Deep Freezer Reset Button

[Pinkie Mclucas]

Ihave a repurposed PC running as a server. It was assembled in early 2014 and contains an Intel Core i7-4770 on a Gigabyte Z87-HD3. It worked pretty reliably until early 2017 when it started to intermittently freeze (every few weeks to months). No Kernel logs, not even pstore crash data or netconsole did produce anything meaningful. Physical screen is blank, network non-responsive, metrics at 10s granularity shows no correlation to load on CPU, RAM or disk. All LEDs and drives are still running, but there is obviously no IO anymore. RAM has been tested and is verified good, no spurious segfaults or anything that would indicate an intermittent hardware problem. Just hard freezes.

Now on to the very interesting part: Once the system enters this state, the physical reset button stops working completely. Once I press it, nothing happens. It is definitely physically working since it works 100% when the system is not in that state. I checked voltages from the PSU with a multimeter and they are all fine. I can still reset the server by pressing the power button for 5s and it boots up fine after that.

So I'm pretty much at a loss what happens here and what piece of hardware is to blame. I have logic analyzers and I could get access to USB scopes, but nothing that samples above 100MSPS, so I can't probe the actual buses. I would be very grateful for any insights of what might be going on.

So after a lot of strategic swapping (mainboard, PSUs, CPU) I have a differential confirm (test system experiences the problem, original no longer does) on the CPU being bad. Very unexpected result since no MCEs were ever fired, usually you get MCEs way before hard lockups.

Since this board sadly doesn't have a Trace Hub / JTAG connector and the built-in USB3 debugging is not available on the Haswell platform I have no idea what is actually going wrong. It's pretty certain that the chip ends up in a state where it fails to be released from reset (self-test failure, power rail not coming up, ...). Could be related to the introduction of FIVR (Fully Integrated Voltage Regulator) in Haswell, but that's just speculation.

If you hit this problem, it doesn't need to be the CPU, it could just as well be a failing motherboard or PSU (or something else entirely). I just wanted to post this for completeness and for people to see that it can indeed also be a CPU fault (although it is still pretty unlikely).

I have seen this behavior twice before, both on x86 laptops. When this happens, the screen freezes, LEDs stay on but no buttons work. The only button that does work is the power button, but when held down 5 seconds.

Laptops usually have no reset button, so I can't be exactly sure of your issue, but the evidence points to a hardware fault. What I saw was solder joints on the board becoming cracked, whether by defect, time, or mechanical stress (enough hot cold cycles). Each bad joint will inject electrical noise. Get enough or in the right places and digital circuits will lock up, causing the entire board to freeze. This is not at the OS level or BIOS, it's lower down, in the hardware. In this state, only the power button's hold-down feature will work, because that uses an analog circuit that doesn't lock.

On EBay, navigate to Specialty Services -> Restoration & Repair Services -> Computer Restoration & Repair Services. Seller is "NYClaptoptech". I searched for the make/model, and they had a matching "item for sale". I purchased this service the same way I would buy a PC, used the same checkout process. (It did seem odd to set up a service call using the purchase method.) I shipped the motherboard, got it back in 2 weeks. Cost: US$120. Their service is generic and you can simply call them to arrange a repair.

Samsung refrigerators fitted with Samsung ice makers produce around 120 ice cubes a day, which is in line with most manufacturer specifications. To check how many ice cubes your refrigerator is producing, empty the freezer ice bucket and let the ice maker run for 24 hours. If you're experiencing Samsung ice maker problems and the ice maker is making no ice, there are practical solutions you can try.

Please note: If you have just installed your refrigerator, it will take 6 to 12 hours for the refrigerator to produce ice. You should throw away the first three batches of ice cubes that the ice maker produces (approximately 30 cubes) to ensure the ice maker is making ice from clean water.

Many Samsung fridge freezers featuring an ice maker have the option to turn the ice maker off. Check to make sure your freezer is set to make ice. There are four common ways to do this. Consult your user manual for device specific instructions.

Please note: holding down this button will activate the control lock, locking the whole display, preventing buttons from being used and stopping ice production. When the lock icon is lit up the control lock is on. Hold the lock button again to disable control lock.

If the door is not closing properly, check to make sure that nothing is resting against the back wall of the freezer. Make sure that the door seal on the edge of the door is attached properly. You can check this by running your hand around the edge of the door to see if you can feel any cold air escaping. You can also place a sheet of paper into the door, then try to pull it out. If you can pull the sheet out without any resistance the doors are not closing properly. If you find that the door seal isn't functioning correctly it will need to be repaired or replaced.

If the refrigerator has a front leg cover, it might help to remove the cover first to access the levelling legs more easily. To remove the front leg cover, remove the screws with a Phillips screwdriver, and then lift it up from the bottom and pull it out.

There are two legs on the underside of your fridge/freezer for levelling and holding the appliance in place. There are also four caster wheels used for moving the refrigerator. On most level surfaces, the legs should be lowered enough so the front wheels lift off the floor.

To adjust the levelling legs, insert a flat-head screwdriver into one of the notches on the side of either levelling leg. It does not matter which one you adjust first. Use the screwdriver as a lever to rotate the levelling leg to the left. This will raise that side of the refrigerator. Repeat this on the other side until the refrigerator is as high as it can go.

If the refrigerator is not level, determine which side is higher, and on that side, rotate the levelling leg to the right and check the level again. Continue to make adjustments until the refrigerator is level.

Make sure to level the refrigerator front to back, as the refrigerator is designed to be levelled and square. However, if your doors do not stay open and you would like them to, you can raise the legs slightly in front to slant the refrigerator backwards. Don't forget to re-install the front leg cover if you removed one.

Please note: The water pressure can be affected at any stage along the water system. If issues persist, try testing your water line directly by disconnecting it from the fridge and running water straight from the mains.

The water filter on your fridge / freezer makes sure that your water supply is clean and free from contaminants. We recommend that the filter is changed every six months to prevent it from being blocked. The filter icon on the display panel will let you know when it needs to be replaced. When the filter is new, the filter light may be blue, yellow, or green, depending on the model. As a reminder, the icon will turn purple when it's almost time to change the filter. After 6 months, the icon will turn red when you need to replace it. Once it's red, change it right away so you can have high-quality water.

If the ice maker has not been used for a long time or if the freezer temperature is set too low, ice cubes can build-up and cause a blockage. To clear this, you should remove the ice container and check the contents.

If the ice in the bucket is clumped together, tip the ice into the sink. Then replace the container in the freezer to let the ice maker make a new batch of ice. If you know you won't use your ice maker for a prolonged period of time, turn the ice maker off.

Locate the test button. It is a rectangular button that can be found in most models near the front of the ice maker, on the side or bottom. There may be writing that says TEST or an arrow pointing at it. The location will vary depending on the fridge-freezer you are using. Consult your user manual for exact locations.

The site navigation utilizes arrow, enter, escape, and space bar key commands. Left and right arrows move across top level links and expand / close menus in sub levels. Up and Down arrows will open main level menus and toggle through sub tier links. Enter and space open menus and escape closes them as well. Tab will move on to the next part of the site rather than go through menu items.

The green power light should be solid and not blinking. If your chest freezer lights are blinking, reset them by disconnecting power to the freezer for 30 seconds. Once you reconnect power, if they are still blinking, service will be required.

I have a 2.5 yo Samsung RF261BEAEBC/AA french door refrigerator. The icemaker has suddenly stopped dumping ice. The temperature is set to 2 degrees and the icemaker button is 'On'. When the reset button is pressed, the motor kicks in, the perfectly formed ice drops and the tray refills.

LadyTech, I can relate. I blog at some computer forums. Some people demand answers, and complain when you haven't fixed it for them. I generally tell them that we will gladly refund their money if they aren't satisfied with the volunteer help they are getting.

Of course, they could do what I do to find the answers -- search and search online till you find someone else who had exactly the same situation, and who found out how to fix it. Of course, if everyone knew that, there wouldn't be much mystique to being a geek!

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