View Full Version : My computer keeps crashing
and before it goes again ...
Windows XP pro operating system.
It first started rebooting on Saturday evening, did it 6 or 7 time before I closed down for the night.
Worked fine all day sunday then started playing up again today.
Get a message when rebooting :-
"Secondary IDE channel no 80 conductor cable installed"
The microsoft failure diagnostic program takes me to this webpage :-
linky (http://oca.microsoft.com/en/response.aspx?SGD=72cd25ee-c31a-46b1-a185-80b6ce82f581&SID=134)
which suggests some rather expensive repairs might be needed ....
unless you know differently.....
EDIT : It's getting worse, if I disappear for a while this is why ....
Update : I've opened her up and tested all the cable cxonnections but it continues to breakdown ....
Hi Dave, first thing, back everything up that you don't want to lose, then, make sure, hard to get it back if it goes. ;)
Some questions.
Is the fan on the heat sink still working, any unusual noises?
What RAM do you have, and is it sitting well? Sometimes they can come loose.
Have you installed/uninstalled anything recently, hardware/software?
I'm off for an hour so will get back to you then.
Fingers crossed.
Tao
Backup - all but a couple of in use files on my main drive are copied to my 250Gb removable hard drive, the Documents & Settings folder is backed up the Programs and Windows directories are copied.
Fan - as far as I can tell it's a fine fan :)
RAM - AMD Athlon Processor, 1.40 GHz 512Mb RAM
Recent Installations - New Emprex 16x CD/DVD drive (checked cable connection)
moved USB 250Gb hard drive from external to internal, new Logitech USB mouse & keyboard, 4 point USB hub.
These have all been running happily since Easter (the USB HD was external since before Christmas)....
magic_fella
05/01/2006, 09:53 AM
Do you remember exactly what you were doing BEFORE the computer started crashing? Or does it crash when you try to access one particular program?
Do the functions slow down measurably before you crash?
Yep, the first time I was reading some VERY rude limericks on a webpage :blush:
It crashes for no reason I can see .... and it's crashed many times on Saturday and today, it gives no warning at all in any way.
[QUOTE=Dave]Yep, the first time I was reading some VERY rude limericks on a webpage[/QUOTE]
Ah that would be it then Dave, Irish limericks especially do not run well on an AMD ;) :p
I have not had this type of fault before so I'm going through the possibilities in my head and using online sources for inspiration.
Here are my thoughts so far.
I have a feeling that the fault may stem from your recent installations of a New Emprex 16x CD/DVD drive and/or the USB 250Gb hard drive, being moved from external to internal, more likely the latter.
Sounds like you are using an older 40 pin (ATA 33/66) cable rather than one of the newer 80 pin (ATA 100/133) cables on one of the drives.
If the cable is quite thick, like the cable going to your floppy, then it's a 40 pin cable, you should go and find an 80 pin cable and use that instead. Check with the hardware store where you got it first, just to be sure, they don't cost much.
How many hard drives do you have installed, and if more than one, which one has the operating system installed that you boot from?
I ask this because if you have two or more, disable the last one installed, as long as that is not the one with the operating system running to see if it is the type of cable.
See how these suggestions fit and I'll keep digging for other causes.
The cable all lloks the same to me ...
So how do I disable a drive? (The new one does not have the OS)
Crashes have become very frequent after a long period of none .... weird! and frustrating!
The quick way to disable the drive is to just unplug the cable leading to it. Then restart and see how the system behaves. If there is no change it would then be a simple matter of fitting the cable again.
During all this you may as well leave the lid/cover off the computer it will save time. I know this must be very frustrating for you. If we go through the possible causes one at a time we'll soon weadle it out :)
Okay .... next time it crashes I'll unplug the new hard drive .... (Gawd a decent Dell is NOT cheap!)
Okie dokie. I'm here for a few hours now.
I'm dreading (actually I'm not even going to say it) because I could not even afford a pocket calculator at the moment. My digital camera is all but kaput recently too, it just switches itself off for no apparent reason, except perhaps age and a rough life, and I know how that feel myself :)
magic_fella
05/01/2006, 02:53 PM
I suppose you've tried the now classic "take a cat to the cemetary at midnight and swing it over your head seven times" treatment?
It worked for me...but tends to be a little hard on the cat.
If it works for the techno folks, you could try swinging the cat with the drive cable...just to ensure ALL the bases are covered.
David
Well I just pulled the cable from what I thought was the new HD .... turns out it wasn't .... but lets see what happens now ....
OOoer!
I was going to say you can also contact me via Messenger or ICQ, via Trillian, but then realised if the poop hits the swirly thing on the ceiling, that would not be possible. Still I think the details are in my profile. Good luck.
While I've been here I've been going through the " Post your Portrait/Bio - Come on and join the fun everyone!" thread to get to know and see everyone. I started at the end and am working my way backward, but I think I'll also start looking at the first posts and work my way to the middle. Have not come up to yours Dave or yours magic_fella yet.
Crashing getting more frequent ... allowed the computer to cool down a bit, disconnected the new HD and lets see how we go. My son thinks we might have a heat problem ....
My son thinks we might have a heat problem ....
Yes it might be, this was why I asked about the fan on the heat sink.
When installing new drives and cables we have to be careful to maintain a good air flow through the system. Sometimes adding a drive can block the flow causing the heat to build up and the cooling system finds it hard to cope.
In the past I have solved this by installing an extra fan and actually cutting a hole in the side of the case.
If you are unsure about this, try leaving the "lid" off for a while to make sure there is a flow of cool air reaching the CPU.
If you get a chance, check the cables compatability with the motherboard and the hard drive at a computer shop if you are unsure.
There are still other things that may be either causing this or exacerbating the fault, but we need to eliminate this option first.
I'm around for another hour then I'm on walkabout for perhaps a couple of days so I'll check back when I return.
Slainte
Thanks Tao, it crashed again so i'm leaving it overnight, then I'm going to try a couple of things and see what happens .... thorough cleanup and totally remove the new HD.
Well that didn't work, the crashing continued ....
Latest step - disabled External Cacheing in BIOS .... been up and running for well over an hour .... (famous last words)
To add insult to injury can't get to watch Monday's episode of 24, the d/l I got was so crappy .... ah well! :p
Siouxie
05/03/2006, 02:21 AM
Hiho Dave, maybe you should try this one out
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=311
thats freeware for download
and thats what it does:
Motherboard Monitor (MBM) is a tool that will display information from the sensor chips on your motherboard in your Windows system tray. MBM supports a wide range of Chipsets & Sensor Chip combinations. It does also record all temps and fans for later viewing.
Maybe thats a good way to start, sometimes it is only that the vent doesnīt cool the cpu enough, and so probably the motherboard and the cpu is getting to hot.
itīs worth a try
Thaks Siouxie .... downloading .... now I need to find out what type of motherboard I've got (other than a .... oops can't say that here)
Hmmm operating at 100C .... should max out at 70C ....
New complication all sound has gone ....
My computer is silent, I can't get a beep out of it, no mp3's no wav files .... not a peep. Right from the word go. Flash games .... no sounds. Windows event sounds .... deathly silent.
Neither Windows media player or VLC media player can make a noise, the video part works fine but no sound.
I've done everything upto and including re-installing the correct driver, I've checked everything the troubleshooting guides have told me to check but still no joy.
Running Windows XP ....
Any help or suggestions would be very much appreciated.
My only other thought is could that couple of Real Player files have messed me up so much? (I've uninstalled Real Player & Qucik Time for the moment)
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