Post #74,250
1/13/03 10:48:04 AM
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OK, the specs.
ASUS Kt-133 motherboard (now with latest BIOS)
512 mb PC-133 RAM
NVidia GeForce 4 AGP card w/128mb RAM
Windows XP w/SP 1 & all hotfixes listed on their auto-update site
A dialup modem
An ethernet card (can't remember which brand, it's not currently connected to anything)
An MAUDIO Audiophile 2496 24-bit sound card
An adaptec scsi card (can't remember model, I've had it for at least five years) currently not hooked up to anything
ethernet, modem and adaptec were auto-detected by XP during installation.
I'm reluctant to remove any of them because I don't want XP to decide it's time to re-register the OS.
Audiophile card has latest drivers installed, as does Nvidia. Perhaps I need to back out to older Nvidia drivers?
Latest drivers for motherboard VIA chipset thingy installed.
Erm... that's all I can remember.
"We are all born originals -- why is it so many of us die copies?"
- Edward Young
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Post #74,270
1/13/03 12:25:53 PM
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Good... now onto...
...making sure it's the hardware and NOT the OS. Boot Knoppix and *USE* it... Just like you'd do to get the re-boots... If it don't reboot it AIN'T the hardware... if it REBOOTS... then it's the hardware...
Assuming it's the OS (yes I know...) I am wondering when the last time you actually defragmented the drive... I'd schedule it for everynight. Yes, even with NTFS it can get severly fragmented and affect peformance *AND* stability. Don't revert to older drivers... especially with the nVidia stuff... usually it's a good thing... *I* don't believe it's the hardware persay... maybe some BIOS settings are not "optimal" for your setup.
Play around with them, but change one-two at most at a time *UNLESS* you know for sure WHAT it is. Use it, run it for a while, no change... put it back or leave it works either way. Then change some more... use it, if worse chnage it back... better leave it, and continue to tweak. You'd ve surprised how touchy SOME ASUS motherboards can be... Especially the VIA chipset boards... like you have... BUT they also tend to be the BEST boards out the ONCE you tweak em right... (on and ASUS A7V-133 Right NOW) as I have had experience (as has Wade) with Crappy doings on ASUS *UNTIL* you hit that Magic Sweet Spot... then it is typically SMOOTH sailing... for a long while. I STILL am having to tweak an Asus A7V-333 right now... to get it stable... grr... BTW, Auto for Voltages and such on ASUS boards is typically a good thing too... unless Over-Clocking... which you aren't.
I also have GigaByte Motherboards... GA-7VRXP (2), and GA-7VAXP (1)... love em to death too... but they as well require the tweakers touch... but not as much.
Wish it were easier than that... but... you know...
| [link|mailto:curley95@attbi.com|greg] - Grand-Master Artist in IT | | [link|http://www.iwethey.org/ed_curry/|REMEMBER ED CURRY!] [link|http://pascal.rockford.com:8888/SSK@kQMsmc74S0Tw3KHQiRQmDem0gAIPAgM/edcurry/1//|ED'S GHOST SPEAKS!] | Heimatland Geheime Staatspolizei reminds:
These [link|http://www.whitehouse.gov/pcipb/cyberstrategy-draft.html|Civilian General Orders], please memorize them.
"Questions" will be asked at safety checkpoints. |
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Post #74,274
1/13/03 12:46:10 PM
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ok, but... what is KNOPPIX?
Because I'm not familiar with it at all. Its mention here in this forum is the first I've heard of it.
"We are all born originals -- why is it so many of us die copies?"
- Edward Young
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Post #74,276
1/13/03 1:05:40 PM
1/13/03 9:12:40 PM
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Well... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Chris READ!!!!!
... it's a FULL Linux Distribution run from CD-ROM... Never touches your Hard Drive at all... unless you want it to.
GNOME, KDE, OpenOffice, the whole nine yards. LOTS of tools, browsers, editors, graphics tools, you naem it probably on it...
[link|http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html|Knoppix Homepage], Klaus Knopper is a Great Guy...
[link|ftp://ftp.uni-kl.de/pub/linux/knoppix/|Best D/L speed] I can find, yeah it's a ways away, but I always get cranking thoughput on it
If, yah don't have a BroadBand connection, or a high-speed to D/L the ISO or a Burner... e-mail me, I'll send you a few copies of it... (and Debian Woody CD's as well) for the simple reason... I want to...
| [link|mailto:curley95@attbi.com|greg] - Grand-Master Artist in IT | | [link|http://www.iwethey.org/ed_curry/|REMEMBER ED CURRY!] [link|http://pascal.rockford.com:8888/SSK@kQMsmc74S0Tw3KHQiRQmDem0gAIPAgM/edcurry/1//|ED'S GHOST SPEAKS!] | Heimatland Geheime Staatspolizei reminds:
These [link|http://www.whitehouse.gov/pcipb/cyberstrategy-draft.html|Civilian General Orders], please memorize them.
"Questions" will be asked at safety checkpoints. |
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Post #74,328
1/13/03 6:26:01 PM
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Windows XP hardware registration ... ick.
I hadn't thought of that. :-( I also haven't played with XP at all.
It may pay you to make sure you know what every jumper on the board is set to and that it agrees with either the factory defaults or what you've already determined it needs to be. I had just one that was wrong (i.e. not factory default) - it was some sublte voltage setting for a bus - and things were very wobbly. Took me a few weeks to even see it!
The BIOS upgrade will probably improve the PCI device map. If the GeForce drivers took some forcing last time they went in, I'd remove them (NVidia do have a remove option, IIRC), cold reboot and re-install them.
I'd also find the latest VIA motherboard drivers. From VIA. My video card came with a newer set than what came with my motherboard - and the BIOS update needed for everything to work needed even newer drivers.
Wade.
Microsoft are clearly boiling the frogs.
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Post #74,368
1/14/03 8:04:16 AM
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More information
put latest via drivers on machine. Uninstalled nVidia drivers and let XP use the default nVidia drivers.
Machine would constantly reboot as soon as it hit the desktop when the CPU was set to 1667 mhz, but at 1250 it actually remained pretty stable for a long time. It still eventually crashes, though.
I reset XPs error messaging to give me a BSOD instead of automatically rebooting, and on my latest crash I get the following message:
DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL
which doesn't tell ME anything. It also lists two files:
mrxsmb.sys
rdbss.sys
searching for mrxsmb.sys reveals that I have three of those files, one in an archived directory, one in a service pack directory, and one in my c:\\windows\\system32\\drivers directory. I don't know what driver it's for, though.
searching for rdbss.sys finds exactly the same thing.
So if I can figure out what those files are associated with, I might make some progress here...
"We are all born originals -- why is it so many of us die copies?"
- Edward Young
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Post #74,371
1/14/03 8:46:40 AM
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Ouchy....
Looks like I found some other people experiencing the same problem you are:
[link|http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/winxp/r1038043392|Solution with bad news for Chris], it means moving some cards around...
or you can try this to see if it helps:
[link|http://www.gideontech.com/guides/ccooler/ccooler01.shtml|Poorman's Card Cooler] (I use this myself)
I am believing it is coming down to IRQ sharing with the Video card or the Video card heating up or both!
Try the Cooler ontop of the Video Card Area... if you can. The Fans only cost about $3-$7 and I am SURE you can find a slot cover!
Lemme know... Sending the CDs later this week!
| [link|mailto:curley95@attbi.com|greg] - Grand-Master Artist in IT | | [link|http://www.iwethey.org/ed_curry/|REMEMBER ED CURRY!] [link|http://pascal.rockford.com:8888/SSK@kQMsmc74S0Tw3KHQiRQmDem0gAIPAgM/edcurry/1//|ED'S GHOST SPEAKS!] | Heimatland Geheime Staatspolizei reminds:
These [link|http://www.whitehouse.gov/pcipb/cyberstrategy-draft.html|Civilian General Orders], please memorize them.
"Questions" will be asked at safety checkpoints. |
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Post #74,377
1/14/03 9:24:02 AM
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of cards and coolers...
well, my sound card isn't right next to my agp card, but I may have some other card sitting there. I'll have to look into that. ulp...
as to the poor man's card cooler, that's a great idea, but I've already got two fans in my case, not counting the one mounted on my power supply or the one attached to the cpu heat sink. I mean, how many fans do you squeeze into your case before you just give up and buy a water-cooled case? :)
It's getting to the point where I'm not going to be able to justify building my own PCs anymore... the higher end CPUs require a delicate touch, and I just don't have that. :(
"We are all born originals -- why is it so many of us die copies?"
- Edward Young
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Post #74,379
1/14/03 9:42:33 AM
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Review the placement of each card
The AGP slot and slot 1 aren't the only interfaces that share an IRQ. Check your MB user manual for more. Like that instruction said, disable in the BIOS any interfaces you don't use (serial, parallel, etc.). You can also try to catch the list of IRQ usage on the POST, but you need to read fast for that. You may never be able to avoid sharing all together, but you should look for the most forgiving set-up.
~~~)-Steven----
"I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country.
He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country..."
General George S. Patton
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Post #74,421
1/14/03 11:51:44 AM
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On cooling...
Me... I just throw my computer in the tub when playing games... I don't have to worry about reboots or anything of the type...
But, then I get to replace alot of stuff... ;)
Actually, one machine I have (one mentioned earlier here), I have about 20 fans in it, some small one some larger ones and two biggies 200MM spins at ~1000RPM (one pusher, one puller) and they about suck my shirt off (ewww bad picture I know)...
Water cooling is for people who have nothing more than time and money to waste on *AHEAD* of the Bleeding Edge technology. Heck they have Water Cooling for CPU, NorthBridge, VideoCards, Power Supplies, Hard Drives, DVD/CD Burners... fun++ == putting fluoresing ingredients in the water and black-lighting it!!!
Tooo much work for me...
| [link|mailto:curley95@attbi.com|greg] - Grand-Master Artist in IT | | [link|http://www.iwethey.org/ed_curry/|REMEMBER ED CURRY!] [link|http://pascal.rockford.com:8888/SSK@kQMsmc74S0Tw3KHQiRQmDem0gAIPAgM/edcurry/1//|ED'S GHOST SPEAKS!] | Heimatland Geheime Staatspolizei reminds:
These [link|http://www.whitehouse.gov/pcipb/cyberstrategy-draft.html|Civilian General Orders], please memorize them.
"Questions" will be asked at safety checkpoints. |
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Post #74,424
1/14/03 11:57:37 AM
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Re: On cooling...
There was an IBM frame that used liquid nitrogen to cool the CPU.
BTW adding fans won't help. The issue is to move the hot air away from the CPU, not blow cold air on it (although if you could arrange that, it would be nice). Running with the cover off is the surest way to overheat the CPU, because there is no orderly flow of air over the components. The IBM PS/2 servers would not operate with the cover off.
-drl
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Post #74,438
1/14/03 12:46:51 PM
1/14/03 12:47:19 PM
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I use airflow dynamics...
and "Path" my heat out of machines... so intake never crosses exhaust... usually Front=>Back
But this time, I used a Venturi effect with the Big Fans... and push the hot air into the Stream.
Works real nice, the Drives I am using used to be in IBM Storage Drawers... they ran ~95 degrees F with refrigerated cooling... right now ~105 degrees F. Very little noise too... those big fans are nice for that.
| [link|mailto:curley95@attbi.com|greg] - Grand-Master Artist in IT | | [link|http://www.iwethey.org/ed_curry/|REMEMBER ED CURRY!] [link|http://pascal.rockford.com:8888/SSK@kQMsmc74S0Tw3KHQiRQmDem0gAIPAgM/edcurry/1//|ED'S GHOST SPEAKS!] | Heimatland Geheime Staatspolizei reminds:
These [link|http://www.whitehouse.gov/pcipb/cyberstrategy-draft.html|Civilian General Orders], please memorize them.
"Questions" will be asked at safety checkpoints. |
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Post #74,454
1/14/03 3:10:46 PM
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"Airflow dynamics?"
Is that anything like "Never put an IDE drive between two SCSI drives so that big fat SCSI cable covers the entire thing, insulating it and causing it to bake thoroughly?
I *still* bear the scars from that.
"We are all born originals -- why is it so many of us die copies?"
- Edward Young
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Post #74,459
1/14/03 3:54:06 PM
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Uhhh.... *SHRUG*
Maybe... Oh, I can't believe you brought *THAT* up again...
| [link|mailto:curley95@attbi.com|greg] - Grand-Master Artist in IT | | [link|http://www.iwethey.org/ed_curry/|REMEMBER ED CURRY!] [link|http://pascal.rockford.com:8888/SSK@kQMsmc74S0Tw3KHQiRQmDem0gAIPAgM/edcurry/1//|ED'S GHOST SPEAKS!] | Heimatland Geheime Staatspolizei reminds:
These [link|http://www.whitehouse.gov/pcipb/cyberstrategy-draft.html|Civilian General Orders], please memorize them.
"Questions" will be asked at safety checkpoints. |
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Post #74,461
1/14/03 4:23:31 PM
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I can't help it
it's the only time I've ever reached in to a pc and seriously BURNED MY HAND.
Like I said, it scarred me. I was depressed for almost a year after that.
"We are all born originals -- why is it so many of us die copies?"
- Edward Young
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Post #74,462
1/14/03 4:31:59 PM
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Add a component and it does work
Running with the cover off is the surest way to overheat the CPU, because there is no orderly flow of air over the components. My system at home (2 more weeks till I break down and buy a new one) is running with the cover off (dead power supply fan). I have a mini fan blowing into the box that cools it just fine. Why should we ask our military to die for cheap oil when the rest of us aren't even being asked to get better mileage?
-[link|http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?itemid=14107|Molly Ivins]
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Post #74,465
1/14/03 4:37:34 PM
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Ugh :)
Any gravity mounted drives? :)
-drl
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Post #74,466
1/14/03 4:45:45 PM
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Huh?
You mean like the one I've got hanging and swinging in the breeze from the IDE and power cables?
Why should we ask our military to die for cheap oil when the rest of us aren't even being asked to get better mileage?
-[link|http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?itemid=14107|Molly Ivins]
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Post #74,468
1/14/03 4:57:24 PM
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LMAO!
Damn, I can't begin to count the number of times I've had to do that...
Any deity worthy of a graven image can cobble up a working universe complete with fake fossils in under a week - hey, if you're not omnipotent, there's no real point in being a god. But to start with a big ball of elementary particles and end up with the duckbill platypus without constant twiddling requires a degree of subtlety and the ability to Think Things Through: exactly the qualities I'm looking for when I'm shopping for a Supreme Being.
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Post #74,472
1/14/03 5:10:03 PM
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Re: Huh?
Might as well hang some wind chimes from the case inner top. Maybe also one of those nice prismatic glass things to catch the sunlight, like hippie chicks used to like - wake'n bake and nice colors.
-drl
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Post #74,513
1/14/03 7:25:31 PM
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Check the IRQ->slot list in the m/b manual.
As Greg said, it will let you figure out which cards the BIOS is trying to have share interrupts.
I'm tempted to say the NIC is fighting with something - "mrxsmb.sys" looks like MS networking. (And it will be using the one in system32.) Google confirms this including that rdbss is part of the same functionality. Try putting the network card in a different slot. Sometimes they don't like sharing, especially with sound cards.
Wade.
Is it enough to love
Is it enough to breathe
Somebody rip my heart out
And leave me here to bleed
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Is it enough to die
Somebody save my life
I'd rather be Anything but Ordinary
Please
| -- "Anything but Ordinary" by Avril Lavigne. |
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