So weird...

[hoffman-log.livejournal.com]

So here's my problem. I've never had to post one to this place before, because between several Microsoft and CompTIA certifications, one would assume i know my (stuff). But this is driving me nuts.

Problem: The computer will suddenly freeze up, nothing will work. This means mouse and keyboard fail, and the sound suddenly quits. It simply LOCKS. Only solution is to shut off the power and restart.

For a while i thought it was thermal related, but this couldn't be it, because when i reboot (a whole three seconds later) it works fine. Oh, as far as suggestions go, "Take it back to the manufacturer" isn't really an option, i techincally AM the manufacturer (built everything myself from scratch. go me!)

Specs: This should be helpful, maybe... ABIT KR7A-RAID 266MHz FSB, AMD Athlon 1800+, 256MB PC2300 (i think) DDR ECC RAM, Windows XP Pro, and if there's anything else you would like to know, let me know.

All right. Problem submitted to the think-tank. Let's see what it generates...

_MaH

Comments

[geam.livejournal.com]

How many watt power supply?
How many hard drives?
How many CD-ROMs.
Are your speakers powered through your sound card?
Is your monitor powered through your power supply? (Note: I do not mean _by_ the power supply.)

Normally a computer will restart randomly if too much power is being drawn, but it could also lock up. You said you were changing tracks when it froze up one time -- does it normally lock up when you do that?
If so, are you playing media from a CD-ROM?
Also, what type of mouse?
If USB, how many other USB devices do you have?

Just some questions to make you think.

Re:

[hoffman-log.livejournal.com]

Well i'm pretty sure we've narrowed it down to a flakey RAM chip, but sure, i'll go ahead and answer your questions to the best of my ability.

How many watt power supply?
500W

How many hard drives?
Three

How many CD-ROMs.
Two

Are your speakers powered through your sound card?
No

Is your monitor powered through your power supply? (Note: I do not mean _by_ the power supply)
Not quite sure what you mean, but i think i have an idea. I have a cord that allows me to plug my monitor into a second jack on the power supply. This is AC power that's coming right from the wall, though. So i think the answer you're looking for is "Through it, yes. By it, no."

Does it normally lock up when i [change tracks]?
No. Normally it happens when something changes, like a cursor position, or an onMouseOver effect, but most resently was when my computer was switching between the screen saver and the password protection screen. (More signs of a flaky RAM chip)

[Was I] playing media from a CD-ROM?
No.

What type of mouse?
Logitech Cordless/Optical mouse. It transmits to a receiver that also receives my cordless keyboard, and from there goes through one USB port.

If USB, how many other USB devices do you have?
Keyboard/Mouse is (technically) one device, a webcam (but it hasn't worked in a long time, little motivation to fix it) is another, the third and final is a Lexmark Z25 printer.

Hope that helped.

_MaH