the planets in the Universe can be said to be zero. From this it follows that the population of the whole Universe is also zero, and that any people you may meet from time to time are merely the products of a deranged imagination.
That's what I get for not looking at the service manual. Gods what design nightmare. Makes you appreciate mid tower ATX cases.
Father Xmas - Level 50 Ice/Ice Tanker - Victory
$725 and $1350 parts lists --- My guide to computer components
Tempus unum hominem manet
Yes it is and yes it does. I'll never truly understand who designs those monstrosities. They have to be drunk or on drugs when they come up with those things. Why they can't take a nod from the companies that actually make servicable and sensible cases (or just buy theirs from them) I'll never understand. There's plenty of manufacturers who know how to make workable, servicable cases that still look good but the things the big PC makers come up with come out looking like they were designed during a 2-for-1 special at the local bar. Just one of the several reasons why I always build my own instead of buy a prebuilt.
It is known that there are an infinite number of worlds, simply because there is an infinite amount of space for them to be in. However, not every one of them is inhabited. Therefore, there must be a finite number of inhabited worlds. Any finite number divided by infinity is as near to nothing as makes no odds, so the average population of all the planets in the Universe can be said to be zero. From this it follows that the population of the whole Universe is also zero, and that any people you may meet from time to time are merely the products of a deranged imagination.
Quote:
In my years of being a certified tech, I have to say that ranks up with some of the other design blunders I've seen in the past. Though that one IBM model with the non-standard power supply I dealt with was annoying.|
Originally Posted by Father Xmas
Gods what design nightmare. Makes you appreciate mid tower ATX cases.
|
I've actually run into one computer that was fully riveted to prevent any access to the inside of the case. I had to tell the client that any upgrades would have to be handled by the seller.
Triumph: White Succubus: 50 Ill/Emp/PF Snow Globe: 50 Ice/FF/Ice Strobe: 50 PB Shi Otomi: 50 Ninja/Ninjistu/GW Stalker My other characters
Quote:
I've run into innumerable nonstandard PSU designs in my career and plenty of badly designed cases. But one actively designed to prevent access? Wow. Now that's impressive.
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Originally Posted by Snow Globe
In my years of being a certified tech, I have to say that ranks up with some of the other design blunders I've seen in the past. Though that one IBM model with the non-standard power supply I dealt with was annoying.
I've actually run into one computer that was fully riveted to prevent any access to the inside of the case. I had to tell the client that any upgrades would have to be handled by the seller. |
It is known that there are an infinite number of worlds, simply because there is an infinite amount of space for them to be in. However, not every one of them is inhabited. Therefore, there must be a finite number of inhabited worlds. Any finite number divided by infinity is as near to nothing as makes no odds, so the average population of all the planets in the Universe can be said to be zero. From this it follows that the population of the whole Universe is also zero, and that any people you may meet from time to time are merely the products of a deranged imagination.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Snow Globe
I've actually run into one computer that was fully riveted to prevent any access to the inside of the case. I had to tell the client that any upgrades would have to be handled by the seller.
|
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Back_Blast
I've run into innumerable nonstandard PSU designs in my career and plenty of badly designed cases. But one actively designed to prevent access? Wow. Now that's impressive.
|
Triumph: White Succubus: 50 Ill/Emp/PF Snow Globe: 50 Ice/FF/Ice Strobe: 50 PB Shi Otomi: 50 Ninja/Ninjistu/GW Stalker My other characters
As the GHL in the OP's log I want to thuroughly thank everyone of you.
You have helped me greatly and I'm now the satisfied ownerd of a 3 Gig of RAM that have been succesfully installed in my computer owning to your help.
Glad to hear you managed to get the upgrade done. I hope it's working well for you.
It is known that there are an infinite number of worlds, simply because there is an infinite amount of space for them to be in. However, not every one of them is inhabited. Therefore, there must be a finite number of inhabited worlds. Any finite number divided by infinity is as near to nothing as makes no odds, so the average population of all the planets in the Universe can be said to be zero. From this it follows that the population of the whole Universe is also zero, and that any people you may meet from time to time are merely the products of a deranged imagination.
I convinced an acquaintance of mine to finally upgrade the RAM on his machine, what with a single one gig of memory being slightly... inadequate when it comes to loading times. The problem is, turns out he has a prebuilt machine, specifically a Hewlett Packard Pavillion m8000 which, judging from his descriptions isn't exactly built for easy access to... anything, really.
Thus, I was wondering if anyone here has experience with hardware upgrades on that model and if so, how to gain access to the memory slots {which are apparently blocked by the hard disk platform}.