[Samm]

Ok, can you download & install Intel Active Monitor please:

http://support.intel...erbd/active.htm

This will allow you to monitor the temperatures in Windows, but more importantly, it also allows you to adjust the overheating thresholds. Let me know what the current temperature thresholds are first before adjusting them.

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Hi Samm, OK. Will download the file and monitor.

Right now, I'll just give you the message that I get whenever I hear the beep boop sound. It says:

Intel Corporation D865PERL Desktop Board
Serial Number: AZRL41716694
RL86510A.86A.0075.P15.0404021333

Intel ® Pentium ® 4 processor, 2.40GHz
DDR333 --> Operating in single-channel dynamic paging mode

256MB RAM

Legacy Keyboard..... Detected
USB Legacy............. Enabled

The CPU was previously shutdown due to a thermal event (overheating).
Service the unit right away to resolve this

Press <F4> to Resume
Entering SETUP...
Press <F12> if you want to boot from the network


The weird thing is that it wouldn't seem as a case of overheating the fact that the computer was just being turned on after not being in use for at least half a day, so that is TOTALLY weird...

Well, looks like I will have to start spending money on a new CPU soon. Any recommendations? I'm going for Intel C2D.

[JessCC]

Hi Samm, OK. Will download the file and monitor.

Right now, I'll just give you the message that I get whenever I hear the beep boop sound. It says:

Intel Corporation D865PERL Desktop Board
Serial Number: AZRL41716694
RL86510A.86A.0075.P15.0404021333

Intel ® Pentium ® 4 processor, 2.40GHz
DDR333 --> Operating in single-channel dynamic paging mode

256MB RAM

Legacy Keyboard..... Detected
USB Legacy............. Enabled

The CPU was previously shutdown due to a thermal event (overheating).
Service the unit right away to resolve this

Press <F4> to Resume
Entering SETUP...
Press <F12> if you want to boot from the network


The weird thing is that it wouldn't seem as a case of overheating the fact that the computer was just being turned on after not being in use for at least half a day, so that is TOTALLY weird...

Well, looks like I will have to start spending money on a new CPU soon. Any recommendations? I'm going for Intel C2D.

[Samm]

I don't think the cpu is actually overheating. From what I can tell, this is a fairly common problem with this particular motherboard (and a few other Intel boards as well). One possible way round this is to increase the temperature threshold, i.e. the minimum temperature that the system regards as too hot - hence the Intel Active Monitor utility.

Either way, simply replacing the cpu may not solve the problem as the cpu is not actually faulty. That said however, I think your cpu is a P4 Prescott core (I say think because the winaudit report doesn't say what core it is, so I'm having to figure it out from the family/model number instead). If I'm right however, then bear in mind that for some reason best known to Intel, Prescott core P4s run at approximately the temperature of the nose cone of a space shuttle re-entering orbit....

[JessCC]

Hmm.... OK. So, that means, the motherboard has run its course and will soon die off? It HAS been serving me for 4 years. Well, now, I just don't fiddle with the USB devices anymore because I've figured out that it isn't the problem. I just have to press the start up button as many times as I can get the computer to start. The only problem is, I wonder if this start (and sudden stop) that happens a few times before the full start up will ruin my HDD or other USB connected devices. Because, if it does, I might have to take this PC as scrap and build a new one, so that I can still salvage my SATA HDD.

I think I might have used the wrong term of replacing CPU when I meant, building a new computer. hehe... sorry, still new to the computer terms..

Nose cone of a space shuttle re-entering orbit? Uhm... That is MIGHTY hot, right? hehe.... It's a nice term to describe it.

[Samm]

No, it doesn't mean that the board has necessarily run it's course. This seems to be a bug with these boards, the only strange thing it why it would have started now when it's not been a problem before.

The reboot/shutdown thing is unlikely to cause damage to the hard disk. The most common problem with sudden shutdowns is data loss rather that actual drive damage. If you can find out what the current overheat threshold is by using Active Monitor, then you may be able solve this problem temporarily by simple increasing it. If so, then a longer term solution may be improve the cooling but replacing the cpu heatsink/fan/thermal compound & by adding some case fans, assuming there's room for them.

[JessCC]

How do I know what my overheating threshold is?

[Samm]

Hi

Thanks for the report. According to the report, the upper threshold for cpu overheat is 69C. Whilst this is a perfectly reasonable limit, because we are assuming you have a Prescott core cpu, it may be an idea to increase this threshold to 80C. Only do this to see if it makes a difference (i.e does it stop the problem of the siren going off & the warning message about the system being shutdown due to thermal event).

If it makes no difference, then reduce the threshold back to 69C.

[JessCC]

I only see one temperature that is listed as 69C, which is the Processor Zone, so I shall set it to 80C and monitor for the next day or so. Somehow, I don't think this will make any difference, but, let's hope and see....

[JessCC]

For the life of me, or my computer, it still doesn't make a difference. I've set it back to 69C as normal, but having it at 80C doesn't make a difference whether or not the computer will start at the first push of the start up button. I still have to press as many times (with short intervals) until I can get the computer to start up. Sigh..... I really don't know what's wrong anymore.

[Samm]

The reason for increasing the threshold to 80C was to see if it stopped the siren from going off, rather than to solve the non-starting issue.

[JessCC]

Hi Samm,

The siren still sounded this morning, at the 80C threshold. That's why I changed it back to normal, the fact that at 80C, it still acts the same.

I just want to note, though, that the siren only goes off at a successful start up after not being able to start for a few times beforehand.

[Samm]

Ok, you might as well change the threshold back to 69C again then.

Just remind me - the power supply you are using at the moment, is it the original one or is it one you borrowed from someone?

[JessCC]

Hi Samm, it's actually a new PSU.

[Samm]

Ok, cool.

I've been doing a bit a trawling on the net to see if I could find anything about this particular motherboard & boot issues, and I did. Apparently, the bios release P15 is supposed to be buggy & can cause the type of problem you have been having. According to the Intel Active Monitor report that you sent me, you have the P15 bios.

Therefore, I suggest you update the bios to P19. You can download the bios in the link below :

http://downloadcente...s...nt&lang=eng

You'll also need a new (or known good) blank floppy disk.
When you have saved the download file to the hard disk, double click it to extract the files (they will extract to the same folder as the download).
Next, insert the floppy disk & double click the RUN.BAT file. This will create a bootable floppy containing the new bios.

Once it's finished & the floppy LED has gone out, remove the floppy disk.
Next you'll need to reboot (or power on) the computer. As soon as the LED on the monitor turns green, press the F2 key a few times (at one second intervals). This should get you into the bios setup screen.

In the bios, you need to do the following:

Go to the BOOT menu & make sure that floppy drive is the first boot device. If it's not, then change the order of the devices so that floppy is higher up the list than hard disk.

(You can now insert the floppy disk into the drive).

Next, go to the EXIT menu & select the SAVE CUSTOM DEFAULTS option.

Next, select the EXIT SAVING CHANGES option


The system will now reboot & load the floppy disk. DO NOT INTERRUPT the process. It will take a few minutes. When prompted, remove the floppy disk & reboot the system.

Edited by Samm, 30 November 2007 - 08:01 PM.

[JessCC]

Hi Samm...

Ooh.... sounds like a dangerous task of which I'm not exactly sure I'm capable of doing, maybe I don't trust myself in this situation. It sounds as though it might harm my PC if not done correctly. Worst off, I don't have a floppy disk lying around somewhere! haha.... Hmm... will have to go and look, I guess.