Author Topic: The latest poop on my locking up issue... (Read 315 times)

Krusty · « **on:** November 30, 2005, 06:23:59 PM »

Okay I had this one problem:

Same old problem (only worse)

And I *thought* it might be power supply related...

My vid card was getting very hot, and I think maybe *IT* was locking the comp up. However it's not a normal heat, it was an older card -- it simply just didn't get that hot even under full load.

So, operating under the assumption that my PSU just didn't have enough amps, I pulled that card, put in my old Ge256 DDR (32MB) because it's GOT to require much less juice to run -- far weaker chip. I disconnected my second CD-ROM drive, my ZIP drive, I tried hooking my chassis and CPU fans into adapters for the HD plugs, to see if there was any difference power-wise between adapters and the mobo-built in fan plugs. No different there, it still locked up. Then I felt the 3D card when it locked up the past few times... It is making my Ge256, the DINKIEST CARD you can EVER FIND a boiling hot piece of metal. I can't even put my hand on the back of it.

So I'm thinking... "Hold the phone!"

What the ffffff----ffffffrech poodle (nice save) is going on here?!?!

So I go into my BIOS, ASUS had this option for AGP speed or some such. It was set to "auto" but allowed 3 different settings in case you had a super overclocked machine. I don't so I left it on auto. Well I took it off auto and set it to the lowest. I believe this was "33/60" or some such nubmer.

Still have the same problem. STILL. So then I'm thinking... wtf? honestly.. WTF??

Is it possible my AGP slot is forking up my PC? What settings might do this? I know for a fact it's not either vid card. It's still possible that its a defective mobo. It's still possible that it's a defective PSU. Both cost about the same to replace (which I can't do right now) so I dunno what the hell is going on. It's pissing me off to no end.

llama · « **Reply #1 on:** November 30, 2005, 07:07:17 PM »

Well, it sounds to me to be either motherboard or *Windows* related. The fact that all your other games work fine makes me think about windows, drivers, or AH software itself.

If *I* were you, I would try this drastic step.

Assuming you have a spare hard drive lying around...

1. Reformat that drive.

2. Disconnect your existing drive.

3. Install Windows.

4. Install the latest versions of drivers needed for your hardware,

5. Install DirectX and the current video card drivers.

6. Install AH.

7. DO NOT INSTALL ANYTHING ELSE.

8. Play AH. See what happens. I'll bet it works.

9. Start installing applications and utilities one at a time and see what causes the problem, OR...

...get some sort of boot manager so you can boot from whatever Windows XP disk you want (either AH, or your main Windows installation), and reboot when you want to play AH.

If nothing else, if this works, you can rule out hardware as the problem.

-Llama

Krusty · « **Reply #2 on:** November 30, 2005, 07:24:15 PM »

I don't think its driver related because I used the same drivers for the Ge256 as I did the Ge4400. I don't think its windows related because windows is a relatively new install (about 4 months).

On the other hand I don't think it's AH because how the heck could AH overheat a Ge256? If anything the card would slow down, it would stop showing things, or it would develop graphical anomolies (which, btw, never show up even when the comp freezes).

The only way two different cards could totally overheat in AH is some sort of hardware conflict, I think.

I don't have a spare HD to test your theory, but considering that both cards are using drivers that I installed not too long ago (1 month) and are still overhearing badly I fear the worst - mobo problems.

Supposedly my mobo can handle a 20-pin power supply cable with no adverse effects. I think the extra pins were only for supplying the AGP slot with +5v or something (not sure, it's in the mobo book). I think I'll try an adapter first.

EDIT: But I'm fairly certain that's not the problem.

Griego · « **Reply #3 on:** November 30, 2005, 11:36:41 PM »

Are the fans on the cards turning? I know this is very simplistic.

Krusty · « **Reply #4 on:** December 01, 2005, 12:33:35 AM »

Yes, but even if hte Ge256 fan wasn't turning I don't think it would overheat even at full load. It's just too weak a card for it to be boiling hot.

Krusty · « **Reply #5 on:** December 02, 2005, 08:08:21 PM »

Well I found a comment about some problems with the onboard Yukon LAN connection for this motherboard, and a comment about "don't even think about using any drivers except those that came on the CD with the board". I have upgraded my drivers with more recent ones 2-3 times since I installed it.

While the problem didn't match mine entirely, there were two courses of action: 1) disable the Yukon and use a PCI NIC (which I have already) or 2) go back to the motherboard CD-ROM drivers. Since this problem has been going on for so long I did both. I reverted to the motherboard-included drivers and then disabled it in windows hardware manager. I'm using the PCI card now. If the problem stops, I know it's the drivers I updated via (of all things) Windows Update.

So why disable it? I didn't want to run into problems with the default drivers either, I'm sick of this. I'm just going to use the PCI card for a while and see if the problem is gone. If it is, then I know for a fact it's the Yukon hardware.

Will post later if it comes back (or not).

Krusty · « **Reply #6 on:** December 05, 2005, 10:48:45 PM »

Well son of a gun... I haven't locked up once since I did that. I'm still testing it, but dangit if that isn't an annoying reason to lock up, and a strange way to do it (to boot!)