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hard questions, multi topic

T

thatguy

n00b
Joined
Feb 23, 2004
Messages
6
i have re-installed windows xp 8 times in the past 2 months.

with that opening statement, you can correctly assume that something is seriously wrong.

it is a custom built amd 2600 on an asus a7n8x del running bios rev. 1007 with 512mb kingston pc 2700 with an ati 7500, tdk velo cd, mad dog dvd, 2 seagate fireballs ( ata 133 40 gig hdd's )
2 wdd 400's ( western digital 40 gigs ) and an ibm 80 gig.

while there is onboard raid, i do not use it, and while i do have a controller card, it is only for the extra ide's, not for raid.

the case is generic with several mods ( by me ) to include 4 80mm fans in addition to the retail fan that came with my cpu. plus the 500w antec true pwr has dual fans, so my cooling solution for a non-oc'd box is more than adequate.

my software environment includes this base:
adobe ps cs
win xp pro sp1a
adobe 6 pro
win amp 5.02
flashget 1.5
media monkey 2.1
office 2k3
opera 7.23

i am behind a web server so i am forced to use proxy 2.0 as a workaround for opera and flashget.

i believe it to be my software config that kills my machine every time. i have tried to use norton + zonealarm and that killed me.
i then tried antiy ghostbuster with panda internet sec;urity. not only did that kill me, but panda would not uninstall and the dll's kept loading.
i then tried outpost and kerio

im skipping ahead of myself.

first off, every single component has been ripped out and tested in other machines, including the cpu. all the hard drives have been chkdisk'd and the os harddrive has been low lvel'd and spin rite'd.

what happens is after 1 or 2 weeks of perfect performance, i start to get hangs on restart, then network trouble, then unbootable situations. fix mbr, boot rest, hirens boot cd, erd commander all suck.

every single time i go through all troubleshooting techniques only to be left with a re-install as my only option.

i thought at first this was viral, but i have ruled that out, as well as trojans. i can only assume that it is software that is f-ing up my reg to a point as to make it unrecoverable ( i have tried reg restore applications )

is there something that im missing? i use this machine as a media server of sorts. shared folders on my network so mp3's and movies can be played in every room i have a comp. my network config, while on sucky nt 4.0, is solid, and no other machines experience this problem.

all software vendors replied that they are certain it is not their software causing me these headaches.

help! waht more can i do? ill be hapy to provide you with more specifics if needed, but this should sum it up.

the reason i use a soft firewall in addition to the router/firewall, is so i can catch outgoing applications. i hate phonehome stuff. maybe thats f-ing everything up, i just dont know anymore
 
i dont see anything blatantly obvious, but i would try this ... start with a base WinXP install (updated from WinUpdate, etc) then start adding base-line software, but wait in between apps. I know it will take a little while, but you get crap performance from this PC anyway, so whats the big deal, right? I would set up your proxy first, wait a week, and then start installing the essentials (AV, FireWall, etc.) waiting a week between each. Forget about Photoshop, Flashget, Office, etc for now. If it locks after you install something, you know thats it ...

try to re-format and install without that app just to make sure, but i would bet thats your culprit ...

i know this is not what you were looking for, but you were about to reformat anyway. I hope it helps

b
 
all that hird drive makes the computer want more cooling get that wind a moving roudn it see if it last longer with the case open untill you could add more fans and also you might want to up your power to 600 watts. keep your system os and all patches in there and i have no red flags telling me you should have any problems. do you know wat set it off. you might want to re format thoes drives beacuse some thing is residual
 
ambient box temp is @ 80 deg farenheit +/- 10

os hdd has a heat sink on it with 2 25mm fans blowing directly on it.

mobo temp maxes at 18deg celcius and cpu maxes out at @41 deg celcius. articsilver replaced that retail gunk first thing.

asus probe shows me good power on all rails. 600w supply would give me a lot of overhead, and is something i want, but i dont think thats needed. i could be wrong, because this box wont work, so thats kind of making your suggestions seem better already, lol

i am by no means saying you are wrong, but rather these are the results of various probes and tests.

as far as increasing the fans, i suppose i could double up on the top and side case fans, but neither position is hard drive friendly, and there is simply no more room inside the case for a fan to blow directly on them.

since i have posted, i just finished re-install. i have used sp1a redist, then autopatcher 4.2 ( jan edition ), then i installed the all in one driver pack for asus.

it is in cherry condition right now. i have just finished with network settings and am currently on the m/soft site d/lding what few patches were missed by autopatcher.

i am leaning towards the advice of bschwarz6. it will be like not having a right arm ( not installing flashget i mean ), because the function of this box was d/loading and distribution of media files on my network, as well as ripping cd's and dvd's. but i suppose i could use another machine. for now. makes sense to try to isolate the software which is killing me.

if no one else replies with the uber answer( if there even is one ), ill go ahead and invest in a cpl more fans as well. 2 more and this thing might be able to lift off the ground
 
oops, forgot to ask, what did you mean by residual effects on my other hard drives.

could you go into a little detail?
 
Are you keeping the same drive for your system files, or have you swapped that out too? I'd try swapping out a new system drive.

BTW Welcome to [H]

How far are the fans away from the OS HD... magnetic fields can do damage over time
 
no, swapped system drive several times during my "troubles".

re: mag fields and damage, i was not aware of this occuring with fans. the fan i have covering hdd stack is about 1/2 inch from 2 storage drives, but about 8" from system drive.

thanks for the replies guys
 
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