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Help, my A64 System is Unstable!

C

Carnival Forces

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Feb 9, 2003
Messages
4,297
Hi everyone, I'd like some help. A while back (before the Forum upgrade) i posted about my A64 system, and couldn't figure out how to actually get it to run; well, now i have. However, it's quite unstable :( . Every time I start playing Jedi Academy, it freezes. Even if i'm just browsing the web, eventually, it will freeze, forcing me to restart. I'm running:

CPU: Athlon 64 3200+
GPU: Sapphire Radeon 9800PRO 128MB
Mobo: Chaintech ZNF3-150 (socket 754...)
RAM: 3x256 pc3500 GEIL (768 total...)
HDD: Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 9 SATA Drive (200GB)
PSU: Antec 430W
OS: Win XP Professional.

I don't know why it keeps freezing like this, it passed ~2 hours of Prime95 Torture Testing (on "Blend"), but it's still not stable. In fact, I left it on overnight last night w/ Prime95 Torture Test running (on "Blend") and it froze right from the beginning (as I found out upon waking...).

Help!
 
~41C for the CPU
~46C for the System
(this is assuming the DigiDoc stuff reports correctly...)

Edit: temps are ~the same (+/- 2degrees) in BIOS
Edit 2: this isn't really under load, since it's not stable enough for me to put under load, but it's not quite idle either, since i have been moving around in XP etc...
 
hmmm..

I just went to www.ati.com to d/l the newest drivers, and saw the Ruby link, so i clicked on it, and when the model (of Ruby) moved, my system froze, and the sound froze in the same spot and kept on repeating...so maybe it's something wrong w/ my Sound stuff, and not just my video stuff ?

i just d/led DirectX 9.0b, so let's see what that does....
 
i'm starting to think it's a windows problem...,

for instance, in IE, on ircspy, if i set the "Display offline bots" to "No", it gives me an error, and IE crashes...the error report (which i don't send) mentions something about flash (it's rather vague, it's under the "Mod:" section, right after the "App:" header)

but

it works perfectly fine in Firefox (<3)

any ideas other than nuking my C:\ partition (which is just windows, pretty much) and re-installing ?

.. @DelTree /y C:\ :(
 
my XP pro came /w SP1

i have all the Critical updates

i have the updates that pertain to me

i don't have ALL the updates, as some aren't neccessary for me.. (i.e. the non-critical ones that are specific for "HP printer jet 5010cc" or w/e...)
 
First the basics:

- PSU: are the voltages within limits?
- RAM: what does an utility like Memtest86+ report?
- Does the system freeze while in the BIOS's configuration screen?
- HDD: what do Maxtor's HDD diagnostic tools report?
 
actually, my temps are closer to 49CPU/51System :(

yes the voltages are w/i limits (+/-.0x from BIOS)

i'm trying memtest86 tonight

no, the BIOS doesn't freeze (from what i've seen, how long should i keep it there exactly?)

i haven't thought about/tried using Maxtor's HDD Diagnostics, let me go look for them..


thanks for the suggestions!
 
i just looked at maxtor's webpage, and i can't test my HDD w/ their Diagnostic b/c it's in an embedded RAID array (it's just setup like that, integrated into my motherboard).

i can't test the disk in this system, b/c the HDD is SATA

so i really hope it isn't the HDD :(.
 
I had the same problem with my A64 when i first got it up and running - the main diff i am seeing is that you have the nforce board (i think i didnt actually check) whilst i have a K8T800. Anyway, mine turned out to be ram. For some reason i could only run ram in slots 0 and 2 and not 0 and 1. Not sure why - never RMA'd the board or anything and according to the mobo it should have worked. Anyway, download and run Prime95 or something similar to see if it gets errors.

This makes sense to me, as as soon as you start playing games the ram will fill up and start producing more errors, which will also happen in windows but less frequently.

CadniuM
 
AHHH!! Prime95 returned an error. After 1hr and 57 minutes of testing:

"Self-Test 14k Passed!
Test 1, 6,500 Lucas-Lehmer iterations of M12451841 using 640K FFT length.
FATAL ERROR: Rounding was 0.5, expected less than 0.4
Hardware failure detected, consult stress.txt file.
Torture Test ran 1 hours, 57 minutes - 1 errors, 0 warnings.
Execution halted.


So now what do I do ?
 
Some of the a64 boards don't like ram in certian slots. Try one stick in the slot closest to the front (works on my chaintech board (same as urs))

Do you have any little IDE drives lying arround that you could try another os install with?
 
no, i dont' have any other IDE drives laying aroun d:(

and i have RAM in all 3 slots, does this mean i'll have to sacrifice some RAM for stability.. ? :mad:
 
okay, i tried it w/ RAM in slots 1 and 3.

didn't work, i booted up fine, but stuff was sluggish responding, if at all. i eventually froze.

okay, i tried it w/ RAM in slots 1,2,3 again.

didn't work, i booted up fine, but stuff was weird, sluggish, slow. i eventually froze.

i am now in the process of testing each stick individually in slot 1. i'm now talking to you from slot 1 ;) so hopefully it'll be fine.

my test: go into Jedi Academy and dink around, if it doesn't freeze, it's good (is this an okay test?)

i'll post back w/ results.
 
well, the 1st stick of RAM was performing beautifully, I booted up fine, and i could play Jedi Knight and everything...for about 30 minutes.

then it BSOD'd.

now i'll test the next stick...
 
I would put my money on a RAM issue. A64's are VERY hard on ram.

I would suggest that besides checking each RAM stick (very good idea, you might have a bad one) you try adjusting your RAM timings in the BIOS.

Might have to sacrifice some RAM speed for stability, but that is a no-brainer.

Also, I have not had the chance to work with an A64 system yet, but in my experience, running three ram sticks in an AMD XP machine is almost always bad news (unless you run very relaxed timings and all the sticks are identical).

Good luck, and let us know how you solved the problem!

-Skystalker

PS: If it was a HDD problem, you would hear the "click of death" or hear the drive powering up/down-- not just not be recognized in the BIOS at all (in my experience). Also... the machine wouldn't likely crash, it would just lock. Solid (at least with non-raid PATA).

-Skystalker
 
well, i haven't tested each stick individually yet (had other things to do today)

but i can't seem to find the options for the RAM timings in my BIOS :(

i'm probably blind, but if someone could just tell me where to look , that'd be great, additionally, if there's any key i have to press when i get to the BIOS screen like F4 to unlock advanced settings or anything..that'd be nice to know as well.


still, could someone explain how to work memtest86? i can't get it to work, i've read the webpage's guide, but i can't get into configuration, all that happens after i boot from the floppy is it shows "e820-std" on the screen, and doesn't respond to anything

ejecting the floppy doesn't ellicit a response either.

help = appreciated
 
I don't use mem-test myself (prolly should, but lazy tonight, father's day)... and haven't been blessed with an A64 system.

Okay... I downloaded the manual... the DRAM configuration is under frequency/voltage control. The manual I got (there was only one that I could find) was in Russian, LOL!

It didn't give a whole bunch of details (it was a 260+ page manual... biggest I have ever seen!!!!)

I wish you all the best... I am sure some other very smart people can help ya here.

I am *still* sure it is memory.

-Skystalker
 
My chaintech has no options for memory either :(

And try memtest on a cd (most linix distros have it on their first cd.
 
Carnival Forces said:
still, could someone explain how to work memtest86? i can't get it to work, i've read the webpage's guide, but i can't get into configuration, all that happens after i boot from the floppy is it shows "e820-std" on the screen, and doesn't respond to anything

ejecting the floppy doesn't ellicit a response either.
Click to expand...
As stated on the memtest86.com site, the test starts automatically: you put in the FD/CD or whatever, it loads memtest86(+) into RAM and the test starts.

"e820-std" is one of the methods used for probing the amount of RAM in the system:
Starting in version 2.9 alternative methods are available for determining memory size. By default the test attempts to get the memory size from the BIOS using the "e820" method. With "e820" the BIOS provides a table of memory segments and identifies what they will be used for. By default Memtest86 will test all of the ram marked as available and also the area reserved for the ACPI tables. This is safe since the test does not use the ACPI tables and the "e820" specifications state that this memory may be reused after the tables have been copied. Although this is a safe default some memory will not be tested.
Click to expand...
( http://www.memtest86.com/#size )

If the probing fails (and since this is a new system, not some P1 relic), it means that something is definitely wrong with this system. Possibly a compatibility issue with the RAM, as suggested by other people in this thread.
 
k, i'll try these suggestions, thx for posting..


as to the user who keeps referring me to that site, i've read it. i know how to read. but when it stops responding, there's nothing on the website about that....
but thanks for one useful comment, i guess if it can't even get a mem-map then something's REALLY fscked up, 1 useful comment out of 2 isn't too shabby ;)


is flashing the BIOS dangerous ? i've heard horror storeis of flashing a BIOS, and then the motherboard just..dying...
 
Carni... we are all trying to help... I know you are frustrated.

BIOS flashing is very easy. I dunno if Chaintech has a windows BIOS updater, saves having to boot into DOS. It is also quite safe, provided you take some simple precautions.

-make sure you are using the correct BIOS for you mobo revision (if there is more than one)

-clean boot, nothing running in background (if you are doing it in windows... I suggest safe mode)

-backup your old BIOS (most updater programs give you that option)

...many mobo's have stability/compatibility updates, so it is a good idea-- but it does have an element of risk (however small), so at the end of the day, it is up to you!

I have done it several hundred times without any adverse results.

-Skystalker
 
after 5 arduos hours of hell(...reformatting..reinstalling...crashing...rebooting..rinsing&repeating...calling M$ so i can re-activate my WindowsXP copy...)

i think i'm more stable.

yay for me!

i left my computer on for a while, and it hadn't froze, but eventually it did. of course. my router fscked up too, so it could be that...

i haven't tried any games like Jedi Knight yet, b/c i'm busy..making full use of my internet connection.

thx for all the help, i didn't flash the BIOS, and hopefully that won't be neccessary.


question: when i have 3 sticks of RAM in, they run @ 333MHz, when i have 2 or 1 in, it runs a@ 400MHz. The CPU runs at 200(physical)MHz, i can force the BIOS to run my 3 sticks of RAM @ 200MHz(physical; so 400MHz post-2x). Should I?
 
As I have posted before, the A64 is VERY hard on memory.

I would make the system stable on one stick of memory, then add the second, and then the third. It will be a process, but it will tell you a lot.

If it isn't stable on one stick (any stick!) it certainly won't be stable on 2 or 3.

Good luck, my friend. You have had a tough run... hope it works out for ya!

-Skystalker

PS: Run it at 400 if you can... with the XP's, the synched RAM with the BUS runs more stable. That is, of course, if the RAM can handle it.

Try it at both, and see what works for you. Diagnosing this kind of problem requires a great deal of patience. Believe me, I know.
 
k, i tried running all 3 @400MHz , and it eventually crashed :(

so now i'm running each stick individually, however, since i'm downloading 3 Linux Distros as of now, i'll have to test them in jedi academy later...

my first stick is performing flawlessly (if a little slowly) at the Windows level (3 FileZilla clients, AIM, and IE open...)

so i'll test it in Jedi Acad. soon

(P.S., i'm running at default voltage first, is this wise, or should i start at 2.7/2.8/2.9 ?)
 
AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BSOD++

k, so i'm running it w/ just one stick of RAM in, and (after 4.5 hrs of operation, no games or anything, just FileZilla, AIM, and IE) it BSOD's on me.

all i could catch before it restarted was something like IRQL Not Less Then or Equal To

:confused::confused::confused:
help?
 
wow, 11 minutes into Prime95 and an error

the same one, about rounding being .5, and how it should have been less than .4...

time to try the next stick of RAM :(

see though, it's the exact same error i got before, w/ all 3 sticks in..so i'm thinking it's a CPU thing... :(
 
There seems to be a hotfix for the IRQL thing. Problem is that it's for Windows Server 2003 :( Soz I couldn't help, but maybe it could point you int he right direction
 
well, using my 2nd stick of RAM, and , must be about 51 minutes into Prime95 and no errors so far :D
 
got another error:
Self-Test 10K passed!
Test 1, 4500 Lucas-Lehmer iterations of M17432577 using 896K FFT length.
Test 2, 4500 Lucas-Lehmer iterations of M17432575 using 896K FFT length.
Test 3, 4500 Lucas-Lehmer iterations of M17115073 using 896K FFT length.
FATAL ERROR: Rounding was 0.5, expected less than 0.4
Hardware failure detected, consult stress.txt file
Torture Test ran 1 hours, 2 minutes - 1 errors, 0 warnings.
Execution halted.

:( in goes the next stick of RAM.
 
If it will run over night, I feel the system is stable enought for me. :)

If I really wanna stress the machine, I loop 3DMark 2k1, play an MP3, and run Prime95. If it does that all night, it can take any punishment I can throw at it. :)

Next thing is try backing your RAM speed down (with one stick) to 333 mhz.

-Skystalker
 
i'm not OC'd..i'll check the voltages now

well, it's been like 3.5 hrs on this one stick, and no errors..do we have a winner, folks? :D

i guess that means i struck out on 2 out of 3 RAM sticks, eh?.. :eek:

i'll post back w/ voltage readings
 
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