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Windows 2000 Locks Up

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23 replies

by djrampant

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Brief bit of history before I start.

I added a second HDD to my system about 6 months ago, this caused the PSU to pop. After replacing the PSU I was unable to boot from my original Western Digital drive, however I was from the second Maxtor drive. I then disconnected the WD drive and rebuilt my system with Win XP.

This was running fine until I added my DSL modem. The system then got really slow so I decided to rebuild with Win2k. This was working fine for a few days but then I started getting random lockups as Win2k booted up (before the logon screen).

I then downloaded the test software for both HDD?s and for my RAM. I ran all the tests and everything got the OK so I low level formatted both drives. I then updated my BIOS to the latest version. I installed Win2k with all the updates and everything seemed OK.

The next day I booted up the machine and the WD slave drive was not detected in the BIOS, I then rebooted and neither the master or slave were detected so I disconnected the slave and booted up fine.

I left the PC on for a while and it was working, but then I came back and it had locked up again.

I have tried everything but cannot figure this out can you help?

My hardware is below:

CPU: PIII 600
Motherboard: Epox EP-6VBA
Graphics: Geforce 4
Sound Card: SBLive!
Mouse: Optical USB MS Mouse
RAM: 2X 256 MB SDRAM Sticks

Thanks in advance.

Daz.

23 replies

by spidererrol

My first thought would be the Wattage of your new power supply (which you haven't mentioned). I had very similar problems in my system, and it was due to the PSU running close to max. For your setup, I would suggest at least a 450W PSU.

by whw

It also possible that when you "caused the PSU to pop" you sent a power spike through the system, which could cause all types of intermittent problems. If possible try the drives in another systems to see if they exhibit the same problems.

As another thought, totally unrelated to the drives, it might be a power-management issue. Disable hibernation/sleep mode in the power management console of the control panel. This could also cause simular problems.

HIH

by djrampant

I have tried the problematic drive in another machine and it appears to work fine. Also any hibernate/sleep options are disabled. I havent tried the 2 drivers together yet tho.

by lawlors

If your using win 2000 then you can check the event viewer to see what happens just before the lockup. This will hopefully point you towards the problem.

by microhell

I would agree with answer 1. Your PSU is not strong enough to handle the added hardware.

How long did you run the tests for? You should run tests for at least 24 hours, if you do have a problem with the main board and they are intermittent, thelonger the test runs the more likely you will discover them.

by djrampant

I am trying to get a higher rated PSU.

Can you recommend any motherboard test software? The HDD test software doesnt allow you test for that long.

by tduval

If added DSL modem is USB, you can lock your PSU because of it.

Try USB hub to avoid this.

by stan

I have the same motherboard and the manual stated that a minimun 350 watt power supply be used. Using a smaller wattage power supply can ruin the motherboard and the processor.

by lone-it

It sounds like when you "popped the PSU" it sent a spike through the lines and damaged the WD hard drive (which is why you are having so many problems with it) and also damaged the IDE1 controller on the motherboard (which is why you are having lockup problems now). I would agree that you need to make sure that your PSU is at least 350W and I would definately look into a 450W is you can, but I would also look seriously at the controller problem.

One way to test this is to purchase an IDE controller card. Disable the IDE in the BIOS and install the card, connecting the Maxtor HD to the card and see what happens.

by djrampant

I have tried the WD hard drive in another machine and it seems fine. The maxtor drive now seems to be OK. It is still running on IDE1 as well. My new PSU is 350W, and when I have tested all my hardware i will consider buying a new case.

by sterling_aug

When you were installing Win2K, were all of the devices already in the system? I prefer to install Win2K with only the video card installed then install each additional card with a reboot in between.

Are you overclocking the system or running it at standard 100 MHz FSB setting? Overclocking can create stability problems.

Have you tried swapping the drives to IDE2? That would eliminate any issues with IDE1 controller.

Have you reset the BIOS to factory defaults and verified all BIOS settings?

Are both drives plugged into the same IDE cable? Try seperating them on different cables.

by mstech007

Try changing to cable select on the HD jumpers. Or switch the master slave settings. Or place the HD on separate controllers. Perhaps one of the HD jumper connections is not rock solid and the jumper needs replaced. Also a different IDE cable should be tried.

by maddiuex

Agreed with the power spike, but its the processor or ram that is the problem. Just cause that the program states that there is not a problem found. When windows get to the logon this is where the ram and processor kicks in

by arthurp

something that is worth looking at is the amount of power that the USB modem is drawing from your motherboard ... I've seen a similar experience, where the USB DSL modem has drawn greater than 490ma from the USB port, and the "offending" port has been shutdown, as the system enters into protection mode, and conducts system diagnostics.

Should you find that this is the fault, you should be able to run the modem via a USB hub, (or through the TFT screen ports).

Please let me know how you get on

Arthur

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