Hey People!!

Problems:
(1) Computer randomly crashes; very unstable
(2) When I initially start my computer power is supplied
to the computer, but nothing is displayed on the screen.

Current Diagnosis:

* Video Card: 3dfx Voodoo Banshee: I didn't know if it was
working or not, so I put it into my roommates computer
and it worked w/o any problems.

* Power Supply: I ordered a new supply.

* I also disconnected the CD-R, CD-ROM, and two network
cards to find that the computer still had the same
problems.

* I can also discount the memory, because I ran
memtest86 <www.memtest86.com> for nine hours,
only to find no errors.

Possibilities:
* This leaves two hard drives, a floppy, a processor (AMD
K6-2), and a motherboard (Soyo 5EHM).

I ran fsck.ext2 to check for bad blocks on both drives to find no problems. Can a hard drive still be at fault?

How can I test the processor and motherboard? What else can be possible wrong? I don't want to replace the entire computer!!

Thanks

lowlife

Random hardlockups would cause me to look at temperatures/fans. CPU first, motherboard next, and of course the hard drives. If it's a software problem it should be a repeatable event so try and make it happen again by doing the same tasks again after a crash.

As for the video - does the monitor ever start up?

I don't think the problem is caused by temperature: the case is off, and the computer has two auxillery fans in it.

The problem isn't due to the software. It happens regardless of whether I'm issuing any commands or not.

The monitor eventually turns on (after I hit the reset button a few times).

Is there any way I can test the CPU/motherboard without replacing them?

Thanks in advance.

I am as well scalling towards tempeture factor, I had hard lock ups when I used Win* after switching to *NIX it desappeared, so I thought the penguin had the cure for my system, but after a month or so up time the system locked up again, I had a case opened and during summer there is a room fan blowing by the system, and it still locked up, so it was so till I put a cooling sealant and new fan on CPU, no more hangs up whatsoever.

I also look in the direction of the overheating CPU.
Get a serious fan as the AMD K6 were known to heat quite a lot.

My computer was working fine for over two years and it just stopped working recently (after I took it home for the Christmas vacation). Do you still think overheating of the CPU is still a factor?

I'll try it regardless: buying a new heatsink isn't very expensive.

Thanks for all of your input!!

Dead fan is my guess. Worst kind is the one that works sometimes. You can run for days and then boot up and the fan won't start at the next boot. From experience you get about 90 seconds at room temperature when the fan dies. Less if the heatsink is coated in dust. This was on a K6-2 (333) i think.

Use aronsal dust spray from Radio Shack or a computer store and use it to get rid of dust. Also use a pencil eraser to get rid of oxides from the contacts on expansion boards and memory. Never use a vacuum cleaner to get all the dust out. If that doesn't work increase the core voltage of the processor. Increasing the core voltage can ruin the computer or make the computer not boot up at all. Running memtest on your memory doesn't prove to be a good way to make sure the memory does work. Try testing the memory in another computer.

Systems don't like to be transported from one location to the next. When it gets to the final destination, sometimes things goes wrong that didn't exist at its old destination. After transporting the computer, always wait a few hours so the computer can get used to the environment. You can then turn on your computer to do what ever you want. Its like having a gold fish for a pet.