Random Problems

[SufferWell1396]

my windows 98 has 2 harddrives, 1x Western Digital 160 gig. (reformated to 137 becuase of opperating system) and 1x Conner Peripherals 360 meg. I have posted threads of just random things happening to my computer, still it reads *CMOS checksum error -- defaults loaded* after i changed the battery and entered bios. My floppy disk controller is not working, my Western Digital seems to over heat after 3 hours or so and once the Conner Peripherals prevented the computer from booting.... I do have a Seagate 215 meg hdd spare that i dont use and i have 2 CD-ROM drives, Hitachi GD 2000, and an NEC DVD-R drive, the Hitachi is incredibly loud on start up, I have it set to master because when the NEC was master it made a huge Fan type sound.... and now, another problem has occured.. Im running my system on an Intel Celeron 333MHz soon to be upgraded to an Intel Pentium III 1.04 GHz processor, and i run windows media player, winamp, (etc.) and everytime i minimize it the system sketches the music and it skips even though it is running it off of the Conners which is the slave... i uncompressed my Conners because i read it could lead to proformance loss and i just got a new sound card which runs in PCI.... do i need new parts or is the problem different?

[ski]

IMHO, I would not throw any more $ at that system. Due to its age, you're just going to have continuous problems with it.
Suggest getting a barebones system, install new RAM, and transfer the 160 GB HD and other drives, and necessary PCI cards(modem, sound, etc.).
You can install the 160 GB HD in your emachines system to save critical files before installing it in the barebones system. It should also be reformatted, and the O/S reinstalled.
Or buy a new system, and install the 160 GB HD as a Slave drive.

[saphalline]

I agree. Most of the issues you're describing sound like a failing mobo. The CMOS error comes up even after a new battery and the floppy controller is dead/dying - I'd dump the system for these two alone! And the hard drive constantly overheating suggests the need for an entirely new case with better cooling (hard drives are usually the last part to overheat!).

The final problem with the skipping music is simply an issue with a slow CPU. A Celeron 333 doesn't have enough computing muscle to minimize WMP while playing a song without skipping, regardless of having a dedicated sound card or different HDD. It's just too slow.

On another note, how do you plan on upgrading from a Celeron 333 all the way to a PIII 1GHz+?? What freakish mobo do you have that will let you do that?

[SufferWell1396]

i dunno, there both socket 370's so i thought i could upgrade

[saphalline]

Ummm... no. It doesn't quite work that way. Yes they fit into the same socket, but their core revisions are so far apart that I've never seen a mobo that can do that. The same goes for Socket 478 Pentium4's - there is no mobo that will accept all of them. Judging by the Celeron 333 in there right now, I estimate you can upgrade to a PIII 500-600. That's just a guess, though, and I couldn't tell you for certain without more info on your mobo.

[jlreich]

I agree with ski and Saphalline. The mobo is dying, and it's just not worth dumping any more money into it.

It's time to move on. ;)

[mjc]

I'll cast the fourth vote on this.

It is dying and the upgrade path on that board is not worth it.

What Saph said is very true, it doesn't quite work that way. Now the converse can be true, there are Socket 370 boards that can take a 1+ gig PIII and also take a Celeron 333...but they are going backwards to do it. I doubt that the BIOS on that current board would even recognize a PIII that high, let alone run it. There may even be a chance that it won't even recognize the 500 PIII Saph mentioned...it just isn't worth it to find out.

[SufferWell1396]

man.... i need a stedy computer.... as it is running now with those current problems, how long do you think it will last and what do you mean by The mobo is dying and

It's time to move on. ;) this is my first successful computer, is there anyway for me to repair it?

[jlreich]

If the mobo is dead, that's it. Nothing you can do about it. ;)

[saphalline]

When we say "it's time to move on", we mean it's time to replace that aging and dying system. With the mobo dying on you like that, just build a new computer. New mobo, CPU, RAM - the works.

[SufferWell1396]

eh... ok, but how long do you think it has?

[jlreich]

Hard to say for certain, but with all the problems you have been having with it I would say not much longer.

[SufferWell1396]

its an AT power connector.... what should i do with it, i have 2 other mobos but there both ATX, can i somehow convert it?, what should i do with my old processor?

[mjc]

Let's put it this way...it could last for ten more years just like it is (very, very, very unlikely), or it could go out with a puff of smoke and a shower of sparks in the next ten minutes (much more likely).

The point is that at this point it is not worth trying to 'fix' and it won't last (in a reliable, usable condition) much longer, so quit trying to force it along and start gathering the parts to build a new one.

It's kind of like taking a tire into a garage and asking how much longer, when the tire has been patched several times, is nearly bald, has belt showing and a bulge in the sidewall....

[ski]

Also, when that ancient MB fails(agree with the others, it will be sooner than later) then it's very possible that it will take other good components with it, one being the 160 GB HD. Definitely not worth the gamble. Dump that system.

[SufferWell1396]

it will be 8 days til i get my ATX power connector for my other mother board, you think this old thing can pull through another 8 days or will i go up in sparks if i start it up? :confused:

[mjc]

Actually, I would be loathe to pwoer it down.

It is more likely, at least with a fairly good psu and currently working (as much as it is) motherboard to die while booting than it is to die while running. The power cycle is fairly hard on things and on something that is at this state everyone is like tossing the dice...you never know when it will let the smoke out and quit working. (Didn't you know that the purpose of a power supply was to convert electricity to smoke? As long as the smoke stays in the computer it will work.)

[Sylvander]

"Didn't you know that the purpose of a power supply was to convert electricity to smoke? As long as the smoke stays in the computer it will work"
Nice one. :D

I wonder how many people out there won't know this is a joke and will take it seriously? :D

What's that you say?
You meant it to be taken seriously?

[SufferWell1396]

im lost, all i want to know is will it last another week so i can get my power supply?, i dont want to ruin my computer.. :(

[saphalline]

There's no way to know for certain, but the best chance you have of keeping that system running is to not turn it off. Keep it on all the time and it is likely to last as long as it can.