Tahngarthor

(Reposting this here because it seems to make more sense)

Posting here after google led me to a thread here with a similar problem, though I never really discovered what their solution was.

System-
ABIT AT8 32X motherboard with ATI Xpress 1200(?) chipset
dualcore AMD Athlon 64 X2 2800+
2GB RAM
2x 128MB PCIe Radeon X1900 GTs in crossfire mode
Western Digital 120GB SATA1.5 HDD
Windows Vista Ultimate x64

At completely random intervals, with no obvious pattern, the HDD light just goes on and stays on. The system continues to run normally for a bit (except that no new data can be loaded for whatever I'm doing- i.e. if i'm playing a game if anything new such as a player joining an FPS game happens, their model wont show up for example, and music gets stuck in a short loop) then windows eventually (I affecitonately call this) has a heart attack and locks up.

Things I've checked:
- microsoft memory tester boot CD runs for half an hour, no errors found
- CHKDSK full scan turns up no errors except some data loss if the problem occured while data was being written
-Cleaned dust from fan grills and front/rear panel vents

(System locked up while typing this message twice, so posting now in case I lose it again)
there

Several months ago, when my PC seemed to be in good shape and was running quite cool, I decided to try OC'ing the CPU very slightly (5mhz to the clock, literally) Though I didn't experience any problems, I turned it back to normal the same day because I decided I wasnt much of a risk taker.
~ a month later, Windows update offers me a driver update for my SATA controller ( Silicon Image SiL 3132 SATALink Controller ). I installed that.
A few weeks after that is when the problem began.

(Saving post again because I'm paranoid)

I tried rolling back the SATA driver. No effect.
Even though this could happen at any time, even before windows starts on a cold (literally, its in a ~50-60F environment in the morning) boot, I went and put a HDD cooler underneath the drive. All that did was add some noise to the case :D
The earliest I've had it happen is right after the BIOS splash screen dissapears and I see the SATA controller detecting/listing the drives in the system. But it can happen any time- During boot up as I said, while windows is loading, or anytime while using the PC, after 10 hours of uptime or more. Sometimes I go a few days without it happening, sometimes it happens multiple times a day.

Because of the times i've seen it happen, I'm thinking either a power problem or a problem with the HD. While this might not be related, I have a question- my HD has both a SATA power connector and the standard molex connector. Does it actually matter which I use (using the sata connector right now)? Should I try using the other?

I'm hoping (sort of) that it's the hard drive and not the motherboard. Since things continue to function more or less normally if it happens while windows is running for 30sec-1-2 minutes or so, I don't think the CPU is having a problem. But I figured I'd find a forum to post for help before I run out and buy a new hard drive only to have it not fix the problem (Even though I should get a new one anyway, 120GB is just not cutting it :D )

Thanks in advance for any advice.

2pistolpacker

Hi Tahngarthor, you should start by running a few diagnostic tests on the hardrive and then the memory. Use WD's utility on the drive and Memtest86 on the memory. Please list these on your next post, brand and model of your memory, brand, model, and voltages printed in the side of your power supply. Mike

http://support.wdc.com/download/inde...n&pid=2&swid=3

http://www.memtest86.com/
Download the Pre-compiled version 3.4a and have a floppy disk ready.

Tahngarthor

SMART attributes all check out, the quick test passed as well.

Memory is 2 1GB Crucial 184-pin DDR 400 (PC3200) dual channel
It's an Antec CXI-600B 600 watt power supply
voltage input 115/220V output +3.3V +5V +12V1 +12V2 +12V3

Recently, I had a faliure (i'll say stall for now) like I described occur just before boot up. The system continued to operate normally, giving a DISK BOOT FALIURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER message. I left it idle for a little while, to see if it would ever recover and it didn't. I was able to boot from a CD from here however, which seems to narrow things to the HD or power supply. Should I try a different connector maybe? My drive has both a SATA and molex power connector, I could keep trying different plugs to see if it's the specific connector.

2pistolpacker

I don't think it's a power issue. Did you run the tests I linked you to? Test the memory 1 stick at a time for 3 passes each. Use these specific tests to prove that the parts are in good working condition. Mike

Tahngarthor

I did use the one micro$oft offers but that jsut tests everything together. I'll try memtest later today.

Tahngarthor

(Sorry for the necropost)

I think I've solved my problem. It appears that my onboard SATA controller may have gone bad. I bought an addon PCI SATA controller card and so far I havent had any lockups.