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#1
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crash and burn
I've been having endless problems with my computer, and hope someone
here can suggest something. It abruptly crashes and restarts several times a day. This occurs under both Windows XP and Linux, so I don't believe it's a software issue. I took the following steps to diagnose it, although nothing has helped: 1. I tried using the "failsafe" settings in the BIOS. No change. 2. I updated to my latest BIOS and latest motherboard manufacturer's set of drivers. Nothing. The motherboard is a Tyan S5101, by the way. 3. I monitored the temperature and found that the crashes still happen when the CPU is only at 38C. The video card is also fairly cool. 4. I swapped out the power supply for a 400 watt new one. An Antec. No change. 5. I replaced the video card (an ATI 9800 Pro) with a known good Nvidia 440-MX. No change. 6. I extensively tested the RAM, using a diagnostic program. No errors there. I then tried running the system with the RAM underclocked in the BIOS. No help there. I then removed the RAM and tried in different slots. I tried them one at a time, hoping one of them was bad. Nothing made a difference. 7. I pulled the hard drive and put in a new one. I installed Windows XP fresh, with no applications. The crash and restart still happened. 8. I checked the processor and heatsink and CPU fan. All in order. I did use thermal compound, and the heatsink was snug against the processor. 9. I removed ALL PCI cards from the system, and disconnected ALL devices except the hard drive. No CD-ROM, no modem, nothing. The crashes still happened. 10. I turned off all integrated peripherals, in the BIOS (networking, for example), except the hard drive controller. Still, the crashes happened. 11. I inspected the motherboard for loose components and blackened areas. Nothing seemed amiss. While I did mention this happened in Linux as well as Windows, it's worth mentioning that I've thoroughly scanned my system for spyware (Adware, SpyBot) and viruses (AVG). I've checked the logs (on Linux) and the Event Viewer (on Windows XP). I have now replaced every piece of my system, with the exception of: a) The motherboard itself, and b) The CPU, and c) the RAM, although as I said I ran RAM tests, underclocked it, tried it in different slots, and tried them one at a time. Frustrating. I'm considering setting the whole mess on fire, extinguishing the smoldering ashes in a manner I won't describe here, and buying a slow, overpriced Macintosh. My questions: Is there something that stands out, that I am not considering? My next step is a new CPU. Is this reasonable? Or should I proceed with a new motherboard? Or should I buy name-brand memory, even in light of the above testing? Should I be suspecting an issue with the power from the wall and/or surge protector? Any advice would be greatly appeciated. |
#2
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I went through almost as much trouble once only to find it was my "power
on" button - had to replace it. Other than that, I'd suspect motherboard. |
#3
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#5
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I eventually replaced the Tyan S5101 motherboard with and Intel D865PERL.
The crashes are gone. Thanks to all who posted advice. |
#6
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