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24th May 2003, 14:26 | #1 | Link | |
translation mod
Join Date: May 2002
Location: http://german.doom9.org/
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Hardware problems / How to test system stability
Hardware problems / How to test system stability
Since there are some problems with computer-software which have nothing to do with bugs or errors in the code of the program, users should also be aware of possible hardware failures. Symptoms for hardware problems include: - random reboots, system crahes often - programs freeze, do not respond to user actions - certain programs freezing during heavy use (e.g. when encoding) - ... Reasons for failures - hardware defects, bad or too old parts (nothing lasts forever...) - overheating due to insufficient cooling / overclocking - transport damages (either during shipping or e.g. at LAN-parties) - ... Result: wrong calculations, parts overheating and shutting down (e.g. overheating protection on modern CPUs/mainboards), random errors or freezes, etc. etc. see symptoms above. General CPU-information (model, temperature, ...) - If you want to know which CPU model is in your PC, then grab CPU-Z and in case of questions post the screenshot in the forum. - Temperatures can be read best with "SpeedFan". - Just download (at the bottom of the page), install and start it. - You can (and should) first run SpeedFan and then one of the above-mentioned stress test programs in order to watch the CPU temperature. - The CPU temp should not rise above 65°C during 100% load; actually, it's good to stay below 60°C. How to test system stability 1) with Prime95 (calculates prime numbers, with error detection, heats up CPU) - Download Prime95. The download is located at "Step 1. Download the appropriate program for your OS." - Unzip, start, then select "Just Stress Testing" during the first start of the program. - Go to Options and run the "Torture Test". - Let your PC run for several hours. 2) with cpuburn4 (download see below) Quote from the Readme: Quote:
Important: Be sure to close all open documents. If your PC crashes during testing, your data will be lost if you don't. I'd recommend not to use your PC while testing, since it will be very slow during testing (the test is run in high priority mode). After downloading the ZIP file, do the following: - Extract. - Now run one of these files: !burnP5.bat - Intel Pentium w&w/o MMX processors !burnP6.bat - Intel PentiumPro, PentiumII&III&IV and Celeron CPUs !burnK6.bat - AMD K6 processors !burnK7.bat - AMD Athlon/Duron processors !burnmmx.bat - to test cache/memory interfaces on all CPUs with MMX !burnbx.bat - an alternate cache/memory test for Intel CPUs - let your PC run for at least two hours (better: 8 hours, or even 24h). If it doesn't produce errors you are pretty safe that you've got a stable system. 3) Testing your memory (RAM) - Download memtest86 and create either a bootable Floppy or a bootable CD (see website for images). - Boot your PC and run the test (read the instructions).
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[Translation Guidelines] - [Overview of Doom9 translation mirrors] - - - [German Doom9] When arguing with an idiot, make sure he isn't doing the same. Last edited by Scipio; 24th May 2003 at 15:29. |
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5th January 2004, 02:28 | #2 | Link |
Theora and Mkv fan! :)
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Sydney
Posts: 347
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I have heard countless times that GoldMemory is a more thorough memory checker.
I am not sure if this is valid or not but an alternative www.goldmemory.cz Also, checking HDD for errors is also wise. Most HDD makers have diag programs on their site for ATA and SCSI. In fact i have a bootable CD that gives a menu to choose Goldmemory and multiple HDD testers : Western Digital Seagate (Seatools) Maxtor (PowerMax) Fujitsu IBM Samsung Plus many other tools I can host the ISO if anyone wants it, bout 23mb's
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Can't we all just get along? Opty 146 @ 2.5Ghz || nForce3 ||1x330 + 3x120gig || CX23881 Capture Card OCAU || My blog Proud to be an Aussie! |
23rd January 2004, 02:03 | #4 | Link |
Theora and Mkv fan! :)
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Sydney
Posts: 347
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i'll post a link tonight for everyone, when i get home from work.
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Can't we all just get along? Opty 146 @ 2.5Ghz || nForce3 ||1x330 + 3x120gig || CX23881 Capture Card OCAU || My blog Proud to be an Aussie! |
5th February 2004, 09:18 | #5 | Link |
Theora and Mkv fan! :)
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Sydney
Posts: 347
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Sorry for the lengthy delay, work has been busy (took my first day off in 2 weeks to watch the superbowl
Ultimate_Doom9_edition_ver1.6.iso 21.2MB I whipped this up quick (removing retail software) Let me know if its ok.
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Can't we all just get along? Opty 146 @ 2.5Ghz || nForce3 ||1x330 + 3x120gig || CX23881 Capture Card OCAU || My blog Proud to be an Aussie! |
12th May 2004, 01:59 | #7 | Link |
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Ultimate_doom9_edition_ver1.6.iso
Hi DaveQB
I’ve downloaded Ultimate_Doom9_edition_ver1.6.iso (21.2 MB) and burned it with NERO 6.0.0.0. The CD came out with a volume label of Multiboot Diagno and it contains a folder named isolinux which contains the following: Basic.img (1440 KB) bootmsg.txt (2 KB) cdrom.img (1440 KB) cupid.img (1440 KB) Fuji.img (1440 KB) gm.img (1440 KB) ibm.img (1440 KB) isolinux.cfg (1 KB) kill.img (1440 KB) Max.img (1440 KB) memdisk (15 KB) msnet.img (1440 KB) NTFS.img (1440 KB) Sam.img (1440 KB) Seatools.img (1440 KB) tomsrtbt.img (2880 KB) WD.img (1440 KB) The .txt file says: "The Ultimate diagnostic boot CD Creator: David Ward (DaveQB) Ver1.6 1) Basic clean boot 2) GoldMemory 5.07 4) Seatools 5) PowerMax 6) Western Digital 7) Fujitsu 8) NTFS tools 9) Samsung 11) Tom's Linux boot 12) Network boot 13) IBM 14) Intel CPU ID tool 17) Erase disk 0) Boot from first harddisk (0x80) a) Boot from first floppy drive (0x00) q) Skip CD-Rom boot (try next boot device) When no key is pressed for 300 sec, or when you hit Enter "0" will be run... Type command at the prompt..." I apologize for being dense. I don’t know how to use files with this .img extension. And the .txt file was helpful, but I was unable to fully understand the messages in it. Will you or someone else please tell me? Regards |
12th May 2004, 03:06 | #8 | Link |
Theora and Mkv fan! :)
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Sydney
Posts: 347
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hehe no worries champ.
The disk is a 'boot' disk. 1) Put it in 2) reboot system 3) go into your BIOS/CMOS settings and make sure CD is the first boot device. 4) save and exit. 5) system will boot up off the CD with a menu (like you found in the txt file) 6) hit the number of the program you want to run. ie 1 for a clean boot etc. the .img files are images of boot floppies. The disk is designed so that it loads the image file intoi memory and it runs like you have booted off a floppy of said image. Makes sense ?? Clear as mud right ??
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Can't we all just get along? Opty 146 @ 2.5Ghz || nForce3 ||1x330 + 3x120gig || CX23881 Capture Card OCAU || My blog Proud to be an Aussie! |
12th May 2004, 08:03 | #9 | Link |
translation mod
Join Date: May 2002
Location: http://german.doom9.org/
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Hi Dave,
to make things even clearer in your readme, you could add your explanation in your posting above to your readme file.
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[Translation Guidelines] - [Overview of Doom9 translation mirrors] - - - [German Doom9] When arguing with an idiot, make sure he isn't doing the same. |
13th May 2004, 01:27 | #10 | Link |
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Boy, we sure as hell can all get along!
Thanks, DaveQB.
As nicely said by Scipio, I'll now make a second disc with your last post in the readme. You may perhaps make another CD-image (.iso) with this revised readme. The reason I'm asking is that not many of us mortals can read Promish, the language of the gods (programmers), even though it is supposed to be a dialect of the English language. Regards. |
13th May 2004, 02:32 | #11 | Link | |
Theora and Mkv fan! :)
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Sydney
Posts: 347
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Sorry everyone.
I thought it was made obvious in my first post in this thread Quote:
PS i sure as hell dont consider myself a programmer, i just used Bart's way to make this bootable CD
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Can't we all just get along? Opty 146 @ 2.5Ghz || nForce3 ||1x330 + 3x120gig || CX23881 Capture Card OCAU || My blog Proud to be an Aussie! |
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27th May 2004, 12:17 | #12 | Link |
CoreCodec
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Toulouse
Posts: 726
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Just use the Ultimate Boot CD, this is what I use most of the time at work (computer tech)
http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/ Contains: Hard Disk Installation MaxBlast 3 (Maxtor) DiscWizard 2003 (Seagate) Hard Disk Diagnosis Drive Fitness Test (IBM/Hitachi) PowerMax (Maxtor/Quantum) DLG Diagnostic (Western Digital) Data Lifeguard (Western Digital) SeaTools Desktop (Seagate) SeaTools Desktop (Seagate) Diagnostic Tool (Fujitsu) SHDIAG (Samsung) HUTIL (Samsung) Hard Disk Device Management IBM/Hitachi Feature Tool AMSET (Maxtor) UATA100 (Seagate) Ultra ATA Manager (Western Digital) SMARTUDM ATA Password Tool Hard Disk Wiping AutoClave Active@ KillDisk Free Edition Darik's Boot and Nuke Hard Disk Cloning HDClone (Free Edition) g4u Partition Tools Ranish Partition Manager XFDISK (Extended FDISK) SPFDISK (Special FDISK) TestDisk (used to undelete partitions) Partition Resizer Partition Saving Free FDISK MBRtool MBRWork Boot Managers Smart BootManager Gujin File Managers DOS Navigator File Maven NTFS Tools Offline NT Password & Registry Editor Active NTFS Reader for DOS EditBINI Memory Diagnosis Memtest86 Memtest86+ Windows Memory Diagnostic DocMem RAM Diagnostic DOS Boot Disks Bart's Network Boot Disk Bart's CDROM Boot Disk FreeDOS Boot Disk Linux-based Rescue Disks Tom's Boot Disk Recovery Is Possible (RIP) BasicLinux Trinux System Information AIDA16 NSSI PC-Config PCI Benchmarks System Speed Test 32 Antivirus Tools F-Prot Antivirus for DOS (Personal use only) McAfee Antivirus Scanner BIOS Tools CMOS Password Recovery Network Tools Freesco (free router software) http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/ |
27th May 2004, 12:32 | #13 | Link |
CoreCodec
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Toulouse
Posts: 726
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oh, and myself I use Burn In Test to test the stability of the system:
http://www.passmark.com/products/bit.htm Memtest86 will freeze using an Athlon 64 (tried many motherboards), get the latest Memtest86+ 1.15 or better from www.memtest.org, it has been fixed. If you own an ASUS Motherboard with a VIA chipset like the A7V8X-X, memtest86+ will freeze because a bug in the BIOS. Get the standard memtest86 (not the '+' version) Intel motherboard simply freeze using any versions of memtest, to get it working, disabled the USB Legacy Support in the BIOS. And a good way to test your hardware is simply to do an installation of Windows XP: if you get a BSOD during the install saying IRQL_LESS_OR_NOT_EQUAL, or BAD_FAULT_IN_NON_PAGED_AREA then check your memory using memtest. If you get errors while the installation copy the files to the hdd, check your CD, and see if it happens each time on the same file, this is probably the CD itself. Otherwise, if it's kinda random, you better use the HDD diagnosis tool for your HDD. If you own a Maxtor and get an error code ending with S57, try a low level format (got this information from Maxtor Ireland), most of the time the problem could be fixed using a LLF. If Windows XP can't create the partition and get you in a loop asking to create the partition again and again, same think, try the hdd diagnosis tool for you HDD, something is wrong on this side. If you get a BSOD INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE, make sure you have a 80 conductors IDE cable, also it's possible that you installed the wrong chipset drivers and Windows cannot access the HDD anymore. If you changed your motherboard, the HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer) is now uncorrect for the new hardware and a new fresh installation is mandatory. Hope this help a little ^^ edit: removed a comma in the url O_o Last edited by BlackSun; 27th May 2004 at 12:34. |
5th January 2006, 05:02 | #15 | Link |
Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Greece Crete Chania
Posts: 38
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Regarding system stability issues,I would like to share my experience on these issues.prime is not needed for the purposes of video coding.My modile barton NEVER!! passed prime...and NEVER had problems with 8 hours of CCE!!maybe its 100% cpu usage but video coding doesnt really kill the cpu.Download OcBible from my sig and run some stress tests,its really helpfull.One other stability test is super pi to calculate 32M digits.They are effective for video coders.you can pass super pi and dont pass prime,and still be able to code for even 12 hours straight.if you dont pass basic pi calculations dont even try video coding!!
PS:memtest is a good program to verify that your memory,is in good shape! |
9th October 2006, 08:58 | #16 | Link |
Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Visit Athens
Posts: 11
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Link is broken
Well OcBible and Guidemania are downloadable here for anyone. The OcBible is complete package with many estimators etc... Guidemania includes many enormous guides. LOL OcBible is not a stability program. It includes CPU Stretcher but it is not a stability program; it is a CPU burn-in program. A complete list with must have p/c programs is here I voted yes for this guide I think it helps. Last edited by MrSeanKon; 28th November 2006 at 14:32. |
14th November 2009, 14:38 | #17 | Link |
Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 19
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Some PC hardware problems could be caused by failing parts which may not always manifest themselves - or - show up while something else is being stressed and give you "false positives" kinda. A failing PSU may give you errors on any and all aspects of using you PC. I recommend periodically tearing down your PSU (don't do it if you don't know what to do or will void your warranty if you do) and oiling your fan and checking for any visibly obvious faults like burns near any component or bad capacitors.
www.badcaps.net Get your rig cleaned out with a tin of compressed air or a compressor with a dehumidifier, or be careful if using one without it. Do that so you keep things clean and reduce the risk of stuff getting clogged up with dirt. If you're a tech, then some tools like a POST card or PSU tester along with your troubleshooting experience would definitely help to pin-point your issue. Too bad you can't vote twice..........or change the vote. The guide helps, but some additional stuff could be added to it by members. Last edited by khat17; 14th November 2009 at 14:46. |
14th November 2009, 15:17 | #18 | Link | |
Aging Video Hobbyist
Join Date: Dec 2004
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Quote:
The latest/greatest system stability tester is Linx, which is a Linpack gui interface. |
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29th July 2010, 09:07 | #20 | Link |
Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Oman
Posts: 5
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Hardware problems / How to test system stability
Hi
Ive installed Myth TV in Debian on my mac mini but I dont have any video capture hardware. Does anyone know of any suitable video capture hardware that has linux ppc drivers and will work in Myth TV? It doesnt look like any of the Elgato hardware is supported. I dont really want to have a separate backend PC as it wouldnt look good in my living room Thanks. |
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