nikeman

if all they have is a replacement recovery disk then wouldnt it still give me the same problems as the one I have if its a windows based problem? It will probably only be a copy of the original right?

OldGrayGary

You'd want a Windows-XP system disk only, if they can provide one (at a reasonably discounted cost). I don't know that a replacement Recovery Disk will help (might, might not -- it depends on how they create them). If you see a really decent discounted deal on a XP disk in your local papers, it might help -- it's not guaranteed, but it might help. Make sure to ask if your current Recovery Disk can do a regular operating-system only clean install.

Even though the computer has proven to run fine in Knoppix for extended periods of time, we still can't rule out non-optimized/vs/optimized timings for the system coming into play when the system is under heavy stress (it's a little hard to stress the system much while in Knoppix -- though it sounds like it did well during your testing). Did you ever figure out the make/model/capacity of your memory modules?
. . . Gary

nikeman

i keep forgetting to check my memory sticks to see what kind they are. I know I have 2 sticks and 2 open ports left.. lol Thats about all I know for the memory..

nikeman

just wanted to update you. I have been very busy still and have not called again for a disk. It seems every time I get a free minute something will come up and put me back to work again right away. I am debating on just buying a new mother board or a new chip or something and having it installed by someone who give a warranty to see if that is the problem. Maybe a shop can run a test to pinpoint my problem??

Just out of curiosity.. Could the monitor cause the system to lock up?? It seems that if i let it sit long enough for the screen to turn off (20 mins) that 9 times out of 10 it is locked up when i come back and turn the monitor back on. It also seemed to lock up when the screen saver came on but i disabled that... I have now disabled the turn off function too just to see what happens.. Also, since i did the clean install and reinstalled the nvidia drivers my screen will come times go black for a few seconds and turn back on. I always think its about to have a bluescreen error but it will come back like nothing happened.. Like when you change the screen size settings but i'm not messing with those..

usedHONDA

I know this isn't the time to laugh, but I find it funny that this started out with a little problem with viewing Youtube videos.

And no, the monitor can't lock up the computer. I guess it just locks up when you leave it idle for a certain amount of time. Oh, and the computer will probably turn black if your loading 3d graphics like a game.

EDIT: Right-click> Properties> Screen Saver> Power...> Settings for Home/Office Desk power scheme> Turn of monitor: |After 20 Minutes|

You can change that to an hour or never if you want.

OldGrayGary

Hi again all

nikeman --- did the screen blanking ever seem to be a problem while you were booted into Knoppix? If so, have you checked on your Bios Power Management settings? Usually, it's good to have ACPI enabled, but to Disable any Bios-controlled Power Management (when Windows is working right, it can take care of the Power Management). It's a good security measure to leave any "Wake from LAN" (or wake from modem, too) settings disabled. ---- If you already had these settings in the Bios, and the monitor blanked strangely [not due to Power Management settings] while booted in Knoppix - the question becomes: "Did you contact MSI yet to see if your board qualifies for the three-year warranty"? [and did you save the necessary paperwork].

A local shop might test the board for a nominal (or no) fee, if you are considering a replacement purchase from them: of course, you need to have a shop you know can be trusted. That could save you considerable time (and possibly money) - since they have known-good parts to test with. The hardware at fault could be the motherboard, the cpu, perhaps even the video card [since we've replaced the power supply, and extensively tested the memory and hard drive].

I'm still interested in identifying the memory modules, so we can see what specific timings and voltages are recommended. Many recent boards react badly when the timings and voltages are set "By SPD" (automatically: by querying the module --- this used to be nearly fail-safe: not anymore!). By the way, the boards that exhibit this behavior are nearly always premium performance (overclocking and gaming) boards.

We'll send this thread to a publisher - maybe that will help pay for parts :)
. . . Gary

[usedHONDA -- thanks for helping out. Noticed that you are in Florida: the state that keeps getting national championships from it's sports teams. Maybe the Marlins are going to surprise us again this summer, and the Heat repeat!]

nikeman

ok, finally for the memory.. The sticks them selves don't say anything regarding what brand that are but i will attach the section of Astra32 here. Its the same for Slot 1 and Slot 3..

As for checking the warrenty they say I need the Serial number which is on the box lid (didnt get the box) or on the back of the motherboard (can't see). It has 3 years and I have not had the computer for 3 years yet but it depends on the manufacture date which can be seen within the SN first 4 numbers....

Attached Images

untitled.bmp (1.37 MB, 5 views)

nikeman

i know that if i had the paid version of Astra32 it would give me all the serial numbers of my hardware but I dont want to spend $25 just for one serial number one time. There has to be another FREE program that can do this for me right??

nikeman

right now I am debating on weather or not i should just go out and get a new motherboard. If i do I do not think that I would want the same one since it will probably give me the same problems but I want a good one that will perform just as good or better (when this ones not locking up!). My computer runs REALLY good when it is working and if it wasnt for the lock ups I would be very happy with it. But the lockups keep getting worse and worse and I know it will take forever to get a replacement if it is under warrenty so i might send it off but go buy a new one while i wait and then sell the replacement Neo4. I need my computer for school and paying bills and stuff like that and just can't afford to lose it for any length of time. i am willing to spend $100 on a new board also if you have any recomendations for me, seeing that you now know more about my computer then I do.. lol

Just on a side note:

I like watching online videos (youtube etc)
I download A LOT of music
I pay bills
Chat with family (AIM)
play games here and there
burn CDs/DVDs

So i need a motherboard that can handle all that on a daily bases with no hassle.

OldGrayGary

Hi nikeman --

If you look carefully at the Astra32 page that you posted, it actually does show the make/model of your memory modules. If you bought a matching dual-channel set, each module would be like the one from your screen capture: 512mb modules of Corsair DDR-400 (or "PC3200") memory, model number VS512MB400. The recommended timings are exactly what you've got things set to: CAS latency of 2.5, tRCD at 3 ("RAS to CAS Delay"), tRP at 3 ("RAS Precharge"), tRAS at 8 ("Cycle Time"), and tRC at 11 ("Bank Cycle Time"). Check in on what voltage you are supplying those modules -- several articles reviewing those mention that they seem to respond best at 2.6v. Here's a sample review from a few years ago, when they first appeared --- http://www.amdzone.com/modules.php?o...tid=181&page=2

Double-check that the module model numbers and timings match, because they should.

Look carefully at what details Astra provides for the motherboard. It's possible that it does provide a serial number after all.

It's beginning to get a little tricky to get good 939 boards, the choices are starting to get a bit limited. I think that you might be best served, if you do end up needing to replace the motherboard, by trying a model that isn't quite so tricky to set up, or quite so finicky about what memory modules it works well with. It might also be an idea to go with a middle-level board, in case it's not really a motherboard problem after all. (After all, the cpu could be faulty). Pehaps an Epox board with good features (supports SLI, & gigabit LAN) at a modest price would do --- if you can find one [here's a sample link --- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813123001

I'm a bit tired-out tonight, but I'll check in to see how you're doing sometime tomorrow.
. . . Gary

[PS ... while troubleshooting nForce4 boards, I also recommend not using the nVidia LAN connector, and disabling the motherboard-based nVidia firewall (that only firewalls the nVidia LAN connector)].

nikeman

you think that Geek Squad is trustworthy? I have one near me and I can take my computer there for them to maybe diagnose what the problem is and tell me if its the CPU or the motherboard or something else if thats possible? Is that possible?? I'm sure they make some kind of testing equipment for that kind of stuff?

nikeman

i went ahead and took my computer to geek squad so they can diagnose the problem. They said to give them 2 days and they should be able to tell me what is causing the problems. One bad thing is that they will not help with my warrenty if its the motherboard... Even though the guy i chatted with from geek squad said they would be happy to.

OldGrayGary

Hope it turns out. If one of the more experienced techs there goes with full diagnostics, they should be able to get to the source of the lockups. One nice thing about Geek Squad in-store service: they have all sorts of supplies right there to test with. They aren't cheap, but their work is guaranteed (like all good shops should be) -- so you don't have to worry about wasting money.

Hold them to their quarantee, should you get the system back & it still locks up.

Here's hoping for the best
. . . Gary

nikeman

Yeah, I paid the $70 for a diagnostic and they should be calling me today to tell me whats wrong and how much to fix it.. I will probably just pay what ever and make sure they give me the motherboard if its bad so I can send it off for warrenty and then sell the new on I get back...

nikeman

i didnt think about something before i gave my computer to geek squad and now i am worried about it. My computer has all my personal information on it and would be easy to find. Would there be a way to tell if they were looking at things on my computer that they should not have, such as personal information? I read reviews about them and found a few about them looking through peoples computers when they were supposed to be fixing them....

OldGrayGary

What you'd do to check, if you think anyone has been in folders they didn't need to be looking in -- is to go to the folders that contain your sensitive files, and look at the "last accessed" date. I don't believe that scanning by an anti-virus program shows up as an "accessed" date [if such activity did show that way, all files on your system would have the same "last accessed" date, since a full-system scan checks all files].

You are covered well by both their guarantees and their company policy: they don't tolerate any snooping by their employees. Since they are liable, they tend to act swiftly [in the few cases I heard of, they did well in assisting and supporting the customers involved - and had follow-up help for any future identity theft possibilities. They seemed like they were taking their role in this marketplace seriously].
. . . Gary

nikeman

just an update..

its almost been a week now and they still have not finished diagnosing the computer!! They told me 2 days on Saturday and here it is Friday (6 days later) and nothing yet!! I am not very happy with them so far...

nikeman

ok, another update.

They called me today and told me that it was a viral problem because they found a trojan on my computer. I knew about this virus and it actually started showing up in my scans a couple days before i took it to them and just forgot to try to get rid of it before. Well, I went there and told them that I had ran KillDisk and deleted everything and then reinstalled windows and the problem was still there. They suggested TrendMicro online scan and I told them that I did run that right after kill disk and it came up completly clean. Then he told me that all of the hardware and software passed the test. He then suggested that it could be the video card drivers and i told him i updated those and he said it could possibly be the video card itself. Then i mentioned how you told me it could be my CP disk with an error and he said that that was very possible also.. I need another XP disk and the only one they had was the XP Pro update disk for $200!! Cyber Power emailed me back and told me to unplug one of my memory sticks and see it it boots up and if it does try it with the other stick... I asume that the memory tests I ran does the same thing??

OldGrayGary

Have them try what they can ---

Did you furnish the CP disk for them to scan as part of their diagnostics? Couldn't hurt. If your system was infected shortly after your clean reinstall, the new infection happened because either 1) the CP disk had a infection on it when it was created, or 2) you reintroduced the infection by restoring a data backup that was infected, or 3) your malware protections didn't keep a fresh pest out.

See if they can run the Microsoft Driver Verification Tool (it's hard for beginners to use, but Best Buy techs should be able to handle it -- even if they have to bump your system to a more experienced tech --- http://support.microsoft.com/kb/244617 --- )

They certainly could try swapping video cards in and out. Let them know how often the system has been locking up --- and let them know which game (or which combination of running programs) locked up the PC most often.

When you tested you memory, you did so with both modules in & the tests ran for several hours each time, right? If so, that is usually a strong sign that the modules themselves are OK. --> You might mention to them, though, the idea of upping the voltage to 2.6v for the memory modules (that tip appeared on the MSI webpage for your motherboard, and on several threads in the MSI forums for your motherboard).

[In fact, you can have them look at this thread, to let them view some of the diagnostics and troubleshooting that you've been trying so far]

I'll stay tuned . . .
. . . Gary

nikeman

i already brought my computer home because they wanted to charge me another $140 to "fix" my computer. So basically just get rid of that one virus they found. I have already taken care of that virus for free... When I asked if they could test my video card they acted like they didn't want to or were going to charge me again so I just took my computer home. I didn't give them my backup disk. I didn't even think to bring that with me, I wish I did though.. Maybe I can run that test myself on my backup disk? I could use another computer if I need to. With your help i'm sure I can manage it.

And yes, I let the memory test run for a couple of hours and no errors were found..


I just noticed last time I turned my computer on that they left there CD in my computer.. When I turned it on it went to that screen (i normally leave the room while its booting up). It looks like its got a few things on it for scanning and testing. I ran some of the tests just to see what would happen. I hope thats not the only thing they used on my computer because some of it looked very similar to the stuff I was using, like the memory test and stuff..