Novatech Ricochet problem...

[solidbronze]

Hello,

I'm new to the forum, but it looks very useful, so I hope somebody can help.

I bought a Novatech Richochet Pro back in April, and it's been great, exactly what I wanted. Unfortunately, a few weeks ago, it started freezing unexpectedly. Just stopped - whatever was on-screen stayed there, and the power-on button had to be held in to reset it. It's happening now several times a day and is very frustrating.

I've tried a few things to resolve it, including rolling back some display drivers; installing Catalyst display drivers to the newest versions when that didn't work; I've run memtest86 to see if it was a memory problem, but it doesn't appear to be. I'm not sure what else to try. I wonder if anybody can help? It freezes at the most random times. I suspect it may be a memory or graphics card problem, though I admit my knowledge of computers is somewhat limited.

I have a Ricochet Pro (Novatech Order Number 4319478)
Intel Core 2 Quad Processor
512MB Memory
ATI Radeon 4800 Graphics Card
XP Service Pack 3

I've been using a dual monitor display, but have tried using just the one monitor since the problems have occurred and this does not appear to have improved things.

It seems a shame for such a new computer to have these problems, and I don't know what else to try. Any help is appreciated...

Thanks,

Andrew

[PeteA]

That sounds like a graphics card or operating system problem to me.

Have you tried booting into safe mode and seeing whether the problem still persists.

When you installed the new driver did you uninstall the old one? If not, try uninstalling the diver then reinstalling the new one.

Also check that all your drivers are installed. It may not be the graphics that's freezing the computer.

Right click on "My Computer", go to properties and then "Device Manager" to check if any drivers are missing. If they are install the drivers for those devices.

[system7]

There is a LAN driver update for the G43MX board available, I'd try installing it before connecting to the net:
http://forum.novatech.co.uk/showthread.php?t=12604

Might explain the freezes. Next on my list of suspects would be a wobbly power supply or a bios issue. It is often good to remove the coin-sized CMOS battery for 2 minutes and run bios setup again with del or F2 and set time/date/bios defaults then save and exit.

Memory testing with memtest86+ is never a bad thing either. You can run this off a Ubuntu CD.

[solidbronze]

Thanks for your help on this one, lads. I've tried some of these suggestions and given it a couple of days, and it seems to be a lot better - no crashes / freezes in that time. The main difference, however, seems to be an update to iTunes to the latest version (I had the previous 'latest' version before, but a new one's just come out) - no problems after updating at all.

I'll give it some more time, and see how it is.

Thanks for the help - it's been a genuinely massive aid.

Andrew

[PeteA]

Glad to be of assistance

[solidbronze]

Hello,

I hope nobody minds me reviving this thread, but I appear to be having further problems with my computer freezing. It seems to be locking-up again, and I still have no further idea why it is doing it, even after trying the steps in this thread. Most times it just stops, but once or twice it has produced a BSOD error message (see screenshot below).

I've noticed the computer seems to freeze almost every time I render an animation sequence in Blender 3D (it renders one frame then freezes on the second or third, even with smallish files), so I suspect this might be a pointer - but it does freeze at other times when I'm running other or even no programs. This suggests to my limited knowledge maybe a memory or processor problem?

Looking upthread, drivers seem to be up to date, and it's not a G43MX board, so that doesn't seem to be the issue. I've ran Memtest86+ a couple of times for an hour or so, but it doesn't pick up anything. I'm really getting desperate / wound up now, and would appreciate any help! I'm not sure what else to try.

Let me know if I can provide any more information to help. I've plenty of free hard drive space, and I'm confident it's not a malware problem.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d115/andreworton666/BSOD.png

Thanks for all your help,

Andrew

[Mike]

Hi solidbronze

No problem: we're here to help so posting back is not a probelm :)

Could you advise the version of windows you have installed? Is it XP, Vista, or 7RC?
I'd look it up but I'm at home so can't for the moment.

[solidbronze]

Cheers, Mike!

I'm on XP, SP3. Some more details in the first post in the thread about my set-up, if that helps too.

It's all very frustrating!

Andrew

[Mike]

No worries.

First of I think we need to find out why you're getting that BAD_POOL_HEADER BSOD.

You'll first of all need to install the latest debugging tools:
Insert your windows XP CD. Cancel the diaglogue box which appears as a result
Click START and then MY COMPUTER
Locate your DVD drive letter (under DEVICES WITH REMOVEABLE STORAGE)
Right-click on the drive letter
Click on OPEN
Double-click on the SUPPORT folder
Double-click on the TOOLS folder
Locate the SUPTOOLS or SUPTOOLS.MSI program and double click on it. Follow the prompts to install it

Once you've downloaded and installed that you'll need to do the following:
Click START and then RUN
In the run box type CMD and press ENTER
A black dos box will appear.
In the dosbox type:

cd %systemroot%\minidump and press ENTER
dir *.dmp and press ENTER

You should see some files appear. Pick one (the latest one going by date) and type:

path=%path%;"%programfiles%\Support Tools" and press ENTER
dumpchk (file) > bsod.txt and press ENTER

Replace the (file) above with the name of the file you picked.
A good example would be: dumpchk Mini044302-01.dmp > bsod.txt
As long as you have not received an errors (if you you probably mistyped the file name or something) type:
exit and press ENTER

Now we need to gra the information from the bsod.txt file:
Click START then RUN
Type:
notepad %systemroot%\minidump\bsod.txt and press ENTER
Notepad should start and it will load the contents of the bsod.txt file
Press CTRL+A
press CTRL+C

Create a reply to this thread and when it asks what you want to post press CTRL+V and the information should be copied into the message box.
Submit the post.

[solidbronze]

Thanks - and I hope this makes some sense to you...



----- 32 bit Kernel Mini Dump Analysis

DUMP_HEADER32:
MajorVersion 0000000f
MinorVersion 00000a28
DirectoryTableBase 0ae003c0
PfnDataBase 805620c8
PsLoadedModuleList 8055d720
PsActiveProcessHead 805638b8
MachineImageType 0000014c
NumberProcessors 00000004
BugCheckCode 0000004e
BugCheckParameter1 00000099
BugCheckParameter2 000596f8
BugCheckParameter3 00000001
BugCheckParameter4 00000000
PaeEnabled 00000001
KdDebuggerDataBlock 8054d2e0
MiniDumpFields 00000cff

TRIAGE_DUMP32:
ServicePackBuild 00000300
SizeOfDump 00010000
ValidOffset 0000fffc
ContextOffset 00000320
ExceptionOffset 000007d0
MmOffset 00001068
UnloadedDriversOffset 000010a0
PrcbOffset 00001878
ProcessOffset 00002268
ThreadOffset 000024c0
CallStackOffset 00002720
SizeOfCallStack 000004b0
DriverListOffset 00002e60
DriverCount 00000074
StringPoolOffset 000050d0
StringPoolSize 00002218
BrokenDriverOffset 00000000
TriageOptions ffffffff
TopOfStack a9ff3b50
DebuggerDataOffset 00002bd0
DebuggerDataSize 00000290
DataBlocksOffset 0000e5d0
DataBlocksCount 00000001


Windows XP Kernel Version 2600 (Service Pack 3) MP (4 procs) Free x86 compatible
Built by: 2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.090206-1234
Kernel base = 0x804d7000 PsLoadedModuleList = 0x8055d720
Debug session time: Sat Aug 22 22:25:30 2009
System Uptime: 0 days 0:00:36
start end module name
804d7000 806e4000 nt Checksum: 001F9D43 Timestamp: Fri Feb 06 10:32:51 2009 (498C11D3)

Unloaded modules:
ba3b0000 ba3b5000 Cdaudio.SYS Timestamp: unavailable (00000000)
ba568000 ba56b000 Sfloppy.SYS Timestamp: unavailable (00000000)
ba3a8000 ba3ad000 Flpydisk.SYS Timestamp: unavailable (00000000)
ba3a0000 ba3a7000 Fdc.SYS Timestamp: unavailable (00000000)

Finished dump check

[Mike]

Ok that one is for a STOP 0x0000004E blue screen error
The module it crashed in is nt which is Ntsokrnl.exe (i.e. the kernel)

STOP 0x0000004E is PFN_LIST_CORRUPT and points to your RAM

So, I think you need to now download a memory checker. You can get one from www.memtets86.com (http://www.memtets86.com)
Click ISO image for creating bootable CD (Windows - zip) (http://www.memtest86.com/memtest86-3.5.iso.zip) when you to that site and save the file to you desktop
Right click on the downloaded file and click EXTRACT ALL. Follow the prompts.
An ISO file called memtest memtest86_3.5.iso will created
Download and install IMGBURN from here: www.imgburn.com (http://www.imgburn.com)
And then run it
Click on WRITE IMAGE FILE TO DISC
Under SOURCE click on the small yellow folder symbol with a magnifying glass on it
navigate to the memtest_3.5.iso file on your desktop and add it
Now click on the icon at the bottom to burn the file

You now ahve a working memory checker disc. This disc does not work within windows but from POST/boot. SO leave the disc in and reboot the PC. It should launch the memory checker before windows appears (as loong as your boot sequence in the BIOS says CD/DVD first)

Leave it to test the memory for good couple of hours atleast and see if you get any errors.
If you do then write them down and post them back here.

Please note that the test never stops. At anyt time you can eject and remove the memory check disc and restart the PC by tapping CTRL+ALT+DELETE.

[system7]

Here's the stop error in the photo for reference:

BAD_POOL_HEADER

STOP: 0x00000019 (0x00000020, 0xE1385A90, 0xE1385AF8, 0x0C0D0419)

I just post that because I thought it might have lead somewhere. It didn't...lol

Very interesting, Mike. How did you get to STOP 0x0000004E is PFN_LIST_CORRUPT ?

[Mike]

Yep the bad pool one refers to a driver crash I think (you know what STOP errors are like for their accuracy :D). But the file picked here is actually for the 4E one.

If you have a look at the listing you'll see a line saying: BugCheckCode 0000004e
That's the one to look for. The other lines
BugCheckParameter1 00000099
BugCheckParameter2 000596f8
BugCheckParameter3 00000001
BugCheckParameter4 00000000
Ar the parameters for that STOP error and of course PaeEnabled 00000001
refers to Physical Address Extension and is turned on.

[Mike]

The STOP 4E code I googled just in case, but it is PFN_LIST_CORRUPT. Sen the fellow before in relation to IRQL STOP errors and *normally* points to RAM.
I'll say normally as I like to hedge my bets lol.

[solidbronze]

In a way, I'm sort of glad if it is a RAM problem, as it's cheap enough to buy more. :)

Thanks for your help, Mike. I have ran Memtest86 previously, but I might try it again for a longer period (overnight?) and see if it finds anything.

One question: is it worth testing the two memory sticks separately? i.e. remove one, test it, then swap and test the other?

I shall report back!

[system7]

Thanks, Mike. Educational. I'll shut up now. :thumbs:

[Mike]

In a way, I'm sort of glad if it is a RAM problem, as it's cheap enough to buy more. :)

Thanks for your help, Mike. I have ran Memtest86 previously, but I might try it again for a longer period (overnight?) and see if it finds anything.

One question: is it worth testing the two memory sticks separately? i.e. remove one, test it, then swap and test the other?

I shall report back!
Definately worth testing them seperately if a ram error is found - don't forget though that BSOD errors are generic pointers and it still might be somethig else. Also, if you can have a look at the other dump files in the %systemroot%\minidump folder, get the bit marked BugCheckCode and report the codes it'll give us a fuller picture.

BTW if you purchased this PC in april this year it means that the ram would be within warranty and Novatech'll be happy to get them or even the whole PC tested/sorted out.

[solidbronze]

Ah right, really? I did try contacting Novatech directly via their website when the problems first occurred, but beyond the auto reply, they did not respond to me. It seemed a little unfair at the time...

As a test, I've just tried to run the computer with one RAM stick only inserted, then swapped and tried just the other, and the problem occurred both times. There do not appear to be any other memory dump files available either.

I'm not sure how to go about taking this up further with Novatech now, to ensure I get a response. :(

[system7]

You'll best talk to a real person at Novatech. BAD_POOL_HEADER was also commonly related to CD burning software and WiFi sticks when I looked.

What I would be doing here next is set bios defaults, set CD to boot before HD and reinstall a recentish Windows with minimal extra software. Disconnect USB stuff and add-on cards. Reboot between driver installs. If it then misbehaves, you can be fairly sure it's a hardware issue. A Ubuntu Live CD is often interesting to try too.

[Mike]

Ok it's not going to be RAM then.
Is it only in Blender 3D that the PC locks? Have you tried other render programs?

[solidbronze]

I haven't tried other render programs, but it does lock at other times: sometimes when watching a DVD, sometimes when I click the middle mouse button to scroll in Firefox, sometimes just at random times, occasionally when no programs are running. The last three times it froze on the first blue loading screen as Windows loaded, meaning I couldn't get into XP. Three times in a row - could that suggest an overheating issue?

[Mike]

Ok to check out a possible temperature issue wait until the next time it locks up very quickly shut down the PC (press and hold in the power button for 5 to 6 seconds). Turn the PC on, press DELETE almost straight away to get into the BIOS Setup.

Now highlight PC HEALTH STATUS and press ENTER
Look for the CPU Temperature setting. It should be listed in degrees C.
This number should be between 20 deg C and 65 deg C. If it's in the mid to high 60s or higher then it is a temperature issue.
Please post the temp here. Also, please post the CPU fan speed as well.

Beyond that random lockups can be cause by many things but PSU is the next thing to have a look at. But I think maybe we need to have a look at the PC for you if so.

the pone other thing you can try is to wait until you next get a crash. Then hed into your event viewer to see if anything is listed for the crash (click START, right-click MY COMPUTER, click MANAGE, click [+] next to EVENT VIEWER. Have a look under SYSTEM and APPLICATION to see if there are any entries for the time of the lock up. Please post any event ID and description.

[solidbronze]

It's just happened again while running PowerDVD. I've check CPU temp and it's running at 31 deg C, which seems fine. CPU fan speed fluctuates around 1560-1590 RPM.

There are several entries under Event Viewer for the time of the crash.

Under System:

- Event ID 6009
Microsoft (R) Windows (R) 5.01. 2600 Service Pack 3 Multiprocessor Free.

- Event 6005
The Event log service was started.

And under Application:

- Event ID 105 "ATI Smart"
The service was started

- Event ID 0 "bgsvcgen"
Service started

- Event ID 0 "gupdate1c9b3c16ebf0ae6"
The description for Event ID ( 0 ) in Source ( gupdate1c9b3c16ebf0ae6 ) cannot be found. The local computer may not have the necessary registry information or message DLL files to display messages from a remote computer. You may be able to use the /AUXSOURCE= flag to retrieve this description; see Help and Support for details. The following information is part of the event: Service started.

- Event ID 0 "gusvc"
The description for Event ID ( 0 ) in Source ( gusvc ) cannot be found. The local computer may not have the necessary registry information or message DLL files to display messages from a remote computer. You may be able to use the /AUXSOURCE= flag to retrieve this description; see Help and Support for details. The following information is part of the event: Service started.

- Event ID 1 "Bonjour Service"
The description for Event ID ( 1 ) in Source ( Bonjour Service ) cannot be found. The local computer may not have the necessary registry information or message DLL files to display messages from a remote computer. You may be able to use the /AUXSOURCE= flag to retrieve this description; see Help and Support for details. The following information is part of the event: mDNSResponder started

- Event ID 1800 "SecurityCenter"

The Windows Security Centre has started.


All within a second or so of the crash happening, as far as I can see.


Looking back through previous Events in the log, the event 7036
"The IMAPI CD-Burning COM Service service entered the stopped state."
has appeared several times. There were also 13 Error messages within a two minute period on Monday, all of which are listed as

- Event ID 9
The device, \Device\Ide\IdePort2, did not respond within the timeout period.


I don't know whether any of this is relevant!

Thanks for your time.

[solidbronze]

Anyone... please??

I've thoroughly checked RAM with Memtest86+, and swapped out the memory sticks, and found nothing.

I've ran a repair install of Windows XP, to see if any files or drivers had gone astray. Still got problems.

I've unplugged the CD/DVD burner to see if that caused any lock ups. No change.

I'm assuming now that the problem is either in the power supply, processor or hard-drive. I'm edging toward the latter after some of the crashes I've seen, but I'm by no means certain.

It crashes at any time, but particularly when rendering in Blender; when playing, say, Flash games in a Firefox browser; and often when watching a DVD with PowerDVD - but not every time. When it does crash, it tends to crash again immediately on the next two or three reboots, ususally on the Windows 'Welcome' screen. This happens even if I select 'Last Known Good Configuration'.

I've been having this problem for two months now, and in that time, Novatech have singularly failed to respond to a single communication from me. Not only is this the worst computer I have ever bought, but this is the worst customer service I have ever experienced from any company, ever. I don't know what else to do. In the UK, they are legally required to sell goods that are fit for purpose. They haven't. All I want is a response.

What next? Reinstall Windows?

[system7]

I'm a bit unclear how much memory you have installed here. Could you post the text report from the last tab of CPU-Z like so:

http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php


Memory SPD
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

DIMM # 1
SMBus address 0x50
Memory type DDR2
Module format Regular UDIMM
Manufacturer (ID) Melco (7F7F7F8300000000)
Size 2048 MBytes
Max bandwidth PC2-6400 (400 MHz)
Part number
Number of banks 2
Data width 64 bits
Correction None
Nominal Voltage 1.80 Volts
EPP no
XMP no
JEDEC timings table CL-tRCD-tRP-tRAS-tRC @ frequency
JEDEC #1 4.0-4-4-12-16 @ 266 MHz
JEDEC #2 5.0-5-5-18-23 @ 400 MHz
JEDEC #3 6.0-5-5-18-23 @ 400 MHz
SPD registers
00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 0A 0B 0C 0D 0E 0F
00 80 08 08 0E 0A 61 40 00 05 25 40 00 82 08 00 00
10 0C 08 70 01 02 00 03 25 40 3D 50 32 1E 32 2D 01
20 17 20 05 12 3C 1E 1E 00 36 39 7F 80 14 1E 00 00
30 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 12 E1
40 7F 7F 7F 83 00 00 00 00 01 20 20 20 20 20 20 20
50 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 00 00 00 00 00
60 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
70 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
80 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
90 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
A0 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
B0 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
C0 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
D0 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
E0 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
F0 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF

DIMM # 2
SMBus address 0x52
Memory type DDR2
Module format Regular UDIMM
Manufacturer (ID) Melco (7F7F7F8300000000)
Size 2048 MBytes
Max bandwidth PC2-6400 (400 MHz)
Part number
Number of banks 2
Data width 64 bits
Correction None
Nominal Voltage 1.80 Volts
EPP no
XMP no
JEDEC timings table CL-tRCD-tRP-tRAS-tRC @ frequency
JEDEC #1 4.0-4-4-12-16 @ 266 MHz
JEDEC #2 5.0-5-5-18-23 @ 400 MHz
JEDEC #3 6.0-5-5-18-23 @ 400 MHz
SPD registers
00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 0A 0B 0C 0D 0E 0F
00 80 08 08 0E 0A 61 40 00 05 25 40 00 82 08 00 00
10 0C 08 70 01 02 00 03 25 40 3D 50 32 1E 32 2D 01
20 17 20 05 12 3C 1E 1E 00 36 39 7F 80 14 1E 00 00
30 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 12 E1
40 7F 7F 7F 83 00 00 00 00 01 20 20 20 20 20 20 20
50 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 00 00 00 00 00
60 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
70 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
80 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
90 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
A0 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
B0 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
C0 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
D0 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
E0 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
F0 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF

After a crash, it is a plan to enter bios and load defaults. But really a fresh install of Windows and minimal software is the only test for stability. Some of your error messages look CD burning software related.

[Mike]

Sorry aout the delay getting back to you solidbronze.

In addition to what Stve (system7) advises:
What's interesting is that ' gupdate1c9b3c16ebf0ae6' and 'gusvc' seem related to Google update service/Google tool bar.
Try uninstalling these if they can be found in add/rmeove programs.
If not then:
Click START > RUN. Type services.msc and press ENTER. See if you can find Google anywhere in the listed services. If so then disable it (right click, click PROPERTIES and then click STOP and change the startup type to DISABLED) and click on OK. Also, click START then RUN. Type msconfig and press ENTER. Click on the startup *tab*, locate anything mentioning Google in the list and untick it. Click OK and agree to restart. When you reboot click on the tickbox which prevents the wrnign message form appearing and click OK.

One other thing: have you recently update your antivirus software and done a scan?

[solidbronze]

Thanks, as ever, for the replies. Apologies if I'm getting a little frustrated here occasionally!

I've followed Mike's instructions re the Google updater, but it hasn't stopped the crashes. As to system7's advice, I hope this is all you need:


Memory SPD
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

DIMM # 1
SMBus address 0x50
Memory type DDR2
Module format Regular UDIMM
Manufacturer (ID) (FF00000000000000)
Size 2048 MBytes
Max bandwidth PC2-6400 (400 MHz)
Part number RM2GB484CA-64FC
Serial number FFFFFFFF
Manufacturing date Week 52/Year 08
Number of banks 2
Data width 64 bits
Correction None
Nominal Voltage 1.80 Volts
EPP no
XMP no
JEDEC timings table CL-tRCD-tRP-tRAS-tRC @ frequency
JEDEC #1 4.0-4-4-12-16 @ 266 MHz
JEDEC #2 5.0-5-5-15-20 @ 333 MHz
JEDEC #3 6.0-6-6-18-24 @ 400 MHz
SPD registers
00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 0A 0B 0C 0D 0E 0F
00 80 08 08 0E 0A 61 40 00 05 25 40 00 82 08 00 00
10 0C 08 70 01 02 00 07 30 45 3D 50 3C 1E 3C 2D 01
20 17 25 05 12 3C 1E 1E 00 06 3C 7F 80 14 1E 00 00
30 00 03 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 10 E2
40 FF 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 52 4D 32 47 42 34 38
50 34 43 41 2D 36 34 46 43 FF FF FF FF FF 08 52 FF
60 FF FF FF FF 52 30 38 4C 35 32 4D 54 37 31 FF FF
70 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 00
80 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
90 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
A0 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
B0 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
C0 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
D0 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
E0 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
F0 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF

DIMM # 2
SMBus address 0x51
Memory type DDR2
Module format Regular UDIMM
Manufacturer (ID) (FF00000000000000)
Size 2048 MBytes
Max bandwidth PC2-6400 (400 MHz)
Part number RM2GB484CA-64FC
Serial number FFFFFFFF
Manufacturing date Week 52/Year 08
Number of banks 2
Data width 64 bits
Correction None
Nominal Voltage 1.80 Volts
EPP no
XMP no
JEDEC timings table CL-tRCD-tRP-tRAS-tRC @ frequency
JEDEC #1 4.0-4-4-12-16 @ 266 MHz
JEDEC #2 5.0-5-5-15-20 @ 333 MHz
JEDEC #3 6.0-6-6-18-24 @ 400 MHz
SPD registers
00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 0A 0B 0C 0D 0E 0F
00 80 08 08 0E 0A 61 40 00 05 25 40 00 82 08 00 00
10 0C 08 70 01 02 00 07 30 45 3D 50 3C 1E 3C 2D 01
20 17 25 05 12 3C 1E 1E 00 06 3C 7F 80 14 1E 00 00
30 00 03 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 10 E2
40 FF 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 52 4D 32 47 42 34 38
50 34 43 41 2D 36 34 46 43 FF FF FF FF FF 08 52 FF
60 FF FF FF FF 52 30 38 4C 35 32 4D 54 35 32 FF FF
70 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 00
80 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
90 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
A0 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
B0 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
C0 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
D0 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
E0 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
F0 FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF

[Mike]

solidbronze are you still experiencing this issue?

If so (and if you're ok trying it) then I might suggest a few other things but more hardware orientated:

1) reseat the connections to your hard disc drive
Turn the PC off
Remove the left side panel (there are two thumb screws and also possibly a plastic cable tie (cut this))
Locate the hard disc drive (in the front midway down or possibly at the bottom)
Unplug both the data and power cable
Plug them back in
Put the side panel back on and screw the thumb screws back in

2) reload the BIOS Setup (CMOS) defaults
Turn the PC on
Immediately tap the DELETE key a few times to bring the BIOS Setup Utility up
Highlight LOAD OPTIMISED DEFAULTS and press ENTER
Confirm you wish to continue
Highlight STANDARD CMOS FEATURES and press ENTER
Locate FLOPPY A and highlight it
use the PAGE UP or PAGE DOWN key to change the setting to NONE or NOT INSTALLED
Press F10 to save and exit. Confirm you wish to do this.

3) Check the Temperature & voltages
After the PC locks up next immediately do the the following:
Restart the PC
Immediately tap the DELETE key a few times to bring the BIOS Setup Utility up
Highlight PC HEALTH STATUS and press ENTER
Have a look at the following and write them down:
CPU Temperature
CPU Fan Speed
Vcore
Memory 1.8V
+12V
VCC 3.3V
See if any of them vary outside of 10%

[system7]

Well, FWIW, I've been getting random reboots while doing nothing lately. Not too worried because I'm doing a fresh install soon, but I too have Google Toolbar which slipped past me as part of something I wanted like Acrobat.

I think it's flaky...I quite like having Google available in the awful IE8...but Firefox browser is where I'll be going next...lol

Oh, that memory looks fine.

[solidbronze]

Mike, I've tried your latest suggestions without luck. My temp settings etc:

CPU Temperature - 29 deg C
System Temperature - 33 deg C
CPU Fan Speed - 3416 RPM
SYS Fan 1 Speed - 4477 RPM
Vcore - 1.232V
3.3V - 3.360V
5V - 5.045V
12V - 11.968V
5V SB - 5.040V

I've also heard back from Novatech directly, which is very kind of them. However, I have decided to attempt a Windows reinstallation in the hope that there lies the problem. If I still have problems after that, I may be forced to return the computer to Novatech.

[solidbronze]

New symptoms - the last couple of times Ive turned the PC on, Windows doesn't boot, the blue power light has not illuminated on the front of the case, and the monitor power light remains in orange stand-by mode - even though the fans start spinning, and all other signs indicate it's on. I'm wondering if theres a faulty power connection to the hard-drive or a bad hard-drive altogether?

[solidbronze]

Well, a complete clean reinstall of XP has failed to remedy this freezing problem, so I'm sure it must lie somewhere between power supply and hard-drive. Anyone any suggestions before it goes back to Novatech? I could really do without this right now...

[system7]

Time to RMA it, my friend. Nova have better resources than you to swap out power supply and take it from there.

[Mike]

Hi solidbronze. I've responded to the email you sent with the RMA details. Let me know if you run into problems.