From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Fri Jan 21 08:33:13 2005 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 591FD16A4CE for ; Fri, 21 Jan 2005 08:33:13 +0000 (GMT) Received: from sun13.bham.ac.uk (sun13.bham.ac.uk [147.188.128.145]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id DB46A43D54 for ; Fri, 21 Jan 2005 08:33:12 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from calculus@softhome.net) Received: from [147.188.128.127] (helo=bham.ac.uk) by sun13.bham.ac.uk with esmtp (Exim 4.10) id 1CruEC-0001Qm-00 for freebsd-questions@freebsd.org; Fri, 21 Jan 2005 08:33:12 +0000 Received: from sci-fs1.bham.ac.uk ([147.188.118.71]) by bham.ac.uk with esmtp (Exim 4.24) id 1CruEC-0000Fl-1y for freebsd-questions@freebsd.org; Fri, 21 Jan 2005 08:33:12 +0000 Received: from SPECULUSHX1THE not authenticated [147.188.140.99] Novell NetWare; Fri, 21 Jan 2005 08:33:12 +0000 Message-ID: <002201c4ff93$daaeca20$0501a8c0@SPECULUSHX1THE> From: "cali" To: "Matt Staroscik" , References: <20050121000746.2535B16A4D8@hub.freebsd.org> <41F04BE7.4040301@wrongcrowd.com> Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2005 08:33:16 -0000 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1"; reply-type=response Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2900.2527 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.2527 X-BHAM-CUBE-wlist: LOCAL sci-fs1.bham.ac.uk X-BHAM-CUBE-processed: yes Subject: Re: My computer keeps crashing X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2005 08:33:13 -0000 > This sure smells like a hardware problem. >>I think the problem might be due to my bios settings running the CPU to >>fast although I do not think I am overclocking it. This might explain the >>strange timing of the problem, maybe the motherboard is unstable. > > If you are not explicitly overclocking, the BIOS should be smart enough to > run the cpu at or below its rated speed. > Time to start checking the hardware. Here is what I would do. Check for > stability after each step. > 1. Wiggle & Giggle: Reseat all cables, cards and RAM. Inspect CPU cooling. My Zalman cooler has an adjustable speed, at the moment it is on low, so I can turn this up to test it, I can also take off the side panel and so on. If I can get the CPU temperature monitor working then I can find out whereabouts it becomes unstable. > 2. Turn off ACPI in BIOS. (someone correct me if I am crazy, I recall ACPI > being problematic) Look for other weirdo BIOS settings. I don't think it is ACPI, I've had ACPI problems before but they always occurred only when booting from a freebsd installation. But I don't know enough about ACPI in FreeBSD to rule it out however. > 3. Underclock CPU. (I did once get a bum CPU that was not stable at its > rated speed and produced similar problems. Unlikely, but possible.) As mentioned in another reply, I ran the program on underclocked CPU last night and it is still running whereas with the CPU on its rated speed crashing was happening quite fast. I think the temperature hypothesis seems intuitively most reasonable and is the one I will test first. Of course, running the CPU at it's rated speed will presumably draw more voltage, this could then have compilated affects on other components, or could cause a PSU problem to manifest, I don't know but it seems like a reasonable hypothesis. > 4. Swap in new RAM or run memtest86 > > 5. Get rid of all peripherals, re-attach one at a time if this clears it > up > > 6. Swap in new power supply (with that nice Antec this is unlikely... but > not impossible... and a bad PSU can cause all KINDS of weirdness.) I'm going to try temperature first, but if that doesn't work, I'll try as many of these other things as I can. Thanks cali