Can anyone reccomend a few good low level hardware diagostics programs?

[aka1nas]

I'm trying to figure out exactly what's wrong with my friend's computer(P4 system from last years Retail sales rep deal). It's been moderately unstable with a few random freezes and lockups. I already tried memtest86 on it and it freezes about 10 seconds into it every time, so I am starting to think that its a hardware problem. I don't run Intel at the moment myself, so I don't have another board/etc to swap in. What other software would be helpfull in diagnosing what the bad component is? I am leaning towards the PSU, as it is a no name, but I'd like to make sure before I go tell her to spend money on something.

 

[bjc112]

You can start off by checking temps. Voltages etc.

If it's a no name chances are its a POS. Check the rails and what not..

What motherboard is it? It should have some type of program like Asus Probe or something..

Try MBM 5 too.

 

[aka1nas]

Its an Intel mobo and has no voltage monitor in the BIOS(I can't stand the BIOS on the board). I can't remember the model off the top of my head, but it was the one that Intel gave away with their holiday retail sales rep deal last x-mas. No O/C options, USB 2, Single Channel DDR333 I believe. I'm having her bring her tower over to my place in a couple days and I'll do mbm, etc and see how that works. I was hoping for something a little more low level that I could boot off of and isolate the hardware from any possible cruftiness in the OS.

 

[flexy]

I already tried memtest86 on it and it freezes about 10 seconds into it every time, so I am starting to think that its a hardware problem.

cheezzzz...if you cant even memtest86 get to run......there is not much software, so the chance of a hardware failure is about 99,99999%.....did you try to swap out memory ? tried another PSU ?

I'd say problem with either) weird bio settings (memory timings, FSB, cpu clock etc..)...and/or defective memory module....try to re-seat the module...put it in another slot etc...

 

[redhatlinux]

What is the 'memtest' failure. Seems likely that you have a memory problem.

 

[aka1nas]

I already swapped slots last night to no effect. I was working on it at her place so I didn't have any hardware handy to swap in, and I unfortunately don't have any P4 Mobo's/chips to swap so if the RAm ends up being ok then I don't know what else I can really swap to isolate the bad component. Also, I thought I read at one time that memtest86 can be finicky with certain chipsets and maybe require certain parameters so i didn't want to tell that she had a hardware problem for sure as she was already freaking out about it.(It's her first "built" computer)

 

[Ionizer86]

Is it under Dell support? The power supplies from OEM's usually actually do their job decently because they test extensively. The board's probably an intel based on an 845e or 845pe chipset or something....ram should be crucial...I'd call Dell I guess.

 

[aka1nas]

Sorry if I wasn't clear... this is a system I helped her build a few months ago that is acting up. It's a retail Intel board/CPU combo Intel was offering to qualifying retail salespeople during x-mas.

 

[madthumbs]

Tried SISsoft's SANDRA ? It's shareware, and most of the good stuff in it is free.

 

[Shad0hawK]

a couple of good diagnostic that boot from a floppy are Toolstar and Troubleshooter

i believe you can DL demos that work for like 30 days, used to anyway.