Re: [LAU] Hard lock-ups plus MOTU UltrLite Mk3

On Sat, 23 May 2009 20:11:45 -1000
david <gnome@email-addr-hidden> wrote:

> Not an overhaul, but probably a good checkup and cleaning. I run
> machines older than that, but make sure to regularly open the cases up
> and clean up guck on fans and such. And to run it with the cover off and
> make sure that all the fans are working.
>
> I also take those little desiccant bags (that practically every piece of
> electronic gadgetry comes with these days) and pile them in the bottom
> of the case. I think that doing so has kept my systems running longer,
> keeps humidity down in the case.
>
> Darren Landrum wrote:
> > Overheating CPU? That's a thought.
> >
> > Well, I guess my system is a year old and could use a bit of an
> > overhaul. Thank you very much for the help!
> >
> > -- Darren
> >
> >
> > James Cameron wrote:
> >> On Sat, May 23, 2009 at 09:50:45PM -0400, Darren Landrum wrote:
> >>> Well, I decided to run memtest86, and it locked up during the test.
> >> Ah, good, that reduces the component set to something quite smaller.
> >> The things I would consider as cause for that are:
> >>
> >> 1. dust in the CPU cooling fins, (I take my systems outside and run a
> >> vacuum cleaning in reverse, with a thin nozzle, and play the air stream
> >> over the various parts of the heatsink),
> >>
> >> 2. non-rotation or slow rotation of the cooling fans, (if the system
> >> has a BIOS sensor display, check that it shows a reasonable rotation of
> >> the fan, typical rotation rates are from 1000 to 3000 RPM, in my
> >> experience, and is fixable by replacing the fan, or cleaning it)
> >>
> >> 3. drying out of the thermal conducting grease between the CPU and the
> >> heatsink, (I recently had to remove and reapply the grease on a Pentium
> >> 4 3GHz desktop at home, symptom was CPU temperature consistently high
> >> and random power downs),
> >>
> >> 4. failing power supply, (I unplug non-essential devices temporarily,
> >> such as hard drive, to lower the average power draw, and see if the
> >> memtest symptom goes away ... I also check the power supply voltages
> >> with a meter),
> >>
> >> 5. corrosion or other damage to the memory DIMM socket or module, (I
> >> wiggle the DIMMs during a memtest, with about the equivalent of up to
> >> 200 gram force ... if the memtest result changes in a cycle with my
> >> wiggling, I know there's damage),
> >>
> >> 6. a specific memory DIMM failed, (remove it, see if memtest
> >> completes).
> >>
> >> Oh, and above all remember to use anti-static procedures, and try not to
> >> unplug or replug things inside the unit while the power is on.
> >>
> >> Static discharge damage is particularly annoying because it typically
> >> happens months after the static discharge happens. The discharge causes
> >> damage which then takes a long time before it begins to make the
> >> component fail.
> >>
> >> So "it works after I zapped it" isn't a reliable method of proving no
> >> damage was done.

This whole problem sounds suspiciously like memory failure to me.

-- 
Will J Godfrey
http://www.musically.me.uk
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