I've got trouble with a computer kicking out on me after an hour or so of
run time. I see the Bios has the ability to monitor all sorts of PC health
parameters. See page 68 of:
http://www.soyousa.com/dl/manuals/p4...sa_geisa11.pdf

So is there an easy way to log these values to a file every few minutes?
Then look at the data for signs of trouble?

Karl

Karl Townsend wrote:
I've got trouble with a computer kicking out on me after an hour or so of
run time. I see the Bios has the ability to monitor all sorts of PC health
parameters. See page 68 of:
http://www.soyousa.com/dl/manuals/p4...sa_geisa11.pdf

So is there an easy way to log these values to a file every few minutes?
Then look at the data for signs of trouble?
I'd check all fans for seized bearings (can be intermittent) and
dust clogging the heat sinks. You may have to open up the power
supply box to clean it out. My kid's computer got a blue screen
and trashed the hard drive seriously. I found the CPU heatsink
was totally blocked with dust. It blue-screened a couple times
after being on a half hour or so. After vacuuming all the dust
out, I had to reload the OS. It has worked fine since then.

Jon

On Aug 7, 4:44 pm, "Karl Townsend"
wrote:
I've got trouble with a computer kicking out on me after an hour or so of
run time. ...
Karl

This freeware can be helpful if your computer's hangups are on the
software side:

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sys...sExplorer.mspx

Put it in the Start Menu and it will show you suspicious Net startup
activity.

Jim Wilkins

I didn't read the motherboard BIOS material, but often, info that's
included in the manuals often doesn't apply to all versions of any models of
motherboards produced.

Then there's the aspect of flashing the BIOS to obtain updated features..
and whether it's been done, or if it should be done.

You might find some related information in the recent post:
Subject: OT-Odd (to me) computer failure
Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2007

I've never heard of any consumer grade PC that outputs motherboard
diagnostic parameters. There are add-on cards that will monitor all kinds of
parameters from the ISA or PCI buss, and sound alarms or make other
corrective measures to safeguard the system. These cards are essentially
computers themselves, built for a specific purpose, and I believe that they
do output reports, or at least logged diagnostic parameters into their own
memory, which could be printed out when desired.

There are also some cheap diagnostic cards that come with manuals containing
code lists, to relate to a code displayed on an led display located on the
card. These are installed in a slot prior to the power being applied, and
their primary use is to check POST conditions from the buss.

About the only measures most folks can take to keep a system in good
operating condition, are to insure that the board is kept clean, and that
the CPU is protected from overheating. These also apply to the power supply.

It was suggested earlier that the chances of building a reliable system
would be limited, when using "used - tested good" parts.

WB
..........
metalworking projects
www.kwagmire.com/metal_proj.html


"Karl Townsend" wrote in message
anews.com...
I've got trouble with a computer kicking out on me after an hour or so of
run time. I see the Bios has the ability to monitor all sorts of PC health
parameters. See page 68 of:
http://www.soyousa.com/dl/manuals/p4...sa_geisa11.pdf

So is there an easy way to log these values to a file every few minutes?
Then look at the data for signs of trouble?

Karl





--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

--If you're using a UPS check the battery. That turned out to be the
problem when my system started puking at random..

--
"Steamboat Ed" Haas : A steaming pile of
Hacking the Trailing Edge! : obscure information...
www.nmpproducts.com
---Decks a-wash in a sea of words---

On Wed, 8 Aug 2007 07:03:16 -0400, "Wild_Bill"
wrote:

I didn't read the motherboard BIOS material, but often, info that's
included in the manuals often doesn't apply to all versions of any models of
motherboards produced.

Then there's the aspect of flashing the BIOS to obtain updated features..
and whether it's been done, or if it should be done.

You might find some related information in the recent post:
Subject: OT-Odd (to me) computer failure
Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2007

I've never heard of any consumer grade PC that outputs motherboard
diagnostic parameters. There are add-on cards that will monitor all kinds of
parameters from the ISA or PCI buss, and sound alarms or make other
corrective measures to safeguard the system. These cards are essentially
computers themselves, built for a specific purpose, and I believe that they
do output reports, or at least logged diagnostic parameters into their own
memory, which could be printed out when desired.

There are also some cheap diagnostic cards that come with manuals containing
code lists, to relate to a code displayed on an led display located on the
card. These are installed in a slot prior to the power being applied, and
their primary use is to check POST conditions from the buss.

About the only measures most folks can take to keep a system in good
operating condition, are to insure that the board is kept clean, and that
the CPU is protected from overheating. These also apply to the power supply.

It was suggested earlier that the chances of building a reliable system
would be limited, when using "used - tested good" parts.

WB
.........
metalworking projects
www.kwagmire.com/metal_proj.html


"Karl Townsend" wrote in message
tanews.com...
I've got trouble with a computer kicking out on me after an hour or so of
run time. I see the Bios has the ability to monitor all sorts of PC health
parameters. See page 68 of:
http://www.soyousa.com/dl/manuals/p4...sa_geisa11.pdf

So is there an easy way to log these values to a file every few minutes?
Then look at the data for signs of trouble?

Karl



Many new systems have hardware monitoring built in, but I have not
seen one with data logging.Could likely be done with a bit of patience
and a lot of knowlege in programming.

As for building a "reliable" machine from "used - tested good" parts,
you actually have a BETTER chance than with new parts. With
"experienced" parts you know that they at least worked ONCE - with the
new crap being sold today, there is a significant chance it both never
has, and never will, function(ed) properly.

I've built up a lot of systems with "Experienced" parts.

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

According to steamer :
--If you're using a UPS check the battery. That turned out to be the
problem when my system started puking at random..

Yes -- some UPS models check the battery every so often by
switching over to run from the batteries for a few seconds and
monitoring the voltage during that time.

If the batteries are getting tired, you will loose the power and
reboot.

If the batteries are fine, but you are at the top edge of the
capability of the UPS (or beyond), you will also experience this same
problem. it is better to not exceed 75% of the capacity of the UPS,
though I am currently guilty of running at 86% while I am migrating
everything from an old server to a much newer (and faster) one.

If you have a laser printer hung on the UPS along with the
computer and a large CRT monitor, you could have excess load at least
when the monitor is on and the laser printer cycles on the fuser coil,
so that combination could force a reboot.

Good Luck,
DoN.
--
Email: | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564
(too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html
--- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero ---

If I'm not mistaked, the original "used - tested good" evaluation came from
an ebay seller, so it all depends upon what his interpretation of good is.

Yours is a valid point, and I decided not to comment about the quality of
newer products in my last post.
When the original idea to buy a used motherboard, not absolutely Known to
have ever operated properly, came up a number of weeks ago, I thought it was
a poor choice for a machine controller.

I realize the value of older stuff, and I like using it myself whenever I
think it's practical. I built my first (286 8MHz) PC in 1992, and hadn't
bought a store computer until about a month ago.

The OP's present options are probably limited to changing out the CPU, ram,
video, PSU and then replace the motherboard. By then, there may be 2 CPUs of
unknown working order, and various other duplicate parts left over, that
might not be of any use on down the road.
Otherwise, it could be a wrong clock setting (overclock overheat), the
incorrect ram, or any one of tens of thousands of PN junctions somewhere in
the CPU or on the motherboard.

The OP would've had a much better chance of success if the doofus seller had
just left everything on the motherboard, but instead, he had stripped off
the removable components.

WB
..........
metalworking projects
www.kwagmire.com/metal_proj.html


"clare at snyder.on.ca" wrote in message
news


Many new systems have hardware monitoring built in, but I have not
seen one with data logging.Could likely be done with a bit of patience
and a lot of knowlege in programming.

As for building a "reliable" machine from "used - tested good" parts,
you actually have a BETTER chance than with new parts. With
"experienced" parts you know that they at least worked ONCE - with the
new crap being sold today, there is a significant chance it both never
has, and never will, function(ed) properly.

I've built up a lot of systems with "Experienced" parts.

--


--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com