Lilah ,'Destiny'
Buffistechnology 3: "Press Some Buttons, See What Happens."
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Robots that can make things = bad! Did no one watch Stargate?
Wait, don't answer that...
On the offhand chance that anyone has an idea, we're trying to diagnose a problem with our computer.
Desktop, five years old. Problem started with a crash when trying to wake from hibernation.
1) One of the two disks that make up the RAID array claims to have a problem on bootup, but it boots into the OS just fine, and scans say it has no problem. I'm guessing it's something that went funky when the machine crashed.
2) We've got serious video artifacts on the screen. They're present from the second the computer boots, so it's not a Windows thing.
3) Computer sometimes spontaneously reboots. Doesn't appear to be an overheating issue -- we've opened the case and cleaned it, and it's running with the case open.
I've tested the memory (2GB) and it's fine. My best guess is that the motherboard is starting to fail. Any opinions?
Sounds like motherboard, CPU, or power supply. Have you tried clearing CMOS with a jumper?
No. Are you suggesting that something's weird with the BIOS? We've checked the settings.
Sometimes it can get corrupted and it won't show up in the settings. There is usually a jumper on the motherboard you can set to wipe out the CMOS. The manual to the motherboard or computer will probably tell you how to do it. Unplugging and removing the motherboard battery for, I dunno 10 minutes or so to be safe, will also do the job.
Not saying it will fix your problems, but it's worth a shot. I have had it clear up weird problems in the past.
Hrm. I've got the manual for the motherboard. I'll suggest it to husband when he comes home. We have had weird things happen to the BIOS on crashes before, so it's worth a try.
Thanks.
It may be the motherboard battery going out. Cheap and easy to install.
Is there any way to check besides getting a replacement battery and testing it? Would the system clock be having problems if it's the battery, for example?
I'm not sure if there is a way to check except replacement, sorry. I was having some similar issues (random shut-downs, gibberish on the screen) and after ruling out overheating, memory, and malware I changed the battery and it worked. Not sure if it will work for you, just wanted to share my experience. Hopefully yours will be an easy and quick fix!
(I was a bit sad it wasn't the motherboard, since I already had my dream computer picked out)