Before you buy anything, lets see if we can't figure out what it is and isn't first. Go here http://www.memtest86.com/ and download. When you execute it, it will put it on a bootable floppy. If you look at the contents of the floppy it will appear there is nothing on it, but there is. When you get home, boot your machine with this floppy and run at least 2 tests. If it shows an error then that's your problem...if you have more then one stick of memory installed then shutdown and remove one stick at a time and do the tests until you get a clean test. That will tell you which stick is bad....don't forget you can change the sockets the memory is sitting in. Many times, it's not the memory, but the socket. You should have 4....try them all.

Now, if all that comes up clean, then go after any PCI card you have installed. Sound, TV cards, modem boards, even your ethernet card, if you have one. (Don't need Internet on a dead machine). If it runs without them, then do the same thing as the memory.....one at a time until you find the culprit.

Finally. I am still not completely convinced that this graphic card is faultless. When you un-installed your drivers and it came up clean on the re-boot, it shouldn't have. It should have given you the new hardware found prompt and when you ran NFR, it should have showed the main driver back in the system folder from the backup folder.....it didn't do either. If it's possible, burn any 'Detonator' drivers in the 4x.xx series to a CD and try them. you can get them here ftp://download1.nvidia.com/Windows/

Now for the simplest test of the day....make sure your Bios clock matches your system clock and while you're in the bios, set it to either 'Failsafe' or 'Default' ...some have both, some only one.

If all these pass and you still get the BSOD then we're down to the CPU, the PSU or the motherboard itself. The first two would be the most likely, with the MoBo being a remote possibility.

If you can get to a computer at home (friends, what not) that works then let me know what happens so we can fix this damn thing.

Gary, right now I have a hard-drive with 1/4th of XP installed...and obviously it's not working. I'll try the memory tests...but if that doesn't work...I won't be able to do any other tests because I can't even install XP right now. On top of all that, I'm without a cable modem for atleast 2 weeks, I scheduled a service call for June 5th, it's the only day I'll be available. I'll run the mem tests when I get home, I can only let you know how things went tomorrow. Thanks for the input though...always appreciated!

IP, the only think I know about my motherboard is that's its MSI and it doesn't have RAID. Other than that...I'm clueless. I could look through the manuals to find out who makes the IDE controller when I get home. I just pray it's bad memory...I'll be really stuck if it's a bad CPU/Mobo...I won't be able to afford a new one for atleast a few months.

Well, IP, I've had XP installed on the same PC for almost 2 years without any problems. It's only recently things started going bad. So I don't know why it would work all that time...but now need new drivers.

I'll try all the memory tests tonight, and let you guys know how things went. I can't go online at work anymore though, they're on to me!

Thanks everyone for your help...I'd be lost without you guys! See ya tomorrow...

Sorry I missed that last flurry...had a teleconference I actually had to listen to. I agree John that this is, in all probability, a driver problem. Something seems to be hitting the same memory range while it's occupied. Having said that, I wasn't aware he couldn't install XP so that leads me to believe it's a memory glitch if nothing else. If it's been running all this time, then I think it needs a repositioning or re-sitting of the memory sticks (although the MoBO should be beeping like crazy). MemTest will run without an OS, but I have serious doubts that it suddenly developed a bad sector. Those MSI boards are as solid as rocks, but my guess is it's a VIA chipset. It appears he updated his graphics driver at some point in time (since he doesn't know when, he probably got it from the Windows Update site). He needs to get the latest chipset drivers installed....if we can get XP to install. I'm leaning towards having him clear his Jbat jumper, but we'll see what the memory test gives us.

wow dude. sticky stuff all over the components? 'sounds like you're buggered to me..

i was going to give another vote for ram but.. it just sound's like your eq is gummed up. floppy drive, hdd in and out? controller board...

shame, ram happens to be the most expensive thing right now 'cause of the market. they should have ram prices on the stock market, up there with gold, silver, and concentrated orange juice

I was afraid it was gonna come to this. I've never installed a CPU into a motherboard, so I rather just get one that's pre-made with a warranty and all that. I might as well go all out and buy a new everything, 'cept for a Hard Drive. I'll get a mobo with as many on-board things as I can get, save a few bucks there, I have a good monitor, speakers, and all that, so all I need to buy is a new tower really. I'll start looking into it...and talk to my Uncle, who hopefully can loan me the money. I'll keep you guys informed...

Thanks again for all the input...really and truly appreciate it.

that goo stuff sounds kinda like the Glue...

as it Glue used to keep PSU components from touching the wrong thing causing a short or to keep them from loosing Resistance and the ability to carry the current level...

dunno if you know for sure where it came from, but that is the only place I know of that it is common inside a computer case...

#90 by Hus - 5/27/2004 6:25:44 PM Ok, are you sick of me yet? No? Ok...listen up. Abit NF7 moboAMD XP 2500+512MB ramRadeon 9200 128mband a nice lookin' case w/400w power...$400 delivered... That setup look familiar Gary? Whaddya think?

Buy it....


.....and tell them to hold the goo....

yrag....yes, I've seen it still within the PSU's box....on older comps....where the supply has probably been overloaded once or twice....and since there are appertures for venting it's certainly possible for it to dribble onto the mobo before cooling and setting again...

OK...for those scratching their heads trying to figure out if you have enough juice in your PSU for the computer you're using, here ya go...:

http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/

Yrag...was a little confused where the site was asking about the CPU Selection. I didn''''t see mine listed on there, which was 333MHz when I bought it. I added some memory to my PC and have no idea if that changes anything other than the ram. Here''''s the specs below on the PC I have now. Do you see anything there I should change or upgrade?

Dell Dimension 4600

Memory = 768 MB

Processor = Pentium 4 CPU 2.40GHz
Version = x86 Family 15 Model 2 Stepping 7
Speed = 2394 MHz

Disc Capacity = 38.24 GB

Modem = BCM V.92 56K

Video Card = NVIDIA GeForce MX 440/AGP8X

Sound Card = Creative SB Live! Series (WDM)

Sound Card = SoundMAX Integrated Digital Audio

CD-ROM Drive ( D ) = LITEON DVD-ROM LTD163

CD-ROM Drice ( E ) = NEC DVD+RW ND-1100A

USB Controller = Intel( R ) 82801EB USB Univeral Host Controller 24D2

USB Controller = Intel( R ) 82801EB USB Univeral Host Controller 24D4

USB Controller = Intel( R ) 82801EB USB Univeral Host Controller 24D7

USB Controller = Intel( R ) 82801EB USB Univeral Host Controller 24DE

USB Controller = Standard Enhanced PCI to USB Host Controller






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