random reboots, no POST, BSODs -- my months of hell

[snubz]

I used to like computers. Now I hate them. I also used to think I was fairly competent, but now all I think is that my current system is haunted. I'm hoping someone can makes sense:

backstory:
1ghz Athlon. 512 megs pc2700 ddr RAM. Abit motherboard. Ran fine for 1-2 years. Ran a little hot, but no real problems (no more than your typical comp). Went home for Thanksgiving, was powered off for a week. Came back, turned it on...nothing. Powered up, but harddrive late stayed on, nothing on the monitor.

what I've tried:
Ok. So I run the usual suspects. Try different memory, powersupply, etc. Nothing. Replace motherboard. After some weirdness, it works again. All is well.

Or so I thought. Computer turns out to be INCREDIBLY unstable, and it got PROGRESSIVELY worse. BSODs in games, all the time. Then random BSODs / freezes even when just browsing web or whatever. And the weirdest of all: after clearing CMOS, I get "cpu changed or incorrect setting ... hit DEL set in BIOS, or F1 to continue". However, if I DO go in BIOS at ALL (even changing nothing), then reboot, Window BSODs on load. Good times! So I was having to just "Hit F1 to continue", and then WinXP would load fine (albeit crash a few hours later, ala massive instability).

So this went on for awhile, and got worse and worse. Secondary harddrive started making horrible crunching noises...Maxtor 80gb. Test using maxtor software, it declares it busted and gives me an RMA. Super. So I pull that drive. I only mention this because 1) although I imagine a dying HDD could account for some of the crap, pulling it fixed nothing. Computer still has all the problems, and 2) my new theory is one of multiple failures...I mean, I can't explain what happened when I was gone on vacation (WHILE MY COMPUTER WAS OFF!).

and now:
ok. So I'm super frustrated. I originally hoped I could get it working again by fixing one broken part. But I'm beyond tired, and have spent way too many hours swapping crap, etc. So I bit the bullet and went and just got a BUNCH of new parts to just get it working.

So I put in a: the motherboard is already new (bought a month ago), and two days ago I put in a new: powersupply, different memory (256 megs Mushkin DDR), and a new processor, an Athlon XP 2400. And of course: IT DOESN'T WORK! Even though it's basically a brand new computer! At first it was a horrible two tone siren noise, and the computer would IMMEDIATELY power back down. I reseat chip, replaced cooler, get the power to stay on....with another audible warning...One long tone, then three short. Ok, usually graphics problem (deja = friend), I reseat graphics card...no joy. I try a new one...no joy. I reseat ATX connector. No joy. I clear CMOS for a longer time this time, and the sound goes away, monitor comes on!!! Woohoo!

So you think it would be working, but of course it isn't, because I'm cursed here:
So now computer freezes, and it gets progressively worse the longer it's been on. I mean I can't even get into Windows here at all. If the computer is cold for an hour or so, I'll get about 30 seconds...enough to pass video check, then self-check stuff. I can get into BIOS for a little bit, or try to start the OS. Then freeze. Hit reset switch. Ok now I only get through self-check, then freeze. Reset. Now it freezes DURING video check. Reset. No monitor no longer comes on, harddrive late stays lit. Fun!

Sounds like a heat problem right? I guess so, except I'll just sit in the BIOS at the PC Health screen during my 30 second non-freeze reprieve, and the CPU gets to like 100 degrees F, or so...that's about it, and doesn't really seem hot at all (old Athlon ran at 120 or more F all the time).


=======

So that's it. I'm hoping someone can help. I'm sorry the above is long, but the story is just so weird. I mean, I've tried so much...brand new everythings, even moving the computer to different rooms, different power strips, checking the parts I could check in other computers (video card...fine, etc). I mean, all that even exists from the old computer is:
+ the case
+ two case fans
+ cpu cooler (I believe it's a chrome orb, and it has a fan on top)
+ 30 gig IBM hdd (remember, I pulled the other one)...although I tested the old setup (athlon) and the new setup (athlon XP) with IDE removed from motherboard, and still get all these funky BIOS problems
+ uh...that's about it. I pulled a lot of the other cards....network, etc


As you can see, this nightmare has been a HUGE headache for me. Now I don't even know if the problems I'm currently experiencing with the "new" setup (new athlon XP 2400, new PS, new mem, and new Motherboard) are related to the problems I was having with the old system, or new ones, unrelated to the what was killing my "old" setup (athlon 1ghz, w/ the old parts now on my desk). I've just never had such weird symptons, such inability to build a working computer, or what might apparently be multiple failures, which surely confuses the diagnosis of the problem (i.e. my 80gb harddrive was definitely going bad, so that could have contributed, but obviously wasn't the whole problem).

Any help is appreciated, either getting this new system working, or clues as to why the old system was having problems (and I bet one or more of those parts I replaced -- mem, ps, mb, proc -- are probably fine).


With apologies for the length,
~snubz

 

[hoov]

Sounds like you have been through the mill!! Do you have any Hair left?
One thing that I don't think you mentioned. That I can think of is if there is a grounding problem MB grounding out to the case Maybe?
Might be worth a shot.
Be sure to let us know when you solve it.
I feel your pain....

 

[alm4rr]

Who used your comp while you were gone?

 

[ianbergman]

HD: Boot drive? Going through, it looks like you only replaced the secondary drive. Do you have another OS-installed drive you could use to see if you can at least get to a login screen w/out BSOD?

That wouldn't explain anything before the OS starts loading though.

My initial guess as to why you started having problems in the first place would be electrical damage - power surge, etc. It doesn't sound like your computer was actually unplugged while you were gone? That type of damage can spread, sometimes -- static damage spreading from peripherals into the motherboard, for instance. But the problems combined with a hard drive failure sound exactly like my $1500 power-problem explosion of last fall; I now have multiple 1500va UPS systems, redundant power supplies, and God only knows how much other crap dedicated to keeping my poor computer alive.

I'd sit down for a day and go one piece at a time. Take out everything but the mobo, processor, ram, graphics card and a floppy drive, and try to boot just through the POST. If that works, use a floppy-based diagnostics tool on everything you've got in there. If you can load and run the floppy's OS, you're probably OK with the components you have hooked up at that point. If everything passes diagnostics (ESPECIALLY the RAM), then hook up a cleanly installed hard drive (maybe use another computer to install the OS to your newly replaced secondary drive? If it boots off the clean drive, then start installing any other peripherals one at a time - internal first, then USB/firewire, etc. Reboot after each new install whether it seems necessary or not.

You can find several great boot/diagnostic floppy images for free on the web. There's one I just love that I can't remember the name of right now... maybe another ATer will remember it and post here... ugh, it's too early to try and use my brain.

I'm also assuming you're running WinXP or Win2K here; if you're running an older Windows, all I can say is good luck. You'll probably need a clean reformat no matter what happens w/the hardware.

Best of luck; I hope you get this figured out!

 

[snubz]

alm4rr: no one used my computer while I was gone...that's the troubling part.

ianbergman: yeah, electrical problems crossed my mind too. I guess I have very little else to try, so I'm gonna pop all the stuff in a new case, and I guess use new fans/cpu cooler? I mean, that's all that remains frm my old system.

 

[snubz]

forgot to say:

still, anyone else have some advice on the current troubler: brand news parts (except, as mentioned: case, CPU cooler + fan), and I'm having what seems to be heating problems, even thoug BIOS reports only about 100 degrees F at time of lockup.

Then I continually reboot, and the time I can use computer before a freeze decreases. First time, when comupter cold, I guesstimate 20 seconds. Then -- after each successive reboot -- during self-check, then during video check, then no monitor power on at all. Pretty easy to replicate this, and nothing I do fixed it.

grumble grumble!