Killed Motherboard?

[srg4096]

Hi

Since I have started doing video encoding (since I got my new DVD Burner), my motherboard IDE controller has developed a fault and I can't even install windows XP at the moment as the installer gets BSODs.

I'm waiting for a new IDE card (Promise Ultra100 TX2) and I was wondering (just to make sure), can a lot of video work kill the motherboard or do you think that the problem is caused by something else, I realise that video work puts a lot of strain on the compomenets.

The problem that I have started as simply once a week windows would die and now it's escalated to the point where I can't even install Windows (for the reasons explainted above).

Could it be just the IDE controller or could the whole mobo be on it's ways out??

Here is my system spec (machine is currently out of action):
AMD Athlon XP 1600+
512MB PC2100 DDR RAM
Abit KG7 Motherboard
AMD 761 Northbridge
VIA 686B Southbridge
40GB IBM Deskstar 60GXP Hard Disk (Nothing wrong with it) (Master)
30GB Maxtor Fireball 3 hard disk (Slave)
Both hard drives were on IDE Primary
Pioneer DVD-105F DVD-ROM Drive (Master)
Sony DRU-510A DVD Burner (Slave)
Both optical drives were on IDE Secondary
ATI Radeon 9000 Pro 128MB
Sound Blaster Live Player 128

And Soon to get
Promise Tech Ultra100 TX2 Dual Channel PCI IDE card.

Thanks for your help
Steven Graham

P.S. In future should I always do video work on hard drives that are on a card rather than the onboard IDE?

[overloaded_ide]

No, I don't think it could hurt anything in your system actually.
Video is large files, so your drives read and write more, but that has nothing to do with the controller wearing out. It either works or it don't!
You might want to check for hot spots, if the controller chip (or anything else) gets hot thats not good! So if you had poor cooling on a chipset, maybe the added work could cause excess heat that is not being removed.
Like running the cpu without a good heat sink will fry them. Same with the chipsets. Some boards just have a heat sink, One of mine also has a fan on the heatsink. Came that way.

Drives should hold up fine and I would not worry about them anymore than normal either. Your really working them sometimes and it is recommended to keep them cool even with normal regular use. I just have a case fan mounted in front of mine blowing past them.

Before they were warm or hot to the touch (without doing much) now they are cool like not even on.

But if your system is in good shape, then using it can't hurt it basically

[theDruid]

srg4096,

how did you establish that the problem is with your IDE controller?

BSOD during an install has often been due to problems with the RAM in my experience - or something else.

I'm not sure if I'd jump to the conclusion that your IDE controller is dead.

Have you tried a few diagnostic apps - like MemTest-x86 or maybe a Drive Fitness Test (e.g. Hitachi/IBM's - I think this is the same one I use, and it works on any make of drive... here's another link to it at a different host)

These app's make a bootable floppy, which you can boot your PC from as long as the floppy controller & BIOS etc.. are running okay.

So, they can give you a better idea as to what's wrong with the machine.

As overloaded_ide said, cooling is perhaps one of the only things which you need to consider if you're going to use your system for a lot of video. A process like encoding for 10+hrs with the CPU load at 100% can be a lot more demanding than 'normal' uses for your PC, as the CPU, chipset, hard-drives etc.. all are at heavy load, and generate a lot of heat for extended periods of time.

Burning a DVD (which takes less than an hour usually doesn't it? depending on the speed of your burner) shouldn't really overload any of your components.

cheers,
mcdruid.

[srg4096]

I've come to this conclusion becauae the problem is always with NTFS.sys

I have run memtest-86 and I do get errors, but their at different places every time or not at all. Could it be rather the RAM but the memory controller at fault? The last time I did havce faulty memory, the error was in the same place at every time, this is just random.

[theDruid]

As far as I know, memTest checks your whole memory sub-system, so if it generates errors, it could be from a number of different sources:

Please be aware that not all errors reported by Memtest86 are due to bad memory. The test implicitly tests the CPU, L1 and L2 caches as well as the motherboard. It is impossible for the test to determine what causes the failure to occur.

(from the memTest homepage)

There's lots of advice about Troubleshooting Memory Errors on the memTest homepage.

I wouldn't have thought it was your IDE controller at all if you're getting errors from memTest.

Have you changed anything else in the machine recently?

cheers,
mcdruid.

[srg4096]

2 changes

1: Added DVD Burner

2: Changed CPU Heatsync to Zalman CNPS7000A-Cu ( had to take out my mobo for this BUT my problems started before this (the prolem was erratic)

[theDruid]

If you're comfortable taking your PC apart, I would disconnect everything from the mobo except:

* CPU (& its fan obviously)
* memory (if you have more than one stick of RAM, I'd leave only 1 in at first)
* Floppy Disk
* Graphics

Then run memTest again & make a careful note of any errors if they occur.

If not, then slowly plug things back in & see if/when errors arise.

If you can borrow another stick of compatible RAM from someone to do a test, that's quite a good idea as well.

If you changed the heatsink & fan on your CPU, are you sure there is good contact? maybe try using some thermal compound to assure the heatsink is working properly.

If you could get Windoze running okay, I'd suggest you use a utility like Motherboard Monitor to check the temps.

As you can't do this, some BIOS's have the temp displays in the BIOS set-up screens. You could try looking at these immediately after power on, and then after an hour or two of running memTest, and see whether the chip is getting hot.

cheers,
mcdruid.

[RabidDog]

why dont you suspect your hard disk?, the one thing that has "worn out" on my system has been 1.5 ibm drives. I get strange noises from my remaining Ibm drive and am awaiting a replacement for another dead drive. BOTH my drives are IBM 40gb, one 5400 one 7200. My thoughts would be backup your data and reformat your drive. Definitely run drive fitness test if it can be run without smashing your data.
I think IBM really had a problem with the 40gb drives.
1.5 drives = 1 dead and 1 very suspect.

[theDruid]

I agree with RabidDog that you should certainly try and run the Drive Fitness Test, and back up your data if you can.

I've never come across a motherboard's IDE controller failing before. I have seen hard drives die though.

cheers,
mcdruid.

[srg4096]

Hi

It was in the end, bad memory.

Thanks for your help.

My 2 year old IBM hard drive is fine and has been a faithfull work horse. it has never gone wrong at all er...... ever!

[redwudz]

I have burned out 3 sticks of 256mb 2100 ddr memory in the last couple of years, a used one just yesterday. Crucial has always replaced them. Different motherboards and cases, no overclocking. One thing in common was video encoding using CCE. Very memory intensive. Usually the computer would just shut down, no BSOD's. Then would be random data transfer problems. I suspect it may be a heat issue. Everytime I would do a memory check it would show errors, but the computer would still run for a week or two before dying completely.

[Faustus]

Also rememeber that unless you tell it otherwise Windows XP will shutdown at a BSOD and you'll not usually have a chance to find out what the error is.