STILL having problems with Shuttle!

[Chriz]

I made a post here about a month ago. I had bought a shuttle SB75G2 (875 chipset) and was having problems formatting the partition, and was getting stop errors while trying to install windows XP. It was also running very hot, the outside was hot to the touch. I RMA'd the hard drive and got a different one (went from a serial ATA maxtor to a serial ATA WD). That didnt fix the problem. So I then RMA'd the entire XPC, the memory, and the CPU just to be sure. So i got the replacements today from Newegg. Same of everything (P4 2.8 ghz, SB75G2, and 512x2 Mushkin level II PC3500 DDR). So i start of booting from the XP cd like last time, do a normal format. Gets to 100% and says unable to format partition, just like last time. So i try again using the quick format. AFter a couple tries it worked. But then i get a stop error trying to copy files, some usb sys file. So I shut it off and turn it back on and try a couple different bios settings. I then start getting BIOS checksum errors and it says it couldnt find a keyboard and to insert system disk into drive A. And id reboot and I would go into the bios and then the computer would just freeze, couldnt type anything. So then i turned off and tried a new keyboard with ps/2. Same thing happened. So I do a hardware bios reset. Worked at first, then started freezing up again and this time I just got BIOS checksum error, didnt say could not find keyboard. Now every time I turn it on it shows the Pentium 4 logo and doesnt go any farther, just sits there. Tried unplugging all my usb devices to no avail. I have an ati 9800 pro in agp slot, and a pci creative modem. This time the system doesnt feel hot when I touch it, so i dont think its a heat issue. I am afraid to RMA this thing and get another one, I mean how many times do I have to do this? It's been over a month already. Very frustrated.....suggestions?

 

[Grimner]

So, you've changed everything and still the same behaviour?

Well, my own little Shuttle (not the same model as yours), seems to hate working at home, while it loves offices with nice "DATA" power outlets.
I think my apartments electrics isn't quite up to the standards of the Shuttle power supply.

How about trying the little box somewhere else than your own lair?

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Tried 1 stick of ram at a time and in each slot? run memtest86 on each stick? conservative timings and lower than rated speed?

 

[Chriz]

I didnt try taking the sticks out yet but I did that with the old one i had and it didnt help. Tried the most conservative settings in the bios i could and now the display doesnt even come on, the thing turns on but thats about it. I'll probably have to reset the bios.

I did try taking the modem out today to see if that would help. I dont think it did. I got to installing XP and it had trouble copying files and then I got a stop error just like the last xpc i had. Where do you get the memtest program?

 

[Chriz]

OK, I reset the bios again and i messed around with the memory settings again. The "By SPD" auto timings the shuttle sets it to is 2.5-6-2-2. I have the level II dual 1GB mushkin which anandtech reviewed and praised, and should be able to do 2-2-2-2, but obviously not in a shuttle. So I then tried 2.5-6-3-3. That seemed to have worked. I was able to get all the way through XP installation but I had to go to work so I will have to test more later. But i hope that was it. Pretty stupid that the fail safe default memory timings are too unstable, especially for this kind of memory.

 

[Chriz]

Well I stupidly assumed the Shuttle's automatic by SPD settings wouldnt be aggressive, but I was wrong. The rated RAS to CAS delay in my memory is 3, and the shuttle sets it to 2 by default, so i'm sure thats why im having all the problems. Hopefully I will be ok now, but we'll see.