ShAdOWmoNkX
10-31-2002, 10:01 PM
Hiya,
I've been helping numerous people with their computers (yes, for free! :D and have run into one problem after another. It's bloody annoying because I want these people to have their computers ASAP! They probably do, too, and I'll note that when they're beating the poop out of me! What makes it all the more fun is that my OWN computer is having problems on top of the general insanity. Questions pertinent to my problems are the first two below.
I have asked many people, done research, and tried everything that *I* know of to the best of my knowledge as explained herein. So my asking these questions aren't meant to be "hey, I did nothing at all and want help, gimme gimme gimme!" :p
Here goes `nuffin:
1.> My own computer is again having a problem (or problems, as the case may be...). Clicking and dragging windows quickly in, well, Windows (pun alert!) results in major "lag" to the point that the windows move literally seconds after I move the mouse to a particular spot -- the "time warp" popping effect. Especially prevalent when more cpu load is involved -- but given my computer specs, whatever being done shouldn't have THAT much of a negative impact! It wasn't like this before...
Additionally, scroll bars aren't clickable until webpages load sometimes. Not sure if this is due to my new Frontier ADSL (went from Road Runner) or if it's related to the other problem. Might be both.
Floppy Drive is faulty, but may or may not be a seperate issue. I need to replace it sooner than later.
Maybe it's just me, but I think my keyboard screws up keys rarely. Then again, it could be that I'm typing ~100 wpm without enough caffeine.
Given that this is a clean format and I've eliminated software as being a culprit, it's obviously a hardware issue. Normally, it could be one, a few, or all of many things; power supply, processor, RAM, mainboard, BIOS/CMOS, hard drive, and/or power.
I've eliminated a few: RAM is new and has no errors. Power Supply is the double redundant cooling type and its voltage is acceptable (+1.63v INO/CPU1, +3.35v IN2, +5.04v IN3, +12.04 IN4) -- although the CPU voltage is 1.63 V when it's made for 1.7 V. Manufacturer says it's within spec, but why don't I believe them? BIOS was successfully re-flashed and settings were never changed. Hard drive is error-free.
So, that leaves mainboard, processor, and/or power ... perhaps even the power supply (despite the manufacturer's insistence otherwise) ... but I'm not sure how to eliminate the suspects and know for sure which it is! What do you think?
***
2.> I mucked with my hdd params in OpenBSD and may have screwed them up up. Would those changes be permanent, or would any standard format (e.g. with Windows CD) fix that (the parameter changes only stored on the drive, not in an NVRAM chip etc., et-al...)? Here's hoping I don't have to do a low-level format or something...
***
3.> I can't do a clean install of WinXP on someone's computer. The computer locks up at 89% during the NTFS full format, or if I do the quick NTFS format, it locks up while installing the setup files.
If it miraculously manages to get past that, I get one of two BSOD's:
IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
or
MEMORY_MANAGEMENT
I know it has to do with the BIOS settings as the RAM is fine and this person had Windows 98 installed successfully before (aside from many driver issues) ... but which BIOS setting is to blame or at least most likely to cause this problem? There are a LOT of options for RAM to the point it's mind-boggling, so it's likely SOMETHING is wrong there, even though the default BIOS settings are being used.
It's worth noting that I personally had a similar problem a long time ago when I had a different BIOS/mobo than this person and was trying to install the then-new Win2K, but MY problem had to do with having ECC enabled in conjunction with a sensitive MRH -- not a good mix. Causes RAM to projectile vomit all over itself.
***
4.> Someone else mentioned that they had a computer problem. As they said, Windows flickers the video randomly but intermittently; the screen then goes black and the computer reboots without fail. Doesn't seem to happen in POST, thus I suspected a video driver issue.
This was the case until I changed a BIOS setting -- I think it was enabling ACPI -- and rebooted. WHAM! NO video. Nothing. Nada.
I tried locating the CMOS reset jumper, but there ISN'T one -- only what appears to be solder points (the manual says "JP5, pins whatever whatever, ha!). Heh, no battery, either. And the BIOS is just one of those old alligator clip thingees. I'm too much a weenie to pull that out at the risk of breaking it to clear CMOS or find if the battery is under it (it probably is, but not that it would matter if I pulled out the BIOS chip to begin with, haha).
So I swapped the video card with another one in the same PCI slot. Nothing.
I moved the original one up into another slot. Voila! I got video.
...Then I rebooted. No video. Again. Ditto.
Swapped PCI slots again. Nada.
Then again ... and it worked! Then not, then ... well, you get the idea. It seems to be playing mind games with me. And succeeding. FWIW, I was able to disable ACPI and some other "risky" BIOS settings, but to no avail.
I think it even manages to weird my monitor out when it happens (I'm sure you know that the monitor defaults to 60 Hz when turned on after computer video is loaded; otherwise video card determines the frequencies and modes used -- my saying it gets "funked" has to do with that phenomenon, long story short).
What can I do? What does this sound like to you -- bad mainboard, bad power supply, bad video card, resource conflict...? Not sure how to tell.
FYI, this is her board:
http://www.powerspec.com/support/system_boards/p5hx_b.html
http://www.powerspec.com/support/system_boards/p5hx_b_closeup.html
***
5.> Believe it or not, I don't understand nor know how to set IRQ's/DMA's -- I just use the Auto stuff. What resource would you suggest I peruse to learn this?
***
Well, you want to strangle me, I'll surmise. ;) Obviously you are welcome to decline my questions. Being that I'm trying to be unselfish by helping these people with their computers, I'd prefer it that these people aren't without them much longer!
Many, many thanks for your time,
-ShAdOWmoNkX :)
I've been helping numerous people with their computers (yes, for free! :D and have run into one problem after another. It's bloody annoying because I want these people to have their computers ASAP! They probably do, too, and I'll note that when they're beating the poop out of me! What makes it all the more fun is that my OWN computer is having problems on top of the general insanity. Questions pertinent to my problems are the first two below.
I have asked many people, done research, and tried everything that *I* know of to the best of my knowledge as explained herein. So my asking these questions aren't meant to be "hey, I did nothing at all and want help, gimme gimme gimme!" :p
Here goes `nuffin:
1.> My own computer is again having a problem (or problems, as the case may be...). Clicking and dragging windows quickly in, well, Windows (pun alert!) results in major "lag" to the point that the windows move literally seconds after I move the mouse to a particular spot -- the "time warp" popping effect. Especially prevalent when more cpu load is involved -- but given my computer specs, whatever being done shouldn't have THAT much of a negative impact! It wasn't like this before...
Additionally, scroll bars aren't clickable until webpages load sometimes. Not sure if this is due to my new Frontier ADSL (went from Road Runner) or if it's related to the other problem. Might be both.
Floppy Drive is faulty, but may or may not be a seperate issue. I need to replace it sooner than later.
Maybe it's just me, but I think my keyboard screws up keys rarely. Then again, it could be that I'm typing ~100 wpm without enough caffeine.
Given that this is a clean format and I've eliminated software as being a culprit, it's obviously a hardware issue. Normally, it could be one, a few, or all of many things; power supply, processor, RAM, mainboard, BIOS/CMOS, hard drive, and/or power.
I've eliminated a few: RAM is new and has no errors. Power Supply is the double redundant cooling type and its voltage is acceptable (+1.63v INO/CPU1, +3.35v IN2, +5.04v IN3, +12.04 IN4) -- although the CPU voltage is 1.63 V when it's made for 1.7 V. Manufacturer says it's within spec, but why don't I believe them? BIOS was successfully re-flashed and settings were never changed. Hard drive is error-free.
So, that leaves mainboard, processor, and/or power ... perhaps even the power supply (despite the manufacturer's insistence otherwise) ... but I'm not sure how to eliminate the suspects and know for sure which it is! What do you think?
***
2.> I mucked with my hdd params in OpenBSD and may have screwed them up up. Would those changes be permanent, or would any standard format (e.g. with Windows CD) fix that (the parameter changes only stored on the drive, not in an NVRAM chip etc., et-al...)? Here's hoping I don't have to do a low-level format or something...
***
3.> I can't do a clean install of WinXP on someone's computer. The computer locks up at 89% during the NTFS full format, or if I do the quick NTFS format, it locks up while installing the setup files.
If it miraculously manages to get past that, I get one of two BSOD's:
IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
or
MEMORY_MANAGEMENT
I know it has to do with the BIOS settings as the RAM is fine and this person had Windows 98 installed successfully before (aside from many driver issues) ... but which BIOS setting is to blame or at least most likely to cause this problem? There are a LOT of options for RAM to the point it's mind-boggling, so it's likely SOMETHING is wrong there, even though the default BIOS settings are being used.
It's worth noting that I personally had a similar problem a long time ago when I had a different BIOS/mobo than this person and was trying to install the then-new Win2K, but MY problem had to do with having ECC enabled in conjunction with a sensitive MRH -- not a good mix. Causes RAM to projectile vomit all over itself.
***
4.> Someone else mentioned that they had a computer problem. As they said, Windows flickers the video randomly but intermittently; the screen then goes black and the computer reboots without fail. Doesn't seem to happen in POST, thus I suspected a video driver issue.
This was the case until I changed a BIOS setting -- I think it was enabling ACPI -- and rebooted. WHAM! NO video. Nothing. Nada.
I tried locating the CMOS reset jumper, but there ISN'T one -- only what appears to be solder points (the manual says "JP5, pins whatever whatever, ha!). Heh, no battery, either. And the BIOS is just one of those old alligator clip thingees. I'm too much a weenie to pull that out at the risk of breaking it to clear CMOS or find if the battery is under it (it probably is, but not that it would matter if I pulled out the BIOS chip to begin with, haha).
So I swapped the video card with another one in the same PCI slot. Nothing.
I moved the original one up into another slot. Voila! I got video.
...Then I rebooted. No video. Again. Ditto.
Swapped PCI slots again. Nada.
Then again ... and it worked! Then not, then ... well, you get the idea. It seems to be playing mind games with me. And succeeding. FWIW, I was able to disable ACPI and some other "risky" BIOS settings, but to no avail.
I think it even manages to weird my monitor out when it happens (I'm sure you know that the monitor defaults to 60 Hz when turned on after computer video is loaded; otherwise video card determines the frequencies and modes used -- my saying it gets "funked" has to do with that phenomenon, long story short).
What can I do? What does this sound like to you -- bad mainboard, bad power supply, bad video card, resource conflict...? Not sure how to tell.
FYI, this is her board:
http://www.powerspec.com/support/system_boards/p5hx_b.html
http://www.powerspec.com/support/system_boards/p5hx_b_closeup.html
***
5.> Believe it or not, I don't understand nor know how to set IRQ's/DMA's -- I just use the Auto stuff. What resource would you suggest I peruse to learn this?
***
Well, you want to strangle me, I'll surmise. ;) Obviously you are welcome to decline my questions. Being that I'm trying to be unselfish by helping these people with their computers, I'd prefer it that these people aren't without them much longer!
Many, many thanks for your time,
-ShAdOWmoNkX :)