A 954 Service NVRAM error indicates a problem with the internal NVRAM on the printer. The printer firmware is stored in a Non-Volatile RAM chip on the engine board. Sometimes a power surge can cause the printer firmware to be corrupted. Sometimes the error can be cleared by turning the printer off for five minutes or so; sometimes it can be resolved by reinstalling the firmware by means of a software update. If you are unlucky, the NVRAM chip itself may be damaged and you will have to replace the engine board. We have a range of second hand boards to suit most Lexmark models. They have been tested and had their firmware updated. They come with six months warranty and are priced very reasonably.

The following procedure for detecting the cause on an NVRAM failure is suggested by Lexmark (Lexmark Knowledge base):

1. First, try turning the printer off and on.
2. Leave the printer off for at least thirty seconds to give the engine board a chance to reset.
3. Then power the printer back on.
4. If that clears the error, continue using the printer but keep an eye on it for the next day or two to see if the 954 error returns.
   If the error does not return, the printer should be fine.
5. If the error does return after turning off and on the printer, you can try resetting the NVRAM of the printer using the following steps:
   
   
   • To clear the NVRAM of the printer, turn the printer off.
   • Now press and hold down the right Menu arrow button (>), the Select button, and the Go button.
   • While continuing to hold all three of these buttons down, turn on the printer.
   • Keep holding down the buttons until the printer displays Clearing NVRAM or Restoring Factory Defaults. This indicates that the printer is performing the NVRAM clear.
   • Release the buttons.
   • When the printer has finished the NVRAM clear, it should return to the Ready mode.
   • If the printer has not gone back to Ready in fifteen minutes, turn off the power and then turn it back on again as you normally would.


6. If these steps do not clear the 954 error, there may be an issue with additional options, especially those that plug into the Controller Board/System Board (flash memory, network cards, additional RAM memory):
   
   
   • Turn off the power and remove any options that have been installed.
   • Turn the printer back on WITHOUT these options installed. If the 954 error returns, the printer will probably need service.
   • Reinstall the options one by one.
   • If the 954 error returns as soon as you reinstall an option, that option is causing the error.
   • Remove the option. Turn off the printer and reinstall the option.
   • If the 954 error. is gone, the option may have been loose and simply needed to be reseated. Again, keep an eye on the printer for the next day or two to see if the error returns. If not, the printer should be fine.

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