Random shut downs?

91Bird305 · Jul 29, 2004, 02:19 PM

I have a PCChips M770LMRT motherboard w/ a pentium II (350mhz) and and I just fully reformated the hard drive with windows 98 and 191mb of sdram. Now it seems like sometimes it just randomly shut downs and restarts. Now it can't be because of corrupt OS files cause I fully reformated the computer and it still does it. Could it be the ram?

***craig5320*** · Jul 29, 2004, 02:24 PM

Does it log off and shutdown or is it a straight power off?

Turn off Quick Post in the bios to check the memory, most memory issues show up on post with quick post off.

If you've got more than one memory stick try each one on it's own.

91Bird305 · Jul 29, 2004, 02:27 PM

Ok, I think I found the problem. This guy had PC100 and PC133 trying to work together. Probably made it unstable. I will remove the PC100 stick and go from here and see what happens.

91Bird305 · Jul 29, 2004, 02:32 PM

Its just straight shut down.

Alright, I tried it with the PC133 and it shut down, so now I got the PC100 in there and I am gonna try that out.

I will also look into the BIOS for what you were saying. The bios is AMI if that helps any. I tried running the setting "Optimal settings" and "Best peformance". But still end up with random shut downs. Also checked the power settings in Windows and everything is shut off. Seems like whenever I copy and paste something it shuts down too.

Edit: Ok, the PC100 shut down as well. Seems that if I go to copy and paste something it will shut down everytime like that.

91Bird305 · Jul 29, 2004, 02:37 PM

Also, I can't find "Quick post" anywhere in the bios.

I also notice when the bios starts up. It gives me 2 quick beeps and says "SDRAM seriel detect absent"

Now the AMI site says 2 short beeps means "Parity circuit failure" but what does that mean?
It doesn't offer for me to fix anything and it keeps booting up like normal.

91Bird305 · Jul 29, 2004, 02:54 PM

I am wondering if the 2 quick beeps is for the "SDRAM seriel detect absent" message cause after things load up in the bios I get 1 beep and it goes to loading windows.

Which beep am I suppose to be listenting to?

PangingJr · Jul 29, 2004, 02:57 PM

Serial Presence Detection(SPD) is a feature on the PC100 DIMM. There is an EEPROM memory chip on the DIMM module recording the various parameters like the speed of the DIMM. BIOS can make use of the information to configure the hardware for correct type of DIMM installed.

The message 'SDRAM serial presence detected absent' is due to BIOS reported absent of SPD support feature on some DIMMs with SPD support. As BIOS would dynamically detect the parameters of the DIMMs installed.

2 Beeps: Parity circuit failure
http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/sys/beep/amiB2-c.html
Explanation: The parity circuit is responsible for generating and checking the parity bit on the system memory when parity checking is used. This circuitry is not working properly.

Diagnosis: This code usually means a problem with either the system memory or the motherboard.

Recommendation:
Treat as an apparent memory failure.
Troubleshoot the motherboard.

91Bird305 · Jul 29, 2004, 03:03 PM

I have tried one stick at a time, different memory slots, I have even tried different ram from the ram that came in the machine (PC100 and PC133) and I still get shutdowns.

But the beeps are confusing. Cause before the bios shows up, I get 2 beeps. And then when bios is done loading and goes to the Windows 98 screen I get one beep. So which beep am I suppose to be listening to? Is the 2 beeps for that "Serial Presence Detection(SPD) failure" since it pops up right away?

PangingJr · Jul 29, 2004, 03:23 PM

the SPD error msg should not be any problem, and i think it should be only the msg, BIOS just reporting you that that RAM installed is absented of SPD support feature.. if the RAM is good the machine should work fine.

the 2 beeps were for something else but i'm not sure,

have you tried loading bios default and with only one stick of RAM installed?

91Bird305 · Jul 29, 2004, 03:29 PM

yup. I have tried one stick of every memory stick I have, both PC100 and PC133, and tried loading bios default and it still has random shut downs.

PangingJr · Jul 29, 2004, 03:44 PM

i had this prob once years ago with gigabyte pIII, that used 3 sticks, 64-128 of the RAM 100/133. it kept rebooting when i tried to shutdown, i think i had to load BIOS default, couldn't use performance option, and flashed one of its BETA bios version, it's still using the beta version, no more update from gigabyte, but the machine is still working okay. i'm not sure what's next.. on your case..

91Bird305 · Jul 29, 2004, 04:23 PM

Yeah, I am running out of options here. I tried reloading the defaults but still no go.

pr0digal jenius · Jul 29, 2004, 04:54 PM

have you tried windows 2000? windows 98 and windows Me used to do this exact same thing on my mom's P2 233, but 2000 fixed it. 2000 is an amazing OS as it can be stripped down to run on almsot nothing

91Bird305 · Jul 29, 2004, 07:27 PM

:shrug: I can try windows 2000 pro. But I don't see why windows 98 would just power down at random, even after a rebuild.

MythicaL · Jul 30, 2004, 03:26 AM

Because Win98 sucks!

Junkguy · Jul 30, 2004, 02:38 PM

If you haven't tried this yet, try blowing out the dust from the computer. Some computers tend to overheat due to high amounts of dust (especially on the heat sink) and spontaneously shut down.

Boundzy · Jul 30, 2004, 06:41 PM

Another possibility is a faulty power supply, which can cause intermittent and unexplained reboots and shut-downs.

swimtech · Jul 30, 2004, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 91Bird305
:shrug: I can try windows 2000 pro. But I don't see why windows 98 would just power down at random, even after a rebuild.

Me neither...

Tried reseating the processor yet? Also double check your power connections to your mainboard and reseat those too...

caqde · Jul 30, 2004, 07:46 PM

That last beep you hear right before the OS loads is normal for certain Mboards that board should always do that. If you don't hear it one day I would worry.

Quick post is sometimes referred to as a memory test in some bios's. Look for something dealing with testing memory. Most of the times you can have it run if you use the "fail safe" settings(if you still can't find that setting).

Although it is kind of strange that you get post-beep messages when your pc boots. I only get those when I don't put my memory in or haven't seated my VideoCard in the AGP slot correctly. (different post-beep message) I wonder what could be the cause of that.....

91Bird305 · Jul 30, 2004, 08:05 PM

I replaced the power supply (it was bad before) and checked the cables plugging into the motherboard and they are good. I checked the temp. in the bios and it was a pretty constant 89-95 degrees. So nothing seriously overheating to cause the pc to shut down.

I would try windows 2000 pro but the processer speed isn't fast enough, hard drive is to small and the memory is a whopping 192mb. :shrug: I figure WIN2000 would just run slow as hell if I put it on there.

MythicaL · Jul 31, 2004, 01:38 AM

ANOTHER thing... could be EAX Sound if you have it on... EAX hard freezes some of my games, such as Painkiller and Call of Duty... so if you have it on, change the sound to Miles Fast 2D Audio instead...

EAX sucks anyways... I can't even tell the difference, and you get random crashes so what's the point?

BTW, EAX is the reason my Counter-Strike kept crashing over and over... just to let you know

swimtech · Jul 31, 2004, 03:45 AM

Also, have you installed the underlying drivers - motherboard/chipset drivers could have been overlooked...

I'm curious about the shutdown occuring during a cut/copy/paste operation...

91Bird305 · Aug 3, 2004, 08:47 AM

I updateded the motherboard/chipsets and it still shut down. :shrug: The harddrive sometimes makes some loud whines. :shrug: Not sure if that is normal for some hard drives or not.

TwistedMetal · Aug 3, 2004, 09:16 AM

Here is a few things you can check.

Check for bad sectors on the hard drive, it could be failing.

Use memtest86 to check your memory. Bad memory can cause a PC to do random shutdowns and restarts.

If it's neither of them things, it's got to be the motherboard.

91Bird305 · Aug 3, 2004, 05:47 PM

Memory was good, hard drive checked out. Had to be the motherboard

Logla · Aug 3, 2004, 11:49 PM

have you tried another motherboard?

If not, its worth stripping down the whole machine and then building back up again.

We get loads of pc's at work which have similar probs and its usually down to a (very) slightly loose PCI card.

Jul 29, 2004, 02:19 PM	#1
91Bird305 DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 82 Rep Power: 0	Random shut downs? I have a PCChips M770LMRT motherboard w/ a pentium II (350mhz) and and I just fully reformated the hard drive with windows 98 and 191mb of sdram. Now it seems like sometimes it just randomly shut downs and restarts. Now it can't be because of corrupt OS files cause I fully reformated the computer and it still does it. Could it be the ram?

Jul 29, 2004, 02:24 PM	#2
*craig5320* HH Administrator Join Date: May 2002 Location: Manchester, UK Posts: 8,568 Rep Power: 445 System Specs	Does it log off and shutdown or is it a straight power off? Turn off Quick Post in the bios to check the memory, most memory issues show up on post with quick post off. If you've got more than one memory stick try each one on it's own. __________________ HardwareHeaven on Facebook

Jul 30, 2004, 03:26 AM	#15
MythicaL I like computers. Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: In front of a monitor Posts: 3,399 Rep Power: 89 System Specs	Because Win98 sucks! __________________ Always knew I didn't belong in this world. I wasn't made for this. But I'll never forget those who betrayed me, and those who never failed my trust.

Jul 30, 2004, 02:38 PM	#16
Junkguy PC Game Modder Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 731 Rep Power: 0	If you haven't tried this yet, try blowing out the dust from the computer. Some computers tend to overheat due to high amounts of dust (especially on the heat sink) and spontaneously shut down. __________________ P4 2.66GHz, ATI Radeon 9800 PRO 128MB, WinXP, 1024MB DDR, 120GB WD, 2.5Mbps/400kbps DSL, 17" LCD E171FPb, SBLive! 5.1 Digital, Logitech Z2300 2.1 400Watts

Jul 30, 2004, 07:46 PM	#19
caqde HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: US, IL Posts: 505 Rep Power: 66 System Specs	That last beep you hear right before the OS loads is normal for certain Mboards that board should always do that. If you don't hear it one day I would worry. Quick post is sometimes referred to as a memory test in some bios's. Look for something dealing with testing memory. Most of the times you can have it run if you use the "fail safe" settings(if you still can't find that setting). Although it is kind of strange that you get post-beep messages when your pc boots. I only get those when I don't put my memory in or haven't seated my VideoCard in the AGP slot correctly. (different post-beep message) I wonder what could be the cause of that..... __________________ AMD Phenom II X4 925 AM3/ Giga-byte MA790XT-UD4P XFX HD5770 1GB / 2x8GB of Geil DDR3 12800 10-10-10-28 Samsung SH-S182D DVD-RW drive / Sony Optiarc BD-5300S BD-RW drive Western Digital WD1501FASS(Primary)/Western Digital 15EADS(Secondary)/Western Digital 7500AACS(Secondary)/Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320gb(Secondary) Antec TP-550 / CoolerMaster CMStacker Sound Blaster X-FI Titanium Fatal1ty Professional / Creative Inspire 6600 6.1 speakers Samsugn T200HD 20" LCD Monitor / Logitech Internet 350 Black Keyboard Logitech MX510 Mouse

Jul 29, 2004, 02:27 PM	Thread Starter #3
91Bird305 DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 82 Rep Power: 0	Ok, I think I found the problem. This guy had PC100 and PC133 trying to work together. Probably made it unstable. I will remove the PC100 stick and go from here and see what happens.

Jul 29, 2004, 02:32 PM	Thread Starter #4
91Bird305 DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 82 Rep Power: 0	Its just straight shut down. Alright, I tried it with the PC133 and it shut down, so now I got the PC100 in there and I am gonna try that out. I will also look into the BIOS for what you were saying. The bios is AMI if that helps any. I tried running the setting "Optimal settings" and "Best peformance". But still end up with random shut downs. Also checked the power settings in Windows and everything is shut off. Seems like whenever I copy and paste something it shuts down too. Edit: Ok, the PC100 shut down as well. Seems that if I go to copy and paste something it will shut down everytime like that.

Jul 29, 2004, 02:37 PM	Thread Starter #5
91Bird305 DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 82 Rep Power: 0	Also, I can't find "Quick post" anywhere in the bios. I also notice when the bios starts up. It gives me 2 quick beeps and says "SDRAM seriel detect absent" Now the AMI site says 2 short beeps means "Parity circuit failure" but what does that mean? It doesn't offer for me to fix anything and it keeps booting up like normal.

Jul 29, 2004, 02:54 PM	Thread Starter #6
91Bird305 DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 82 Rep Power: 0	I am wondering if the 2 quick beeps is for the "SDRAM seriel detect absent" message cause after things load up in the bios I get 1 beep and it goes to loading windows. Which beep am I suppose to be listenting to?

Jul 29, 2004, 02:57 PM	#7
PangingJr Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 5,989 Rep Power: 71	Serial Presence Detection(SPD) is a feature on the PC100 DIMM. There is an EEPROM memory chip on the DIMM module recording the various parameters like the speed of the DIMM. BIOS can make use of the information to configure the hardware for correct type of DIMM installed. The message 'SDRAM serial presence detected absent' is due to BIOS reported absent of SPD support feature on some DIMMs with SPD support. As BIOS would dynamically detect the parameters of the DIMMs installed. 2 Beeps: Parity circuit failure http://www.pcguide.com/ts/x/sys/beep/amiB2-c.html Explanation: The parity circuit is responsible for generating and checking the parity bit on the system memory when parity checking is used. This circuitry is not working properly. Diagnosis: This code usually means a problem with either the system memory or the motherboard. Recommendation: Treat as an apparent memory failure. Troubleshoot the motherboard.

Jul 29, 2004, 03:03 PM	Thread Starter #8
91Bird305 DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 82 Rep Power: 0	I have tried one stick at a time, different memory slots, I have even tried different ram from the ram that came in the machine (PC100 and PC133) and I still get shutdowns. But the beeps are confusing. Cause before the bios shows up, I get 2 beeps. And then when bios is done loading and goes to the Windows 98 screen I get one beep. So which beep am I suppose to be listening to? Is the 2 beeps for that "Serial Presence Detection(SPD) failure" since it pops up right away?

Jul 29, 2004, 03:23 PM	#9
PangingJr Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 5,989 Rep Power: 71	the SPD error msg should not be any problem, and i think it should be only the msg, BIOS just reporting you that that RAM installed is absented of SPD support feature.. if the RAM is good the machine should work fine. the 2 beeps were for something else but i'm not sure, have you tried loading bios default and with only one stick of RAM installed?

Jul 29, 2004, 03:29 PM	Thread Starter #10
91Bird305 DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 82 Rep Power: 0	yup. I have tried one stick of every memory stick I have, both PC100 and PC133, and tried loading bios default and it still has random shut downs.

Jul 29, 2004, 03:44 PM	#11
PangingJr Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 5,989 Rep Power: 71	i had this prob once years ago with gigabyte pIII, that used 3 sticks, 64-128 of the RAM 100/133. it kept rebooting when i tried to shutdown, i think i had to load BIOS default, couldn't use performance option, and flashed one of its BETA bios version, it's still using the beta version, no more update from gigabyte, but the machine is still working okay. i'm not sure what's next.. on your case..

Jul 29, 2004, 04:23 PM	Thread Starter #12
91Bird305 DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 82 Rep Power: 0	Yeah, I am running out of options here. I tried reloading the defaults but still no go.

Jul 29, 2004, 04:54 PM	#13
pr0digal jenius Delete Me Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 14,648 Rep Power: 0	have you tried windows 2000? windows 98 and windows Me used to do this exact same thing on my mom's P2 233, but 2000 fixed it. 2000 is an amazing OS as it can be stripped down to run on almsot nothing

Jul 29, 2004, 07:27 PM	Thread Starter #14
91Bird305 DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 82 Rep Power: 0	:shrug: I can try windows 2000 pro. But I don't see why windows 98 would just power down at random, even after a rebuild.

Jul 30, 2004, 06:41 PM	#17
Boundzy DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Shreveport, LA Posts: 31 Rep Power: 0	Another possibility is a faulty power supply, which can cause intermittent and unexplained reboots and shut-downs.

Jul 30, 2004, 08:05 PM	Thread Starter #20
91Bird305 DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 82 Rep Power: 0	I replaced the power supply (it was bad before) and checked the cables plugging into the motherboard and they are good. I checked the temp. in the bios and it was a pretty constant 89-95 degrees. So nothing seriously overheating to cause the pc to shut down. I would try windows 2000 pro but the processer speed isn't fast enough, hard drive is to small and the memory is a whopping 192mb. :shrug: I figure WIN2000 would just run slow as hell if I put it on there.

Jul 31, 2004, 01:38 AM	#21
MythicaL I like computers. Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: In front of a monitor Posts: 3,399 Rep Power: 89 System Specs	ANOTHER thing... could be EAX Sound if you have it on... EAX hard freezes some of my games, such as Painkiller and Call of Duty... so if you have it on, change the sound to Miles Fast 2D Audio instead... EAX sucks anyways... I can't even tell the difference, and you get random crashes so what's the point? BTW, EAX is the reason my Counter-Strike kept crashing over and over... just to let you know __________________ Always knew I didn't belong in this world. I wasn't made for this. But I'll never forget those who betrayed me, and those who never failed my trust.

Jul 31, 2004, 03:45 AM	#22
swimtech HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: North Carolina Posts: 4,040 Rep Power: 124 System Specs	Also, have you installed the underlying drivers - motherboard/chipset drivers could have been overlooked... I'm curious about the shutdown occuring during a cut/copy/paste operation... __________________ It's not so much getting your way that matters or not - what matters is how you go about getting it.

Aug 3, 2004, 08:47 AM	Thread Starter #23
91Bird305 DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 82 Rep Power: 0	I updateded the motherboard/chipsets and it still shut down. :shrug: The harddrive sometimes makes some loud whines. :shrug: Not sure if that is normal for some hard drives or not.

Aug 3, 2004, 09:16 AM	#24
TwistedMetal MC John-117 Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Phoenix, Arizona Posts: 728 Rep Power: 0	Here is a few things you can check. Check for bad sectors on the hard drive, it could be failing. Use memtest86 to check your memory. Bad memory can cause a PC to do random shutdowns and restarts. If it's neither of them things, it's got to be the motherboard. __________________ [color=red][/color]

Aug 3, 2004, 05:47 PM	Thread Starter #25
91Bird305 DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 82 Rep Power: 0	Memory was good, hard drive checked out. Had to be the motherboard

Aug 3, 2004, 11:49 PM	#26
Logla HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 3,311 Rep Power: 0	have you tried another motherboard? If not, its worth stripping down the whole machine and then building back up again. We get loads of pc's at work which have similar probs and its usually down to a (very) slightly loose PCI card.