re-doing the bios
Thread Starter
re-doing the bios
it has been suggested that I update the bios on my computer (I'll explain why below) and I have been to the pcb makers website and found several updates that postdate the purchase date.
Please can someone explain in geek free speak (or point me to a website of same) the instructions for how to get from a download to a replacement of the bios? Ta.
the why, it might get a bit long winded, sorry.
I built up the computer from bits in 2010. The system is 2.6GHz i7 based, on a Gigabyte motherboard, 6GB ram, cheapo graphics and sound cards, big cooler and fans etc. Mostly it runs just fine but sometimes, a few times a week, it just grinds to a halt. The sound (if playing) gets stuck and repeats like a stuck CD and the mouse pointer goes into slow motion, jumping position only once every 10's of seconds. All of the applications windows freeze. The hardware reset button takes several seconds to force a reset. At other times the system will spontaneously reboot, right from the power off through to the fans spooling up and system wake up.
It can do this at any time from pressing the ON button onwards. It has even been caught re-booting while the bios memory test is still happening. Sometimes I run WinXP, sometimes I run Ubuntu, it just depends what I am doing at the time, I have separate hard drives for the two OS' on interchangeable trays and only insert one at a time. It is fairly clear that the problems are not OS related.
I generally turn the machine OFF when not in use but recently I have left it running to see how long it can go without freezing/re-booting. It can go right through the weekend in either OS. Today it was fine from 9 this morning until just before 7 this evening when it failed twice in quick succession. The machine is no worse in the winter (when it is warmed by a radiator) than in the summer and running it overclocked didn't make the problem better or worse.
I may just have been lucky but this issue has been present right from the first build and I haven't lost any data due to it. Ubuntu, which I run the most, seems to be remarkably resilient, always having enough stuff saved to allow recovery.
Updating the bios is a free thing to try, after that I will need to start replacing hardware which is not free. I don't know which order to start replacements, I'll ask again if the bios doesn't fix it.
Ta,
Rans6........
Please can someone explain in geek free speak (or point me to a website of same) the instructions for how to get from a download to a replacement of the bios? Ta.
the why, it might get a bit long winded, sorry.
I built up the computer from bits in 2010. The system is 2.6GHz i7 based, on a Gigabyte motherboard, 6GB ram, cheapo graphics and sound cards, big cooler and fans etc. Mostly it runs just fine but sometimes, a few times a week, it just grinds to a halt. The sound (if playing) gets stuck and repeats like a stuck CD and the mouse pointer goes into slow motion, jumping position only once every 10's of seconds. All of the applications windows freeze. The hardware reset button takes several seconds to force a reset. At other times the system will spontaneously reboot, right from the power off through to the fans spooling up and system wake up.
It can do this at any time from pressing the ON button onwards. It has even been caught re-booting while the bios memory test is still happening. Sometimes I run WinXP, sometimes I run Ubuntu, it just depends what I am doing at the time, I have separate hard drives for the two OS' on interchangeable trays and only insert one at a time. It is fairly clear that the problems are not OS related.
I generally turn the machine OFF when not in use but recently I have left it running to see how long it can go without freezing/re-booting. It can go right through the weekend in either OS. Today it was fine from 9 this morning until just before 7 this evening when it failed twice in quick succession. The machine is no worse in the winter (when it is warmed by a radiator) than in the summer and running it overclocked didn't make the problem better or worse.
I may just have been lucky but this issue has been present right from the first build and I haven't lost any data due to it. Ubuntu, which I run the most, seems to be remarkably resilient, always having enough stuff saved to allow recovery.
Updating the bios is a free thing to try, after that I will need to start replacing hardware which is not free. I don't know which order to start replacements, I'll ask again if the bios doesn't fix it.
Ta,
Rans6........
Follow the instructions from the manufacturer as doing it wrong could leave you with a dead computer. Use an uninterruptible power supply if possible as loss of power during the process is a very bad thing.
Last edited by le Pingouin; 3rd Dec 2013 at 01:46.
Thread Starter
I haven't found any instructions from the manufacturer! which is why I asked. I'll visit the website and hunt a bit further............... Ta.
Rans6...........
Rans6...........
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Unfortunately, different manufacturers use different update mechanisms, so there's no easy way to tell what you'd need to do. Typically in the past it's been either a .iso image for a CD to boot from, or a program you can run in Windows.
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If it's an i7 and a gigabyte board, updating the bios will probably be fairly problem free.
It may be a recognised problem with your motherboard and it may be worth googling "problem (your motherboard)" to see if anyone else has experienced the same or similar.
However, before going down the bios update route, I would try running the machine with the absolute minimum - one stick of ram, just the hard disk with the os and video card (on board video if it has it) no internet, sound etc. and see if the symptoms return.
It could be, a faulty ram stick, the motherboard may not like your particular ram (you say it has been doing this since build).
Is your power supply strong enough for what you are running - there are online calculators.
It could be a failing power supply - is it a good branded one one or a cheapo one?
Have you tried resetting the cmos - look in the manual?
When you built it, did you use heatsink paste between the fan and the processor?
By all means update the bios and, if you post your motherboard details, I will look and see if I can guide you through it (pm if you prefer) but I would look to other things first.
It may be a recognised problem with your motherboard and it may be worth googling "problem (your motherboard)" to see if anyone else has experienced the same or similar.
However, before going down the bios update route, I would try running the machine with the absolute minimum - one stick of ram, just the hard disk with the os and video card (on board video if it has it) no internet, sound etc. and see if the symptoms return.
It could be, a faulty ram stick, the motherboard may not like your particular ram (you say it has been doing this since build).
Is your power supply strong enough for what you are running - there are online calculators.
It could be a failing power supply - is it a good branded one one or a cheapo one?
Have you tried resetting the cmos - look in the manual?
When you built it, did you use heatsink paste between the fan and the processor?
By all means update the bios and, if you post your motherboard details, I will look and see if I can guide you through it (pm if you prefer) but I would look to other things first.
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http://gigabytedaily.********.jp/201...e-q-flash.html will help you out. Though if you've not changed any hardware recently, or added a USB device, I don't think you'll see any benefit.
Edit: silly billies at PPRuNe are doing their usual thing with "********". Replace the asterisks with b l o g spot. It's where Gigabyte staff hang out.
Edit: silly billies at PPRuNe are doing their usual thing with "********". Replace the asterisks with b l o g spot. It's where Gigabyte staff hang out.
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I agree with finncapt. Updating your BIOS is, in my view, the last thing to try. Get it wrong in any way and you motherboard is useless.
Slowing and freezing seem to point to overheating. I would start with a good clean up inside especially the fan and then re-seat the heat sink with some good quality paste. And don't have it next to a radiator!
If that does not cure the problem, then look for other causes (RAM, etc). You could also change the mouse battery if it is wireless.
Slowing and freezing seem to point to overheating. I would start with a good clean up inside especially the fan and then re-seat the heat sink with some good quality paste. And don't have it next to a radiator!
If that does not cure the problem, then look for other causes (RAM, etc). You could also change the mouse battery if it is wireless.
Thread Starter
It is NOT OVERHEATING!
I have had the covers off and cleaned the filters on the fans from time to time. Nothing inside the case runs hot to the touch. Yesterday the machine ran perfectly and glitch free from before 9am until I went out at 7pm. Today, it has ground to a halt just once, within a couple of minutes of power up. I was in Ubuntu and running Firefox and playing Utube video. I reset it and it has been fine since. I am using it to do this reply.
I was advised when I built the machine to put in a good power supply. I bought a new 550 W Corsair unit. I have measured the voltages on all of the rails, they all stabilise quickly and stay rock steady. Just for amusement sake I measured the power going into the PSU and found it to be only 90 - 105 Watts , a good portion of that is driving the cooling fans. I did try a different power supply, for a week, a couple of years ago, a 450 W Corsair unit from another machine. No different.
Later I will take out one of the memory sticks and see what happens. The mother board doesn't have any built in graphics capability so I need to keep the graphics card in. Currently there are no other cards in place. I did have a wireless network card inserted but I have changed it out for a USB wireless link, it has not made any difference. I can boot up from either a USB stick or a DVD so I can run with the hard disks removed and the tray carrier unplugged. I don't see what else I can remove and still be able to run the machine up.
Rans6......
I have had the covers off and cleaned the filters on the fans from time to time. Nothing inside the case runs hot to the touch. Yesterday the machine ran perfectly and glitch free from before 9am until I went out at 7pm. Today, it has ground to a halt just once, within a couple of minutes of power up. I was in Ubuntu and running Firefox and playing Utube video. I reset it and it has been fine since. I am using it to do this reply.
I was advised when I built the machine to put in a good power supply. I bought a new 550 W Corsair unit. I have measured the voltages on all of the rails, they all stabilise quickly and stay rock steady. Just for amusement sake I measured the power going into the PSU and found it to be only 90 - 105 Watts , a good portion of that is driving the cooling fans. I did try a different power supply, for a week, a couple of years ago, a 450 W Corsair unit from another machine. No different.
Later I will take out one of the memory sticks and see what happens. The mother board doesn't have any built in graphics capability so I need to keep the graphics card in. Currently there are no other cards in place. I did have a wireless network card inserted but I have changed it out for a USB wireless link, it has not made any difference. I can boot up from either a USB stick or a DVD so I can run with the hard disks removed and the tray carrier unplugged. I don't see what else I can remove and still be able to run the machine up.
Rans6......
Thread Starter
I've run the system with two of the three RAM modules removed, and rotated around the three modules to check each. It fails in the usual way sooner or later (one module ran OK from early afternoony yesterday through till nearly 2pm today) so I guess the RAM modues are not the problem part(s). Strange labelling on the RAM modules, each is labelled 6GB(3x2GB) 2048MB 1600MHz 8-8-8-24 1.65V ver3.2, they were bought together.
So, I am down to the graphics card, the mother board, the PSU, the i7 930 or the BIOS.
I think I have exhausted all of the things I can swap out without spending money, apart from the BIOS.
What next?
Rans6......
So, I am down to the graphics card, the mother board, the PSU, the i7 930 or the BIOS.
I think I have exhausted all of the things I can swap out without spending money, apart from the BIOS.
What next?
Rans6......
The CPU could be overheating if it no longer has good thermal contact with the heatsink. It would be worth taking the heatsink off, cleaning the thermal paste off the CPU & heatsink and applying more paste.
Nothing strange about the labelling on the RAM - you'll see similar on all RAM.
Nothing strange about the labelling on the RAM - you'll see similar on all RAM.
Thread Starter
IT IS NOT OVERHEATING!
When I feet the heatsink it is near enough "room temp" so I took the other side of the case off and felt the back of the motherboard where the socket is, maybe a tad above "room temp" feeling, certainly not warm. Besides, if the heatsink was failing to take the heat away and so letting it get hot enough to fail during the POST, which it has done once or twice (the machine boots up to the Ubuntu desktop in about 12 seconds from mains power switch on) it would fry big time. Don't forget that it oftern runs for many hours without problem.
I am prepared to consider something in the BIOS may want tweaking, timings, volts, I don't know what in there may need setting to suit the remaining hardware........
Rans6..........
When I feet the heatsink it is near enough "room temp" so I took the other side of the case off and felt the back of the motherboard where the socket is, maybe a tad above "room temp" feeling, certainly not warm. Besides, if the heatsink was failing to take the heat away and so letting it get hot enough to fail during the POST, which it has done once or twice (the machine boots up to the Ubuntu desktop in about 12 seconds from mains power switch on) it would fry big time. Don't forget that it oftern runs for many hours without problem.
I am prepared to consider something in the BIOS may want tweaking, timings, volts, I don't know what in there may need setting to suit the remaining hardware........
Rans6..........
Poor thermal contact will mean the heatsink won't get warm as it's not absorbing much heat from the CPU. The CPU will automatically throttle performance to reduce overheating so generating less heat and again things won't feel overly hot. It won't necessarily fry.
If the heatsink is loose thermal contact could be intermittent.
If the heatsink is loose thermal contact could be intermittent.
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Have you tried resetting the cmos?
It may help if you posted the model no. of your motherboard - on the Gigabyte bios update pages, I see that at least one motherboard model has had bios updates because of system instability - you may check to see if that apples to yours.
It may help if you posted the model no. of your motherboard - on the Gigabyte bios update pages, I see that at least one motherboard model has had bios updates because of system instability - you may check to see if that apples to yours.
Thread Starter
the MoBo is a Gigabyte X58A-UD3R Rev 1.0, bought early in 2010.
I have tried the "MoBo number" and "problems" in the various search engines, didn't find any issues anything like I am seeing. A number of people were having fun and games with amount of installed RAM not being reported by the system, I have not seen this. If I change the number of sticks fitted it flags up correctly in the POST (if you can read it quickly enough. It is possible that I have an obscure one off fault. If it runs for many hours/days without showing it would probably pass the manufacturer end of production line tests OK.
If I reset the CMOS, as has been suggested, what will that affect? What might it mess up?
In previous reply I put in the system shut down time of 12 seconds when I meant to put in 42 seconds boot up time, duh.
Thanks for your continuing assistance.
Rans6...........
I have tried the "MoBo number" and "problems" in the various search engines, didn't find any issues anything like I am seeing. A number of people were having fun and games with amount of installed RAM not being reported by the system, I have not seen this. If I change the number of sticks fitted it flags up correctly in the POST (if you can read it quickly enough. It is possible that I have an obscure one off fault. If it runs for many hours/days without showing it would probably pass the manufacturer end of production line tests OK.
If I reset the CMOS, as has been suggested, what will that affect? What might it mess up?
In previous reply I put in the system shut down time of 12 seconds when I meant to put in 42 seconds boot up time, duh.
Thanks for your continuing assistance.
Rans6...........
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Resetting the bios will return the bios to it's defaults - it may or may not help you but may be worth a go.
There have been a few bios updates to that mb and they seem to give support for newer? processors and enhanced memory support.
This may be your problem, but I will leave it to you to make that decision.
There have been a few bios updates to that mb and they seem to give support for newer? processors and enhanced memory support.
This may be your problem, but I will leave it to you to make that decision.
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Regarding the slow mouse problems.
It is often because some process is "hogging" the cpu.
Next time it happens, open task manager (right click the bottom bar).
Then you want processes, tick the box "show processes from all users", click the cpu column so it lists from the most used downwards and see if a particular item is using all the cpu.
If something is, google it as there may be a solution, or ask here.
It is often because some process is "hogging" the cpu.
Next time it happens, open task manager (right click the bottom bar).
Then you want processes, tick the box "show processes from all users", click the cpu column so it lists from the most used downwards and see if a particular item is using all the cpu.
If something is, google it as there may be a solution, or ask here.
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I prefer "Process Explorer" (available free from CNET and others) over "Task Manager" as it is far easier to understand. It gives you more info on each program and more options for doing things with them along with some guidance if you're about to do something serious. I can use it and I'm not much into the tech end of things.
You may also be having some registry issues, which lead me to my second freeware recommendation of "Glary Utilities" (from CNET and others) which does a lot of clean-up work in a lot of places, again being very easy to use and understand. It will analyze and repair things for you as needed with just one mouse-click Between these two I was able to identify and repair something (can't remember what as it's been awhile) that was causing my mouse to lag and the OS to 'stutter' instead of flow smoothly. I've used the "Glary Pro" but the freeware seems to be all you really need- I won't have a PC without these two.
You may also be having some registry issues, which lead me to my second freeware recommendation of "Glary Utilities" (from CNET and others) which does a lot of clean-up work in a lot of places, again being very easy to use and understand. It will analyze and repair things for you as needed with just one mouse-click Between these two I was able to identify and repair something (can't remember what as it's been awhile) that was causing my mouse to lag and the OS to 'stutter' instead of flow smoothly. I've used the "Glary Pro" but the freeware seems to be all you really need- I won't have a PC without these two.
Thread Starter
before anyone else harps on about overheating I have reset the machine after it has been running for 7 hours and as it rebooted I intercepted the bios and checked the status of stuff. The CPU temperature is reporting just 31 deg C. IT IS NOT OVERHEATING!!!!!
Meanwhile, when the mouse goes slow so does everything else. The whole thing just grinds to a halt, you can't do anything, not even bring the task manager to the front. The clock stops, music glitches and eventually stops repeating the last second it plays. Everything sticks. Generally it will reboot itself but one time it just sat there for nearly an hour, the clock in the toolbar was stuck at the time it slowed down.
Rans6.....
Meanwhile, when the mouse goes slow so does everything else. The whole thing just grinds to a halt, you can't do anything, not even bring the task manager to the front. The clock stops, music glitches and eventually stops repeating the last second it plays. Everything sticks. Generally it will reboot itself but one time it just sat there for nearly an hour, the clock in the toolbar was stuck at the time it slowed down.
Rans6.....
I'd try using a different Windows account and safe mode to see if the same behaviour occurs to try to narrow down the cause being software or hardware. Probably worth trying running from a Linux CD as well to totally eliminate software as the cause, or not.
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Ask yourself what changed when the problem first occurred.
Don't think changing the BIOS will do anything as it wasn't broke to begin with.
Sounds like an intermittent H/W failure. If I had the same issue I would download some benchmarking software that runs H/W tests over a long period of time, if that doesn't catch it, I would start pulling out bits of hardware until left with the bare minimum. If that doesn't catch it then I would start looking at a new PC as you should have been able to depreciate this one on tax by now.
Don't think changing the BIOS will do anything as it wasn't broke to begin with.
Sounds like an intermittent H/W failure. If I had the same issue I would download some benchmarking software that runs H/W tests over a long period of time, if that doesn't catch it, I would start pulling out bits of hardware until left with the bare minimum. If that doesn't catch it then I would start looking at a new PC as you should have been able to depreciate this one on tax by now.