Constant lockups (plus BSOD in Windows)
 

Hi all,

I'm having the problem recently with my computer of constant lock-ups, kernel panics under Ubuntu and Bluescreens under Windows. I've been trying to find the source of the problem, and have managed to exclude the following:

* Faulty memory - Memtest86+ has run through 51 passes of the tests without a single error.
* Faulty hard drive - I've done a runthrough of Scandisk under Windows, which reports no problems whatsoever
* Overheating - I've checked in BIOs and the CPU never gets above 62C after a crash. Similarly NVIDIA settings reports a constant 70-71C under both Windows and Ubuntu.

The thought of possible ACPI problems has occurred to me, as modifying the ACPI settings in BIOs does seem to affect the regularity of these crashes. Is it possible that this would cause these kinds of problems? Could a BIOs reflash possibly help?

My system below:

Athlon 64 3200+
512MB DDR-400
One 300GB Hard Drive, one 30GB
VIA chipset
GeForce 6600GT

Thanks again!

Two things:

1. Yes, a BIOS reflash can help. It's usually the first thing I do with any equipment - you can't even report a problem unless your firmware is up to date.

2. 62C is hot. My AMD64 3200+ never runs above 48C, even with the CPU at 100% for hours. You have a thermal problem.

Good luck.