Small problem with my 2500+ Athlon XP system. :(

U

uRizen

Limp Gawd
Joined
Apr 30, 2002
Messages
388
I've had this computer for ~ one and a half years and it's done very well. I keep it clean, havne't overclocked it and it's kept cool as well.

Lately it has been doing this reboot loop when you turn it on where it gets to the processor read-out during POST then restarts over and over 4-5 times until it drops the processor from a 2500+ to a 1100mhz Athlon and then it boots fine and has no problems afterwards except it's alot slower then it should be.

I have run a full set of diagnostics using DocMemory, PcCheck, etc. and nothing pops up error-wise and it doesn't crash during games or anyy other intensive applications.

I have tried different clock/memory/voltage settings but it still does the same thing. I reseated the processor and applied a new layer of paste as well and it didn't solve the problem.

I'm thinking it's the processor but want to see what you guys think before I run off and order a new one.

The system is made up of:
2500+ Athlon XP Barton
1.0gb HyperX RAM (2x256mb, 1x 512mb)
Abit NF7s v.2 motherboard (fully updated)
ATi 9800 Pro
Antec 430w Trupower PSU
80gb WD SE HDD
200gb Seagate HDD
Lite-on 8x DVD Burner
Lite-on 16x DVDROM

Thanks for any advice!
 
I dunno, I don't think it's the proc. Usually when those go, they just go. It sounds to me like the timing settings might be fucked up. I'd make sure that it was actually reset to default settings, and double check them to make sure they make sense. Other than that, you might want to try taking out your ram and testing them in that fashion (who knows, maybe there's a hardware problem). Weird problem though.

One last thing you could check, which would be your PSU. It's possible that your PSU has a problem giving enough juice when it's cold. Or, it could simply be giving low/high voltages. Give it a look see with a volt meter and make sure it's not dying. Good luck! :)
 
You might want to try resetting your BIOS to its defaults, and see what happens then. There might be a setting that is making it unhappy. Also, did you update your BIOS recently? Could be an issue with an update.
 
Possibly mobo problem, I had the same type of symptoms happen to me once and it was my mobo. Also possibly psu not giving enough power?
 
Thanks for the advice guys. I played around with the RAM configurations and tested each stick. They all come out perfect when testing w/ two differenet machines (this one and my wife's computer) so they're in good shape.

If I only put two DIMMs in the first two slots there is no problem. It boots just fine, loads right up into Windows and I can stress teh crap out of it w/o a complaint.

If I have all three sticks in or put the two 256mb sticks in the first and last slots (for dual channel) it screws up and starts looping again. It also loops if I have the two 256mb sticks in the first two slots and the 512mb stick in the last which shouldn't allow dual channel operation.

I'm convinced it's the motherboard at this point. I have completely reset the BIOS, ran the last BIOS upgrade to be certain and pulled all the cards. It still exhibits the same problems.

I just grabbed a new uopened NF7-S v.2 on eBay for $53 so I'm not too upset if that fixes it. I'll keep 'ya updated. :D
 
Thanks again for the ideas guys, I just got my new NF7-S in today and it works as it should. It runs a hell of alot better too.

Looking at the old board there was a blackened little capacitor near the DIMMs that crumbled to dust when I touched it. :( Guess that was the problem, eh? :D
 
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