System Crashing after RAM Upgrade

[nefermoon]

About this time last year I purchased RAM upgrades for my Mac G4 (Mirror Doors, late 2002). I don't recall the source but could check, but either way, I was unable to get the system profiler to recognize the chips. Even so, the computer began to crash after a bit while the chips were installed. I figured the chips were either incompatible or bad, and removed them. Never got around to returning them. Alas.

Just last month I went ahead and finally ordered new RAM chips from crucial. Installing them, they were read by the system profiler, but I still get the same crashing.

I can trigger the crash very easily to test, by simply opening iTunes and playing music, opening Photoshop and importing a vector file at about 20 inches and finally by opening Firefox. Boom, gray crash.

Restart, and I'm informed that Finder had crashed.

So I've removed the chips again, but I have no idea what I'm doing wrong, what else might be going wrong, etc. Crucial suggested comparing to make sure they match my existing memory (PC2700U, they do), making sure they're in all the way (they are) and making sure my firmware is up to date (which System Update would manage, yes?).

I'm at my wit's end. I was hoping to purchase Adobe CS 3 in the new year but I can't bother with the 512MB installed. :P

I appreciate any insight!

[ElDiabloConCaca]

Try using ONLY the new memory sticks in your computer... does it crash then?

Sometimes your old RAM can be good -- and the new RAM can be perfectly good as well, but together, they just don't like operating together (due to slightly different CAS latencies, speeds, etc.).

If your computer works well with the old RAM exclusively, and works well with the new RAM exclusively, it's likely that the RAM chips just don't like being used together.

[nefermoon]

Thank you, I'll try that tonight!