M3NF
25-Jul-2004, 10:58 AM
What Is PRAM?:
The Parameter RAM is a portion of RAM that holds key information about your Mac that's needed for starting it up and keeping track of certain settings. Another words, the PRAM keeps track of stuff like your clock's information and control panel settings.
Some settings stored in the PRAM include: settings in the Monitors control panel, the Time and Date control panel, the General Settings control panel, the AppleTalk control panel, and the Startup Disk control panel.
Seven Strange Problems The PRAM Can Cause:
1) Your Mac may produce unexplainable errors. If any of the errors deal with settings in the following control panels: Monitors, Time and Date, General Settings, AppleTalk, or Startup Disk; the PRAM may have become corrupted and/or the PRAM battery may be dead (more on this later).
2) The date and time are set wrong. As a test to see if the PRAM battery is dead, set the clock to the correct date and time and leave your Mac turned off for a while. If the clock is set wrong when you turn your Mac on, there is a good chance that the PRAM has been corrupted and/or your Mac's PRAM battery has gone dead.
3) You can't print, connect to the internet, or use an external hard drive. In combination with the problems listed above, the problem suggests that the PRAM is corrupted and/or the PRAM battery is dead. As a side note, we came across this problem while working on a friend's Mac. Everything worked fine, except the Mac couldn't connect to the internet. After further examination, we discovered that the Mac had the wrong date and time. Replacing the PRAM battery fixed everything! If you're having problems with serial ports, the PRAM battery may be dead.
4) The color scheme on your Mac is wrong and/or your monitor is set to the wrong resolution during startup. The problem may have something to do with corrupted PRAM and/or a dead PRAM battery.
5) You get a startup error such as a Sad Mac or the blinking disk icon. In addition, you can't get around this error by booting up from a CD-ROM (holding down the "C" key) or starting up from a secondary drive (hold down the "Open-Apple, Option, Shift, Delete" keys). This problem suggests that the PRAM is corrupted.
6) Your Mac won't start up, period. When you turn your Mac on, the Happy Mac appears; but thats all that happens. You can't get past this point. A normal PRAM zap will fix your Mac's corrupted PRAM.
7) After you turn your Mac on, nothing happens. Everything seems normal, but nothing appears on the monitor. This problem means that the PRAM battery has gone dead. (As a short-term fix, you can turn your Mac on, turn it off, and turn it back on again. With any luck, your monitor will work and your Mac will function normally.)
How to Fix PRAM Problems:
Fixing PRAM problems is fairly easy. In most cases, the problems listed above can be fixed by doing one of two things:
1) Zap the PRAM. Zapping the PRAM simply means that you are reseting the PRAM to factory settings. Of course, this also means that you will lose settings in the following control panels: Monitors, AppleTalk, General Settings, Startup Disk, and Time and Date. Zapping the PRAM fixes most of the problems listed above, however, in some cases, you may need to replace the PRAM battery.
To zap the PRAM:
1) Restart your Mac.
2) Immediately after hearing the chime for startup, hold down the keys: Apple, Option, P, R (all at the same time).
3) Keep the keys held down until you hear the startup chime three more times.
4) Release the keys.
The Parameter RAM is a portion of RAM that holds key information about your Mac that's needed for starting it up and keeping track of certain settings. Another words, the PRAM keeps track of stuff like your clock's information and control panel settings.
Some settings stored in the PRAM include: settings in the Monitors control panel, the Time and Date control panel, the General Settings control panel, the AppleTalk control panel, and the Startup Disk control panel.
Seven Strange Problems The PRAM Can Cause:
1) Your Mac may produce unexplainable errors. If any of the errors deal with settings in the following control panels: Monitors, Time and Date, General Settings, AppleTalk, or Startup Disk; the PRAM may have become corrupted and/or the PRAM battery may be dead (more on this later).
2) The date and time are set wrong. As a test to see if the PRAM battery is dead, set the clock to the correct date and time and leave your Mac turned off for a while. If the clock is set wrong when you turn your Mac on, there is a good chance that the PRAM has been corrupted and/or your Mac's PRAM battery has gone dead.
3) You can't print, connect to the internet, or use an external hard drive. In combination with the problems listed above, the problem suggests that the PRAM is corrupted and/or the PRAM battery is dead. As a side note, we came across this problem while working on a friend's Mac. Everything worked fine, except the Mac couldn't connect to the internet. After further examination, we discovered that the Mac had the wrong date and time. Replacing the PRAM battery fixed everything! If you're having problems with serial ports, the PRAM battery may be dead.
4) The color scheme on your Mac is wrong and/or your monitor is set to the wrong resolution during startup. The problem may have something to do with corrupted PRAM and/or a dead PRAM battery.
5) You get a startup error such as a Sad Mac or the blinking disk icon. In addition, you can't get around this error by booting up from a CD-ROM (holding down the "C" key) or starting up from a secondary drive (hold down the "Open-Apple, Option, Shift, Delete" keys). This problem suggests that the PRAM is corrupted.
6) Your Mac won't start up, period. When you turn your Mac on, the Happy Mac appears; but thats all that happens. You can't get past this point. A normal PRAM zap will fix your Mac's corrupted PRAM.
7) After you turn your Mac on, nothing happens. Everything seems normal, but nothing appears on the monitor. This problem means that the PRAM battery has gone dead. (As a short-term fix, you can turn your Mac on, turn it off, and turn it back on again. With any luck, your monitor will work and your Mac will function normally.)
How to Fix PRAM Problems:
Fixing PRAM problems is fairly easy. In most cases, the problems listed above can be fixed by doing one of two things:
1) Zap the PRAM. Zapping the PRAM simply means that you are reseting the PRAM to factory settings. Of course, this also means that you will lose settings in the following control panels: Monitors, AppleTalk, General Settings, Startup Disk, and Time and Date. Zapping the PRAM fixes most of the problems listed above, however, in some cases, you may need to replace the PRAM battery.
To zap the PRAM:
1) Restart your Mac.
2) Immediately after hearing the chime for startup, hold down the keys: Apple, Option, P, R (all at the same time).
3) Keep the keys held down until you hear the startup chime three more times.
4) Release the keys.