Two part questions (and both parts completely unrelated)

[mjwebb007 0]

First, I built a computer for my brother a while ago and recently it overheated (they don't keep the area around it very clear of dust and cut off some of the ventilation flow to the case, and it is a desktop case so airflow is at a premium from the beginning). Anyway, after the overheating it won't boot back up into Windows. It gets to the progress bar but then after about a minute it starts all over again (restarting, BIOS post, Windows screen). I can get to the Safe Mode menu (actually usually on reboot it comes up on its own) and select Safe Mode. In safe mode, it starts listing all the files then stops and nothing happens. It stops on the same file everytime (I don't have the name in front of me but I can get it). I removed then reinstalled the motherboard BIOS battery, cleared the CMOS, reset my BIOS settings. It just stops or reboots over and over. Could the one overheat have corrupted Windows or is some component damaged? I have changed out the video cards but all other components are the same. Should I find that particular file on the WinXP disc and copy over the old one and see if that works?

 

Part 2: I want to build a Media Server that pretty much once setup and running will get very little actual direct interaction (will pretty much transfer files to and from another networked computer). I want to be able to stream files from this server and wondered about the OS. I already have a copy of WinXP x64. I realize at this point that there may be some driver/software constraints with this OS so I have decided to go with a 32-bit version of WinXP. My question is since it will be a media server vice a file server per se, should I use MCE2005 or WinXP Pro? Either one would be a new purchase so it really is question of capabilities. Please post some opinions.

[Sampson 0]

To your first question my best guess (because that is the most one can do in a forum without testing the machine) is that your CPU is damaged and needs to be replaced. You said that this was due to overheating, and the symptom is that when the OS is booting up that it stops at the same file.

 

It could be that the file is corrupt, of course, but I suspect you may have already replaced it since from other threads, you know your stuff. The reason I believe the CPU is damaged is due to the timing of the bootup. The CPU is under maximum stress at bootup and therefore its usage is going to cause the extra heat. CPU's are funny creatures. While we think of them as a single piece they are made up of thousands of transistors, which, unfortunately don't all get cooled equally. When your overheating starts can either be a function of the amount of time it takes the CPU to overheat or that the particular .dll or .exe's demand on the CPU tops the maximum heat the CPU (or a smidgen of it) can sustain before it shuts down. I'll have to look to find a stress test under DOS to see if the CPU overheats. Besides, my second guess is easier to do since the memory might be the culprit and cure the whole problem.

 

The second guess is just as speculative - memory - a stick after a few moments overheats or the specific .dll or .exe is hitting the address on the defective stick. You will need to test it under DOS since getting into Windows is out of the question. So, if the computer has an A drive, you could format a bootable floppy and use the program you can download from here: http://www.benchmarkhq.mu/english.html?/be_memory.html to test it under DOS. If the memory checks out ok and the machine does not fail, then we might need to find a stress test under DOS.

 

As to your second question - since it is going to be a server and seemingly do nothing more than pass files XP Pro would be preferred.

[mjwebb007 0]

Fortunately I do also have another Socket754 Processor to swap in. I have not done the file copy yet because I didn't want to waste my time if that was a silly venture. I will try that and see if it works. I am also using 1.5GB of memory in that computer (using three 512MB of GeIL memory) so I may strip it down to one and then swap them out. Also an easy fix since I have additional memory too. If none of the hardware switches work then I will try the stress testing (I would appreciate a nudge in the right direction on a DOS CPU stress tester though when you find it as I am trying to build a diagnostic library for future issues).

[Sampson 0]

Since the same group has a variety of CPU stress tests for free - this is where I would start: http://www.benchmarkhq.mu/english.html?/be_cpu.html