Can someone throw me a bone here.....

[Stallion]

I'm not sure this is a Motherboard problem but I don't have any other clue.

I built my parents a PC about 6 months ago and have had problems almost ever since. It is a Asus CUV4X with a 600 coppermine, 64MG ram, SB live,voodoo 3 2000. It has problems staying running more then a week but we think thats a RAM problem so I bought them more RAM but need to install it still.

But now we have a new problem...Last week the parental unit called and said that there was a message that said, the CPU speed is not supported. I go over there and sure enough when I go and re-boot it "sees" the CPU as a 800EB. So I go into the set-up and the FSB is up to 133 instead of 100.

So I turn it back down and save it and all is well. I just figured my Dad did it some how while goofing around and left it at that. now last Sunday it happened again, my Mom went to do some work and it was back at the Set-up menu screen.

How can this be happening, You can only get to the set-up by pressing DEL while it is booting up right? I think the MoBo is crap and am close to swapping it for an Abit.

Why would the set-up menu mysteriously be poping up?

clues anyone?

 

[kw3i]

come on people throw us a bone here!

 

[Stallion]

Yeah, please.....Don't make me beg.

 

[Shukla]

You're kidding right?!

1. Lock the bios with a password.
2. Flash to latest bios.
3. What operating system? Win95? Win95 sucks at continuous running. Too many memory leaks. Should get a reboot every few days.

 

[Stallion]

Nope, I'm not kidding..

There're using W98.

My PC runs for weeks with out a re-boot. About 8 weeks so far, are you telling me that is unusuall?

 

[compuwiz1]

I think Dad knows more than he is letting on, and may be trying to discover the joy of overclocking. :Q

 

[Stallion]

Thats what I think also Compuwiz. All he knows how to do is play solitare and for some odd reason any time something is wrong he was usually the last person to be on it.

I cannot understand how the set-up page can just all of a sudden appear with out someone re-booting and hiting DEL upon start-up.

But since Good old Dad will never admit to it it will probably remain a mystery.

 

[Gatorsup]

I'd put a password on the Bios set-up, and throw dear ole Dad the bone. *L*

 

[moocat]

I had a similar situation with a p3v4x based system I built for my inlaws. It had a very specific bios setup so that it could run stable. After getting a few calls about games locking and it getting BSOD I went over and checked it out. The bios settings were all screwed up. It was like someone put them back to default even though to the best of my knowledge no one in the house even knew how to access the bios...though one of thier dogs IS spookily intelligent No one has fess'd up yet.

 

[peemo]

You can't blame dad. There's no thrill quite like Solitaire at 143FSB.

 

[paulzebo]

Actually, I think you are all right. My Asus board will do somewhat the same thing. At times the system locks up and the only way to get it going is to cold boot it. At times when this happens, it defaults to the BIOS SETUP and says the cpu is not supported. Mine reads it as a 366 though. if you tab to exit on the BIOS Screen, hit enter it boots normally until a future lock up.

So I would figure your dad had this happen and did one of two things, hit restore to "BIOS defaults" figuring you were hot rodding the system and it would be stable or he tried to tweek it himself. No, he didn't have to hit any keys to command this, for some reason its automatic. Exactly as if the system failed to boot after several attempts. A safeguard for the overclocker.

Next time you there, show him the bios screen, how to tab it to exit, return and whoopee, it will restart just as you intended it to.

Don't be to hard on him or he may never want to use it.

 

[paulzebo]

Actually, I think you are all right. My Asus board will do somewhat the same thing. At times the system locks up and the only way to get it going is to cold boot it. At times when this happens, it defaults to the BIOS SETUP and says the cpu is not supported. Mine reads it as a 366 though. if you tab to exit on the BIOS Screen, hit enter it boots normally until a future lock up.

So I would figure your dad had this happen and did one of two things, hit restore to "BIOS defaults" figuring you were hot rodding the system and it would be stable or he tried to tweek it himself. No, he didn't have to hit any keys to command this, for some reason its automatic. Exactly as if the system failed to boot after several attempts. A safeguard for the overclocker.

Next time you there, show him the bios screen, how to tab it to exit, return and whoopee, it will restart just as you intended it to.

Don't be to hard on him or he may never want to use it.

 

[Stallion]

Well thanks for the tips guys. I'll go over there this weekend and make sure everyone knows how to get out of the start-up menu with out having to call me every other day.