Random reboots

[Ant -|- One 0]

Hi there,

 

i get random reboots: win2ksp1(now sp2)arrives on desktop and baaam a flash of blue screen, just enough time to read (sorry, translating from french) "...starting to entirely empty memory..." and it just reboots, and no win2k's scandisk, just a normal boot.

I assume it does not come from cpu (changed a p3 550E to p3 650E)nor the ram (256pc133)cause i tried other ram (128+64pc100)and just the same !

What can cause this ?

Without warning, same thing while browsing with IE5.5sp1 or mailing with OE5... i lose the mail i'm composing or lose mails i've just downloaded... Opera and EudoraPro seem stable, no reboot while using them.

Tried to change my OlitecSpeedCom2000 driver to standard v90modem... the same...

 

Any idea ?Ask me question if you please, might help you help me...

Other harware: Ati R128proVivo (D6.40-CD20C-W2K /5.13.01.192);sblive liveware 3 for w2k, not updated to new drivers;Ibm dtla 30Go principal (os on 1st partition 3Go, the rest on 2nd part. all ntfs), Ibm dtta 9Go with Millennium on 1st part. 2Go, a Zip100...

 

HELP ME !?

[Brian Frank 0]

I've heard of SBLive! cards causing problems. You may try to uninstall the SBLiveware and drivers and the card itself. Then see if it does the same thing. This is just a guess, as I don't own a SBLive! card.

Another thing I though of is the possiblity of it being an issue if you have a Via-based motherboard. In that case, getting the latest drivers should help. Also, if you switched motherboards along with the new PIII, that could easily be the root of your problem. The fix for that is a clean install.

It looks like you've got a dual boot machine with ME/2k. It would be helpful to have all the partitions as FAT32 and not a FAT32/NTFS combination. I'm not saying that's a problem, but it's worth investigating.

On the BSOD, can you see it list any file as a culprit. I.e. .sys files?

[Cynan 0]

What execptions are you getting when it reboots?

[AndyFair 0]

If you turn off the "automatically reboot" option in the Startup & Recovery section of System Settings, this will enable you to get a better look at the exception.

You could try running the exception through the Microsoft support site, but I doubt that will help you.

Post the error here, and I'm sure somebody will be able to help.

 

 

AndyF

[Ant -|- One 0]

I found there is always (almost, not sure 100%) the same exception in the event viewer: c0000005 (access violation) with IE5.5sp1, OE5, and last night Wordpad ! The program has caused an error and will shut down, restart the program, a log file is being composed... blablabla... always the same thing

I unchecked the 'automatic reboot' option, waiting to see if it changes anything ... (think i already tried)

I'll try what Brian Frank told me...

Thanx for your support, just tell me if you've got an idea about the exception c0000005...

[Cynan 0]

Not sure on the expection.. but the only thing that I know that causes reboots ramdonly, and in any application, is either faulty memory - I'd run a test on your system to be sure its not the board or something, and the graphics drives - you could try turn graphics acceleration down and see what happens.

 

Have you always had these reboots? did they occur when you installed a piece of software? have you tried a fresh install?

[Ant -|- One 0]

No, reboots started about 2 months ago...

I tried other ram (128+64pc100): just the same.

Have to say i changed some things at the same time: new mobo (AsusP3V4X), new noname ram (one single 256pc133,2-2-2), and the powersupply (noname, 300watt,'M'on it).

I clean installed twice: because of the exception c0000005, then because of brand new 'spontaneous reboots). I just can tell that, just before reboot, a lightning fast blue screen from which i just can grab 'starting to empty memory' and baaaam

Could you mail me private, i'd like to submit what i find in the event viewer, they're quite long...

 

Want to add something else: ME does not reboot by itself, works quite fine, though i don't like it much...

[Cynan 0]

Quite long? all my events are quite small, but you, you can use a temp. address I have setup atm, kuhnahn@in-box.net (I think.. maybe .com? hmm).

 

Heres a thought too. Check to see if your memory is in the first bank (i.e. 0, 1, 2 etc, rather then, 3, 2, 1.. )- that can affect stability.

 

As for the 2K/ME thing, ME is much more tolorent of your system, 2K likes it to be fully configured.

 

I guess you could also try disabling ACPI in your BIOS, never know, could be something to do with that - I know some ppl suffer such problems.

[Ant -|- One 0]

I'll mail you when at home.

Also, i'll try disabling ACPI in bios (something else to do under Win2k ?).

The ram is single sided, on 1st bank thus taking 0-1 (nothing on 2-3, 4-5,6-7, got 4 banks on my mobo). Even tried to install 128pc100 on 1st, 64pc100 on 2nd, and my 256pc133 stick on 3rd, at the same time, no change...

Must say all this does not happen everyday... all this is really random, so do i think.

Last but not least, what do you mean by "2K likes it to be fully configured".

[Cynan 0]

It likes everything to be in order. It likes your RAM to be in the right slots, it likes its drivers to call everything in the right order... a lot of stuff in 9x/ME cheat, they use dirty tricks to acheive speed increases etc.

 

It would be helpful to see your full spec., and what software your running too.... and where as your just gonna mail it me, that kinda shoots yourself in the foot. I don't consider myself to be that knowledgable, like some of the others on this forum.

 

I'll do my best though.

[Ant -|- One 0]

Just a question, a few words:

How could i verify things start in the right order, as you put it ?

 

My spec.:

Windows2000Pro,sp2 (done not on a clean install, no pb though)

ASUS P3V4X, VIA ApolloPro133a, Ata100

PIII650E (Slot1)

256Mo pc133, bank 1

IBM DTLA 7200RPM 30Go,NTFS, OS on 1st part.3Go, the rest for data(C/D)

primary master ata100@66

Toshiba DVD SDM1212 (E)

secondary master

Zip100 (F)

primary slave

IBM DTTA 7200RPM 9Go,Fat32, OS on 1st part.2.5Go,the for data (G/H)

secondary slave ata33

Rage128ProViVo AGP4X

SBLive value

PowerSupply:300w

 

As for the soft part: nothing but the oses on separate HDD, IE5.5SP1,OE5,Opera5.11 (used instead of crashing IE) and EudoraPro5.1 (the same, instead of crashing OE), and AntiviralToolkitPro...

 

Anything else ?

Thanx !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Cynan 0]

Things in the right order.. I mean the code, e.g. 2K needs it to be a2 + b2 = c2, and in 9x/ME it can be a2 + c2 = b2 as well, because generaly 9x/ME is very badly writren, and a lot of companys write very bad drivers/software that then cause 2K to crash - it crashes because its stopping the badly written stuff from doing things it shouldn't.

 

From looking at your spec., the first things I notice are your running a graphics card at AGP4x, and an SB Live!. AGP4x causes problems on VIA chipsets, its a known issue. Try switching it down to 2x, and also lowering the hardward acceleration.

 

SBs are also known to cause problems on some systems. Pull the card out and see how it goes.

[Brian Frank 0]

Also, right after your done installing Win2k, install the Via 4-in-1's first thing. Then go ahead and install the other stuff.

[Cynan 0]

Hmm.. I'd disagree there!! VIAs drivers caused me nothing but trouble, and since SP2, I heard you don't even need them anyway?

 

Personaly I don't use them.. not that Brian's wrong or anything.

[Ant -|- One 0]

By the way, what's your spec.?

[Cynan 0]

In my sig... btw admin ppl, I just updated my profile and it showed a load of debug info.