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#1
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at the end of my rope/IDE cable :)
hi all!
first-time poster, and really hoping i can get some help from the collective wisdom here. my system is very unstable. it either hard-locks (have to re-set or power right down, including the power switch at the back of the case), or it randomly reboots (the hard lock usually happens either in the middle of an app, or if i go away and let the computer go to "sleep"..i.e. shut the display off...rebooting usually happens during a game...no, no particular game, ANY game). before i go any further, here are my specs: asus a7s333 mobo amd xp 1600+ chip 512mb ddr ram geforce 4 ti4200 vid card audigy 1 soundcard maxtor 40 gig hard drive liteon burnproof cdrw dlink network card daytek 95p monitor smc wireless router (i'm hardwired into it, as is another PC on my homelan, with 2 other PCs using wireless network cards) 400 watt PS OS-win98se w/all the latest updates incl. directx9.0b (or whatever the latest is) BIOS-updated to the latest for my mother board...have also updated to the latest SIS AGP drivers for my mother board. things i have already done (in no particular order...it's late and i feel like i've been banging my head against a brick wall ): -swapped memory with another system that has same mobo. -ran memtest 86 on current memory and memory borrowed from other system -reinstalled OS (win98se) -fdisked and formatted hard drive (after running every imaginable maxtor utility i could download to verify it WASN'T a hard drive problem) -moved cards around in my pci slots to eliminate possible conflicts -checked if it was a heat problem (all monitoring programs say no...to be on the safe side, took out chip and cleaned and re-applied arctic silver) -tried changing powerbars -tried plugging into a different electrical outlet -ran the system w/o cd-rw plugged in (ya never know) -reinstalled video and soundcard drivers -uninstalled most recent windows update updates (but left IE and OE 6) -tried using different plug-ins off my power supply -tried using different IDE cables..and configurations (master/slaved HD/CDRW; configured both as masters in primary/secondary IDE channels; right now, have the HD as primary master and CDRW as secondary slave) that's all i can remember having done right now. the only things i can think it would be now a 1) power supply is bad 2) mobo is bad 3) case is bad 4) processor is bad none of the things i've already done made a LICK of difference...system crashes many times a day, and at, because murphy rules, the most inopportune times. luckily, it's mostly a games machine, and not one i do much work on...but i do do SOME work on it...and this is driving me nuts!!!! the other machines on my LAN are ROCK-SOLID...so i'm, literally...at the end of my IDE cable. any help would be HUGE! thanks a million! steve in canada |
#2
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"Steve Rennick" wrote in message news:yn5Kb.950474$6C4.912851@pd7tw1no...
hi all! first-time poster, and really hoping i can get some help from the collective wisdom here. my system is very unstable. it either hard-locks (have to re-set or power right down, including the power switch at the back of the case), or it randomly reboots (the hard lock usually happens either in the middle of an app, or if i go away and let the computer go to "sleep"..i.e. shut the display off...rebooting usually happens during a game...no, no particular game, ANY game). before i go any further, here are my specs: asus a7s333 mobo amd xp 1600+ chip 512mb ddr ram geforce 4 ti4200 vid card audigy 1 soundcard maxtor 40 gig hard drive liteon burnproof cdrw dlink network card daytek 95p monitor smc wireless router (i'm hardwired into it, as is another PC on my homelan, with 2 other PCs using wireless network cards) 400 watt PS OS-win98se w/all the latest updates incl. directx9.0b (or whatever the latest is) BIOS-updated to the latest for my mother board...have also updated to the latest SIS AGP drivers for my mother board. things i have already done (in no particular order...it's late and i feel like i've been banging my head against a brick wall ): -swapped memory with another system that has same mobo. -ran memtest 86 on current memory and memory borrowed from other system -reinstalled OS (win98se) -fdisked and formatted hard drive (after running every imaginable maxtor utility i could download to verify it WASN'T a hard drive problem) -moved cards around in my pci slots to eliminate possible conflicts -checked if it was a heat problem (all monitoring programs say no...to be on the safe side, took out chip and cleaned and re-applied arctic silver) -tried changing powerbars -tried plugging into a different electrical outlet -ran the system w/o cd-rw plugged in (ya never know) -reinstalled video and soundcard drivers -uninstalled most recent windows update updates (but left IE and OE 6) -tried using different plug-ins off my power supply -tried using different IDE cables..and configurations (master/slaved HD/CDRW; configured both as masters in primary/secondary IDE channels; right now, have the HD as primary master and CDRW as secondary slave) that's all i can remember having done right now. the only things i can think it would be now a 1) power supply is bad 2) mobo is bad 3) case is bad 4) processor is bad none of the things i've already done made a LICK of difference...system crashes many times a day, and at, because murphy rules, the most inopportune times. luckily, it's mostly a games machine, and not one i do much work on...but i do do SOME work on it...and this is driving me nuts!!!! the other machines on my LAN are ROCK-SOLID...so i'm, literally...at the end of my IDE cable. any help would be HUGE! thanks a million! steve in canada Might have picked up a virus somewhere. How old is the motherboard? What brand of Power Supply do you have? While you where in the case did you try and remove everything and just run with the bare essentials(keyboard, harddrive, video card, memory and monitor). Have you tried going into "safe mode"? When you plugged the computer into a different outlet was it on a different circuit than the other outlet? |
#3
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Might have picked up a virus somewhere. just did a virus scan, so i don't think so... How old is the motherboard? less than 2 yrs What brand of Power Supply do you have? US-Can Switching Power Supply While you where in the case did you try and remove everything and just run with the bare essentials(keyboard, harddrive, video card, memory and monitor). No. Have you tried going into "safe mode"? Safe mode also crashes When you plugged the computer into a different outlet was it on a different circuit than the other outlet? Yes. Thanks Jamotto! |
#4
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"Steve Rennick" wrote in message news:yn5Kb.950474$6C4.912851@pd7tw1no...
wisdom here. my system is very unstable. it either hard-locks (have to re-set or power right down, including the power switch at the back of the case), or it randomly reboots (the hard lock usually happens either in the middle of an app, or if i go away and let the computer go to "sleep"..i.e. shut the display off...rebooting usually happens during a game...no, no particular game, ANY game). before i go any further, here are my specs: sounds like typical symptoms of a badly overclocked system. That doesnt mean it is overclocked, but if its not and you now deliberately underclock it your woes might be over. In other words something may be below par frequency response wise, and slowing it would likely get it to work ok. Try that and see, either way you then know a bit more, and you may get a stable system. I would also monitor the PSU rails, check theyre within spec. If you have 2 sticks RAM run it with one stick, then the other - again if ones off you'll pick it up that way. Remove anything non essential and run, see if it crashes again. Again youre diving and conquering. All you need run for this is mobo, psu, cpu, ram, vid card, monitor, floppy. Remove everything else, HDD, other cards, etc. Boot in DOS and see if it runs or crashes. that's all i can remember having done right now. the only things i can think it would be now a 1) power supply is bad - maybe 2) mobo is bad - maybe, probably the most likely. 3) case is bad - case doesnt normally affect anything. 4) processor is bad - least likely. Theres never a guarantee youll fix it, but the more you can narrow things down the better. Regards, NT |
#5
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sounds like typical symptoms of a badly overclocked system. That
doesnt mean it is overclocked, but if its not and you now deliberately underclock it your woes might be over. In other words something may be below par frequency response wise, and slowing it would likely get it to work ok. Try that and see, either way you then know a bit more, and you may get a stable system. so, after swapping out my 400w psu for a 300w psu in another system in my homeLAN that is stable Iwhen i took it out of this other machine, i was amazed at how much stuff i have plugged into that 750mhz duron system [3hds for example], that i should probably have the 400 in it, i was still getting reboots (the game i'm using to make it crash right now is diablo 2). what typically happens is right after i start the game (as soon as i load up a character and start running, within about 30 seconds) the computer reboots. and it happened even after swapping out my PSU. so one your advice, i went into the bios after the system had rebooted, and throttled back my cpu from 1400 mhz to 1050 (which knocked by FSB from 133 down to 100). now, usually, when it reboots, and i try to go back in and play diablo2, it'll just keep rebooting until i power every thing down (including switching off the PSU itself), and leave the machine off for awhile. BUT NOT THIS TIME!?! i'm gonna leave the computer on overnight, and see if it's still running in the morning. good night... If you have 2 sticks RAM run it with one stick, then the other - again if ones off you'll pick it up that way. i've tried this, with ram from another machine that i know is good...still crashes... Remove anything non essential and run, see if it crashes again. Again youre diving and conquering. All you need run for this is mobo, psu, cpu, ram, vid card, monitor, floppy. Remove everything else, HDD, other cards, etc. Boot in DOS and see if it runs or crashes. have yet to do this, but it sounds like a weekend project thanks NT...will keep you posted... |
#6
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"Steve Rennick" wrote in message news:KmeKb.956304$6C4.170672@pd7tw1no...
Might have picked up a virus somewhere. just did a virus scan, so i don't think so... How old is the motherboard? less than 2 yrs What brand of Power Supply do you have? US-Can Switching Power Supply While you where in the case did you try and remove everything and just run with the bare essentials(keyboard, harddrive, video card, memory and monitor). No. Have you tried going into "safe mode"? Safe mode also crashes When you plugged the computer into a different outlet was it on a different circuit than the other outlet? Yes. Thanks Jamotto! I would remove all devices you don't need. What I posted before is all you need to start the computer(if you need it you can add the floppy drive but it will run without it). See if it run's ok. N. Thornton brought up a good point are you overclocking this computer? What I'm thinking is either a overheating computer/underperforming powersupply or resource confilicts. At two years hold the motherboard could be failing. When my motherboard started to fail it would often not want to reboot(would not post). |
#7
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I would remove all devices you don't need. What I posted before is all
you need to start the computer(if you need it you can add the floppy drive but it will run without it). haven't done this yet...but probably will on the weekend. N. Thornton brought up a good point are you overclocking this computer? no...but when i clocked it down to 1050/100fsb (from 1400/133fsb, which amd says this chip is supposed to run at), i thought, briefly, i had some stability...for reasons given in an earlier post (i could actually do something post rebooting that i couldn't before). so i left the pc on overnight...but, by morning, it had crashed again What I'm thinking is either a overheating computer/underperforming powersupply or resource confilicts. both motherboard monitor and asusprobe tell me all my components are operating well with acceptable heat ranges...i swapped out the current 400w ps for a 300w ps i have in another stable machine (which, when i took the other machine apart, given all the stuff i had plugged into it, SHOULD'VE had the 400 in IT!), but it still crashed. At two years hold the motherboard could be failing. When my motherboard started to fail it would often not want to reboot(would not post). i'm beginning to wonder...either that or the chip...not what i wanted to hear, but if it'll fix it... |
#8
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"Steve Rennick" wrote in message news:oZzKb.12458$hk.4577@pd7tw1no...
I would remove all devices you don't need. What I posted before is all you need to start the computer(if you need it you can add the floppy drive but it will run without it). haven't done this yet...but probably will on the weekend. N. Thornton While your in the case check all the CAPS on the motherboard for damage. These cylindrical parts that tend to be silver colored. See if any of are ruptured and leaking electrolyte and double check all your connections again. One more question did your problems start out of the blue or did you install any new hardware and/or software and then the problems began? |
#9
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jst a thought.... u said ur using win98, try installing a diff OS
win98 has allot of issues try 2k with the latest service packs, also if u want to use 98 for some odd ball reason in particular then try diff flavors(builds) of it...!! hope it helps..!! |
#10
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hey ray,
yeah, i've tried winxp...have the same problems, but thanks steve "ray" wrote in message m... jst a thought.... u said ur using win98, try installing a diff OS win98 has allot of issues try 2k with the latest service packs, also if u want to use 98 for some odd ball reason in particular then try diff flavors(builds) of it...!! hope it helps..!! |
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