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Pastimes : Dream Machine ( Build your own PC ) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Doug Soon who wrote (13488)	7/16/2002 1:24:05 PM
From: Robert Graham	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 14778

Yesterday I found out there is an apparent incompatibility with the new TDK VeloCD and the LG DVD drive on the same channel. Nero has a utility that can create a test CD and then read the CD to test for data and sync errors. I ended up getting data errors and multiple sync errors with the TDK drive. The LG drive ended up with a perfect score. I checked settings and even replaced the ribbon cable to get the same results with the TDK drive. I purchased yet another new CD-R/RW drive for shits and giggles, this time the TEAC CD-R/RW drive from CompUSA. There is a "no questions asked" two week return policy from CompUSA. Well, guess what? The TEAC drive runs the test CD with no data errors or sync errors. This is absurd. First, it was problems with the memory. Next the video card. Next the motherboard. Now the TDK CD-R/RW drive. Coincidence? Power supply? Or that rectifier on the motherboard? Or the UPS? Or this time simple incompatibility problems between the TDK and the LG drives? I think at least part of the problem has pointed to the quality of power the devices are receiving. The other part of my problems had been driver related. And I cannot rule out poor quality hardware, at least in the case of the generic memory. I have replaced the power supply and the motherboard, which also means I am operating with a new rectifier. I hope this has prevented any future problems. If one more provable hardware problem crops up, I will begin to suspect the UPS permitting poor quality power to pass to the motherboard and other devices. This would be bad news and potentially very costly. In the case of permitting high frequency noise to pass to the components, the damage may not show up as problems until much later in time. Fortunately, this type of problem although possible is not probable. Even though I have an older UPS, it is a unit by APC. It has survived through several years here in Tucson, which is noted its lightening storms. When I get a chance I will see if the problem disappears when I place the CD drives on separate channels. Am I getting paranoid? ;-) Bob Graham

To: Doug Soon who wrote (13488)	7/24/2002 12:49:38 AM
From: Robert Graham	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 14778

Well, I installed Norton System Works, Norton Internet Security, an internal modem card with its software, and an audio card with its accompanying software. Now the system has the following problems: 1. Mouse sometimes disappears and then reappears. This started before the installation of the above hardware and software components. I think this relates to one of the earlier application that I installed which also sets up a driver which interferes with the mouse. I will set up the USB version of the mouse to see if the problem goes away. I think this will end up to be a difficult problem to track down and will take some time. 2. The system is a little on the slow side for its configuration. I notice a 20% drop in CPU and I/O performance. This always happens when I load the Norton suites. However, I do not know which software component from either Norton suite is responsible for this...yet. the offending software will be eliminated with no mercy once it is identified. My guess is either the antivirus software driver that runs in the background or the firewall, or a combination of the two Norton applications. 3. The system fails to boot from time to time. This is the real problem for me right now. Instead of looping like it did before, it just sits there with no POST and OK beep signal. When I hold the on/off button in and the system turns off. Then when I turn the system back on, it boots normally. I do not even get automatically placed into the BIOS setup screen which happens if the BIOS part of the bootup was interrupted. This sounds like a hardware problem. Either the sound card or the internal modem card. Perhaps reseating the cards will help, or swapping the slots they reside in. This is Part 3 of the ongoing saga. Part 1 was when I tried to run Windows XP with my original motherboard and some incompatible components replaced. Part 2 was when I went to the new motherboard and ended up withthat elusive data corruption errors among other problems like a faulty motherboard and memory. I hope some people here are learning from my mistakes. :-) Bob Graham