strange prob!!!help req

[krisjr]

Hi,
my fren just called me wit a prob which baffled me,so i am falling back on to you guys..he says tat wenever he boots the comp,after a certain period of time,ters a loud beep sound and the PC reboots suddenly..The PC just came from the service guys,but the prob remains..

he uses 98SE,800 mhz pentium,30GB HDD, 192MB sdram.The comp is not connected to net.wat cud be the problem areas.

Plz suggest.
tx

[dOm1naTOr]

Hmmmmm........
It seems that the ram is faulty.
Try removing each RAM module one by one nd try using the PC for a few hours.Find the faulty one nd get it replaced.But sdrams are rare to get nd costlier than DDR.But it supports only sd, so no other choice.

[drgrudge]

Originally Posted by krisjr

he uses 98SE,800 mhz pentium,30GB HDD, 192MB sdram.The comp is not connected to net.wat cud be the problem areas.

So has he added a 64mb with 128mb RAM? Well it comes like a matrix like screen, correct? It happned to me once.., remove one of the RAM stick.

This may happen when two RAM's with different operating frequencies are put into the mobo.

---
If his HDD has failed, then he will hear a beep sound and it will not see even pre windows loading thing as well.

[dOm1naTOr]

Hey it sounds like he had been using this config from earlier.So it is wont be due to any incompatibility.The ram stick may be faulty.

[enoonmai]

Well, to be doubly sure that the RAM itself is not at fault, you can check it with the MemTest tool. Download it here:
http://hcidesign.com/memtest/

Also if the computer works for some time and then shuts down suddenly, it can also be an overheating problem apart from the obvious problems that can arise with the RAM and HDD, as drgrudge said. Follow drgrudge's suggestions, if its fixed by removing the RAM, then return it for repair/replacement. Otherwise, get professional help in refixing your processor/heatsink/cooling fan with fresh thermal paste and make sure your CPU fan is working the way its supposed to. Also, check if the memory module is covered with a metal heat spreader. Those have been known to cause problems some times too, working for some time, failing for some and then working again.

If your friend's motherboard supports thermal monitoring, get Motherboard Monitor and use it to test the operating temperatures of the PC:
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=311

[krisjr]

tx mates for those replies..ok am clearing more things now.he stays in bhubaneswar and me in blore,so takes time to get thngs across.
well he tels me tat,HDD hasnt failed ever.
now some time back tat PC was upgraded to 800mhz and 192MB sdram(earlier ter was 64mb(100mhz),later 128mb(133mhz) was added)...

now ya all saying,can be because of faulty ram sticks.but i hav hynix sdrams in 32(100mhz)+128(133),but stil no probs yet,touchwood.
hav asked him to do the memtest.

another nugget of info he told me,the processor fan isnt working,it was working earlier..eventhough he is plugging it in the SMPS fan power jumper and procy power jumper,which is nearby each other,nothing is happening.plus the thermal paste has become crusty along the sides.the paste was put very recently.

I hope i made the situation little bit more clear..
now let me know the future course of action.

Tx again all of u for ur effort..

[swatkat]

Processor NEEDS a fan. Tell him to put a new fan for the Processor.

Also, there will be nor problems in running both 64MB@100MHz and 128MB@133MHz, since both will work at 100MHz.
Also, try this once, go to BIOS, and there chooe the option "Load Default settings" or "Load Optimum settings".

[krisjr]

hey swatkat: 80mm fan wil do fine right.....ok tat also i will tel him.but by loading default setings,wat exactly will be achieved.let me know.

[swatkat]

By loading the Default Settings in BIOS, all values will reset to default values.
If there is any change in vital settings in BIOS like CAS Latency, Frequency etc, problems can occur.
That's why resetting back to default values help in soem cases.

[krisjr]

let me know abt the fan mate,bye tx

[Kannan]

If the processor is the latest prescott then check if that Hatsink Fan is properly touching the processor's Core Sink.

The latest series of heatsink need awfull lot of pressure to fix to the mortherboard.

For the first time I had the same problem. After reinstalling the Heatsink again the preocessor's temp has come down.

[krisjr]

@kanan:
no man its socket 478 ECS mobos P4VMM something.

[klinux]

How far into the boot process is he able to go ? does he get anything on the screen ? does post complete ?

if ur sure its koz of overheating processor , just try underclocking it to the lowest possible speed to see if it works . else if he is good at assembling , old trick is , just dismantle the whole thing and put it back one "VITAL" part at a time . if he is in a hurry , he can use the above as last resort . but most of the cases , dismantling helps solve not only immediate problem , but improves over all sys performance . plus a lil bit of dusting of all the parts would help too .

[Kannan]

I think if the Processor and system temperature are listed then it would be easy to know either its overheating thermal shutdown or some other problem !

[krisjr]

i dont know man,if ters any softwre which will read the temp and i guess it wont work in his PC,its as i said ECS P4VMM 7.3...still let me know..

wats underclocking..but it wasnt overclocked..wil tel to dismantle and dust though..
and yes he is able to sometimes work for 20mins(first time he boots) or 15mins and ten suddenly beep(sound) nd it reboots.next time i.e the 2nd time he is only able to stay till 10,12 mins,not more..

[swatkat]

check the Temp. in BIOS itself.