Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Hardware and Software => Topic started by: -CodyC on May 03, 2007, 12:00:39 PM
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Well i've been emailing skuzzy to try and figure this problem out with my computer, he suggested i post it here and see what you guys think.
My computer has had a consistent problem with restarting itself while playing AH. The possible solutions range from temperature to need to reinstall windows. Well below is a bios reading of all the temps and voltages on my computer right when it restarted itself.
> Here's what i see right after i have my computer restart.
> Hardware monitor:
> MB Temp: 24C/75F
> CPU Temp: 52C/125F
> VCORE Volt: 1.68V
> +3.3V: 3.29
> +5V: 4.89
> +12V: 12.22
>
> Under Advanced Chipset:
> CPU VCORE is set to 1.65V
> DDR Ref Volt is set to 2.6V
> AGP VDDQ Volt is set to 1.5V
>
> If you can't tell me much from looking at this, could you refer me to a
> website that i can look up what the settings should be in my bios?
>
> cody
Skuzzy said he thought the CPU temp was too high, any ideas guys? Possible solutions?
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CPU temp is a little high, but certainly not high enough to warrant a reboot, besides a CPU overheat will usually cause the BIOS to turn off the computer.. unless that option is turned off in which you may have goofy errors causing windows to reboot.
What you need to do is disable auto-reboot first.. then you'll get a BSOD (Blue Screen Of Death) instead of a reboot.. and it will give you error information on that blue screen which may help us figure this out.
Do this:
-Right Click on My Computer
-Select Properties
-Select "Advanced" Tab
-Select "Startup and Recovery Settings"
-Uncheck "Automatically Restart"
-Click OK
-Click OK
Now run aces high until you get a blue screen.. write down what it says and post it here. If it reboots again (instead of a blue screen) then I'd be suspecting a power issue (weak power supply).
Good luck
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Would help to know what your system is also.
For e.g.
For certain Intel CPU's that maybe a little high, for most Athlon systems the CPU temp is very high.
Especially when you consider those temps are probably when the computer isn't 'under load'.
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I was having a similar problem.
Would sometimes reboot during AH or some of my other games.
Checked everything I could think of.......
Couldn't seem to find the problem.......
Did some checking of BIOS!
One of the voltages required was coming in LOWER then the MB required, and this was causing some strange problems (2.8 i think? was coming in as low as 1.7)!
This Included a wierd vid card prob... the video would just stop working and the monitor would go black and the power light start blinkin like it was on standyby or not getting a video feed.
SEEMS My UPS was under powered in ONE of the plugins!!!!!!!!!!!
Moved the plug to a different plugin, it has 4,and checked BIOS for voltages.
Correct voltage in everycase!
ALL GOOD now!
Haven't had any problems with anything since!
Hope this helps someone!
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I'm thinking if your getting a reading of 52* on the CPU after the computer reboots, than it could be upwards of 70* under full load during the game, which is definitely high enough to shut down. I had the same problems on a p4 prescott system.
Like was said above, post what cpu you have or google "max operating temperature for (your chip)".
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Think back some. Can you think of anything you did right before you started having problems?
I had a problem with my Prescott 3.4 running hot because the heat sink was not properly set. It would run up to 180 F if I remember correctly before shutting down. However, the CPU would first throttle itself (this is a built in saftey feature) to try and stay cool. At that point all applications would start getting really slow. It would throttle sometimes for half an hour before shutting off. :lol Checking the temp and volatges after the shut down is not so good; you need to check them while you are running the game. Also, you should put a load on your system with something other than AH, while checking the temps and voltages, and see if it shuts down. Google for proper temps of your components. :)
I just had a similar problem with shut down because of a bad PSU. Odd thing was the PSU didn't just up and fail, it deteriorated little by little until eventually it would not start the computer. It took about 3 months before it completely failed.
I am the sort of guy that re installs my OS about every two months. If you learn to save your files, which you should do, and learn to clean install, which you should do, then a clean install of the OS is an easy thing and not a bad place to start. Its easier to do clean install than to chase a software/driver issue if you got all your ducks in a row. It sounds like you probably need a clean install of OS regardless of your problem. IMO. However, that being said, a clean install may not be a can of worms you want to open now unless its an easy thing for you. And, your problem sure sounds like a heat/power/hardware issue to me.
Clutz
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My P-4 never exceeds 35c in part due to water cooling but even with fan and heatsink it never went over 46. If thats the temp on a reboot and going into bios then I would say that it could definately be your issue as stated by others previously. What kind of heatsink and fan are you running? Have you checked the heatsink to see if it is making good contact with the processor and also made sure that there isnt too much or too little thermal paste? If you check it and there is white silicone paste between proc and heatsink I would replace it with a few dabs of Arctic Silver or equivalent as this will give you better thermal conductivity and while your at it look at the surface of the heatsink to see if it is rough or smooth? If rough this can cause issues as a smooth heatsink surface where the sink meets the proc is much more efficient.
Also as far as motherboard settings you can go to the mfg site for your motherboard and download the manual to check settings.
Hope this helps.
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Automatically Restart has always been turned off. Hopefully my DXDiag file will help.
Oh and btw, i was turning on the computer when i got home from work, got it to desktop, double clicked on IE and bam! Same story, different situation.
------------------
System Information
------------------
Time of this report: 4/30/2007, 19:31:23
Machine name: ADRIENNE
Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2 (2600.xpsp_sp2_gdr.050301-1519)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: ASUSTeK Computer INC.
System Model: A7N8X2.0
BIOS: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) XP 2500+, MMX, 3DNow, ~1.8GHz
Memory: 1024MB RAM
Page File: 180MB used, 2282MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DX Setup Parameters: /PackageInstall
DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.2180 32bit Unicode
------------
DxDiag Notes
------------
DirectX Files Tab: No problems found.
Display Tab 1: The file ati2dvag.dll is not digitally signed, which means that it has not been tested by Microsoft's Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL). You may be able to get a WHQL logo'd driver from the hardware manufacturer.
Sound Tab 1: No problems found.
Sound Tab 2: No problems found.
Music Tab: No problems found.
Input Tab: No problems found.
Network Tab: No problems found.
--------------------
DirectX Debug Levels
--------------------
Direct3D: 0/4 (n/a)
DirectDraw: 0/4 (retail)
DirectInput: 0/5 (n/a)
DirectMusic: 0/5 (n/a)
DirectPlay: 0/9 (retail)
DirectSound: 0/5 (retail)
DirectShow: 0/6 (retail)
---------------
Display Devices
---------------
Card name: RADEON 9600 Series (Omega 2.5.97a)
Manufacturer: ATI Technologies Inc. (Omega 2.5.97a)
Chip type: RADEON 9600 Series AGP (0x4150)
DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz)
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_1002&DEV_4150&SUBSYS_00021002&REV_00
Display Memory: 128.0 MB
Current Mode: 1024 x 768 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor: Default Monitor
Monitor Max Res:
Driver Name: ati2dvag.dll
Driver Version: 6.14.0010.6497 (English)
DDI Version: 9 (or higher)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Driver Date/Size: 11/30/2004 22:12:50, 221184 bytes
WHQL Logo'd: No
WHQL Date Stamp: None
VDD: n/a
Mini VDD: ati2mtag.sys
Mini VDD Date: 12/14/2004 18:51:50, 873984 bytes
Device Identifier: {D7B71EE2-0210-11CF-D36A-0820A1C2CB35}
Vendor ID: 0x1002
Device ID: 0x4150
SubSys ID: 0x00021002
Revision ID: 0x0000
Revision ID: 0x0000
Video Accel: ModeMPEG2_C ModeMPEG2_D
Deinterlace Caps: {6E8329FF-B642-418B-BCF0-BCB6591E255F}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,1) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
{335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalSt retch
{552C0DAD-CCBC-420B-83C8-74943CF9F1A6}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,2) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
{6E8329FF-B642-418B-BCF0-BCB6591E255F}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,1) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
{335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(NV12,0x3231564e) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalSt retch
Registry: OK
DDraw Status: Enabled
D3D Status: Enabled
AGP Status: Enabled
DDraw Test Result: Not run
D3D7 Test Result: Not run
D3D8 Test Result: Not run
D3D9 Test Result: Not run
-------------
Sound Devices
-------------
Description: NVIDIA(R) nForce(TM) Audio
Default Sound Playback: Yes
Default Voice Playback: Yes
Hardware ID: NFORCE_VAD
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 100
Type: WDM
Driver Name: nvapu.sys
Driver Version: 6.14.0462.0000 (English)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
WHQL Logo'd: Yes
Date and Size: 4/13/2005 12:34:02, 414464 bytes
Other Files:
Driver Provider: NVIDIA Corporation
HW Accel Level: Full
Cap Flags: 0xF5F
Min/Max Sample Rate: 200, 100000
Static/Strm HW Mix Bufs: 256, 254
Static/Strm HW 3D Bufs: 64, 64
HW Memory: 0
Voice Management: No
EAX(tm) 2.0 Listen/Src: Yes, Yes
I3DL2(tm) Listen/Src: Yes, Yes
Sensaura(tm) ZoomFX(tm): No
Registry: OK
Sound Test Result: Not run
Description: Modem #0 Line Playback (emulated)
Default Sound Playback: No
Default Voice Playback: No
Hardware ID:
Manufacturer ID: 1
Product ID: 81
Type: Emulated
Driver Name:
Driver Version:
Driver Attributes:
WHQL Logo'd:
Date and Size:
Other Files:
Driver Provider:
HW Accel Level: Full
Cap Flags: 0x0
Min/Max Sample Rate: 0, 0
Static/Strm HW Mix Bufs: 0, 0
Static/Strm HW 3D Bufs: 0, 0
HW Memory: 0
Voice Management: No
EAX(tm) 2.0 Listen/Src: No, No
I3DL2(tm) Listen/Src: No, No
Sensaura(tm) ZoomFX(tm): No
Registry: OK
Sound Test Result: Not run
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No, it started doing this right from the beginning of my return to AH. Of course 6 years ago when i played it was on a entirely different setup. You are right though, this computer is long overdue for a clean install of windows.
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ok now we see some specs here ... good
OK ive got the same pc basically (except on water and oced ) very AH capable
asus a7n8x-e dlx , 2500+ M Barton @ 2.4ghz ,1024 ram, 9600 pro card
now what Power supply do you have ?? this may be the problem
if you open asus probe are the voltages steady ? or are they fluxing all over the place ?? your core voltage needs to be steady.
next is why are you at 52c cpu temp ? and is this at idle ??
if this is your idle temp then you could be temp crashing, all of my 32 bit amd cpu's start having problems at 54-56c usually ( the amd white pages say they can go higher temp ... but in my experience with them thats were I've always had performance slow downs, crashes and other anomalies )
On a stock amd heatsink/fan you should be at 36- 42 c @ idle or even up to 46c (if you were Over clocked to 2.2 ghz area ) clean your heatsink and if it is clean then you either need either :
1, remove clean and reapply artic silver and reset the heatsink.
2, better airflow to it.
3, a better heatsink and fan setup .
The next thing you should look at just incase is the Capacitors on your mainboard beshure that none of them are leaking or the flat disc bottem of them is not expanded out into a dome shape ... (they have a K mark on that part ) if they are then your mainboard is pretty much done .
once we get thru the above part, there other places we can go,,,, as in Cpu ram timings ive found some timings can and will crash these pc combo's and others run great even though it comes out to the same over all clocking .
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Well i can see on the power supply is the model number. FSP300-60BT Has a max output of 300W.
When you say ASUS probe, do you mean bios? Otherwise im not sure how to use that, or if i have it. I can only assume that i do beings that it is an asus motherboard.
52C was the initial temp reading when i was booted from AH. After i finish this up ill restart and give you a temp.
I cleaned the heatsink when this first started happening, it was filthy, so could having all that dust built up on the heatsink for a prolonged period of time have affected the heatsink causing the temp to be higher?
I have great airflow to it, there is a 10" fan that sits on my desk pointed straight into the tower. The side panel has been removed. I made this effort when this first started happening. The restarts didn't happen as often, but still occurred.
Checking the capacitors now.
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I hadn't turned this computer on since last tuesday and all i've done today is respond to your message Rosco, so the workload on it has been light. I turned it off to look for the capacitors, which i couldn't find, might need a picture or something to show me where to look if one is available. I put everything back together and turned the computer back on, went into bios and the CPU temp was at 39C. So i waited and it slowly went up to 52C within about 5 minutes. This was with my fan on blowing straight on the MB. It never went above 52C. The VCore voltage went back and forth from 1.68 to 1.69. I checked to make sure it wasn't OCd(this isn't my system, girlfriends dad built it for her) and system performance is set to optimal. So that's where i am, let me know about those capacitors in a bit more detail and ill tear this thing down again.
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im suprised its running on a 300 watt ..mine toasted a 380watt antec right off the gitgo ... as for temp 52c at idle unloaded is WAY TOO HOT for that cpu .
the temp climbs an avg of 4-6 c when you load it up , = 58c which will cause anomolies /lock ups ... so you have a combo of things going on here ..
1st to hot, and 2nd a powersupply thats most likely shutting down causing you reboots.
(http://www.hardware-one.com/reviews/msi6309/images/capacitor.jpg)
the capacitors are the black and green ones ... they should be evenly round and the flat should be flat ... not expanded .
sometimes as your board gets older or with lots of heat they eventually blow up or start to leak .
Asus probe comes with your mb driver cd or you can get it here
http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/System-Info/ASUS-PC-Probe.shtml (http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/System-Info/ASUS-PC-Probe.shtml)
This will let you monitor voltages and temps within windows .... its within + or - 1 c on my pc (i dbled checked with a lazer temp probe on mine) so its pretty accurate ...some temp probes are way off .
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capacitors are fine, will download asus probe next time im on that computer. What kind of power supply should i be looking for and how much shoould i expect to pay?
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i run a 430 enermax in mine .(55-70 bucks)
the mrs Roo has a generic 480 watt in her's WT brand i think . (it works good ,,, and even can handle zero hour and anno 1701 )
I suggest you clean the heat sink really good
a brush and vacumn is what i use . (very carefully) get the cpu temp down to the 46c or less area ...after that if its still shuting down or heavy volt fluxiating then change the power supply . (thats what id do to it 1st )
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I gave it a helluva cleaning 2 months ago to try and fix the problem. I'll do it again and also look into buying another power supply. I hope this helps me out. Will let you know and thanks for the help.
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Did you remove the Heatsink when you cleaned it? If you didn't i would take it off and make sure the thermal compound is still good, not dried up and cracking or crumbling.
If you removed it , what thermal compound did you use when reseating it ? Did you use too little , or too much? On a 2500+ barton a small pea sized amount will be more than enought. When buying a T. Compound look for ARTIC SILVER , it's one of , if not THE best around . I have a practically new Barton heatsink fan if you need it , i used an aftermarket one from day one . 38
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Here is what I am thinking CodyC.
If 52c is to hot at idle, then something is drawing an inappropriate load or has to much voltage and is manifesting itself as heat (considering your heatsink and cooling are adequate).
It may be a bios setting. I would take out the battery and switch the little default jumper the mobo has and then put them both back. CAUTION: THIS MAY CHANGE YOUR DEVICE SETTINGS! But, if you never fooled with the bios before then stock is probably OK for you. Save your files first!
You may have a circuit that is shorted enough to draw an undue current, but not enough to start things frying. At least not yet. If this is the case, this is not good. It means chasing down the culprit. What is drawing the current? Is it the video card? Is it the sound card? Is it some little who knows what the hell that is on the mobo? :lol Rosco maybe be right on. It may be bunk mobo capacitors, or such.
If I were you I would pull all the cards, drives, and whatever you can to get the system down to as simple thing as it can be to access your bios for temp readings. I'm guessing here, but I think you need a psu, mobo, processor, at least one stick of ram, and a keyboard to start the computer. If you do this and the computer runs cool, you are on your way. Basically, you are playing a detective game at this point.
As far as a 300 w psu goes, I can't imagine such a small psu. However, even though it may not be enough under load for the computer, I imagine it should be no problem running your computer at idle. Besides, if the psu was lacking power, I can't see that making a heat issue; I would say quite the contrary. Also, your voltages are steady for the cpu, so I am hoping that is an indication your psu is at least capable to start things up.
Disclaimer: If things get hairy and start frying don't say I told you what to do! :D Good luck. :aok
Clutz
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Interestingly enough my bios indicates a CPU temp of 46C and MB temp of 21C while Asus Probe is saying that CPU temp is 38C and MB temp of 20C. Why would there be that much of a difference in CPU temp between the two? Also the link you gave me worked but the ftp site was down. So i downloaded a newer version of it after searching on google, does it matter?
Clutz, would faulty wiring in a house cause this? For example, my power strip has an indicator light on it which lights up when there is a wiring problem in the house. Also about a month ago i got a heck of a shock from touching a screw on my tower, unplugged the power supply and still got a shock. Found out the shock was coming from the video cord. I unplugged the video cord, plugged the power cable back in and got the same shock. So it was obvious that there is a bad ground. I have since changed outlets, same indicator light comes on, but haven't gotten shocked yet (note that was the first time it had ever happened, plus it had just rained and a lightening storm had come through, if that had anything to do with it). Also, if my computer is requiring more power to work, wouldn't that fry the power supply if the computer is trying to draw more power than is available?
Oh and right now Asus probe says CPU is idle at 39C and i bet if i restart now and go into bios it'll say between 46 and 48.
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Just check, BIOS showed CPU temp at 46, Probe indicates 37C, so i dunno.
As far as the heatsink 38ruk, im not even sure if this is a stock or aftermarket. It looks more like an aftermarket though, kinda looks like a big copper radiator with two copper hoses on one side. Also i didn't remove it, but if Asus probe is correct then it is idling at the correct temperature. I dunno.
Clutz the only card on the MB is the video card, i pulled everything else off in an attempt to eliminate this problem. Sound is onboard, 1 HD, 4 additional USB ports, 3 drives, floppy, DVD, and CD. 4 fans running on it, 1 on heatsink of CPU and GPU, 1 on back and 1 on front, plus power supply fan of course. An additional 10" fan is always blowing on it.
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I am not sure about adequate ways for checking temps. I have never needed to do so. I have read in forums about temperature discrepancies and it sure seems you have one here. My guess now, is you are not running hot. Just a guess mind you. This needs to be figured out. I think most of those forum guys use CPU-Z or something like that. ???
Bad electric will definitely mess you up in all kinds of ways. Also, there is a such thing as "clean electricity" and "dirty electricity". Make that that light on your power strip go away. It is probably telling you what you already have guessed. You have a bad ground. Take the power strip to a neighbors house and plug it in. If the light goes out, either take your computer to his house or run and extension cord, preferably a thick one, out of the window in your trailer, :lol ( just kidding), I mean house.... to his house and try that. Consider that his house may contain the same electrical abnormalities as your house may have when testing.
I'm not sure what you mean when you say "video cord" but I'm guessing you have another device in your house, connected to your computer, struggling for the same ground your computer may be struggling for, that is not there. If this is the case, unplug it. Or, you are speaking of your monitor cord. It doesn't really matter. Get a good ground. You can stick a pipe in the dirt and run a wire to it if you have to. By the way, that shock you speak of maybe have harmed your computer. That is one thing the ground is for. So unwanted electricity has a place to go. Take me serious. Having a faulty ground is a pet peeve of mine. People die because of this.
Usually psu's have a built in shut off feature. If you overload it will cut itself off and it takes about 3 to 5 mins to cut itself back on. I guess this feature is only so perfect depending on your psu. I guess if you push a psu hard enough it would fry. I know for sure if you suck out all of your psu's power you computer will definitely cut off. I don't actually think you have pushed your psu above its power rating. If you had you would have suffered this 5 min delay already. Have you? I have had many psu's over load and they always take a few mins to cut back on (at least in my experience).
Now keep in mind, just because your psu is getting steady volts to your cpu, that doesn't necessarily mean it has enough juice to light your video card. Another thing to try is unplug your excess drives. If your psu is lacking this may help. Unplug your computer power cord where it goes into the psu and then hit your computer start button and hold it for 20 seconds. This bleeds off stored electricity that may short when installing and removing components.
Clutz
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Had a similar problem myself.
My PC was rebooting unexpectently when playing Aces High and Microsoft Flight Sim X. I thought it was my CPU over heating but finally work out the problem.
Updating my sound card drivers help but the problem was a faulty fan on my video card.
I have a MEDION RADEON x740XL video card.
I Replaced the Video card fan with an Arctic Cooling VGA Silencer ATI 1, Rev2
http://www.arctic-cooling.com/vga2.php?idx=36
(had to modify it slightly to get it to fit, but fitted fine)
Now my PC works fine.
Hope you work out your problem, I know how painful it can be to narrow it down.
--photon
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Sorry Clutz but your grounding tips are bogus and potentially dangerous. Search in some electrical forums for stray currents/proper grounding and you may learn why.
If you're getting shocked by anything in your house then call an electrician if there's no readily apparent reason. Even though you changed the outlet the outlet may have had the polarity reversed. I don't know. I'm not there. That's why you need to call an electrician. Don't call a buddy or a plumber who claims to know something about it.
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Originally posted by Irwink!
you need to call an electrician. Don't call a buddy or a plumber who claims to know something about it.
This is very good advice Irwink.
Originally posted by Irwink!
Sorry Clutz but your grounding tips are bogus and potentially dangerous.
Obviously, this forum can contain all types of advice from very good to very bad. We are just tossing ideas around. As far as anything I have said about making a ground, or anything for that matter, take heed and get the proper professional help where needed. The word "you" may not specifically and literally mean "you".
That being said, if you are referring to my idea of sticking a pipe into the dirt, this device is called a "grounding rod". As far as I know, it is a legitimate way of securing a ground if done properly (I don't know about building codes or anything like that). I know this: I asked my father years ago, an electrical engineer, how grounds were made and he told me they stick a pipe in the dirt and run a wire to it. Obviously, this was a generalization. He also told me that sometimes grounds are made buy connecting to a water pipe.
I have a house that is 70 years old. It has no grounding in some of its electrical circuitry. I have an old Marshall tube amplifier that desperately needed a ground. It was buzzing and messing up my sound. I drilled a hole threw the wall, stuck a pipe in the ground and ran a wire to it. Problem solved. Obviously, this is not code. It is however a ground. Do not do this at home!
Clutz
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Im referring to video cord from the monitor to CPU. I was able to touch the metal on the plug and get a good shock while the monitor power cord was plugged in.
I've never experienced a 5 minute wait, it always just restarts.
The weird thing is that i've only gotten that shock on one occasion. I guess if there is just a small amount of unneeded electricity it can raise the temperature of the computer. But the computer, according to Asus probe runs steady at 38 and while playing aces high it jumps to 47.
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Originally posted by -CodyC
Im referring to video cord from the monitor to CPU. I was able to touch the metal on the plug and get a good shock while the monitor power cord was plugged in.
Maybe this was static electricity finding a source for discharge.. Maybe it is electricity bleeding threw your monitor that has no place to go because you have no ground in your house. Maybe, something is bleading onto ground but its not enought to short circuit and your tester is telling you this. I don't know. It could be many things. However, you say your power strip has a light on it that tells you the condition of the electricity in your house. This is were I would start my thinking if I were you. Forget about your computer for now. Unplug it. Unplug anything you have on that house circuit and see if that helps. It may be someting you have on the other side of the house. Who knows? Make sure you have good electric in your house. Find out why that lite is on. You don't want to grab a metal toaster over, for example, that has a short running to its case if your house has no ground. I guarantee you at this point (GOD forbid) your computer ailments will be about the least important thing on you mind. :lol It's not funny actually. I have lost a couple of friends by way of electrocution. Not counting the one guy that was on death row. :lol
On a side note: I have never had an outlet strip that told me the condition of electricity. I have a little tester that I got from Home Depot that does. Basically, it just tells me if there are volts and a ground present, I think. I assume the strip is as you say, with a built electricity tester. Investigate this.
Please be careful as Irwink has pointed out. He made a good point about the need for getting qualifyed assistance. I am not qualifyied. Don't do anything dangerious or stupid. This light you speak of and you talkng about getting shocked really have me concerned. Your safety is first and formost.
Clutz
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there shouldnt be that much diff between asus probe and the temps in the bios.
on mine its within 1 deg .
hmm heat pipe cpu cooler ??? does it have the extra support it needs or is it hanging free and heavy on the board ??
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You can buy a tester to check your wall outlet. RadioShack use to sell them, I think Home Depot carries them too. They are small block a bit bigger than one of those "adapters" people use to plug a 3 pronged plug into a 2 pronged outlet. They have LED's to let you know if your outlet is grounded correctly, and the polarity of the outlet. Last time I saw them they were only a few bucks. I'd start there. If it turns out that your outlet has a reverse polarity(which would explain the shock), it could also mess with the powersupply in your computer. Easiest way to fix it would be to use a short extension cord, and swap the wires on one end. Correct way would be to have an electrician fix your outlet.
Next clean the CPU cooling fins and replace the thermal paste. That stuff gets old and dries up and looses some of it conductivity, and you really want to move the heat away from your CPU.
Last, if you plan on using the computer for AH or some other graphic intence game, I'd look into getting a bigger power supply.
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Originally posted by Clutz
That being said, if you are referring to my idea of sticking a pipe into the dirt, this device is called a "grounding rod". As far as I know, it is a legitimate way of securing a ground if done properly (I don't know about building codes or anything like that). I know this: I asked my father years ago, an electrical engineer, how grounds were made and he told me they stick a pipe in the dirt and run a wire to it. Obviously, this was a generalization. He also told me that sometimes grounds are made buy connecting to a water pipe.
I have a house that is 70 years old. It has no grounding in some of its electrical circuitry. I have an old Marshall tube amplifier that desperately needed a ground. It was buzzing and messing up my sound. I drilled a hole threw the wall, stuck a pipe in the ground and ran a wire to it. Problem solved. Obviously, this is not code. It is however a ground. Do not do this at home!
Clutz
I mean no offense, Clutz, but PROPER grounding is one of the most misunderstood concepts for professionals in the electrical field including electrical engineers. I know very well what a ground rod is and have installed many, generally as a single part of a total grounding system. I spent 25 years as a licensed commercial/industrial electrician after serving a 4 year indentured apprenticeship.
What you describe, driving some kind of ground rod, will work but has the very real potential consequence of killing or seriously injuring someone. Electrical services, from the single circuit breaker or fuse panel in your house to a large switchgear(s) in a commercial building or manufacturing plant or what-have-you, are grounded at or near the point of entry from the utility. Its been that way for many years and before the 70 year old house you mentioned. That's why someone gets shocked when they contact energized parts - because somewhere their body is in whole or partial contact with a ground and there is a potential difference between that ground and the electrical supply. That grounding system is why a circuit breaker trips on short circuit, not an overcurrent condition but an actual short to ground. Its part of how the system works.
Once you drive an additional ground rod you create a second point of ground reference for the electrical service. Fault current occurring nearer the second ground reference than the original service ground reference will travel to that second point of reference into earth ground. From that point it does not stop. It still attempts to reach the first ground reference and does so by traveling through the earth. When people or animals get in proximity of the path of that current through the earth is when the possibility of injury comes into play. Lots of stuff can and then does happen.
That's the part that so few people in the electrical industry itself don't even understand. What you don't know CAN hurt you or others.
I'm not going to go into any further long-winded explanation. Don't take my word for it. Look for yourself. You can start here:
http://www.mikeholt.com/index.php?id=homegeneral
Read and search in the forum. Don't ask any do-it-yourself advice though. If you do you better have your internet tough guy thick skin on. The people there are professionals and they'll help you understand but they will not give you advice on rolling your own electrical installations.
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Originally posted by Irwink!
I mean no offense, Clutz, but PROPER grounding is one of the most misunderstood concepts for professionals in the electrical field including electrical engineers.
Naaaa, No offense taken. Your points are well taken, and are respected by me. :) Thank you for jumping in. :aok
Clutz
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Interesting development.....
Got a BSOD for the first time. I haven't changed anything. Said there was a problem with
PFN_LIST_CORRUPT
then the usual stuff
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Ok so i ran driver verifier to get rid of the above problem with blue screens. Well this really screwed up my computer, had to uninstall norton to keep from getting another blue screen at start up from a filed related to it. Finally i get everything squared away and have to reinstall my video card drivers. Well i haven't had a restart in a while(haven't played for a prolonged period of time yet) but i have noticed that my FPS have dropped dramatically. I also reinstalled AH as an attempt to fix this. Well i use to get 55 in a fight, but now when it gets busy it drops down to 15 sometimes. I doubt it is resource starvation because there are plenty of resources. Running at 256 to try and help but this doesn't do much for me and all the settings are as low as possible, so i dunno.
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Sounds like heat/ cooling issues. Try cleaning your fans, ensure they are running. They might not be running fast enough for cooling properly, may need to replace. That is a high temp at idle for sure, mine runs 45C at full load (AMD 4000+, 4g ddr 333, 7900 GTX) but I also use 2 80 mm fans, and a 120 mm side fan + the chip fan.
Good Luck,
Oz
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Originally posted by Irwink!
I mean no offense, Clutz, but PROPER grounding is one of the most misunderstood concepts for professionals in the electrical field including electrical engineers. I know very well what a ground rod is and have installed many, generally as a single part of a total grounding system. I spent 25 years as a licensed commercial/industrial electrician after serving a 4 year indentured apprenticeship.
What you describe, driving some kind of ground rod, will work but has the very real potential consequence of killing or seriously injuring someone. Electrical services, from the single circuit breaker or fuse panel in your house to a large switchgear(s) in a commercial building or manufacturing plant or what-have-you, are grounded at or near the point of entry from the utility. Its been that way for many years and before the 70 year old house you mentioned. That's why someone gets shocked when they contact energized parts - because somewhere their body is in whole or partial contact with a ground and there is a potential difference between that ground and the electrical supply. That grounding system is why a circuit breaker trips on short circuit, not an overcurrent condition but an actual short to ground. Its part of how the system works.
Once you drive an additional ground rod you create a second point of ground reference for the electrical service. Fault current occurring nearer the second ground reference than the original service ground reference will travel to that second point of reference into earth ground. From that point it does not stop. It still attempts to reach the first ground reference and does so by traveling through the earth. When people or animals get in proximity of the path of that current through the earth is when the possibility of injury comes into play. Lots of stuff can and then does happen.
That's the part that so few people in the electrical industry itself don't even understand. What you don't know CAN hurt you or others.
I'm not going to go into any further long-winded explanation. Don't take my word for it. Look for yourself. You can start here:
http://www.mikeholt.com/index.php?id=homegeneral
Read and search in the forum. Don't ask any do-it-yourself advice though. If you do you better have your internet tough guy thick skin on. The people there are professionals and they'll help you understand but they will not give you advice on rolling your own electrical installations.
OT/ The building code here requires you to bury a bare copper cable 3ft deep in the soil, usually around the house so that it forms a minimum of 80ft long loop.