Hi

My PC (unbranded build) is about two and half years old and has developed an infuriatingly intermittent fault.

Symptoms:

1) a kdink-kdink-kdink-kdink-kdink... sound believed to be from the hard hard drive. Changes pitch in an almost musical way if it continues for more than a few seconds.
2) Screen image freezes when noise occurs, no response from the mouse or keyboard. Occasionally recovers temporarily (long enough to save a file) when the noise stops.
3) Usually terminates in a blue screen "A process or thread has terminated unexpectedly and Windows has been shut down..." Suggests removing/reinstalling any new hardware (there isn't any) and updating drivers.

Observations:

a) Ambient temp seems to make no difference. Worked fine for long periods in the hot summer days. Once on, the machine is usually powered up for maybe six hours+ at a time.
b) Sometimes fails a few minutes after switch-on, other times goes for hours or even several days before recurring. Cooling fans all functioning.
c) Seems to last longest after I've unplugged and re-plugged in drives or done any kind of dissembly on the machine.
d) Does not make any difference if top level applications are running or if the machine is just displaying the desktop and running the usual background processes.
e) Running CHKDSK c: /r at boot-up does not report anything unusual.
f) Device Manager does not report any devices not working properly.
g) Boot-up memory check shows ok.
h) Once in a while the blue screen disappears of its own accord and the machine re-boots to run normally - for a while. Normally have to power-off though.

Other info:

i) For reasons unknown but maybe related, the motherboard blew and has been replaced in the last few days(was a Foxconn now MSI). After working fine for one day after getting the machine back the original fault reccured with the new motherboard. Windows and most drivers were re-installed with the m/b.


ii) Using Windows Xp SP2 with latest updates, Athlon 64 3200+ processor, 1GB DRM, Maxtor 6Y200M0 SATA hard disc, anti-virus, spyware and firewall all running and up-to-date. Radeon AX800 graphics card, Realtek AC97 sound card. 3.5" Floppy, DVD, CD drives on the IDE cable, motherboard-connected USB internal card-reader drive.
Apart from plug-in USB and Firewire devices no other hardware has been installed.


The only suspects left seem to be the processor, the hard drive or maybe an overlooked driver.

Any thoughts on the most likely source of the problem welcomed.

Thanks

Martin

check to see everything is seated properly, can your power supply take the load?

Hi Jeff

Thanks for your post. Unplugging and re-installing all the bits and pieces to the new motherbard should have cleared or at least changed the fault methinks, but I'll go around just in case. I think the PSU is a 400W job so should have more than enough oomph for what is pretty-well a standard PC-fit. Disabling floppy or DVD/ROM drives would save a bit of power but seemed to make no difference. I wonder if the noise is a (power) microswitch tripping somewhere. It's noisier than the normal actuator sound of the HDD.

what was the reason the motherboard blew, did it damage anything else?

http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculator.jsp

have you tried another PSU?

Hi Jeff

Excellent calculator tool that, thanks. Chucking everything (and the kitchen sink if in doubt) in gives 263W. Have confirmed that the PSU is 400W.

Reason for the mothernboard failure is not absolutely definite but probably due to clutsy handling by yours truly. In removing the case side (which has a large fan duct attached to it) I whacked the graphics card with the duct. Machine was not powered up at this time but on switch-on the VGA output had totally gone, not even a flicker and booting seemed to stop after the DVD and CD drives. PC World and a local dealer (who replaced the m/b) both stated independently that the board was damaged. I checked the CMOS battery (which this forum helped me with on a friend's Win95 machine which had similar no-video symptoms and limited booting due to exhausted battery). Gave a solid 3.3V in this case.

Haven't got a spare PSU but I'm inclined to agree that intermittent power failure would cause the effects observed and motherboard failure was probably unrelated. Damn thing has run solidly all day Saturday and is ok to mid morning Sunday. If it does it again, I'll recheck all the PSU leads and maybe come looking for a replacement PSU.

Thanks for your help.

Originally Posted by Sparky999

Damn thing has run solidly all day Saturday and is ok to mid morning Sunday.

murphys law..