Bent/pushed in memory socket pins??

Question

I believe my two-year old I5100 has some bent/pushed-in memory socket pins (or something similar). After noticing that my system was only detecting half of the 512MB of RAM installed, I did some troubleshooting. I found that both RAM modules are good and the DIMM A socket is bad. I found a 'temporary fix' for this..by placing something between the RAM module and the cover to press in the module. But now the problem has worsened..the module now needs to be pressed harder or in a certain way in order for the module to be detected, so I'm guessing my 'temorary fix' may have made things worse by pressing the pins in farther or bending them more.   Now here is the weird part. If I press in the module by hand and start the computer, the RAM is detected..so I have a total of 512MB like I should. BUT...if I let go of the module, my computer DOESN'T crash! You'd think it would; it does if I remove it. This means that both modules are still operating without having to be pressed in (Windows even reports 512MB when I check it), however, when I restart the system it is back to 256MB. So does having electricity flowing through it help keep the connection between the contacts?   Does anyone have any similar experiences, or know what I could do to fix this socket? It seems crazy to have to replace a motherboard because of some bad pins in the memory socket. Would a computer repair place or myself be able to replace the socket or do whatever needs to be done to fix this problem? I have tried some contact cleaner (DeoxIt) and scrubbed the pins with a soft toothbrush, but that didn't seem to do the trick.   Thanks for any help!!

Ed C · Answer

Actually those pins are quite strong and they are on both the top and bottom of the socket. I suspect the connection between the socket and the motherboard is failing and there is NO real fix for that except to replace the motherboard.

03codyn · Answer

Now I may be having different thoughts. Just a few mins ago I tried pushing on the module numerous times and it just would not be detected. So I tried the contact cleaner DeoxIt again. That seemed to help a little bit. So maybe the pins could be corroded? The module isn't being detected in its normal position, but is when I press on it. Is DeoxIt not doing a good of a job as it should be?   Also, like I said before, if the module is detected and I release pressure, it remains detected and the computer doesn't crash. Why is this?   Thanks for any more input

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