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

To: SIer formerly known as Joe B. who wrote (13560)	7/27/2002 3:04:10 AM
From: Robert Graham	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 14778

I found out that the partition was not the problem. I repaired the boot block and chkdsk found some errors it fixed. But this still did not solve the problem. The mechanics of the relatively new Western Digital drive were failing. I started to get "clacking" noises with the disk spinning up and down. I checked the cabling and power hookup to find no problems. A bootup would end up in a blus screen of death (BSOD). Then I remembered something. When this drive was with my original 6G drive, I started to hear ball bearing problems. I assumed it was the old 6G drive of several years old. But to be sure, I kept backups of key files on both drives until the noise went away. At a later time I started to feel allot of heat between the drives. This ended up permanently changing the operating characteristics of the circuitry of the drive. And when I handled the drive to check cabling, the problem would go away for a short time. When the clacking happened the system would temporarily hang. So I remembered I had a cold compress in the freezer. I unbolted the drive for access, but kept it plugged in and operating. I next held the cold compress to the drive. I was now able to boot from the drive. While I was doing some quick file transfers, I continued to keep down the temp of the drive in this way. This experiement helped. My only worry was getting this done before permanent failure of the drive, and water condensation could also turn into a problem. In this way, I copied 3G of the most critical files from the 40G malfunctioning drive. I now have the most important files copied to the new 80G drive. I will tomorrow put the drive in the freezer in a air tight zip lock bag for one hour. Then I will quickly retrieve the rest of the files I need. Then I will locate the sales slip and return it to CompUSA, or at least get a replacement. Do I get to hang my own shingle now? Have I been though enough? ;-) Bob Graham PS: That 80G drive by WDC with the 8M built in RAM is very nice indeed!

To: SIer formerly known as Joe B. who wrote (13560)	8/4/2002 10:28:24 PM
From: Robert Graham	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 14778

Looks like the cause of my problems was the power supply, specifically my UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply). When I have new hardware start to go bad on me, from different vendors and places of purchase, then the common element is the power. This can explain the following problems I have had: 1. Memory not running to spec 2. First video card blew out, second card with late video signal 3. Changes made to hardware "improved" but did not solve problems. This includes the swap of the new motherboard 4. A new TDK VeloCD drive now causing generating errors using the Nero test utilities. 5. An apparently bad new 40G drive that is now junk. I now have second thoughts that a bad ball bearing could of introduced high frequency noise that damaged the hardware components, even though I have not entirely ruled this possibility out. But this new thinking would mean my old UPS is no longer filtering the power, or superimposing its own noise onto the power that goes to the PSU (Power Supply Unit) of the computer. The only other hardware that has not been changed is the CPU itself. Problems due to high frequence power noise is the most difficult and costly problem to troubleshoot. Even when the noise is removed, or the inoperative power filter is removed, the problem persists, possibly even getting worse. For the damage is already done. This problem may have caused me to replace good CD Burner, good motherboard, and a good hard drive. The cheap generic memory may have still caused problems. And the PSU of the computer definitely did not deliver its rated outputs and wattage. But both may have just only aggravated my problems. I just hope my part replacing has come to an end, now that the system has been thoroughly tested and found to operate 100%. I will have the UPS tested in the future. Apparently this is a model that does not convert AC to DC and then back to AC as a way to completely isolate the PC from the wall power source. This feature must be reserved for the more expensive units. I know the unit itself has performed through several years of many significant lightening storms. Perhaps it is time to replace it. Any thoughts? Bob Graham PS: Lets hope I will not end up having to replace the CPU too!