sigma@pawl.rpi.edu (Kevin J Martin) (10/13/90)
Does anyone have any ideas as to why a 386/33 might freeze up under certain conditions? Sometimes the computer will decide to completely freeze while doing something, and going back to that exact spot will initiate a freeze again. Trying the next day or under slightly different conditions usually don't cause a freeze. Some of the conditions involved include copying large files, playing games, etc. I've done plenty of virus scans, removed every driver I have, changed my BIOS configuration, booted from a clean floppy, and nothing has had any effect on the problems. It's really annoying, and I'm worried that it may become more frequent - ie, that it's only a symptom of a greater problem. System details: generic 386/33 motherboard, 210 W power supply, 1.44M 3.5", 360K 5.25", SVGA card (16-bit) and monitor, two serial ports, 101 keyboard. If anyone has any ideas, short of shipping the whole thing back (which I'd like to avoid because I need the system), please let me know! -- Kevin Martin sigma@rpi.edu
grege@gold.GVG.TEK.COM (Greg Ebert) (10/17/90)
In article <?`X%RR%@rpi.edu> sigma@pawl.rpi.edu (Kevin J Martin) writes: >Does anyone have any ideas as to why a 386/33 might freeze up under certain >conditions? Because the problem is apparently repeatable (instead of random/intermittent), I smell an 'incompatibility bug' lurking about. Some of the "generic" designs overlook the CRITICAL (I cannot over-empahsize this word) nit-pickys about GATE_A20, restart, and Port B. If you can beg/borrow/steal the IBM Advanced Diagnostics, you can narrow down the bug. Anything that does a lot of Real <--> Protected mode switches and dies predictably points to an incomaptibility. I saw some truly bizarre stuff while debugging a PC design at a previous employer.
sigma@pawl.rpi.edu (Kevin J Martin) (10/17/90)
Many thanks to all who have responded concerning the problems with my 386! No one came up with what I think is actually the problem, but I have more information now. The computer freezes during a wide variety of operations, and removing *ALL* the drivers made no significant difference. In fact, I started to notice that there was only one thing about the freezing. It could only be repeated if I had been using the computer for a while. I tried a few things out - turned the computer on and played the same game for hours on end. Sure enough, after about two hours, it suddenly froze, and would freeze again if I played again right away, or if I did other things. One time, it even froze during reboot. So the only thing in common is the time delay from startup. I've done all the virus scans and booted from a clean floppy, and it used to run for days on end without any problems. The recent addition was a large hard drive, so I'm afraid that the system is overheating. Does this seem unreasonable? If so, which component should I suspect? Something on the motherboard, obviously, since the hard drive wasn't accessed at all while playing the game. Should I suspect the processor, which, after all, is mounted less than an inch below the new hard drive? Poor design. I guess I'll have to call the supplier and have a little talk with them about my warranty. I'd prefer to solve it with something inexpensive and more convenient, like a heatsink on the chip or an extra fan, but I think I might be better off just getting a replacement while it's under warranty. If it doesn't perform as rated, they'd better deliver. Any thoughts? -- Kevin Martin sigma@rpi.edu
sigma@pawl.rpi.edu (Kevin J Martin) (10/18/90)
I got a reply about my freezing 386 system from Jack Orenstein, who can't post. With his permission, I've posted it. ----- included article ----- By any chance, is this computer made by a left-coast company named Mica? I bought a 386/33 through my cousin who is a consultant reselling their equipment. This was the computer from hell. First, I couldn't install turbo c++. It trashed large zip-encoded files while reading them off the disk. Sometimes. When I finally got the thing installed, the system kept freezing up on me, in both turbo c++ and windows 3.0. Like you, I kept stripping down the system by removing drivers, yet I could not fix the problem. I tried slowing things down by adding wait states - which didn't help. I sent the system back (via my cousin), and got a new AMI BIOS. This allowed turbo c++ to install, but did not solve the freezing problem. I sent it back again, got a new motherboard, and that didn't help. 2 1/2 months later after I ordered this piece of garbage, I sent it back and got a refund, (my cousin is a decent guy). I bought a Gateway which, after their recent price drop, was a lot cheaper, got here fast, and has been trouble-free. Lots of clear and thorough documentation, (unlike Mica). Like everyone else, I'm very pleased with the product and the company. Postscript: Mica finally admitted something was fishy and they spent a lot of time working on this one box. The problem turned out to be the CASE. Apparently, the motherboard couldn't fit quite right, (remember, two were tried), and when things got heated up, a short developed between the board and the case. So they say. They insulated the entire innards of the case and this, reportedly, solved the problem. In spite of this, they are not giving my cousin a full refund - something about a 15% (I think) "restocking fee". He brought them a lot of business, so this really isn't very smart of them. Moral: get lots of recommendations about the exact computer and configuration you're thinking about, before you buy anything. Jack Orenstein jack@odi.com P.S. Feel free to post this to the net - I can read, but posting from here is broken. ----- end inclusion ----- Incidentally, the computer isn't from Mica, but from System Ave. Anyone else have any experiences with them? They seem knowledgeable and helpful, but now I'm not so sure about their hardware... -- Kevin Martin sigma@rpi.edu