epp_b Posted November 8, 2004 Share Posted November 8, 2004 Just today, my computer suddenly rebooted on me without any warning whatsoever. The screen went black (not blue ), and then it just restarts for no apparent reason.My specs: Mobo: ECS K7SEMCPU: AMD Duron 950 MHz (built-in to mobo)RAM: Total 512; 64 MB shared to integrated video cardVideo: Integrated memory sharing SiS 630/730Sound: Integrated SiS 7018Hard Dirve: Two 10 GB hard drive mirrored and swapped regularly for backupsO/S: Windows 98 Second EditionCrucial Software: IE6 SP1, EudoraI was only running a few apps at the time, and I just re-installed Win98SE a few days ago, so it's probably not software.There is no heating problem, as my case has adequate ventilation, and it only feels mildly warm (ie.: basically lukewarm) in a few key areas (power supply, CPU). I just cracked open the case to make sure all of the fans are running, and they're all running fine. No huge collection of dust.I recall that it's done this once or twice before in the year & 1/2 that I've had this machine.What might cause this? :'( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted November 8, 2004 Share Posted November 8, 2004 That usually means your power supply is going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epp_b Posted November 8, 2004 Author Share Posted November 8, 2004 Even with 2 or 3 occurences spread out over the last year & 1/2 that happened several months apart from eachother? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epp_b Posted November 8, 2004 Author Share Posted November 8, 2004 Yeah! I see Peachy is coming to the rescue! :'( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peachy Posted November 8, 2004 Share Posted November 8, 2004 Too bad Windows 98 doesn't have an event viewer like Windows 2000/XP. It will often tell you if a physical problem exists. Are you using S.M.A.R.T. on your hard drive? Perhaps give the hard drive a once over with a diagnostic. :'( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epp_b Posted November 8, 2004 Author Share Posted November 8, 2004 Too bad Windows 98 doesn't have an event viewer like Windows 2000/XP.Well, there's FAULTLOG.TXT, but's irrelvent It will often tell you if a physical problem exists. Are you using S.M.A.R.T. on your hard drive?Nope, never have.Perhaps give the hard drive a once over with a diagnostic. :'(You mean like an in-depth scandisk? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peachy Posted November 8, 2004 Share Posted November 8, 2004 More like find out who manufactured the hard drive, go to their web site and download their diagnostic software to hunt for damaged sectors on the disk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epp_b Posted November 8, 2004 Author Share Posted November 8, 2004 More like find out who manufactured the hard drive, go to their web site and download their diagnostic software to hunt for damaged sectors on the disk.Ohhhh, you mean like low-level tests. I think I still have the Maxtor download...yes! I've still got powermax.exe.Now I just have to find the time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peachy Posted November 8, 2004 Share Posted November 8, 2004 You need to rule out the hard drive. If it's developing bad sectors it can manifest itself as spontaneous reboots as the operating system tries to read a bad sector and chokes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epp_b Posted November 8, 2004 Author Share Posted November 8, 2004 You need to rule out the hard drive. If it's developing bad sectors it can manifest itself as spontaneous reboots as the operating system tries to read a bad sector and chokes.So, hard drive first, then RAM, I suppose?And if those come back without any problems, then it's probably the PSU? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peachy Posted November 8, 2004 Share Posted November 8, 2004 Get Memtest86 for the memory. Power supply could be a possibility if all the other tests come up negative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epp_b Posted November 8, 2004 Author Share Posted November 8, 2004 Get Memtest86 for the memory. Power supply could be a possibility if all the other tests come up negative.Already did, thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fredsimp Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 It's me again! My PC started this last week, I have aquired a little bug, not a big thing, but a bug nonetheless. It was quickly and quietly put to rest. I am pretty sure I caught it from some internet porn thingy, but thats really here nor there. For my two bits worth, in this case, any way, why am I writing today.. oh yes, now I remember! So my K7SEMv1.0 with the 1.3ghz AMD well, the D*** thing is really upsetting me today. You see, it has this beep. Not your ordinary run-of-the mill missing a keyboard beep either. Not the excited babyjusttookherfirststeps beep either. More like the catatethehampsterandlittlesusiedoesntknowityet beep. Listen closely and tell me what you hear..BEEPBEEPBEEP! Did you hear that? Well thats not the beep I am trying to describe. It's more like this..... beeeeeeep (5 sec pause while I take another breath) beeeeeeep and so on. Of course, you guys are all pro's so you know right away, that it's either a) Memory, or Video. You get a cookie. It is definately video, which finally brings us around to my question of the day! I have a GeForce2 64mb vga card on this bad boy. This board also comes with on-board video, yet, no matter what I do, I cannot get a picture. Card in, Card out, nada, nothing zilch. Well I shouldn't say that, entirely, I do get something, beeeeep......beeeeep......beeeeep. I think you get the picture. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zlim Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 From googling, I assume that you have Award BIOs. Most error codes say: 1long and 2 short video error but your explanation seems like it is long continuous beeps. I found this (also Award BIOS) Long continuous beeps: DRAM not installed correctly.Reseat your DRAM and see if that fixes the problem. If not, can you borrow a vid card to try?Surprisingly I found thishttp://www.experts-exchange.com/Hardware/N...Q_20691538.htmlscroll down and the problem with his computer was the memory not the video and his situation sounds like yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fredsimp Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 Hi Liz! Yes ma'am, I have tried another Vid Card, the Super Mega Asylum! Its cute, painted blue, with a zippy zappy fan thingy on it. Looks real nice, lil' fan spinning it's little heart out and producing no picture whatsoever. I have also stuck 4 different pieces of ram into those slot thingys in every possible combination that they will fit naturally. Fred is looking at me like he is ready to play fetch. He knows my moods I think, it's scary sometimes. At any rate, I have indeed tried the most obvious solutions, and still I get my nice one note musical. Thanks again! Oh yes, It's a Phoenix 686 bios ( Beep Guide sez: There is no such beep as 1-1-1-1, go figure..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b2cm Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 Phoenix beeps are very detailed code. So if you can count those beeps again you can identify what exactly is wrong.There should be 3 sets of beeps separated by a pause. So far you have described a 1-1-? code (sounds like a mobo---CMOS/BIOS error). Count again how many beeps there are in each set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b2cm Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 Epp,Don't rule out processor overheating yet. Clean and apply new thermal paste or whatever it is you use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fredsimp Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 Thermal Paste, MMMMMMMMM. I think you may be onto something. More detail would reveal that recently the processor was indeed upgraded, and it would appear that unlike Vitalis, a little dab will not do you. Will report later if this is indeed a cure. The bios codes for Phoenix are sets of four, which makes this tone unusual. There is no pattern that I can ascertain, and believe me, I heard the thing beeping in my sleep after listening to it while attempting to decipher it. The tone I am hearing is definately 1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1 infinity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b2cm Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 Fred:Try clearing your CMOS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fredsimp Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 So here's a list of what I have done so far, and the results..... I have replaced the RAM, both slots, in varying combinations. ( The K7SEM however, does not require a pattern to RAM placement.) The processor has been switched and tested in another Board. Both processors give same results in this board. New Thermal Paste applied. Video Card has been replaced, both cards work on other builds. On board video does not work either. HDD has been debugged and tested on other builds. Imported HDD from other builds produce same results. CMOS has been cleared several times, same result. The recurring result is the same... 1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1, infinity, no video. The beeps start after the pc is completed its boot process, as near as I can tell. There is no video during any part of the start-up, however, I can judge the time for a normal start-up, and that's when the beeping begins. My next step is going to be to replace the mobo, but this one is hard to find, regardless of the fact that I have 1gb of PC-133 RAM that will not work on a K8 upgrade. I was hoping to avoid that cost for another year maybe. Maybe Fred will enjoy a new chewy toy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teacher Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 It is really not that hard to find. http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=K7SEM&...p&sa=N&start=10It looks like as little as $58 will get you a new one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nlinecomputers Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 I'd try a new PSU before I'd change mobos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b2cm Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 If you can rule out PSU, you definitely have a bad motherboard.Some possible board replacement with support for your memory: MSI K7T Turbo 2, Asus A7V133. Discontinued products but they may be available somewhere on the Net.There are also boards with both DDR and SDRAM slots, i.e. SiS735, Via KM266. These support AthlonXP processors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_P Posted December 11, 2004 Share Posted December 11, 2004 My MSI KM2M board takes both kinds of memory also. I faced the same problem Fredsimp is facing when I upgraded and had 512MB of SDRAM. It's discontinued also but can be found. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fredsimp Posted December 11, 2004 Share Posted December 11, 2004 $37 for generic K7SEM w/ SiS 730 chipset at enetmarketing.com. Looks like Fred gets a new chewtoy afterall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_P Posted December 11, 2004 Share Posted December 11, 2004 Keep us posted as to whether that solves your problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fredsimp Posted January 14, 2005 Share Posted January 14, 2005 The odd Beeps were never identified in anything I have yet to come across. It may be something board level that is common to these boards. (Capacitor, ect ) I solved my issue by replacing the MOBO. Beeps went away, PC booted on first attempt with no problems at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_P Posted January 15, 2005 Share Posted January 15, 2005 Good to hear you resolved the problem. Thanks for the update. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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