So step 1 on the migrate LAN-to-2-minis project was to upgrade the Intel Core Duo to 2 GB. Apple’s RAM prices were high compared to the market when I bought my original Core Duo, and the local Apple Store wanted an additional $100 to upgrade a Mini while I waited, on top of the cost of the RAM.

So I went to Fry’s to buy the Mini: the main reason being the policies of Apple Store where repeated experience shows that getting customer service, e.g. returning an item is just aggravating and painful. Fry’s just does the right thing when there’s a problem.

However, Fry’s only stocks the base RAM configurations. So, after a little web research, I went off to Other World Computing and ordered a matched pair of 1 GB RAM chips. I was dreading opening the Mini, the latest in Apple’s user-hostile enclosures (why are the towers so fantastically easy to open and upgrade and the Mini not?).

Anyway, opening the chassis with a putty knife isn’t particularly hard. What’s hard is putting the 4 tiny screws that hold the motherboard to the HD back into their pillars (I’m guessing I need a magnetic #2 Philips driver to fix that). After we got it back together, the Mini was showing only 1GB – System Profiler showed only Bank 1 was showing up.

So we reopened the Mini. Unlike G4 Minis, the RAM slots are inaccessible, hidden under the HD/DVD assembly, requiring disassembly. Sure enough, the top SO DIMM looked a little askew in its slot. Rseated, reassembled and rebooted, only to hear the dread 3 beeps on boot (”Can’t read any RAM bank”). Grr. Repeated process, switched DIMMs around, same result.

Sent email to OWC support: awaiting response. Net research suggests DIMMs will have to go back for a replacement. Yuck. I hate it when step 1 of a larger plan goes awry…

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