Theories invited.

[Waldo2k2]

it'd be quicker to do what hunter and I said and put it into another computer, boot off knoppix or something, do some stuff and see if it happens again.

[adrianxw]

This morning, as it moderately common, I awoke to find it frozen with the disk light hard on. I poked the button as per normal and it came up with

Unable to start Windows.
<WINDOWS ROOT>\System32\ntoskrnl.exe missing or corrupted.
Please re-install or repair the file.

Powered the thing down, waited 10 seconds, now running again fine without further action.

>>> exactly how loud is this pop?

Now I'm sensitised to it, it is quite obvious. Not "hear it across the room" loud, but quite obvious sitting anywhere near the machine. Not loud enough so that it was screamingly obvious when the problem first appeared, although I doubt it has got worse, as I said, once it has been noticed - it is more noticeable.

I can make the system pop without Windows there. If I boot into Caldera DOS from a floppy, and power the thing off, the pop is the last thing it does before all the lights go down. I thus believe the sound is a routine part of the disk's operation, but do not know why it would choose to do this while running the OS.

I'll see if I can swap some disks about.

>>> not having the thing in front of me ya know?

Now there is a problem I do undrstand!

[major_small]

I was going to suggest that, but then you wouldn't be running the OS off the drive in question.

[adrianxw]

Update.

I discovered a site which deals with hardware troubles, Someone had an AMD version of the board, which had very similar problems. The key was the SiS 645 chipset was overheating because the heatsink was not well thermally bonded to the chip, it used double sided tape.

To test this, I dropped my chipset clock rates from (CPU/DRAM) 133/166 which is what it should be to 100/100 - now, of course I am underclocking the CPU and the memory, BUT, low and behold, it has run faultlessly.

So today, I removed the heatsink, taped, cleaned it and the chip up, smeared the chip with Arctic Silver and superglued the heatsink firmly to the chip. I have set the clocks up again so over the next few days, I'll find out if this was indeed the cause.

I find it hard to believe a mobo manufacturer would stick a heatsink on in that manner.

[adrianxw]

Before, perhaps 1 full Norton AntiVirus scan in 10 would run to completion, have just finished the 4th without incident...

Have set up NAV to repeat scan overnight. Fingers crossed.

[Thantos]

I hear that prime95 program is good for heat testing

[exluddite]

I have been considering flashing the BIOS, on Sunday, I ripped it open because the BIOS download site said I had to get the mobo rev number, damned if I could find it though. It is not where the BIOS page says it should be. I have been sent a photograph of a mobo of "the same" type, however, it shows the model number in a quite different place to the number on my board. Frustrated at every turn!

Sounds like you might have fixed things, but you could try this :Motherboard Identification Forum
I don't know if it's of any use here, but it's always good to know what board you've got.

[Spectrum48k]

1) spray with gasoline
2) light it up
3) enjoy the show
4) bring some marshmellows over, i hear they get a good taste from burning mainboards.

100% Software problem. period.

[adrianxw]

Machine has run perfectly after motherboard modification.

[RobR]

Next time you get a strange HD noise try here http://www.hitachigst.com/hddt/knowt...c?OpenDocument

Don't ask how I found it

[adrianxw]

Doesn't sound like any of those I'm glad to say. I still hear the noise, but now, only when shutting the machine down. Despite me deliberately running tasks that caused the problem before, again and again, the system has been quite stable since the mod.

[EvBladeRunnervE]

overheating because the heatsink was not well thermally bonded to the chip, it used double sided tape

just like AMD, using cheap thermal tape. Did you replace it with some article silver or some other thermal paste?

[ober]

just like AMD, using cheap thermal tape. Did you replace it with some article silver or some other thermal paste?

Wow... maybe you should read what he said. He also said that it was a friend who had the AMD board... I don't recall him having an AMD board in this case. And AMD does not use cheap materials... stop spreading lies.

[Thantos]

Posted by adrianxw @ 05-31-2004, 07:08 AM
So today, I removed the heatsink, taped, cleaned it and the chip up, smeared the chip with Arctic Silver and superglued the heatsink firmly to the chip. I have set the clocks up again so over the next few days, I'll find out if this was indeed the cause.

Posted by EvBladeRunnervE @ Today, 09:11 AM
Did you replace it with some article silver or some other thermal paste?

Reading is good m'kay

[EvBladeRunnervE]

He also said that it was a friend who had the AMD board... I don't recall him having an AMD board in this case

and I quote:

, Someone had an AMD version of the board, which had very similar problems. The key was the SiS 645 chipset

as far as I know, chipsets are Intel or AMD not both, unless he is saying his does not have the SIS645.

And AMD does not use cheap materials... stop spreading lies.

well, there is a reason why when most people buy AMD, they buy it OEM without heatsink, while Intel P4s run just find with their thermal pad(up to around 3.4 ghrz anyway). . . also, I am pointing out one weakness, their thermal medium/HSF combo that they use, otherwise I cant say they use cheap components cause as far as I know silicon wafers all have the same cost per size.

AMD tends to require more $$$ to produce a part because of the lack of facilities and tends to markup < than Intel, the quality of the two companies chips are equal. Basically, I am sick of people who take one comment and take it as a flame against their precious AMD <-- now this would be a flame, or atleast a taunt.