Upgraded computer; Now all my games crash!

[Alec]

Antude, sorry to interrupt, I now that this has nothing to do with the problem, but there´s one thing that I could never understand very well: how could you get all those sectors ruined in your HDD (which is the same as mine, apparently)?

Mine (Caviar 34300L) is 2 1/2 years old and is fine. I work with it everyday.

------------------
"I wish I was a witch...
...to shove my broomstick right up your *ss."

[antdude]

Alec: I believe the head(s?) got bad/worn out. Remember, the write speed was good, but the read speed was horrible. I use my computer almost every day. I am not sure how often you use yours.

[Alec]

I don´t know how can a HDD can damage itself alone, but maybe that problem (and the slow reading speed) can be related with a defective motherboard, which can be causing your crashing problem. Perhaps yor HDD came defective??? Mine works fine, and it´s faster than its peers that my friends own(Fujitsu, Seagate and Maxstor).

[antdude]

I doubt that. Even if it did damage my motherboard, how come my computer is stable at lower clock speed or at 600 Mhz (100 Mhz bus speed) with L2 cache disabled?

I don't seen any relationships between these.

[Alec]

Sorry, I didn´t explain myself very well.
I meant the REVERSE of what you´re saying, you motherboard´s IDE controller or something else (voltage instability - check your PS) ruining your HDD.

[antdude]

Alec: I don't know. Wouldn't my other HDD be hit too? I have two HDDs. Oh well, no biggie. My other HDD (Conner IDE) had similar problems about four years ago. It was the write problem instead. This was on my old Pentium 166 system.

[Sisyfos]

I just noticed that if you disable L2, then it's stable at 100 MHz.
We agree that you have a Katmai and not a Coppermine, right?
I had a Katmai and the default L2 latency was 8. I could tweak this to 4, but 1 is definitely too low.
Even though you haven't got a L2 latency setting in bios doesn't mean it isn't there, it's just not implemented in bios GUI, if you know what I mean. Some mobos are more conservative than others, that's why we sometimes want to use utilities to tweak those "hidden" bios settings.
In some mysterious way your bios got the latency wrong, so now you want to get it right, but how???
Preferably you would want the bios to get it right, but if that's not possible you have to use some utility, but I can't remember which one does L2 latency.
I hope you can use my babbling to get it going from here, 'cause this thread is getting long in the tooth, eh?

------------------
Join the MURC SETI team!

View the exciting stats

[antdude]

Sisyfos: Correct to your assumption.

Yes, I need to find a way to tweak this L2 cache latency =(. I know my motherboard barfed very hard with SoftFSB as noted earlier in this thread.

Ugh, there has to be a way! Just to test! Even if I could change it. Would it be in Windows? What if I am want it to be changed for DOS boot, Linux, other OSes? Ugh!

Speaking of this long thread, is this the most posts we ever had? haha! Hey, you guys rock! I know we can get this fixed! [sighs]

[Sisyfos]

First off you could try to load "bios safe settings" if you've got that possibility in bios (you should, but it may be called something other to that effect).
If that doesn't work, you could try to clear cmos by jumper on the mobo (you'll have to read the manual carefully here).

This L2 thingy shouldn't be a problem at all, unless you tweaked it out of range yourself. But it seems that the bios is doing the tweaking for you (unwarranted).
If all our voodoo chanting, knocking on wood and what not isn't doing the trick, then I think your mobo should be deemed faulty.
Whether you want the hassle of returning it to manufacturer, bying a new one or just live with it with some utilty fiddling is of course up to you.

------------------
Join the MURC SETI team!

View the exciting stats

[antdude]

I assume it is WCPUL2 from: http://hp.vector.co.jp/authors/VA002.../download.html

I hope it doesn't lock up my computer like SoftFSB like yesterday! Why do I have a bad feeling it will? heh

[ALBPM]

YEE HAWWWWWWW!!! The 100th post on this thread.

Hey antdude, looks like a new mobo would be a less nerve wracking alternative at this point. Get an ASUS, MSI or ABIT mobo that will allow you to set all your parameters in the BIOS. I hate to see you continue struggling like this with your current mobo.

Paul

[antdude]

I got WCPUL2 v1.6 for Windows to change my L2 cache latency...

1 was the original value. I tried 4, 8, and 15 (highest).

4 and 8 didn't fix it. No improvements. 15 locked up my system hard (haha).

I guess we can say L2 cache latency isn't the problem?


I ran BurnBX (in Windows) to stress my CPU very quickly. Awesome program -- http://users.ev1.net/~redelm/ -- try it yourself. Watch your CPU temperature rise so fast! Mine went up to 97 degrees (F)!


I might have to get a new mobo or live with 500 Mhz at 83 Mhz cuz I am running out of ideas! Ugh!

[antdude]

Finally, this forum is back .

Okay, I finally ran the Linux port for CPUburn from a Linux boot disk. It segment faulted when I did ps commands with cpuburn running in the background. Sheesh. I can confirm that it is a hardware since both Windows and Linux puke at P3 600 Mhz (100 Mhz bus speed).

I also tried using the fail safe settings in CMOS and reflashing my BIOS with 10/29/2000 update. Both didn't work.

A hardware friend wrote to me this:
"i think you've solved the mystery...check a few emails back...i had reports that intel updated the microcode to make the piii-600 "slower" because of the high failure rates...the 600 katmai came out in middle of 99...so go figure..the microcode is a portion of the bios.."

In the lastest DFI BIOS update, P3 600 Mhz is not even listed. 500 Mhz is (12/1998). I was told P3 600 Mhz CPU came out in middle of 1999, but then all 440 BX mobos can use 600 Mhz. Am I just paranoid?

And also, check this BIOS update from DFI's Web site:

HISTORY : LAST UPDATE NOV. 04 1999

================================================== =============================
NEW RELEASE
BIOS RELEASE DATE : MAR. 25 1998
BIOS FILE NAME : P2XBLA1A.BIN
BIOS CHECK_SUM : 0116651D
================================================== =============================
================================================== =============================
BIOS DATE : APR. 28 1998
RELEASE DATE : APR. 28 1998
BIOS FILE NAME : P2XBLA1B.BIN
BIOS CHECK_SUM : 0112F173
UPDATE DETAILS : (1) SUPPORT CAS LATENCY 2/3
(2) SUPPORT INITIAL FROM AGP OR PCI DISPLAY
(3) MODIFIED DIMM BUFFER STRENGTH (CHIP
RECOMMEND)
(4) ADDED DMI INFORMATION
(5) ADDED NEW FLASH EPROM TYPE
(6) SUPPORT CELERON CPU
(7) FIXED CAN'T RECOGNIZE 2nd PARTITION ON
SCSI HDD WHEN BOTH SCSI & IDE INSTALLED.

########## NOTE ####### : (1) THE AWDFLASH.EXE MUST UPDATE TO VER 6.02 ALSO.
(2) ADD PARAMETER /CD WHEN USING AWARD FLASH
UTILITY
TO FLASH BIOS AND UPDATE DMI.
================================================== =============================
================================================== =============================
BIOS DATE : JUL. 10 1998
RELEASE DATE : JUL. 10 1998
BIOS FILE NAME : P2XBLAC.BIN
BIOS CHECK_SUM : 0114180F
UPDATE DETAILS : (1) UPDATE PC/PCI MODE FOR CREATIVE PCI SOUND
CARD
RUN UNDER DOS
(2) UPDATE ACPI MOUDLE FOR WIN98
(3) CHANGE DISPLAY INITIAL FIRST TO AGP CARD
(4) BUG FREE WITH 3Com 3C905/3C905B RUN UNDER
WIN98
================================================== =============================
================================================== =============================
BIOS DATE : JUL. 23 1998
RELEASE DATE : JUL. 28 1998
BIOS FILE NAME : P2XBLAD.BIN
BIOS CHECK_SUM : 010E6A17
UPDATE DETAILS : (1) ADD NEW CPU's ID FOR CELERON-333
(2) ADD NEW CPU's ID FOR CELERON-300A
================================================== =============================
================================================== =============================
BIOS DATE : AUG. 05 1998
RELEASE DATE : AUG. 11 1998
BIOS FILE NAME : P2XBLAE.BIN
BIOS CHECK_SUM : 010DDDE1
UPDATE DETAILS : (1) FIXED ACER 32X/36X CD-ROM CAN'T ENABLE DMA
MODE
IN WIN98.
(2) FIXED CREATIVE DVD-ROM Dxr2 CAN'T RUN IN
WIN98
WHEN SET AS SLAVE MODE AT SECONDARY
CHANNEL.
================================================== =============================
================================================== =============================
BIOS DATE : SEP. 29 1998
RELEASE DATE : OCT. 07 1998
BIOS FILE NAME : P2XBLAF.BIN
BIOS CHECK_SUM : 010C059F
UPDATE DETAILS : (1) FIXED HITACHI PC100 64MB SIZING ERROR
(ONLY DETECT 32MB WHEN USED 64MB)
(2) FIXED SYSTEM STOPPED TO RESUME FROM STANDBY
UTIL SCHEDULER ACTIVE.
IF SCHEDULER SET IN WIN98 ON ACPI MODE ANY
WAKE_UP EVENT WILL BE HOLD UTIL SCHEDULER
ACT.
(3) ADD CPU FAN AUTO-OFF FUNCTION
================================================== =============================
================================================== =============================
BIOS DATE : DEC. 11 1998
RELEASE DATE : DEC. 11 1998
BIOS FILE NAME : P2XBLAG.BIN
BIOS CHECK_SUM : 010A9371
UPDATE DETAILS : (1) SUPPORT NEW KATMAI 450/500MHZ CPU
(2) SPEED UP "POWER ON SELF TEST" SPEED
================================================== =============================
================================================== =============================
BIOS DATE : FEB. 3 1999
RELEASE DATE : FEB. 3 1999
BIOS FILE NAME : P2XBLAH.BIN
BIOS CHECK_SUM : 0109B850
UPDATE DETAILS : (1) UPDATE KATMAI CPU NAME TO PENTIUM III
: (2) ERROR REPORT 432MHZ WHEN 433MHZ CPU
INSTALL(CELERON)
: (3) SHOW FAN SPEED UP TO 5 DIGITS IN CMOS SETUP
: (4) SHOW PIO MODE-4, IF IDE TYPE SET LBA MODE
IN CMOS
SETUP WHEN UDMA HDD USED
================================================== =============================
================================================== =============================
BIOS DATE : FEB. 9 1999
RELEASE DATE : FEB. 12 1999
BIOS FILE NAME : P2XBLAI.BIN
BIOS CHECK_SUM : 01096823
UPDATE DETAILS : (1) ADD CPU FSB TO
DEFAULT/50/66/75/83/100/103/112/
: 133 FOR ALL KIND OF CPU IN CMOS SETUT.
: (2) ADD PENTIUM III CPU SERIAL NO. ITEM WHEN
PENTIUM III
: CPU INSTALLED.
: (3) SYSTEM SOMETIMES CAN'T BOOT UP WHEN 14GB
HDD USED.
================================================== =============================
================================================== =============================
BIOS DATE : MAY. 19 1999
RELEASE DATE : MAY. 20 1999
BIOS FILE NAME : P2XBLAJ.BIN
BIOS CHECK_SUM : 010992D9
UPDATE DETAILS : (1) SHOW "UDMA 66" WHEN UDMA 66 HDD INSTALLED.
(2) "UDMA 2" CHANGED TO "UDMA 33".
================================================== =============================
================================================== =============================
BIOS DATE : OCT. 26 1999
RELEASE DATE : NOV. 04 1999
BIOS FILE NAME : P2XBLAK.BIN
BIOS CHECK_SUM : 0109B3D8
UPDATE DETAILS : IBM 37GB HDD DETECTED FAIL DURING SYSTEM BOOT
UP.

================================================== =============================
FLASH UTILITY : F731.EXE
================================================== =============================
########## NOTE ####### 1) THIS UTILITY WILL LOAD OPTIMAL DEFAULS AFTER
FLASH
(2) PREVENT DIFFERENT BIOS CODE UPDATE TO WRONG
BIOS

I would like to know before getting a new motherboard.

[This message has been edited by antdude (edited 26 August 2000).]

[antdude]

I found something interesting from the newsgroups:
http://x55.deja.com/=dnc/[ST_rn=ps]/...771&hitnum=206

Interesting. That would be another reason to get a new mobo since we are all out of ideas!

[antdude]

Is this possible? I read this reply from a newsgroup:

"It can also be your power supply being noisy or under rated for your system configuration."

Being noisy? Maybe that explains why I get static on my TV at 100 Mhz and very few at 83 Mhz? Is it possible? I think a 300 watts PS is enough (over two years old)!

Well?