Built Computer won't boot

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  1. Posts : 472
    Windows 7 Professional 64 bit
       #51

    Bituser said:
    I will see if anyone else can confirm this, but I think I'm going to just buy 1 GB ram stick for now.

    Does this seem ok?
    A-RAM 1GB PC-5300 667MHz DDR2, VALUE series Memory - Desktop Memory DDR2 - Elive.co.nz
    I have heard of A Ram..it's ram is all nothing special about it...never heard anything bad about it so my guess is if it's cheap and you just want it for benching/stability checking it will most likely do what you require of it.

    :)
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 2,039
    Several, including Windows 7 x64 Ultimate
       #52

    Bituser said:
    Do you know what I can do to fully test it?

    There are quite a few things you can do to test it, but a lot depends on what you want to use it for. If you are just going to use it as a file server, then there is not much point in carrying out a lot of tests, because the machine will not be used in such a manner. This is a problem with lots of machines, how you test them is seldom analogue to what you are actually going to use them for.

    The vast majority of modern high performance desktop machines are only really challenged at all by some high end games. The actual speed/performance of the machines is governed more or less entirely by the processor and peripheral chips on the board. The only real bottleneck is invariably the mass storage used, still mostly mechanical hard drives. The other major problem still to be addressed is satisfactory cooling for high performance chips. The more powerful these chips become, the larger the problem.

    With an old board and CPU as you have there, it is not going to do anything spectacular, and once you actually have it running, then they tend to be fairly reliable. Just about the only things that will kill a file server like that are overheating, and damage to moving parts, like hard drives, cooling fans etc, mains power faults, and things like lightning strikes! If you want a reliable server, then use at least a power filter plug socket.( Overvoltage protection ).

    Overvoltage - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    Multi-outlet extension lead with over-voltage protection - ELFA electronics store

    This will prevent most damage due to mains power faults like high transient spikes or lightning strikes in your area. These will often kill switching power supplies and motherboards without such protection immediately.

    Make sure you have a decent cooling system. Usually on these machines a heat sink coupled with a cooling fan. I would not advise you to skimp on that, because if it fails the CPU will die more or less immediately. Also, depending on where you are going to run the machine, constant noise can be really annoying, so go for a good quality fan assembly. This is worth it even on a cheap machine, as even a very good one will not cost a lot, but makes the machine much less noisy and also more reliable. I like these on machines of the type you are using, quiet, and reliable;

    ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro CPU Kühler für Socket 775: Amazon.de: Computer & Zubehör

    You might also like to couple that with this software for fan speed regulation among other things;

    SpeedFan - Access temperature sensor in your computer

    Once upon a time when building machines like the one you have we would run a so-called "Burn-in" test, at least 12 hours, usually overnight, with various test programs. If a machine was going to fail it would usually do so within that time period. This was de rigueur if you didn't want a lot of customer complaints. These were more or less all new machines. At one time we turned out thousands of them in various configurations. I assume that most good companies still do it. Comprehensive professional testing equipment and software is beyond the reach of most private individuals, mainly because of the cost, but also because you have to know how to use it, and it costs time and money to train technicians who can do it.

    Here is an example of such;

    QuickTech for Windows- Windows diagnostics and burn-in

    They don't sell "retail packages", you can only get a tailor-made suite from them, and they will quote a price once consultations are completed on your requirements. You can get various packages from other companies, but even the cheapest setups will usually be far out of a private individual's price range.

    Also, it is as well to remember that many professional technicians will see more faults in a day than many "normal" computer users will see in a lifetime. These are also often "unusual" faults to anybody except somebody who is required to diagnose and repair them. This is also one major reason why such technicians can find and cure the majority of faults very quickly, they know them from experience.

    Once you have a "new" or "unknown" system up and running, as you obviously now have, then you have already passed the most difficult stages, and low level hardware diagnostics are no longer necessary.

    Here are a few examples of test software you can use if you want to test various stuff. This is all freeware for personal use, and is adequate for the sort of testing you want to do.

    HD Tune website

    Probably the most important test software for you, especially if you are using old or suspect discs. Gives a lot of useful information.

    also extremely useful;

    | Seagate

    Ram Tester, self explanatory.

    MemTest: RAM reliability tester for Windows

    Information tools;

    Speccy - System Information - Free Download

    http://www.hwinfo.com/ ( you want the HWiNFO32 for Windows).

    Monitor tester;

    Download Nokia Monitor Test 1.0.0.1 Free - Nokia Monitor Test helps you adjust your monitor to your needs - Softpedia

    I have a lot of other stuff on some other machines and I will try and put it together for you later today.

    Here is a fairly comprehensive selection of stuff you can try;

    Monitor tools - LCD Display tools, Freeware, Free Download, computer monitor and display test tools, CRT display, LCD TFT monitor

    These tools and utilities are in German, from a computer magazine which puts a lot of emphasis on hardware, but most are self-explanatory, and you should be able to use them. One of the most important from your point of view is c't BIOS:

    c't-Systeminfo | c't

    I will send this post now though so you can get a start with some of the stuff..............

    Just one final point in this post. There is some software available for running "load testing", and similar. This is not a good idea on systems like the one you have. It can easily kill a system which otherwise might have run happily for years as a simple file server, but wont last five minutes under extreme loading, which would never actually occur in "normal" use.

    Regards....Mike Connor
    Last edited by Mike Connor; 19 Apr 2011 at 04:29.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 279
    Windows 7 Home Premium x64
    Thread Starter
       #53

    Hello Mike,

    Wow! That was a bit to get through. I appreciate all the info though. I have taken a few things into consideration especially the fact that I should be careful testing extreme loading on such a simple computer. I'm looking into NZ prices for the Arctic Cool CPU Cooler. I have purchased another GB of RAM which I believe will be adequate for such a simple job.

    I have been using Speccy on all of my computers for a while now, it almost completely replaces CPU-Z now. My CPU is running at about 24 degrees Celsius after running all day. It seems very cool to me, but I wonder what you think.

    I have been messing around with computers like this for about 10 years now, but you are right in saying that I wouldn't have encountered nearly as many errors as you or any other computer professional has. I'm hoping to start a career in either Web Developement (See my current work) or Computer repairs, maintainance etc. I've been looking at degrees that I can go for :).

    I'm glad I am also already using a surge protector multi plug. That doesn't stop me from unplugging everything from the wall when we get lightning though!

    Eventually I will add a 1TB HDD, all of which are very cheap at the moment ( Got a WD 500GB Scorpia Black 2.5" for $120 NZ ). My current HDD usage isn't very high at the moment though as I do have a data cap on my internet unfortunately. You can't do much with 10GB in a month.

    After I get a new laptop I would love to try building a computer from scratch with brand new parts that I have sourced and paid for myself. Sounds like fun .
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 2,039
    Several, including Windows 7 x64 Ultimate
       #54

    24° C is very good.

    You can have a lot of fun, and also learn a lot building stuff like that, but if you are using old stuff it pays to make sure you have all the required and compatible parts BEFORE you start. There is nothing worse than rebuilding, ( or "new" building), an old machine (or indeed any other hardware or electronic devices), and then discovering that some part or other is no longer available. Often the case with RAM sticks, and various older interface chips etc.

    I spent most of my career in Computers and related hardware, although I originally studied electronics. I enjoyed it, and it paid well. It's like a lot of other things, if you really want to do well then you have to enjoy what you are doing, be interested in it, and become good at it.

    Anyway, glad to hear you got it running and I hope you enjoy using the result.

    Regards....Mike Connor
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 279
    Windows 7 Home Premium x64
    Thread Starter
       #55

    Mike Connor said:
    24° C is very good.

    You can have a lot of fun, and also learn a lot building stuff like that, but if you are using old stuff it pays to make sure you have all the required and compatible parts BEFORE you start. There is nothing worse than rebuilding, ( or "new" building), an old machine (or indeed any other hardware or electronic devices), and then discovering that some part or other is no longer available. Often the case with RAM sticks, and various older interface chips etc.

    I spent most of my career in Computers and related hardware, although I originally studied electronics. I enjoyed it, and it paid well. It's like a lot of other things, if you really want to do well then you have to enjoy what you are doing, be interested in it, and become good at it.

    Anyway, glad to hear you got it running and I hope you enjoy using the result.

    Regards....Mike Connor
    It sure is fun although it can get extremely tedious at times! I researched about what parts I would require and I decided to get DDR2 because it seems more common than DDR3 and DDR1 is very old.

    Thanks,
    Sam
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 2,039
    Several, including Windows 7 x64 Ultimate
       #56

    Bituser said:
    It sure is fun although it can get extremely tedious at times! I researched about what parts I would require and I decided to get DDR2 because it seems more common than DDR3 and DDR1 is very old.

    Thanks,
    Sam

    You have to check what RAM the board can use. You must not assume anything at all. Before you install hardware of any kind you must be sure that it fits and is compatible with whatever you are installing it in.

    Regards....Mike Connor
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 25,847
    Windows 10 Pro. 64/ version 1709 Windows 7 Pro/64
       #57

    Good job Mike. Won't let me thumbs up. I will be waiting for that list.
      My Computer


 
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