The good news is you have delirium

So, the other day I installed some extra RAM into my Mac Pro computer (two sticks of 2GB RAM). Originally, I put one in each riser. After rebooting a couple times only to see that the new RAM still didn’t register, I googled some instructions and discovered something.

Anyone who owns a Mac Pro should know that RAM must be installed in pairs, but what you may not know is that the new RAM must also be installed on the same riser.

There are two platforms of RAM in the Mac Pro called risers. They are generally referred to as the upper and lower risers.

If you install one stick of new RAM on the upper riser, and one on the lower, the computer will not recognize it. They must be next to each other on the same riser.

I ran the Boot Camp Assistant and installed Windows Vista on my Mac Pro yesterday. Here’s a basic rundown of the process.

Before you install Windows, you need to print out the Boot Camp directions. I was expecting maybe 3-4 pages.

It was 25.

But you really only need the first half. The second half is a bunch of extra troubleshooting and keystroke commands, and so on. I suppose it’s worth keeping, but it certainly isn’t vital in actually installing Windows.

You will be asked to partition your hard drive, and decide how much of it you want allocated to Windows and how much should remain for Mac.

Insert your Windows disc and the computer will restart. The drive will need another quick format and then it should resume installation. This will take a while.

Next, you need to put in your Leopard disc so your Mac can pull off some drivers. I believe it restarts again, and that’s about it.

The process probably takes about an hour. That does not include backing up your hard drive, which you really should do before installing Windows.

Now I can produce an Oscar-winning movie in Mac, then reboot and do my taxes in Windows.

Hoorah!