waldman2@husc4.HARVARD.EDU (Bruce Waldman) (09/19/90)
A problem recently developed in my 4-yr old AT clone, after I added a second 40mb hard disk. (I am not sure if this is related, however). The machine spontaneously reboots while running a program, or even if just left idling. This happened to me twice when I was trying to load a new software package yesterday, although as I said, it even occurs if I leave the machine running idle, or as a dumb terminal. Any suggestions? Bruce Waldman, bw@harvarda.bitnet waldman2@husc4.harvard.edu
frank@adiron.UUCP (Corradino) (09/22/90)
waldman2@husc4.HARVARD.EDU (Bruce Waldman) writes: > The machine spontaneously reboots while running a program, or even At the risk of sounding like I know what I'm talking about, you should try swapping the power supply with a new one. When I tell them about the symptoms, the hardware gurus around here smile knowingly, mention the word "crowbar," and hand me a power supply catalog. I think it means that the output is momentarily dipping below 5 Vdc sufficiently to cause a reboot. It's difficult to detect with a simple multimeter. Frank Corradino email: uunet!adiron!frank PAR Technology Corp. phone: (315) 738-0600 Ext 338 New Hartford, NY 13413 disclaimer: you bet!
dave@westmark.WESTMARK.COM (Dave Levenson) (09/22/90)
In article <4209@husc6.harvard.edu>, waldman2@husc4.HARVARD.EDU (Bruce Waldman) writes: > A problem recently developed in my 4-yr old AT clone, after I added > a second 40mb hard disk. (I am not sure if this is related, however). > The machine spontaneously reboots while running a program, or even > if just left idling. This happened to me twice when I was trying to > load a new software package yesterday, although as I said, it even > occurs if I leave the machine running idle, or as a dumb terminal. This is most-likely caused by the second hard disk overloading your power supply. The supply generates a power-good signal to the motherboard. If the supply is operated at its capacity or beyond, this signal may occasionally drop, which normally forces a hard reset and a cold boot of the PC. You can probably replace your power supply for about $50. Get one rated at least 150 Watts, if you're running two hard disks. If you've got most of your expansion slots filled, or if you're using other hungry peripherals, consider a 200-watt supply -- probably priced about $75. -- Dave Levenson Voice: 908 647 0900 Fax: 908 647 6857 Westmark, Inc. UUCP: {uunet | rutgers | att}!westmark!dave Warren, NJ, USA Internet: dave@westmark.com [The Man in the Mooney] AT&T Mail: !westmark!dave