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Guest
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 Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 10:38 pm Post subject: K8N Neo2 Platinum 939-pin Athlon reboots after showing Win X |
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My MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum 939-pin Athlon computer has worked fine for a
few years, but suddenly failed a few weeks ago. The first symptom was
when I was using SHIFT-downarrow to select a few lines of text to
delete, and on pressing the third downarrow the computer screen
froze. After rebooting I got to the same place and it froze again on
the 3rd downarrow! Isn't that a hoot!? (I was using Mozilla in
Google Groups at the time, editing a post, just like a now.)
After a few more reboot tries things got progressively worse, and by
now the failure has morphed into automatic reboots immediately after
the Windows XP desktop completes populating it with icons, but before
all the programs are loaded. As I say, it gradually approached that
point over multiple tries. I tried changing memory, and moved my hard-
drive to another computer, where it's working fine. The CPU fan and
other noises are normal before and after the reboot failures.
Without any good reason I suspect the mobo, maybe the 1.6-volt (or
whatever) CPU switching converter? |
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Paul
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 6:29 am Post subject: Re: K8N Neo2 Platinum 939-pin Athlon reboots after showing W |
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winfieldhill@yahoo.com wrote:
| Quote: | My MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum 939-pin Athlon computer has worked fine for a
few years, but suddenly failed a few weeks ago. The first symptom was
when I was using SHIFT-downarrow to select a few lines of text to
delete, and on pressing the third downarrow the computer screen
froze. After rebooting I got to the same place and it froze again on
the 3rd downarrow! Isn't that a hoot!? (I was using Mozilla in
Google Groups at the time, editing a post, just like a now.)
After a few more reboot tries things got progressively worse, and by
now the failure has morphed into automatic reboots immediately after
the Windows XP desktop completes populating it with icons, but before
all the programs are loaded. As I say, it gradually approached that
point over multiple tries. I tried changing memory, and moved my hard-
drive to another computer, where it's working fine. The CPU fan and
other noises are normal before and after the reboot failures.
Without any good reason I suspect the mobo, maybe the 1.6-volt (or
whatever) CPU switching converter?
|
Have you tried a visual inspection of the motherboard ? Are there
any leaking electrolytics near the CPU socket ? On some motherboards,
that is the reason for flaky operation, up to the point that the
Vcore converter fails completely.
If you enter the BIOS and use the hardware monitor, what do the
voltage values listed in there look like ?
In terms of failure probabilities, the ATX power supply rates high up
the list. But the symptoms sound more like a Vcore problem.
To test for stability, you can use a program like Prime95 from
mersenne.org. There is also Orthos, another program with a similar
design intent. Prime95 has a "Torture Test" option, which will load
the CPU to 100% level, and is good for seeing whether the Vcore circuit
can deliver enough power to run the processor flat out. If the computer
reboots the instant that Prime95 starts the Torture Test, then you'd
suspect some kind of power issue, either Vcore or the ATX PSU.
Paul |
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Winfield
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 10:56 am Post subject: Re: K8N Neo2 Platinum 939-pin Athlon reboots after showing W |
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On Apr 8, 9:29 pm, Paul <nos...@needed.com> wrote:
| Quote: | winfieldh...@yahoo.com wrote:
My MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum 939-pin Athlon computer has worked fine for a
few years, but suddenly failed a few weeks ago. The first symptom was
when I was using SHIFT-downarrow to select a few lines of text to
delete, and on pressing the third downarrow the computer screen
froze. After rebooting I got to the same place and it froze again on
the 3rd downarrow! Isn't that a hoot!? (I was using Mozilla in
Google Groups at the time, editing a post, just like a now.)
After a few more reboot tries things got progressively worse, and by
now the failure has morphed into automatic reboots immediately after
the Windows XP desktop completes populating it with icons, but before
all the programs are loaded. As I say, it gradually approached that
point over multiple tries. I tried changing memory, and moved my hard-
drive to another computer, where it's working fine. The CPU fan and
other noises are normal before and after the reboot failures.
Without any good reason I suspect the mobo, maybe the 1.6-volt (or
whatever) CPU switching converter?
Have you tried a visual inspection of the motherboard ? Are there
any leaking electrolytics near the CPU socket ? On some motherboards,
that is the reason for flaky operation, up to the point that the
Vcore converter fails completely.
If you enter the BIOS and use the hardware monitor, what do the
voltage values listed in there look like ?
In terms of failure probabilities, the ATX power supply rates high up
the list. But the symptoms sound more like a Vcore problem.
To test for stability, you can use a program like Prime95 from
mersenne.org. There is also Orthos, another program with a similar
design intent. Prime95 has a "Torture Test" option, which will load
the CPU to 100% level, and is good for seeing whether the Vcore circuit
can deliver enough power to run the processor flat out. If the computer
reboots the instant that Prime95 starts the Torture Test, then you'd
suspect some kind of power issue, either Vcore or the ATX PSU.
Paul
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Thanks, Paul! Yes, I know about the defective electrolytic-capacitor
issue, and thankfully all the big high-density caps look perfect on
the PCB, no bulges, no tipping, no brown stuff, etc. But I'm still
suspicious of a possible CPU-core voltage dc-dc converter problem.
Or the main PS. Good idea, I'll see if I can read the voltages.
Thanks for the torture-test suggestions, maybe I can get the computer
far enough along to let me run a program if I start it in safe mode. |
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ΈτΆσ
Guest
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| Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 10:34 pm Post subject: Re: K8N Neo2 Platinum 939-pin Athlon reboots after showing W |
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On 8 Apr 2007 10:38:07 -0700, winfieldhill@yahoo.com wrote:
| Quote: | My MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum 939-pin Athlon computer has worked fine for a
few years, but suddenly failed a few weeks ago. The first symptom was
when I was using SHIFT-downarrow to select a few lines of text to
delete, and on pressing the third downarrow the computer screen
froze. After rebooting I got to the same place and it froze again on
the 3rd downarrow! Isn't that a hoot!? (I was using Mozilla in
Google Groups at the time, editing a post, just like a now.)
After a few more reboot tries things got progressively worse, and by
now the failure has morphed into automatic reboots immediately after
the Windows XP desktop completes populating it with icons, but before
all the programs are loaded. As I say, it gradually approached that
point over multiple tries. I tried changing memory, and moved my hard-
drive to another computer, where it's working fine. The CPU fan and
other noises are normal before and after the reboot failures.
Without any good reason I suspect the mobo, maybe the 1.6-volt (or
whatever) CPU switching converter?
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It would indeed be without any good reason. How did you get from a
software error [ O/S ] to a hardware fault.
To even begin any hardware diags without sorting out your flaky
operating system is the wrong way to even begin to discover the origin
of your problem.
Example, partition the hard drive, backup your existing system, put
on a new system - does the problem exist on the new install ?.
40 minutes well spent, and a nice clean, fast, bright shiny O/S.
Kind Regards, ΈτΆσ |
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Davy
GURU
Joined: 30 Apr 2005
Posts: 1862
Location: Nr Manchester. UK
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| Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2007 10:45 pm Post subject: Re: K8N Neo2 Platinum 939-pin Athlon reboots after showing W |
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I had this once on a computer, the computer would reboot it itself or the screen would flash off for a second... I rebooted the bios and it seemed to clear it for a short while..
... during the next brief good session the hard started produce a clanging noise now and then.... so in went new hard drive and power supply and that cured it...
... so being curious I ran it for several weeks without any problems with the old power supply - that seem to have ruled that out, I inserted the old hard drive and bingo the fault returned.
The funny part of all this.... it would only do it when I was doing something important, even a text doc. it's as if it kinda' knew, sometimes thing's would lock up forcing a reboot.
The hard drive was a Western Digital and about 4 years old, I can't say if this is your problem.... it was sure mine and if it hadn't started to make any noises I wouldn't have guessed.
Davy |
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