Strange Problem

[catsado]

Hello guys. I got an old PC that's giving me problems. Its reboots from time to time, when you first start it and sometimes even after that. Its an old socket A(462)(AMD Duron 1.4Ghz) system with AGP video and 3 sticks DDR400 RAM(1GB total) and 40GB HDD. Nothing much for these days standards but still good for my parents. I have scanned the memory with memtest86+ left if all night and no errors were found. Scanned the HDD for bad blocks and its all OK. Changed the PSU with new one.... problem is still here. There were few capacitors in the mobo that were bad and i have changed them + the PC is clean with new termal paste. So now i got a feeling the mobo or the CPU are the source of the problem. My bro told me that he noticed ones that the PC reported the CPU speed to be 2.4Ghz on the post msg, and after that the PC rebooted and the CPU clock speed was normal again 1.4Ghz. Oh and i will attach a strange picture the PC showed. I really have no idea what it means T_T. And by the way today i think i noticed another strange msg on the post screen and it was something with "Your evaluation period have ended" or something like that. But come on what evaluation period when the PC is still on post msg and no OS was loaded? Share your opinions please i kinda wanna get to the bottom of this problem - strange and interesting. Thank you.

http://i48.tinypic.com/19l4d1.jpg

[jaclaz]

Oh and i will attach a strange picture the PC showed. I really have no idea what it means T_T. And by the way today i think i noticed another strange msg on the post screen and it was something with "Your evaluation period have ended" or something like that. But come on what evaluation period when the PC is still on post msg and no OS was loaded? Share your opinions please i kinda wanna get to the bottom of this problem - strange and interesting. Thank you.

http://i48.tinypic.com/19l4d1.jpg

Which OS?

See:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/329903

This sounds more like an issue with the OS (actually with the hard disk or the filesystem on it) than anything else.

This woud explain nicely why no errors are found through memtest86+ testing.

The POST is however BEFORE NTLDR (or anything OS related) comes into play.

You may want to use a Live CD (*any* Linux distro or Windows based PE would do) and test the PC "diskless" (yes, physically detaching the hard disk cable).

Also, you can use a grub4dos bootdisk so that you can easily "separate" the POST phase from the actual OS loading one.

jaclaz

Edited September 13, 2012 by jaclaz

[catsado]

Well its Windows Xp Sp3. Well the NTLDR may be damaged(because of all those restarts) now idk. But the problem with the reboots was available even after a clean XP install. As i read in google it may be hard drive, the hdd cable, the CPU or the mobo. Its like this after i cleaned the PC and changed the bad capacitors and installed a fresh XP the problem with the reboots was still there. When i first start(cold start) the PC it reboot itself few times before its able to successfully load the OS.

[jaclaz]

Well its Windows Xp Sp3. Well the NTLDR may be damaged(because of all those restarts) now idk. But the problem with the reboots was available even after a clean XP install. As i read in google it may be hard drive, the hdd cable, the CPU or the mobo. Its like this after i cleaned the PC and changed the bad capacitors and installed a fresh XP the problem with the reboots was still there. When i first start(cold start) the PC it reboot itself few times before its able to successfully load the OS.

And again you have three possibilities:

1. "main" Hardware (motherboard CPU, etc.) that however tests OK with memtest+
   
2. "specific" Hardware (hard disk controller, hard disk drive, hard disk cables)
   
3. Software (filesystem, actual files corrupted, botched install)
   

The suggested troubleshooting way (that you partially already took using memtest+) is to test the motherboard with ANOTHER OS loaded form ANOTHER MEDIA (CD/DVD or USB).

If you insist on keeping the three listed items "together" you will never be able to find out which is which is not by sheer luck .

jaclaz

[Ponch]

I vote bad mobo. You could probably get a replacement for less money than you spent on the capacitors (did you replace them all ?).

[catsado]

Thanks for the help guys. After changing other components i think its the mobo. Now the PC is changed with a new one . About time xD .