Pulling on tab doesn't eject RAM (27" iMac, mid-2010)

What gives? Am I missing something simple here?

Major major fail here Apple!! I can't for the life of me remove the 2nd module. Had to be very forceful to get the first one out. Why make it so frigging hard?

There is also not much to hold onto to get a decent grip. What happens if i break the tape?

This is pretty much the ONLY thing you can upgrade on the iMac - & you make it almost impossible. WHY?

Got the same problem and I just don't believe it, brand new iMac 27" and we have tried few times already to pull the tabs, doesn't matter how hard you pull they are not coming out - Don't believe! We will return it as it's faulty

Laura, I managed to get them out after some effort. keep trying - it's hopefully something you won't need to do very often once you've maxed the memory. In my case, one of the sims was dodgy, so I got a bit of practice getting them in and out trying to find the faulty one.

TIP: I found that if you align the bottom of the screen (slightly) beyond the edge of the table you can get a better grip on the tabs.

TIP2: Let the iMac cool down for 10 minutes or so & try again.

It's a dumb way of getting the memory out - but keep trying & you'll get it.

Thanks for the tips! We even have the time to switch on the imac as we want to install the memory first.

However, I have managed to get out the memory and install the new - it was so hard to pull them out than when one of the tap came out one memory jump!

now dealing with the beep :-S

Oh. I had that problem too.

Here's what i learnt from that:

• Load the top row first.
• If you're using the bottom row, you need to fill both slots.
• You can have 1,2 or 4 memory slots filled (but not 3).
• if you're still getting the beeps, you probably have a faulty sim
• I managed to isolate the dodgy one by starting up with 1 simm in top left slot until i found the faulty one.

The only positive of all this was that after installing memory and restarting a bunch of times I was much more comfy with pulling on those stupid tabs.

You really don't need to keep pulling jerking at it, potentially breaking something! The RAM won't come out easily because you've most likely been using your computer, and the memory heats up, swelling it in size slightly. Just shut your computer down, wait a couple of hours, and then go pull the tabs.

The memory will pop out pretty easily when it is cold, even when it seems impossible when it is warm.

Things certainly didn't pop out "pretty easily" for me! At least, not at first.

However, it is also not as hard as it seems. My iMac just arrived today, and I had pre-purchased 16GB of RAM with the intention to instant upgrade. This system had never been booted, so it was not an issue of swelling. I believe the plastic tabs are just very fragile-feeling and don't provide the needed leverage to the average end-user.

Solution: After pulling half-heartedly with my thumbs for about thirty seconds, I grabbed the toolbox. Pliers did the job rather effortlessly in about ten seconds. I would definitely recommend a tool of some type to save you a little bit of heartache. Hope this helps!

So did you use the pliers to pull on the RAM card itself???

I am reading all this great advice - after the fact. My iMac was running almost perfectly. But it was 5 years old so I went to the genius bar to see if I could optimize anything. He gave me a couple of good tips but said the best advice was to upgrade my ram as stated above to upgrade to mountain lion. But that they could not do it - I must buy it from 3rd party and I could install it myself. I asked if there was anything I needed to know about how to install it - he brushed that off saying it was easy. He didn't even mention the tabs - so I didn't even try pulling them. I used needle nosed pliers. Put in new ram - which the guy at the electronic store said it was good for 3 speeds including 667mghz. Well I got a black screen - then I put in the old 1gb and nothing but beeps. Went back to the genius bar and they say I shouldnt have used the pliers probably shorted it out. It is at a Mac repair store now - and they believe the computer is finished. It was perfect 2 days ago. So I say pay 20-30 bucks and have it installed by someone who knows what they are doing - supposedly even a bit of static in the room you are working in can fry the ram ports when you change them - and get the exact RAM. :-((

Reading this thread helped me as I was not alone in having trouble. (I watched the video and they just slide out.) After pulling without success, I remember my days with the apple II and replace these slots all of the time. The trick then was to rock them from side to side. So I tried this as I clearly did not have the strength to pull them out straight. After a few rocks, they started to give way and I could pull them out. The new ones went easily and the computer is up and running with the new memory. It was not all that hard once it is done. And the computer is now fast.

I have never, in the 15 plus years owning a Apple computer, been so disappointed in Apple. This tab eject system *****. Granted I bought my iMac with ram maxed, but because I haven't taken the chipsets out since purchasing in 2009, I've now broken both tabs, (tried not to twist them with the pliers). Succeeded in getting one out .... the other, not happening. Rocking the chipset and it comes right out? Not!! Can't get them to rock more than a 1/16 of an inch. Can't pry the edges, not replacing these, just trying to clean.

But, even though this is very f&^%$#*g frustrating, I would never buy a different machine or OS. Still mad as **** that my near pristeen machine is now not so much!! LOL !

I think this topic is close enough to my issue, so I hope nobody minds me bumping it up! 🙂

I just bought a used 2006 C2D 17" iMac. It wasn't expensive, so I'm not too vexed, but still...

I was able to get out the RAM modules that it came with, and stuck in 4 GB of some generic RAM sticks. They work GREAT! The problem is, I can't get the tabs to go back in. I'm too scared to force it. I'm afraid I'll break something. So right now the iMac is running flawlessly, but with the tabs sticking out and the RAM cover plate safely somewhere else.

This isn't my main machine, sort of a secondary Mac. I figure, since it ain't broke (yet) don't fix it! But I wonder, what could I do to get the tabs to go in? I also tried to see if I could pull out the 4 GB upgrade RAM and they seem stuck in there good. I'm crossing my fingers, hoping that nothing ever goes wrong with the RAM, because I have no idea how I'd replace it.