How to Reseat PCI Cards
Don Bradbury looks at this rudimentary step in troubleshooting
If your PC suddenly starts to throw a wobbly, don't necessarily think it's time to ditch the old clunker; look for inexpensive possibilities first. One of these is BUS cards, ISA, PCI, or AGP, that have worked themselves loose in - or all the way out of - their respective slots.
Oh yes, it can happen. The way expansion cards are held in BUS slots isn't always that clever, and over time they can, with vibration and other disturbances, start to make poor connections with the contacts in the slots.
Poor connections can also result from mild corrosion in either set of connections - in the BUS itself or on the card pins. While cleaning these latter contacts is feasible, it's also risky as gold plating can easily be worn down to result in poor electrical connection.
Sometimes all that is necessary is to ease the cards completely out of their slots and then push them back again, carefully but firmly. That can remake connections that have been getting steadily worse over long periods, and re-establish a fully functional PC.
So, first, ground yourself on the metallic parts of a radiator, for example, to discharge any static in your body, which could completely destroy electronic components. Switch off the PC at the mains but do not remove the electric plug from its socket - the earth connection between the metallic structure of the case and the power supply will also act as a 'ground' to leech any residual static away from your body.
Take the top off your system box, and remove each connector and then card screw in turn.
Grab hold of the edges of the first card, ease it out of its socket (gentle rocking helps), take a look at the contacts and clean them with a soft, clean cloth if you think it necessary, push the card back into the slot, and put back the screw or other holding device. Repeat this for each card, and then put the cover back on the PC.
Now switch on. Hopefully all now be functional, but if it isn't, then it's time for another think. This can be just the start of a troubleshooting adventure, but it's often, depending on the symptoms, the very first thing to try.
