problem system

[ahab3333]

i had a nice system until it decided to get a mind of its own. the computer used to run for weeks without a problem but now it will only go a few hours before it crashes and either locks up or restarts without warning. i have tested all the hardware i can but nothing seems to show the problem. prime 95 willl run for 6 hours no problem and i run d2ol and it will sometimes run for days with it up. the power supply has be changes to eliminate that. i think it might be a bad cpu because it will not boot to windows unless i up the chip volt to 5%. please let me know what you think and what i can try. i really need this to be stable. oh yea i formated so its not a windows thing.

[Jeff]

Try running Memtest86....Memtest86.com

Let it run for a few hours.

Let me know if it works.

Jeff

[BC]

Being the 'proud' owner of a machine which has a processor with a bad ALU in it..... I know the feeling...

Sometimes it will run for hours, sometimes for a few minutes.... all depends on which instructions hit it...

I would follow Jeff's advice... eliminate the memory and MB as a potential problem....

Also, please use a volt meter (borrow or whatever) and actually measure the voltages available on the MB. Something may have aged and is drawing more than the supply can provide. If you have an adjustable spply (as I now do).... adjust accordingly.


If all else fails, as in my case... grab a new CPU. You may have to hunt on the net to find them.... The A64's are scarce, but XP's are doing fine as they are the company's 'bread & butter'.


BC

[em99010pepe]

i had a nice system until it decided to get a mind of its own. the computer used to run for weeks without a problem but now it will only go a few hours before it crashes and either locks up or restarts without warning. i have tested all the hardware i can but nothing seems to show the problem. prime 95 willl run for 6 hours no problem and i run d2ol and it will sometimes run for days with it up. the power supply has be changes to eliminate that. i think it might be a bad cpu because it will not boot to windows unless i up the chip volt to 5%. please let me know what you think and what i can try. i really need this to be stable. oh yea i formated so its not a windows thing.

I had the same problem in my father's AMD2200+.
The computer crashes when you are playing computer games?

[ahab3333]

i turned up the voltage to 7.5% and it seems stable again but does that mean the board is leaking volltage or is it the chip? i really would might getting a new chip but i dont want to find out that it is really the board.

[Beerknurd]

I don't have the cohoney's to OC this computer. Knowing me I would fry it. Besides you can't do much to a P4 can you??

[Empty_5oul]

whe i upgraded my comp, at first it didnt work (surprise, suprise lol). It turns out i had knocked a transistor when fitting heatsink - it was a tight fit. I looked in BIOS and watched the voltages as other ppl have already said, they were all over the place. after swapping my motherboard for diff. one i am fine. my comps been running for at least 1week, no probs and fast
i would reccommend changing the motherboard and see what happens.

[Keith75]

According to all my Intel loving buddies on other boards the P4s are great overclockers if you have the RAM to handle it.

[Beerknurd]

Too bad i'm an idiot when it comes to Overclocking computers.

[Keith75]

What speed is your RAM? Just go into your BIOS when you boot your computer and up the Front Side Bus Setting by about 5 MHz and you should be safe no matter what you have and get a mild overclock.

Keith