- Jul 11, 2001
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I've been running two midtowers for years. They are actually mounted one on top of the other, the top one is bolted to the bottom one with a single bolt, the top one is anchored to a window sill with a DIY bracket. I use the top one for HDTV service, principally. The bottom one also has an HDTV PCI card in it, but it's seldom used. Main very occasional use has been on the rare occasion when I make two simultaneous HDTV recordings.
The mobo in the top (most used) system died end of 2016 and I bought a used mobo to replace it. Swimmingly, it works, except for one critical thing: no matter what I try it will never resume from S3 Suspend. That makes it impossible to use it to make scheduled recordings unless the machine is left on. The second (bottom) system has no such problem. However, the motherboard in it is so old it doesn't even have an SATA controller: MSI K8N Neo 2.0v H.
So, I run IDE HDs in the bottom, seldom-used system. I have Windows 2000 Professional on that system. Fact is, it might be a better candidate for my main HDTV machine if I save data to my network. Or, maybe I can install a PCI SATA card so it will accommodate an internal 2TB SATA HD.
Be that as it may, the system has 3GB of RAM (three 1GB sticks).
Both systems have had problems locking up, freezes necessitating a reset and, of course, screwing up my recordings at least to the extent of my having to manually press the reset button, etc (very occasionally sometimes, other times maybe as much as once each usage on average... I don't know why this happens, what's at play). I tested the RAM in the 2nd system a few weeks ago with Memtest+ and got a ton of errors. This surprised me because I'm almost positive I'd tested the RAM before and it all passed. However, when I put all 3 sticks of that RAM in the system, I got the errors. I read online that I should test each stick individually, possibly by moving them around in the slots. Yesterday I get around to starting that test:
I remove sticks 2 and 3, leaving stick 1 in slot one, two passes of Memtest+ and no errors. I remove stick 1 and insert stick 2 in slot 2. However, I screwed up and didn't realize I was trying to force the stick into the slot backwards. I figured out my mistake, got it in right, but the machine didn't boot to Memtest+. Instead it gave off 3 beeps (about 1 second each) followed by a few seconds, then the pattern repeated, etc. However, I immediately smelled burning electronics. That's where it stands. I figure either the motherboard is toast(ing) or the PSU, but more likely it's the mobo. I don't see signs of burning but the smell was unmistakable. What does the beep pattern mean? I think RAM or motherboard issue. I don't recall if it's an Award or AMI BIOS. I do have other PSUs around, no replacement motherboard. Should I just shop for another motherboard for the system?
The mobo in the top (most used) system died end of 2016 and I bought a used mobo to replace it. Swimmingly, it works, except for one critical thing: no matter what I try it will never resume from S3 Suspend. That makes it impossible to use it to make scheduled recordings unless the machine is left on. The second (bottom) system has no such problem. However, the motherboard in it is so old it doesn't even have an SATA controller: MSI K8N Neo 2.0v H.
So, I run IDE HDs in the bottom, seldom-used system. I have Windows 2000 Professional on that system. Fact is, it might be a better candidate for my main HDTV machine if I save data to my network. Or, maybe I can install a PCI SATA card so it will accommodate an internal 2TB SATA HD.
Be that as it may, the system has 3GB of RAM (three 1GB sticks).
Both systems have had problems locking up, freezes necessitating a reset and, of course, screwing up my recordings at least to the extent of my having to manually press the reset button, etc (very occasionally sometimes, other times maybe as much as once each usage on average... I don't know why this happens, what's at play). I tested the RAM in the 2nd system a few weeks ago with Memtest+ and got a ton of errors. This surprised me because I'm almost positive I'd tested the RAM before and it all passed. However, when I put all 3 sticks of that RAM in the system, I got the errors. I read online that I should test each stick individually, possibly by moving them around in the slots. Yesterday I get around to starting that test:
I remove sticks 2 and 3, leaving stick 1 in slot one, two passes of Memtest+ and no errors. I remove stick 1 and insert stick 2 in slot 2. However, I screwed up and didn't realize I was trying to force the stick into the slot backwards. I figured out my mistake, got it in right, but the machine didn't boot to Memtest+. Instead it gave off 3 beeps (about 1 second each) followed by a few seconds, then the pattern repeated, etc. However, I immediately smelled burning electronics. That's where it stands. I figure either the motherboard is toast(ing) or the PSU, but more likely it's the mobo. I don't see signs of burning but the smell was unmistakable. What does the beep pattern mean? I think RAM or motherboard issue. I don't recall if it's an Award or AMI BIOS. I do have other PSUs around, no replacement motherboard. Should I just shop for another motherboard for the system?
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