My computer was running just perfectly fine... until...

I have 2 pieces of 512 DDR RAM. I decided one day to swap out the RAM for the gold tipped RAM. That is when the problem happened.

The computer will not even POST now.
Nothing else on the computer changed. All of the same Hardware is still on the computer. It is still in the same case. The Motherboard is the same. The Hard Drive is the same and the OS is still the same.

I put the old RAM back in and still no POST.

I have tried to "reset" the BIOS by setting the jumper pins on the Motherboard and by removing the battery for a day. (I know a day is over-kill, but...)
It still does not POST.

I have several questions about this matter.
Obviously, how do I fix it?
Second, Is it possible that the BIOS is corrupted... does that happen?
Third, If the BIOS is corrupted, is there a way to rebuild it?

Thanks for any suggestions that might help me save my computer from being a very expensive paper weight.

It is possible that when inside the case you discharged a static charge off your body that damaged something. More likely though is that you haven't seated the RAM properly or dislodged some cables or maybe the graphics card.
I doubt that this is a BIOS issue. Resetting the BIOS by means of the CMOS jumper and battery DID however change some settings that you need to adjust. Date, time, boot order, drive settings, etc. Read your manual to determine all the correct settings for your system.
Didn't anyone ever tell you "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"? What did you hope to accomplish by changing the RAM to RAM with gold plated contacts. This doesn't matter at all in the short run. In the long run most MBoards today are using zinc based contacts. This means that using the gold contacts can actually cause oxidation due to a process called galvanic action. This is caused by mating dissimiliar metals.
Back to your immediate issue. When you changed the RAM, cleared the CMOS and removed the battery did you have the computer unplugged or the on/ off switch on the PSU in the off position. If not then you most likely didn't actually clear the CMOS but may have damaged the computer. There is power the MBoard even when the computer is shut down. Check all the above mentioned items with power off. If no help THEN try clearing the CMOS with power off.

Yes, the computer was unplugged and on the Bench...

I have checked and double checked and triple checked the cables and the graphics card.
Everything is secure!

When I do power up the computer, I can hear the cooling fans only... There does not appear to be any other forward progress. I feel the hard drive spinning, but it does not make any sounds like it should when a hard drive is booting to Windows.

When I press the power button on the computer, I see the green light appear on the monitor for about 5 seconds and then the monitor button goes orange. Like I said earlier, I can hear the cooling fans and I can feeling the HD spinning.

I have unplugged the RAM and reseated the RAM a number of times. I am now only working with the RAM that was in the computer before the problem started.

my initial thinking is >>>>> do you hear any beeps on initial bootup, when the first post screen is displayed?? the norm is one beep and away she goes booting up. but if you hear a continual loop-beep, that generally indicates a memory detection problem and it wont continue to post. your mainboard manual should show what certain types of "beeps" mean.

Rob, Central Coast
NSW Australia

Referring to your response #2 it would seem you probably did clear the CMOS. You need to reset some items in the BIOS screens.

Disconnect ALL drive cables and power connectors. Remove ALL RAM except one stick. Disconnect all external components except the KBoard and monitor. Now try starting the computer. If you do POST you will get a drive error. Try that and get back with any results.