dual opertons 280 with Asus K8N-DL issue

[puciorek]

Has anyone experienced problems with these motherboards?

I have just put together rendering machine using those components (see above) and it's causing me a headache. I have also installed windows xp professional 32bits (no Service Packs for now), I have also updated the bios to v.1007. I have also installed 4GB of ECC registered RAM memory.

The computer for most part runs OK, however for no apparent reason it crashes and restarts during simple operation such as copying files from CD.

I have only briefly tested it to do a rendering and it did fine but otherwise it's terrible. Sometimes it even restarts again before getting to the point where everything is loaded.

I have power supply for 520 Watts, considering there is only CD ROM and floppy installed, is that enough power for two dual core processors?

Could it be the windows, perhaps I should switch to xp 64bit version?

Is it normal that computer only displays 3GB where I have installed 4GB?

Would it be more stable if I run it only on 2GB for Windows xp professional 32bits? Could it be the dysfunctional mother board?

Like I stated previously, I have updated the bios, is there any other update which I could perform to make this computer more stable? (chip-set)

What's the recommended temperature those two should be running on?

Sorry for all of those questions, This is a first server which I have put together and I am learning as I proceed. Thanks in advance.

Darius

I should also mention that I encounter same problem for SATA hardrive as well as the IDE regular connected hardrives. Is it better to run operating system on SATA drive comparing to IDE drive?

[Jason Matthews]

Well 32-bit windows only recognizes 2 gigs of ram without the 3 gig switch. your 4th gig of ram does nothing for you. Switch to 64 bit to take advantage of it.

 

Have you had the same problems with only 1 gig or ram or 2? I ask becasue it sounds like a ram issue. Just test it out with only a gig or two and try to duplicate the problem. If you still have problems it is either the processor(s) or a bum motherboard. Pray it is the ram.

[lecameleon]

I dont want to barge in here.. But this is in no way a RAM issue.. I am pretty sure this cannot be a RAM issue.. Yes, it is true that 4 GB will not really help on a 32-bit system.. You are better off with the 2GB sticks or you may have to switch to 64-bit as has been suggested.. try swapping RAM sticks/slots..

 

What I would consider first is the PCI devices you have added to the system.. Does it properly fit in the slot.. (maybe it is a Creative sound card.. or maybe some other device).. Or is it the display adapter..

If this were a RAM issue.. you would have faced worse problems at boot time.. not after booting.. (yes, it does happen with failing RAM sometime..)..

Overheating could also be a problem..

 

But since you mentioned "simple operation such as copying files from CD" I would also suspect a bad IDE controller (or even the CD cable)..

Really cant say more without knowing what the system config is like..

Could you boot into safe mode and try to isolate an instance of crashing (Like, does it crash when you do anything specific etc..).. just so you can eliminate OS specific problems..

[puciorek]

Both of you Gents, thank you greatly for your quick responces!

Hey, I was thinking, perhaps switching to Windows 64 would not be a bad idea (to take advantage of all the memory).

I know that Microsoft gives a free 90 day trial download of windows.

 

That brings another question, do you install Windows 64bits in the same matter as Windows 32bits? Or perhaps there are some different procedures?

 

Again,

your help is greatly appreciated

Sincerely

Darius

 

 

One more thing,

The cables which I am using came with the mother board (original from asus)

It even says which one goes to where.

Overheating, could be, although I have the panels taken off so there is enough air circulation and I checked BIOS it states temp for CPU's and MB between 40-50 C degrees. Also, this confuse the heck out of me! In order to start the machine I have to press the power button twice-is this normal?

Anyways, I should be receiving new case tomorrow so hopefuly that could be fixed, unless it is the mother board that controls it (?????)

 

Darius

[Greg Hess]

Step 1: Run memtest86.

 

http://www.memtest86.com

 

Run 2-3 passes, then stop it. (It'll run forever otherwise). This will eliminate your memory as a source of possible stability issues. I don't care if the ram was chiseled out of pure kryptonite and has a lifetime warranty, run the memtest anyway. Otherwise you could end up diagnosising a problem for weeks, when it turns out dimm 3 had a damaged memory chip. Memory is easily damaged, and an error does not indicate the ram was bad from the manufacturer, just that something may have happened to it between shipping and the installation process.

 

If you get an error, write down the megabyte area it occurs in. This usually tells you what dimm is responsible. Remove that dimm, then rerun memtest.

 

Step 2: Check the cpu temps in the bios or with a monitoring program.

http://www.cpuid.org/download/pcw2006_v169.zip

 

Unzip and run (doesn't install anything). Click the CPU button, write down the temps.

 

Step 3: Power supply wattage is similar to "speaker wattage" in that big numbers are thrown around to impress consumers. The actual quality of the power supply in question is generally more important then the wattage its capable of sustaining. What type of power supply is it? (Manufacturer/series)

 

Dual cpu systems are extremely fickle when it comes to psu's. If one of the rails isn't providing consistent power, it'll cause lockups. If Step 1 and Step 2 check out ok, check your psu voltages in the bios, and try an alternative unit if you have one available.

[lecameleon]

Yup, I agree.. totally.. I have had the same problem with my PSU.. and I had major problems because of it.. anyways, I guess the problem is still isn't solved for puciorek.. wish I could help..

[puciorek]

Unfortunatelly, it isn't.

I tried to run the memtest but I couldn't. I must admitt, I couldn't quiet understand the directions.

Neither was I succesful running the pcv2006 program which gave me error messeges on both of my computers.

 

I guess one more option for me is taking out all of the memory sticks leaving only one and see if the problem re-occurs with only one running.

 

The power supply which I am currently using is "520Watt ATX by Master Power"

 

Other than that, I tried to install Autocad last night and just as it was finishing installing it restarted and the Autocad instalation was lost.

I went to bios to check the temp of MB and CPU's and it all was btwn 45-49 degrees.

Nothing is easy as it seems....

Cheers

Darius

[Greg Hess]

Directions for memtest.

 

Step 1: Download the Zipped Iso.

http://www.memtest86.com/memtest86-3.2.iso.zip

 

Step 2: Unzip the iso.

 

Step 3: Open a CD Burning program like nero, and open the iso file on the desktop. Burn the iso image to a CD.

 

Step 4: Place the CD in one of the rom drives.

 

Step 5: Reboot the computer and get ready to go into the bios.

 

Step 6: Press the bios key (usually either del key, F2 key, or F10 Key)

 

Step 7: Once in the bios, look for the "boot order" or "boot menu". Make sure the first boot device is a CDROM or DVDROM (Burners are fine).

 

Step 8: This would be a good time to check the hardware monitor for CPU temps.

 

Step 9: Save and exit the bios with the memtest CD still in the rom drive.

 

Step 10: Restart, and let memtest run 2-3 passes. Then press esc. Record the first error you get. If you get tons of errors, you'll need to replace the ram effected. One error might be caused by another problem.

 

Report back to the forum.

[puciorek]

Thanks Greg!

Easy enough, I will let you know how it worked.

Thanks again

Darius

[Vince Paske]

I have also installed windows xp professional 32bits (no Service Packs for now)

 

I would try installing SP2 for Windows XP before doing anything else first. SP's are extremely important to install right away as they add support for hardware that wasn't around upon the initial release, as well as fix many hardware realted bugs.