Bizarre Problem
Markus
start booting, get to a random point, maybe just having finished the BIOS
'POST', or maybe halfway through loading windows, or maybe having just got
into windows and running scandisk, when it'll freeze completely, and i'll
need to reset. This will repeat for between 3-10 times until it eventually
makes it into windows. Once it hasn't freezed, it's then fine to reset or
turn the machine off and on and it works fine.
Strangely, sometimes if it freezes in windows, I can still move the mouse,
but the mouse pointer on screen moves REALLY jerkily and slowly, compared to
how fast I'm moving the mouse.
I've replaced the memory already, so any ideas what could be wrong with it?
I'm running Windows ME on a Duron 1200 with 128MB RAM on a generic PC chips
motherboard with onboard agp graphics.
Any ideas?
Mark
Bob Day
"Markus" <eleve...@btinternet.com> wrote in message
news:cd85u1$rqr$1...@hercules.btinternet.com...
CMOS battery maybe? You might start with step 7 below.
1. Make sure your CPU and case temperatures are OK, and
that the CPU fan, case fans, and any other fans are
working. One tool you can use to check temperatures
is Everest. You can download it from
http://www.lavalys.com. Run it, expand "Computer",
and click on "Sensor".
2. Monitor your power supply voltages for a while -- check
for fluctuations and voltages out of spec. You can
use Everest (see step 1 above) to check voltages:
expand "Computer" and click on "Sensor". The display
updates itself automatically every few seconds
3. You can also use Everest to check the SMART readings of
the hard drive(s): Expand "Storage" and click on "SMART".
The "Worst" value of all the parameters not marked "Always
passing" should be well above the "Threshold" (except for
the "Spin Retry Count", whose worst value may be just a
little over the threshold).
4. Shut down your computer and turn off power *at the
surge protector* (which cuts off standby power while
leaving your computer grounded) or unplug it. Take
the standard precautions against static electricity
(wear a wrist strap or keep one hand grounded at all
times).
5. Open up your computer and dust it out. *Do not use a
vacuum cleaner* - it might cause static discharge.
Get some dust remover spray (RadioShack has it) and
a dust mask, and take your computer outside and spray
out the dust. Keep the end of the spray straw at least
six inches from any components and keep it moving so as
to avoid excessive thermal shock to the components.
6. Reseat all the modules, including the memory modules,
and cables inside your computer.
7. Remove your CMOS battery and check its voltage
(or just replace it). Note: If you do this step, you'll have
to set up your BIOS again.
8. Turn on your computer, and run a few cycles of "memtest86+"
(download from http://www.memtest.org) to thoroughly
check out your memory. You should get zero errors.
--Bob Day
http://bobday.vze.com