System re-boots randomly?!?!?!?

[Rustler505]

I'll start with the basics...

Asus A7A-266 Mobo
AMD XP1900+ CPU
512 mb PC2100 DDR
Western Dig 30gb HD
Gainward GeForce 4 Ti4200 128mb Video card

This machine was reformatted with Windows XP Pro within the last 30 days. It has not been connected to a network or the internet since the reformat. Virus checks have been done and ruled out as a potential cause.

This problem seems to happen primarily when using 3D applications, but has occured while sitting idle on the desktop. Each time the machine restarts, I get that Windows message that says..."Your computer has recovered from a serious problem, yada, yada, yada...."

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Regards,
Bryan
Post Falls, Idaho

 

[LiLithTecH]

What size Power Supply are you using?

Have you checked the Event Log to find the exact error?

 

[Rustler505]

Actually, yes.....but I'd be hard pressed to remember exactly what it said.

I'll check it when I get home and post the details.

The power supply is an Antec 420watt

 

[Zhydian]

well your rebooting problem could be caused by your cpu not getting proper cooling...

 

[amdskip]

Could be a heat problem. Does it make an error log? What about a bios update?

 

[Rustler505]

I have a solid copper heatsink and fan combo on it....according to my mobo's cpu temp monitoring software, the cpu temp hasn't gone above about 115 to 120 F. Also, my case fans are arranged in a push pull config (4 of them...)...it's like a wind tunnel in there. (Sounds like one, too )

edit...most recent Bios update from Asus site is installed...

BTW...you guys are great!!! All of your help and suggestions are appreciated!!!

 

[LiLithTecH]

What revision number is your Processor?

Revision B only supports 200mb FSB
Revision C supports 266mb FSB

So if you have a Rev B and have it set to 266 it would cause the issue
your encountering.

 

[Softballslug]

try a different stick of ram....

 

[kursplat]

go to control panel\system\advanced\startup and recovery . uncheck the "system failure" "automatic startup and recovery" box. then you can see the error.
good luck

 

[KingofFah]

You are not overclocking I assume.

 

[GtPrOjEcTX]

Originally posted by: LiLithTecH
What revision number is your Processor?

Revision B only supports 200mb FSB
Revision C supports 266mb FSB

So if you have a Rev B and have it set to 266 it would cause the issue
your encountering.

Wow, I can't believe that there are 1900XPs that are still 200 FSB. You sure about that one?

 

[AndyHui]

What version of the A7A-266 are you running? You can find this out by inspecting the motherboard. The PCB rev is printed next to the name of the motherboard in between the PCI slots somewhere.

Make sure that you have a rev 1.10 board or higher. All previous versions of this board, ie 1.03 and 1.04 do not support the Athlon XP correctly, and only support regular Athlons.

Secondly, how many DDR DIMMs do you have? If you are running with both DIMM slots full, please read this.

 

[Nirvana1979]

Actually the answer to your question is quite simple. Windows XP comes with an automatic re-boot "error handling system" that's a big pain in the butt. Theoretically it's supposed to re-boot your system instead of throwing one of those blue screen errrors. You can turn this auto-reboot option off in windows, and you may not have any more problems. If you get many blue screen errors after that, it may be a driver or memory stick problem.

BTW the path to that option is control Panel, system, Advanced, Startup and Recorvory Settings. Then unclick auto-reboot.

 

[kursplat]

Actually the answer to your question is quite simple. Windows XP comes with an automatic re-boot "error handling system" that's a big pain in the butt. Theoretically it's supposed to re-boot your system instead of throwing one of those blue screen errrors. You can turn this auto-reboot option off in windows,

cool .......wish i'd thought of that.

good luck

 

[Apathetic]

It could be a bad memory. Does it happen when the machine is idle, under a heavy load, only when you use a specific app, after it had been running for an hour?

Dave

 

[Kartajan]

do you have the service pack installed?

SP1 had a hotfix included for many early bugs, to include one that claims "windows has recovered from a serious error"...