Half Boot then freeze

[Tnuoc Alucard]

Got a good one here,
My sons PC , has just thrown up the following .
switch on , runs through all the usual bits and bobs info, then freeze.
Reboot, get to safe mode selection and as the countdown continues , stops dead at about 18 secs.

try win 98 restore disc, select with cd rom support and goes through normal screen bits and to A:/ Dos prompt then freeze.

go for full DOS re install, boot up and run through, first disc gets to about 6 % and freeze.

So no matter what it freezes.

I have changed the Hard drive, changed the graphics card, removed the modem , changed the memory, disconected the cd rom.

And it still wont boot up.

try entering the BIOS , and at about the same elapsed time the thing just freezes again.

Thinking mother board is knackered, one last thing is a guy at work said could be Power supply as very similar in description to his problem . Is that feasable ??
Only problem I ever had with PS was when my machine packed in completely.

Any advice , radical fixes etc all greatfully received

[stagger]

So it freezes up after a certain amount of time no matter what it's doing?

Well, I suppose a CPU overheat due to fan failure could cause this sort of thing in theory - but I wouldn’t expect this sort of problem to manifest itself so soon after the system is powered up.

Is it an extremely fast processor for which cooling might be more critical?

I remember when messing around with over-clocking a processor a few years ago - it used to take 10 or 20 minutes before the system would freeze up. But that was just with inadequate cooling - not no cooling. On the other hand I worked on an old 486 that ran for months with a seized fan without ever freezing.

Perhaps you could have a peek inside the box to check if the CPU fan is running. This may or may not be easy to check depending on the system setup – the fan could be hidden in some sort of plastic duct connected to the outside world. From the outside it would be hard to hear over the noise of the main case fan.

Anyway, I don’t think this is a likely cause – but it’s something worth checking.
.

[stagger]

Hang on - my overclocking experiences just gave me another idea...

Is there an option to set the processor and bus clock speeds in the system bios (i.e. soft setup rather than jumpers on the m/board)? If so is there any chance there could be a mismatch between the bios settings and what your processor is capable of? Perhaps you forget to change the settings after a flash bios upgrade? Or perhaps someone has been trying to squeese a few extra MHz out of the system?

An incorrect clock speed or multiplier setting could cause the system to freeze.

Just a thought.

[A-V-8R]

I run Win 98 on one computer, XP on another and Windows Me on the Laptop...

My Win 98 sometimes hangs also....

I then <control><alt><delete> to see whats there hanging; it's usually VSMON which is a virus scanning program, I think.

If it is , I just <control><alt><delete> twice for a warm reboot and it generally goes thru.

I think 99% of windows problems are directly related to the registry, specifically not using the uninstall program to get rid of unwanted folder.

Use something like On Track Fix It to clean the registry, then defrag the registry, the scandisk and defrag the drive. Most problems go away.

Kim

[shack]

If you can get into the Bios setup look in ADVANCED BIOS features and make sure that Virus Warning is Disabled.

[What_does_this_button_do?]

The only things I can think of are:

IRQ clashes.
Fix: take out all cards that are not in use and then install your operating system.

CPU Overheat.
Fix: Need to cool the processor - have you got the fan on top of the chip working?

B

[stagger]

That's two votes for CPU Overheat!!!

[Feeton Terrafirma]

If a push of the reset button is enough to restart the 18 seconds of operation then it's not a thermal problem. I'd suggest you spend a few dollars on an really cheap multimeter and check the power supply voltages. When they prove to be OK, buy a new motherboard.