Installing New HD in PowerBook G4 1.5? Getting 3 Odd Tones & 3 Blinks

[SteveO]

Bought a 160gb Samsung PATA drive to replace failed original Toshiba 80gb. Dropped the new drive in, along with a universal Tiger install disk; got the normal Mac startup chime. Disk booted fine but wouldn't show new drive. I forgot I needed to format first. Formatted the drive as Mac OS Extended (Journaled) via external drive case tethered to my MB (10.5.7). Seems fine.

Put the new 160 gb drive back into the PB. Started it up (batt is out). Got 3 tones (not "happy Mac" tones) and it doesn't start up at all, not even via the Tiger Install disk. Light on latch blinks 3 times every 20 or 30 seconds. Screen is dark. I reseated the original 1gb stick of Samsung RAM. No dice!

Any advice is much appreciated.

[GGD]

I'm pretty sure that 3 beeps means that it can't find any RAM at boot.

[SteveO]

ALSO: I put in the drive from my other PB (1.67) and it started up fine about an hour ago. I ran it for about an hour, it ran fine. I took out that drive, then put in the new drive, got the beeps and blinks.

I just took out the new drive, put in my old (other) PB drive, and now it won't even boot into that. It gives me beeps and blinks. What gives?

[SteveO]

Okay, good thought on the RAM: I moved the stick into the upper slot and now it seems to be booting fine. Thanks, GGD!

[decay]

did you format it APM or GUID from the Macbook?

(APM = PPC/Intel; GUID = Intel only booting)

[Big Daddy Cool]

Those PBs are notorious for having a flaky RAM slot.