Hello Gurus! Tech Help

[KG4CGC]

After dealing with freeze ups in my machine, I took some preemptive measures and backed up all my pictures to an outboard 2TB drive and started backing up other drivers and files etc. Ripped out the HDs and installed a 500GB HD for the OS. Reinstalled WinXP but it was still freezing up on install. Took the whole thing apart, cleaned everything. Wiped down everything. Blew down everything.
Reassembled and installed XP without the video card. Used the onboard vid. Was using the digital output. halfway into the format, freeze up. Switched to VGA. Install went well. Ran in VGA for a while.
Today I reinstalled the the video card. Nvidia 8500GT. Used the digital of course. Ran ok for about 90 minutes. FREEZE. Pulled the video card and ran digital from the motherboard. Ran 20 minutes and freeze. Running VGA from the motherboard right now.
So fah, so good.
What's going on?Still using a 2 year old Asus M4A785-M MB. AMD 6000+ AM2 CPU. 4 gigs DDR2 667 ram by Kingston.
500W Antec PS. Is my power supply too small for this set up or is there a different kind of glitch up when trying to run digital video?

NOTE: NOT running HDMI.

[KC2UGV]

After dealing with freeze ups in my machine, I took some preemptive measures and backed up all my pictures to an outboard 2TB drive and started backing up other drivers and files etc. Ripped out the HDs and installed a 500GB HD for the OS. Reinstalled WinXP but it was still freezing up on install. Took the whole thing apart, cleaned everything. Wiped down everything. Blew down everything.
Reassembled and installed XP without the video card. Used the onboard vid. Was using the digital output. halfway into the format, freeze up. Switched to VGA. Install went well. Ran in VGA for a while.
Today I reinstalled the the video card. Nvidia 8500GT. Used the digital of course. Ran ok for about 90 minutes. FREEZE. Pulled the video card and ran digital from the motherboard. Ran 20 minutes and freeze. Running VGA from the motherboard right now.
So fah, so good.
What's going on?Still using a 2 year old Asus M4A785-M MB. AMD 6000+ AM2 CPU. 4 gigs DDR2 667 ram by Kingston.
500W Antec PS. Is my power supply too small for this set up or is there a different kind of glitch up when trying to run digital video?

I would hazard, in this order:

Heat issue
RAM issue
PS issue

Rule out the cheap: Run memtest overnight. If it's bad, it'll let you know.

No bad RAM, or it freezes during testing? Swap the PS with a new one.

Past that? Depends. I'll think some more.

[N1LAF]

From what I read on forums...


A GeForce 8500 GT requires you to have a 350 Watt power supply unit; if you use it in a high-end system (high spec CPU/Memory, lot's of optical and HD's). That power supply needs to have (in total) at least 22 Amps available on the 12 volts rails.

But Corey is right, if you have another P/S, swap and test to eliminate P/S

Keep running in VGA mode, check for lockups.

You are doing the right things for troubleshooting

[KG4CGC]

I'll keep running VGA but some new RAM, 8 gigs worth will be available tomorrow.
Before today, I ran a fan directly ON the main HD. Today it is just hanging free and it is the same HD from before the switch up. I'm selecting HDs at boot up. I realize this doesn't entirely eliminate the old HD but it definitely started giving me trouble again when I went digital. Right now the HD is hot, about 120º. CPU is 85º. One small onboard component is 120º. If I pull the heatsink off the CPU, I'm sure it would measure hotter. Last night it was pretty hot when I took everything apart.

[KG4CGC]

I appreciate all yous guys help.

[NQ6U]

http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz79/gyrogeerloose/how-to.jpg

[ad4mg]

I'll keep running VGA but some new RAM, 8 gigs worth will be available tomorrow.
Before today, I ran a fan directly ON the main HD. Today it is just hanging free and it is the same HD from before the switch up. I'm selecting HDs at boot up. I realize this doesn't entirely eliminate the old HD but it definitely started giving me trouble again when I went digital. Right now the HD is hot, about 120º. CPU is 85º. One small onboard component is 120º. If I pull the heatsink off the CPU, I'm sure it would measure hotter. Last night it was pretty hot when I took everything apart.

Damn, that drive is HOT! Here are the temps of the 3 SATA's in this machine after being on for several hours:

/dev/sda: WDC WD10EZEX-00RKKA0: 80°F (1TB SATA - WD 'Blue' drive running the OS)
/dev/sdb: WDC WD10EZEX-00RKKA0: 78°F (Ditto, data drive pretty idle)
/dev/sdc: ST31500341AS: 82°F (older Seagate 1.5TB Drive, also data storage)
I can't recall seeing a SATA in any of my machines run hotter than 100°F unless I was copying some serious data to it. I think either the PS, or the RAM is your culprit, though.

[KJ3N]

http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz79/gyrogeerloose/how-to.jpg

As long as you never want to use it again.

[KG4CGC]

I have a photo gig coming up Friday. I need a non freezing machine to complete my task. This one is still going in its current configuration. Thing is, digital video helps with the details.

[N1LAF]

For comparison, I have this for temps...

Core 1 and 2: 64F (I haven't run the heat this afternoon, and my office is at 64 degrees)
WD Boot/Program Drive: 107F
WD 2TB drive: 100F
Seagate 320 GB drive 89F
Video Card: 123F

This spring, I will place a fan for the two WD drives. Just to note, I have read that the best temp range of operation for hard drives is between 35C and 40C, which is approx 95F to 105F.

[WØTKX]

That is warm. Some drives make odd noises running error correction as the alignment goof up due to heat. You know, a pattern thing. The beat changes. Driving the heads differently than normal, data slows too.

I still have an AMD box with a similar proc that I used for about four years, second owner. It needed a proc fan, later new heat grease... and a power supply, eventually. But it was used and abused before I got it.

[KJ3N]

Everything relatively "cool" here.

9167

However, the +12V line seems a bit low. Gonna have to keep an eye on that. :chin:

[KG4CGC]

After cooling for an hour, it just wants to shutdown or just stop. Video goes black now when it stops.
Power supply or motherboard.
For some reason it's decided to work for right now. I'll try a different power supply tomorrow.

[KG4CGC]

That is warm. Some drives make odd noises running error correction as the alignment goof up due to heat. You know, a pattern thing. The beat changes. Driving the heads differently than normal, data slows too.

I still have an AMD box with a similar proc that I used for about four years, second owner. It needed a proc fan, later new heat grease... and a power supply, eventually. But it was used and abused before I got it.

I'm thinking the CPU is trying to draw 135 watts on a 125 watt board.
Just did the thermal grease a couple of months ago but I noticed it was a little thick. Probably need a new tube.

[KG4CGC]

It did it again. This time everything was cool. As soon as it happened, I pulled off the CPU fans and heatsink and it was cool too. Same new thing too. Screen goes black and it all stops.

[KG4CGC]

Earlier in the day I was getting an Out Of Range error on the monitor.

[n6hcm]

i agree with the earlier debugging steps ... but something obvious is missing: have you looked in event viewer for clues? imho, it's not always helpful but sometimes your system will dump some clues in the way of recorded events ...

[KG4CGC]

I have no clue what an event viewer is. Where can I find it.
Never mind. It's in control panel. I'm on an old spare computer right now.

[N2CHX]

Everything relatively "cool" here.

9167

However, the +12V line seems a bit low. Gonna have to keep an eye on that. :chin:

If those readings are accurate, I'd be more worried about the +5 rail.

[N2CHX]

It did it again. This time everything was cool. As soon as it happened, I pulled off the CPU fans and heatsink and it was cool too. Same new thing too. Screen goes black and it all stops.

Bad RAM, unstable supply rail or a cap on the motherboard that's flaking out.

[W3WN]

It did it again. This time everything was cool. As soon as it happened, I pulled off the CPU fans and heatsink and it was cool too. Same new thing too. Screen goes black and it all stops.
Earlier in the day I was getting an Out Of Range error on the monitor.This last strikes me as a RAM issue.

Of course, there could be more than one issue, especially if one failure triggered the events that led to another...

[X-Rated]

As long as you never want to use it again.

I have used hammers again after smashing computers. Oh yes I have.

Seriously, I have had freeze problems that were attributed to the mother board and cold solder joints. Tapping the computer would cause it to freeze and it would never come back unless I rebooted. These issues are not always easy to trace.

[KJ3N]

If those readings are accurate, I'd be more worried about the +5 rail.

It's off by 0.08 volts. Seriously?

[KK4AMI]

Here is a Troubleshooting Guide from Asus for Freeze-ups on that particular M4A785-M MB. I'm kind of confused by your description of the problem. Is WinXP (SP1,2 or 3?) installing on the 500 GB HD (SATA ?) or not?

http://support.asus.com/Troubleshooting/detail.aspx?SLanguage=en&p=1&m=M4A785-M&s=24&hashedid=ef0qgvMIwOUagAVl&os=&no=981

[N2CHX]

It's off by 0.08 volts. Seriously?

Almost 100 mV low on a 5 volt bus? Yes. There are some devices that will start bitching hardcore if the supply falls anywhere near 4.9 volts. The supply itself should put out between 5.1 and 5.2 volts to accommodate for voltage drop getting from the supply to wherever it's going. Maybe what I was always taught, practiced and experienced is outdated, but anything below 5.0 volts is bad news.

[KJ3N]

Almost 100 mV low on a 5 volt bus? Yes. There are some devices that will start bitching hardcore if the supply falls anywhere near 4.9 volts. The supply itself should put out between 5.1 and 5.2 volts to accommodate for voltage drop getting from the supply to wherever it's going. Maybe what I was always taught, practiced and experienced is outdated, but anything below 5.0 volts is bad news.

Well, while I agree with everything you've said (from an absolute technical standpoint), the system has been running like this for 4 years. If there was going to be a problem, I think I would have seen it by now.

My motto is: If it's not broke, don't fix it. Engineers tend to have a different attitude. ;)

[N2CHX]

Well, while I agree with everything you've said (from an absolute technical standpoint), the system has been running like this for 4 years. If there was going to be a problem, I think I would have seen it by now.

My motto is: If it's not broke, don't fix it. Engineers tend to have a different attitude. ;)

LOL that's why I questioned whether the reading was accurate or not. I'd be poking around with a VM, but probably wouldn't bother myself if it was just my personal computer and not something mission critical.

[N1LAF]

Remember last summer my system would not start up cold, for $90 I had the MB capacitors replaced? Hasn't been a problem since. Cheap caps will hurt you.

[kb2vxa]

"Engineers tend to have a different attitude."

OH DO THEY EVER! Engineers go by the book, techs go by the brain, hams have a motto; whatever works. I ran into conflicts on a couple of jobs but that depends on the engineer, one could think for himself but couldn't solder and one in particular was downright dumb. He was dumbfounded when my test results were nowhere what he expected, transformer output voltages were WAY off, there's more than turns ratio at work , core material in particular. Needless to say with all that waste of materials with no results he didn't last long. Then there was this broadcast engineer/ham who fried relays and a brand new $1,500 receiver with a re-tuned 1KW Collins broadcast transmitter but Kelli would laugh herself to death and we wouldn't want that.

[KG4CGC]

And here's an interesting tidbit; rebooting with F8 won't put it into the screen to let me choose Safe Mode. It goes into a screen that lets me choose which drive to boot from. Then if I drop down to one drive, it still wants me to chose between the DVDRW and the HD. Interesting to note, the spare machine I'm on is doing that same thing since the latest update.
Microsoft hates me, personally. That's the only thing that can explain that.
Well, I'm off to pick up some RAM. Even if RAM isn't the issue, this is faster RAM at 8 gigs and I will use it once I get this crap straightened out.
If it is the power supply, this one has lasted longer than power supplies I've had in the last few years. Usually when they fail, it's easy to spot. This one has been a new frocking adventure.

Of note, I've been running this same RAM since late 07 as well as the CPU.

Just thought of something. I don't use the overclocking utilities that came with the motherboard, what if that utility is turning itself on for some reason? Just a thought. I'll have all evening and night to play with it after I get back.

[KG4CGC]

And thanks again for everyone's input.

[N1LAF]

A
Microsoft hates me, personally. That's the only thing that can explain that.
.

Long shot, but, may help to confirm/eliminate the OS...

Get another drive or spare drive, and install Linux... Many here will help you with that. Linux Mint 14 installed the best for me - everything worked.

[WØTKX]

Well, in your case Charles, your PC has two F8 moments. If you go into the CMOS and change the settings for the drives to allow only one drive to boot, you may be able to eliminate the recognition of the F8 during the early BIOS (post) boot. I have had to do that before to figure things out.

There are distros of Linux that can be run from the CD/DVD ROM or even a thumb drive. All they do is use free space on the existing HD for swap. Even if you use a different physical drive for swap than the existing boot drive (recommended) I'd be willing to bet Linux would not boot either.
Blaming it on the OS is the coward's way out. :neener:

I kid I kid! I now it's frustrating, believe me.

[KK4AMI]

And here's an interesting tidbit; rebooting with F8 won't put it into the screen to let me choose Safe Mode. It goes into a screen that lets me choose which drive to boot from. Then if I drop down to one drive, it still wants me to chose between the DVDRW and the HD. Interesting to note, the spare machine I'm on is doing that same thing since the latest update.
Microsoft hates me, personally. That's the only thing that can explain that.
Well, I'm off to pick up some RAM. Even if RAM isn't the issue, this is faster RAM at 8 gigs and I will use it once I get this crap straightened out.
If it is the power supply, this one has lasted longer than power supplies I've had in the last few years. Usually when they fail, it's easy to spot. This one has been a new frocking adventure.

Of note, I've been running this same RAM since late 07 as well as the CPU.

Just thought of something. I don't use the overclocking utilities that came with the motherboard, what if that utility is turning itself on for some reason? Just a thought. I'll have all evening and night to play with it after I get back.

I thought maybe you were doing the one I do all the time when refurbing old computers. WinXP doesn't tend to recognize SATA Controllers.When you first load WinXP on a new SATA drive you need to hit F6 at the beginning of reloading to preload a SATA emulator.

[KG4CGC]

Yes SATA. No problem with recognition.

[WØTKX]

http://www.troll.me/images/ancient-aliens-guy/im-not-saying-these-computers-suck-but-its-aliens-thumb.jpg

http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/183/2/f/computer__s_revenge_by_fawn_melody-d3kr5mg.png

[kb2vxa]

.....

[KG4CGC]

Did some wheeling and dealing at the tobacconist hangout and scored an Asus M4N72-E MB with 8 gigs of bad ass gold plated ram with a big "Z" on it. DDR2 1200. And one of these:
AMD Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition - HDZ940XCJ4DGIhttp://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/K10/AMD-Phenom%20II%20X4%20940%20Black%20Edition%20-%20HDZ940XCJ4DGI%20%28HDZ940XCGIBOX%29.html

About time to move up into the late 00's I say. Scored a 700 watt PS but I'll have to wait until tomorrow to pick that up.
I'll just see how well it all works. I'm going to try it with my current PS tonight. If it dies, well, that will tell me something.

[WØTKX]

Congrats.

My main PC is an AMD Phenom II X4 810, 8 gig RAM. It runs the Flex just fine, I did have to upgrade the Firewire for that. Later, I upgraded the video to an AMD Radeon HD 6670. You're gonna like it!

[KG4CGC]

Well, my case is too small for the motherboard so I dropped in the new CPU and RAM and now we're going to see how this flies. I will be looking at some cases. I'm sure there are junkers out there to be had for a cheap ass remark. ☺
In any case, I hope this holds up. If so, it means it was RAM and I'll use some of the old good parts to upgrade the XYL's machine. Not sure right now what size her PS is, if it's sub 500W I'll pop it in as well as the CPU. Her current CPU is an AMD Athlon 5200. Been trying to talk her out of Vista. I can find Win8 for $100 on Tiger Direct where as Win7 is $300+.

Keeping my fingers crossed!

[WA4TM]

Charles, if you would rather have winders 7 try Amazon,, http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Premium-64bit-System-Builder/dp/B004Q0PT3I/ref=sr_1_1?s=software&ie=UTF8&qid=1363924933&sr=1-1&keywords=windows+7

[KG4CGC]

Charles, if you would rather have winders 7 try Amazon,, http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Premium-64bit-System-Builder/dp/B004Q0PT3I/ref=sr_1_1?s=software&ie=UTF8&qid=1363924933&sr=1-1&keywords=windows+7

Hmmm, and here's where some of my ignorance kicks in. Is there a 32 bit version? Does it matter?
I did prefer Win7 but what I've been hearing is that Win8 has better memory management and that what people don't like about it is the interface.

[NQ6U]

Hmmm, and here's where some of my ignorance kicks in. Is there a 32 bit version?

Yes, here (http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Premium-32bit-System-Builder/dp/B004Q0T10A/ref=sr_1_1?s=software&ie=UTF8&qid=1363926188&sr=1-1&keywords=windows+7+32+bit+home+premium).


Does it matter?

It depends on your hardware and how much RAM you plan to use. More than 4 GB and you want to go 64-bit.

[WØTKX]

Windows 7 Professional 64 bit SP1 has been rock steady for me for a long time.

[KG4CGC]

what does it mean?





Details


Product:
Windows Operating System


ID:
7000


Source:
Service Control Manager


Version:
5.2


Symbolic Name:
EVENT_SERVICE_START_FAILED


Message:
The %1 service failed to start due to the following error:
%2





Explanation


Service Control Manager (SCM) could not start the specified service, probably because the service is not configured correctly.





User Action


Do one or all of the following:


Review the error information displayed in the message.
Verify that the service password has not expired.
Verify that the service is in the correct location.
Verify that the service is not infected with a virus.
To display the WIN32_EXIT_CODE error that SCM encountered when trying to start the program, at the command prompt, type
sc query service name
The information displayed can help you troubleshoot possible causes for the error.

If the WIN32_EXIT_CODE is zero, then SCM did not attempt to start the service because the error was detected first.










Version:
5.0


Symbolic Name:
EVENT_SERVICE_START_FAILED


Message:
The %1 service failed to start due to the following error:
%2.





Explanation


Service Control Manager (SCM) could not start the specified service, probably because the service is not configured correctly.





User Action


Do one or all of the following:


Review the error information displayed in the message.
Verify that the service password has not expired.
Verify that the service is in the correct location.
Verify that the service is not infected with a virus.
To display the WIN32_EXIT_CODE error that SCM encountered when trying to start the program, at the command prompt, type
sc query service name
The information displayed can help you troubleshoot possible causes for the error.

If the WIN32_EXIT_CODE is zero, then SCM did not attempt to start the service because the error was detected first.













Currently there are no Microsoft Knowledge Base articles available for this specific error or event message. For information about other support options you can use to find answers online, see http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx.

[KG4CGC]

Cyberlink UDF and Google Update service. is all I could find.
7009 and 7000 respectively.

Yeah. Mr. Freeze came back. That eliminates CPU and RAM.

[KC2UGV]

Hmmm, and here's where some of my ignorance kicks in. Is there a 32 bit version? Does it matter?
I did prefer Win7 but what I've been hearing is that Win8 has better memory management and that what people don't like about it is the interface.

Whenever MS says they improved memory management, it tends to not be as good as they claim. I'd stick with Win 7. And, I would recommend 64 bit.

[WØTKX]

Hmmm, the %1 and %2 are variables that are supposed to be filled in with specifics on that error report.

That's pretty weird.

[KG4CGC]

Took a while but I'm on the new PS now. We'll see how this flies. If the MB is OK, the XYL will be getting an upgrade from the MB to the RAM to the CPU. If not, just ram and cpu.
Did the gig but I'm also confident that I'll have this straightened out to be able to complete my tasks in a timely manner.

[KG4CGC]

Good News Everyone! It failed again! MOTHERBOARD!

[NA4BH]

Good News Everyone! It failed again! MOTHERBOARD!


Motherboard? You mean Motherfscker!!!!!!

[KG4CGC]

It failed, it failed, it failed! Failed on a new HD with fresh install of XP. Failed with new RAM! Failed with new CPU! Failed with new PS! It FAILED! This is a 2 or 3 year old Asus MB! I'm so happy it failed!

[KG4CGC]

OH AND IT FAILED WITH A NEW MB BATTERY!

[NA4BH]

From what you described, I would venture a guess at a problem with the motherboard. Not being trained in computers or such, I might be wrong. But you might check that out first.

ETA: This is only going on the sketchy information you provided.

[NQ6U]

From what you described, I would venture a guess at a problem with the motherboard. Not being trained in computers or such, I might be wrong. But you might check that out first.

I think it's a bent A-frame and bad muffler bearings.

[KG4CGC]

Well a MB was the last thing I wanted to get but I scored a great deal on a MB, CPU and RAM and then a PS. I found an old case I already had but it uses the stand-offs on the case where you mount the MB. The brass looking ones that are a screw on one side and a nut on the other. I need a few more of those so this build is going to wait until tomorrow.

[KC2UGV]

Well, my apologies.

As a post-mortem; are any of the caps on the mobo disfigured?

[N2CHX]

I think I recall suggesting it could be a flaky cap early in this thread... Yup, I did.

[N1LAF]

The upside - you now have a lot of spare parts... don't think you really wanted to hear that...

[N1LAF]

I think I recall suggesting it could be a flaky cap early in this thread... Yup, I did.

And there was this discussion...
https://forums.hamisland.net/showthread.php/22407-Computer-problem

[KG4CGC]

Corey and Kelli, Yes. I looked for misshapened capacitors, leaky caps and etc. Simply could not find any through a visual or sniff inspection.
Paul, up to date spare parts are Oh-Tay.

[N2CHX]

Corey and Kelli, Yes. I looked for misshapened capacitors, leaky caps and etc. Simply could not find any through a visual or sniff inspection.
Paul, up to date spare parts are Oh-Tay.

Not saying you did anything wrong, Charles. Some caps flake out and never show signs. If they do so intermittently in operation it's difficult to pinpoint which one so you could end up having to shotgun the whole board. Some can be found by sniffing them out with an ohmmeter.

[KG4CGC]

Not saying you did anything wrong, Charles. Some caps flake out and never show signs. If they do so intermittently in operation it's difficult to pinpoint which one so you could end up having to shotgun the whole board. Some can be found by sniffing them out with an ohmmeter.

Yes, you are correct. I'm simply not going to test each one. I may have a clue as to where to start though. The onboard OS from Asus which will let you use Skype, get on the web and a couple of other things no longer comes up before the boot cycle does so, there is probably a small chip that is heat sinked and surrounded by a few caps. If I were to test, that would be where I would start.

[KG4CGC]

Great news everyone! I dug up a taller case for the MB. It has olde skool brass screw nut motherboard off set spacers. One side screws into the case, place MB on them, put phillips head screws through MB into screw nuts. It only had 5 installed because the board I took out of this olde skool case was a short board but the ports were in the right place so it sat fine. I needed more to secure the larger MB properly so I went to a couple of places close by to look for what I need, Radio Shack being one of them. Now I knew they used to have them but these days, they have filled their walls with cellular telephone cases and HD TV accessories.

Next I go to the computer apothecary which is a little further away. I look around and finally have to ask someone where their nuts and bolts are. I show the guy the piece I'm looking for and he grabs a handful of screws from the back and starts sorting through them. I look closely and start sorting through them as well and I see that the are the wrong thread, Coarser and slightly smaller diameter. That's all they got. SHIT!

So we went to the tobacconist shop and had a coffee and a smoke. Talked a bit with some of the gentlemen both working in and visiting the shop and came to the conclusion that I will have to go to the hardware store for spacers, screws and nut. We also considered the cultural ramifications of polyandry in a post-apocalyptic United States and how a narrowing gene pool in a world population would force humans to find solutions to genetic mutations. I will have to spec the stand-offs that came with the case I want to use.

[N1LAF]

I have found that True Value hardware stores have a great hardware parts selections for screws, standoffs, nut and bolts, etc. Fine tune standoff heights, I use washers. Both US and Metric selections.

[NQ6U]

Surprisingly, the dreaded Home Despot has a fair selection of spacers available.

[KG4CGC]

Good News Everyone!
Today I went to the hardware store to purchase 6-32 bolts and nuts and washers. Bolted each screw to a mounting hole secured with 2 nuts and a washer. Then I fit the screws while mounted to the MB through the case holes and used another nut on the outer side if the case.

[KG4CGC]

Good news everyone! The new board didn't work. All the fans came on but nothing happened. That's OK, it was a bonus freeber. Went to the local computer place that's been in town since before the Commodore was 64. Bought a brand new Gigabytes AM3/+ MB and had to breakdown and buy new RAM, DDR3, 8 gigs on one stick PC 10600. Went home and discovered that the AMD Phenom II 940 Dragon would NOT fit in the socket. Took it back with the CPU and discovered that the 940 is the only AM3 that is NOT and AM3 but is an AM2+.
Tried to find a MB but they don't carry anything that takes it. Before I went there I suspected that the CPU MIGHT be AM2+ so since I already now had DDR3 ram, I called all the local places for a AM2+ MB and no one sells them locally. I needed this, like, yesterday. I will have to order one, from somewhere.

After stopping by the tobacconist and relaxing with some coffee and a really FAT cigar, I went home and started looking closely, with 3x magnifiers at my original MB. I discovered some SMT parts that had a bit of corrosion on them. It was near the center of the board with the larger blue heatsink was that says Asus on it. I removed the heatsink and started picking off the corrosion. Then the only thing I had on hand to clean off the remaining residue was vinegar. I cleaned it and dabbed it dry. Cleaned the heatsink contact and regooped it. Removed the other smaller heatsink and did the same. Just spent the past hour starting and stopping the machine after seeing if I agreed with the bios. Had to go into the bios since I popped out the battery a couple of times to use the freshest battery in the other MB that was a freeber when I was testing it.

I'm running the original MB that was giving me trouble to start with but I suspect that until I put it through all its paces, it could flake out again at any time. So, I don't have any options at this time but to see if this bitch is going to run. I am using the bigger case I had sitting around with the temp sensor that I stuck inside the CPU cooling fins and fan, near the bottom, on top of the copper plate. Currently reading 75º. I also added a fan to blow on the larger blue MB heatsink that has the Asus logo. I also added a heatsink and fan to the main hard drive. That hard drive runs cold now. I just touched it. It's cold.

What do I do? What do I do? I guess when I get back I'll order a new MB or have someone locally order one while I'm gone. Who knows, maybe the cruded up ultra micro parts will hold up. I do not suspect that they much of a life left but we'll see.

[KC2UGV]

You might have just locked yourself into that setup for 5 more years. I'm guessing the smt you cleaned up was the GPU.

[KG4CGC]

You might have just locked yourself into that setup for 5 more years. I'm guessing the smt you cleaned up was the GPU.

Nah, I returned it all. They told me that I should buy a new CPU. I told them it wasn't in the budget. I will have to move up to DDR3 RAM though.

[KG4CGC]

Oh and last night's post was the last from that computer. 10 minutes later it really did go tits up.