Please help revive system - OC failed message -newbie-

[juking]

Hi ,
Please help with my system.
It keeps shutting down after a few minutes of use.
Dose not log me out or anything.Just plain blanks out like as if I pulled the plug.
Sometimes , I get the error message "OverClocking Failed ! run setup again. "

I did not make any changes or updates to the BIOS. It has been working fine a few weeks ago.
Its an assembled system that I bought and its about 1.5 years old. It stopped once
in 8 or 9 months.The guy said he replaced the power supply( was under warranty.)

Now I cant even find the company and moreover I'd like to see if I get to know the system better and try to repair it myself. I opened it up and saw the power supply was very dirty and cleand it with a compressed air can. Still have the same problem.(430 watts) .

Its almost like its get a bit hot and then the power supply to it is cut. The supply stays a bit londer if I dont see videos and stuff.

I 've added some details of the system. I'd really appreciate if anyone can direct me appropriately or share their experiance.

Thanks a bunch .
S.

Operating System
Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 2 (build 2600)

Processor
3.00 gigahertz Intel Pentium 4
16 kilobyte primary memory cache
2048 kilobyte secondary memory cache

Main Circuit Board
Board: ASUSTeK Computer INC. P5S800-VM Rev 1.xx
Bus Clock: 200 megahertz
BIOS: American Megatrends Inc. 1011.003 06/27/2005

Drives
163.92 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
92.66 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space

LITE-ON DVDRW SOHW-1693S [CD-ROM drive]
3.5" format removeable media [Floppy drive]

Maxtor 6B160P0 [Hard drive] (163.93 GB) -- drive 0, rev YAR41BW0, SMART Status: Healthy

Memory Modules
1024 Megabytes Installed Memory
Slot 'DIMM0' has 512 MB (serial number SerNum0)
Slot 'DIMM1' has 512 MB

Local Drive Volumes
c: (NTFS on drive 0) 41.94 GB 10.65 GB free
e: (NTFS on drive 0) 62.91 GB 58.01 GB free
f: (NTFS on drive 0) 59.07 GB 24.00 GB free

Controllers
Standard floppy disk controller
Primary IDE Channel [Controller]
Secondary IDE Channel [Controller]
SiS PCI IDE Controller

Display
NVIDIA GeForce 6200 [Display adapter]
NRC LM-962 [Monitor] (19.1"vis, s/n 7545TI000698, November 2005)

Bus Adapters
SiS 180 RAID Controller
SiS 7001 PCI to USB Open Host Controller (3x)
SiS PCI to USB Enhanced Host Controller


Multimedia
Realtek AC'97 Audio
Unimodem Half-Duplex Audio Device

Communications
Smart Link 56K Voice Modem

Other Devices
1394 Net Adapter
Realtek RTL8139 Family PCI Fast Ethernet NIC
USB, Keyboard.

 

[rushfan]

It's a long shot - examine the motherboard for bulging capacitors. Pay close attention to any that you find whose tops are not flat or are openly leaking their contents. Your board probably has a 3 year warranty on it which means that you could exchange it if Asus agrees to an RMA. This would be a good time to dig up your original invoice for the system.

While the system is down, unplug it from the wall and pop out the CMOS battery. Leave it out for a couple of hours to give the CMOS a chance to discharge itself completely. When you power it back up for the first time, load "fail-safe" defaults for a while. If the system remains stable, you can try "optimized defaults" for a performance boost.

 

[juking]

oho oh ..you think its the motherboard
Thanks for the advice , rushfan. I'll look at it tonight.

 

[flasher702]

Eh, taking the CMOS battery out for an hour is completely unnecessary, and if you've never changed any of the BIOS options I wouldn't start my search there. If you don't know what you're doing messing with the BIOS settings is something you should avoid until you've at least looked at a few other potential problems. If you mess up your BIOS settings and don't know how to fix them yourself you'll be coming right back to us with 2 problems instead of one Besides, you've never changed them so they should be fine.

It sounds like the PSU might be cutting out, but it might be a problem with the PSU itself. Could also be a Motherboard or CPU problem or a resistance problem causing overload of the PSU.

What program says "Overclock Failed"?
Are all the fans working? Try unplugging and replugging all the power connectors from the PSU and all the fans. Are any of them corroded or "burned"?

Dust out the entire computer and check all the power connectors then run the system with the side-panel off to check and do a visual inspection makeing sure all the fans are running. Check the "PC Health" section of your BIOS and let us know what it says. If all your fans are running try using the system with the side panel off and see if it crashes. Let us know how that goes.

 

[nickwest]

I would start simple, take the side of your computer case off and put a small fan into the side of your case. If your computer does not crash after you put a fan on it, it was probably a thermal related issue. Most of these sorts of problems are caused by overheating, check to make sure there isn't dust gumming up your CPU cooler and that all of your case fans are operating.

 

[oenomel]

I had a message like that on an old AMD machine that had an ASUS board. For some reason the CPU settings mysteriously changed in the bios.

I would look there, either follow the CMOS post or just make sure they're set right.

 

[juking]

Thanks for all you advices.
I will try running the system with the side pannel open. I tried with a fan
with the side pannel open a week ago, didt help.

The "OC failed" message , comes up as a part of the BIOS while startup.
"American Megatrends "

I also looked at the Motherboard , didnt look like any fried components.
But I will look again.

I will also keep the system in BIOS settings to look at PC health to see if the temprature shoots up.

I put the the video card in there and the extra 512 MB RAM, checked to see what speed the RAM settings were set in BIOS, they where in "AUTO".

Ok then, I try out these stuff you've adviced and get back to the post.

again, thanks for your time and expertise.

 

[juking]

sorry about the delay.
tried the system with the fan and a open cover, it seems to be stable then.

I didn't log in, just kept it at the bios to read the temprature.

It started with a CPU temp of 65 /MB temp 28. and kept on rising, so when it went to 85C- CPU/29C-MB, I put the fan close to it. The Temp came back to 70-CPU/28 - MB and stayed there as long as the fan was at it.
I stopped the fan and it started climbing up to 95 -CPU/ 38 -MB , at that point the font color changed RED from Blue in the display and crashed immediatly.

all three fans where working (1 - power supply on the back of the case, 1 - fan on the bottom of the PS , one on the CPU). didnt feel a lot on air movement inside the system but the fan on the PS blowing air outside
is moving a lot of air.

Also all the other components, the keyboard,mouse and speake get power supply even after the system crashes.

The small green LED in the MB , which says BIOSWP1 is also on as long as I dont unplug the system.

whats your call ? as always any input is greatly appreciated.

 

[mkaibear]

Right, there's definitely something up with your CPU heatsink / fan, then.

I'd suggest you get a new heatsink and fan for the CPU.

 

[desolationw]

It started with a CPU temp of 65 /MB temp 28. and kept on rising, so when it went to 85C- CPU/29C-MB, I put the fan close to it

Please tell me you actually have a fan on your cpu heatsink...

If yes, then

I stopped the fan and it started climbing up to 95 -CPU/ 38 -MB

What a very bad idea. You could have fried your cpu very easily doing that.

 

[BaldEagle]

It started with a CPU temp of 65 /MB temp 28. and kept on rising, so when it went to 85C- CPU/29C-MB, I put the fan close to it

Please tell me you actually have a fan on your cpu heatsink...

If yes, then

I stopped the fan and it started climbing up to 95 -CPU/ 38 -MB

What a very bad idea. You could have fried your cpu very easily doing that.

I believe he meant to say the external fan blowing air into the case. He did state the CPU fan was running. I would suspect the fins of the heatsink are plugged with dirt as the OP stated the PSU was dirty.

and to the Original Poster
Definitely a heat issue I would pop the fan off the top of the heatsink and clean the fins out or get a new heatsink and fan if you'd rather not mess with trying to clean it out. If the heatsink isn't real dirty the fan is probably bad on the CPU cooler in which case you have to replace the fan. Since the flow rate has to be matched with the cooler I would suggest replacing the cooler and fan as a unit.

 

[juking]

Yes, I did stop only the external table fan , thanks for clearing that up.

So , I guess I need a new fan/heatsink. I thik I sould be able to find the right type of fan from the MB manual , right ?

Also, could the MB temp. raise also be becasue of the heat sink ?

Thanks a bunch for you suggestions.

It started with a CPU temp of 65 /MB temp 28. and kept on rising, so when it went to 85C- CPU/29C-MB, I put the fan close to it

Please tell me you actually have a fan on your cpu heatsink...

If yes, then

I stopped the fan and it started climbing up to 95 -CPU/ 38 -MB

What a very bad idea. You could have fried your cpu very easily doing that.

I believe he meant to say the external fan blowing air into the case. He did state the CPU fan was running. I would suspect the fins of the heatsink are plugged with dirt as the OP stated the PSU was dirty.

and to the Original Poster
Definitely a heat issue I would pop the fan off the top of the heatsink and clean the fins out or get a new heatsink and fan if you'd rather not mess with trying to clean it out. If the heatsink isn't real dirty the fan is probably bad on the CPU cooler in which case you have to replace the fan. Since the flow rate has to be matched with the cooler I would suggest replacing the cooler and fan as a unit.

 

[Scribs]

Before you actually buy a new HS and fan, you want to try two things first.

One, like someone else mentioned, you should first try removing the fan from the heatsink on the computer and clean out the heatsink with compressed air or something. When you are doing this, make sure not to remove the heatsink itself though, otherwise you'll have to reseat it and redo the thermal compound. No need to do that if your HS is just dirty...

If your HS is not dirty and fan is still working ok, before you get a new HS you might want to first try and look in the bios and tell us the voltage your cpu is set at, as well as the cpu frequency that is set. Its unlikely, but as another poster mentioned maybe your bios settings have gotten messed up and your cpu is running at a dangerously high freq or voltage. If thats the case, you're going to fry the cpu long before your new heatsink even works up a sweat.

 

[flasher702]

Sounds like a HSF problem that may be easy to fix, just be aware that at this point your CPU and/or mobo might be damaged as well from overheating.

You don't really need a new HSF, the one that is on there is probably fine. You need to take it off, clean it, and put it back on with new TIM (Thermal Interface Material, ussually "thermal paste") and make sure the mounting bracket, retention clips, and fan are all working properly. Buying an entirely new HSF would make this easier and possibly cheaper at it will come with new fan, new TIM, and new retention clips.

About the bracket and clips: Without adequate pressure gaps will form between your CPU's heatspreader and the HSF so it won't cool very well. You need to make sure the bracket and clips are not broken. They are probably fine since an extra fan fixed the problem but just be sure to check them while you're in there and don't turn your system back on until the HSF is properly secured. If the bracket is broken you will have to get a new one (you might want to check this before ordering a new HSF as some of them come with new mounting brackets and some of them rely on the stock brackets on the mobo).

It sounds like the HSF is just full of dust/grime and/or the FAN is failing (spinning slowly). If you have some TIM on hand just take it off clean it and put it back on. If you are unfamiliar with that procedure look it up, there are a plethora of guides with pics. If you don't have any TIM you might want to just buy a whole new HSF like the ones in this list: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Order=PRICE&Page=1&Category=11&N=2010110574+1371026035&Submit=ENE&Nty=1&SubCategory=574

Just about any of those should do for cooling your CPU, but your mobo has some caps close to the CPU socket. They look like they are short enought that they shouldn't be a problem but just be aware of them when ordering a replacement.

 

[juking]

Ok , I try cleaning it first, if I thats what we need to do,

as for the voltage, I did write down some numbers while the temprature was jumping up and down.

dont know how helpful it is, but here goes...

cpu fan = 1630 RPM
12 V = 11.8
5V = 5.27
V core = 1.29

didnt get anything about the freq, will try getting it today.

also whats the red flag , in terms of voltage/freq ?
That would be very helpful. Thanks.

Before you actually buy a new HS and fan, you want to try two things first.

One, like someone else mentioned, you should first try removing the fan from the heatsink on the computer and clean out the heatsink with compressed air or something. When you are doing this, make sure not to remove the heatsink itself though, otherwise you'll have to reseat it and redo the thermal compound. No need to do that if your HS is just dirty...

If your HS is not dirty and fan is still working ok, before you get a new HS you might want to first try and look in the bios and tell us the voltage your cpu is set at, as well as the cpu frequency that is set. Its unlikely, but as another poster mentioned maybe your bios settings have gotten messed up and your cpu is running at a dangerously high freq or voltage. If thats the case, you're going to fry the cpu long before your new heatsink even works up a sweat.

 

[desolationw]

For the heat of your cpu, that fan should be running around 3000rpm.

 

[juking]

For the heat of your cpu, that fan should be running around 3000rpm.

um . it dosent seem to doing its job very well.
also , in the bios it said CPU FAN Q control = Enabled.

and even though the temprature shot up, the FAN RPM remained same.

 

[dragonsprayer]

thats nornal for asus - what can happen is before the auto voltage can configure for boot the boot fails.

go to hardware monitor idel temp 50c or so - temp max on desk top 65c - depends on the hsf - use a thermal right xp-90

if u can not get into bios put one stick in slot 3 - swap sticks if needed - flash board if you get stock

set all items manually

set pci to 33

set your voltage to 1.42-1.45
set your ddr to 2.9v

set your chip to 3.5-3.6ghz or 900-920 bus

manually set latencys so if you ddr 400 2-3-3-7 u need 3-3-3-8 or higher at the higher ddr settings

 

[flasher702]

thats nornal for asus - what can happen is before the auto voltage can configure for boot the boot fails.

go to hardware monitor idel temp 50c or so - temp max on desk top 65c - depends on the hsf - use a thermal right xp-90

if u can not get into bios put one stick in slot 3 - swap sticks if needed - flash board if you get stock

set all items manually

set pci to 33

set your voltage to 1.42-1.45
set your ddr to 2.9v

set your chip to 3.5-3.6ghz or 900-920 bus

manually set latencys so if you ddr 400 2-3-3-7 u need 3-3-3-8 or higher at the higher ddr settings

His PC is at stock now and he just wants it fixed and you're talking about OCing it? That's not exactly on topic, or helpful. AFTER he gets his system running again he may want to OC it a bit but at this point something in his system is BROKEN and it doesn't even work at stock. Flashing the BIOS might be a helpful move to correct an error, but the auto settings should work just fine for running at stock, they did before.

Quote:
It started with a CPU temp of 65 /MB temp 28. and kept on rising, so when it went to 85C- CPU/29C-MB, I put the fan close to it


Please tell me you actually have a fan on your cpu heatsink...

If yes, then

Quote:
I stopped the fan and it started climbing up to 95 -CPU/ 38 -MB

What a very bad idea. You could have fried your cpu very easily doing that.

Reading comprehension FTL... If you're going to give advice take the time to actually read the thread you are responding to. And exactly which fan should be spinning at 3000rpm? You didn't ask or say which one you were making the assumption for that spec. The fan I have on my P4 at home is quite happily running at ~900-1300rpm and keeping the CPU quite cool (coincidently it's a 90mm fan on the aforementioned Thermalright XP-90).

Obviously the OP isn't super-experienced so please don't post garbage in his thread, that doesn't help.

 

[juking]

Thanks . I not trying to OC my system. Just trying to get it to work without crashing.

Coudnt get to my system yesterday, hoping to get to it today. Say , is it possible to just get the fan out to clean it ?
I cleand the fan with the pressurised-air , look clean , but cant say the same about the heat-sink.

Maybe I should just get a new heat-sink with fan and fix it there.

The MB pdf I had didnt say anything about removing the fan alone, it has 4 clips that have to be rotated slightly to remove the heat sink unit.

If I remove the whole thing out, can I put it back or removing it screws up the alignment stuff and I better get a new one already ?

Thanks people.

thats nornal for asus - what can happen is before the auto voltage can configure for boot the boot fails.

go to hardware monitor idel temp 50c or so - temp max on desk top 65c - depends on the hsf - use a thermal right xp-90

if u can not get into bios put one stick in slot 3 - swap sticks if needed - flash board if you get stock

set all items manually

set pci to 33

set your voltage to 1.42-1.45
set your ddr to 2.9v

set your chip to 3.5-3.6ghz or 900-920 bus

manually set latencys so if you ddr 400 2-3-3-7 u need 3-3-3-8 or higher at the higher ddr settings

His PC is at stock now and he just wants it fixed and you're talking about OCing it? That's not exactly on topic, or helpful. AFTER he gets his system running again he may want to OC it a bit but at this point something in his system is BROKEN and it doesn't even work at stock. Flashing the BIOS might be a helpful move to correct an error, but the auto settings should work just fine for running at stock, they did before.

Quote:
It started with a CPU temp of 65 /MB temp 28. and kept on rising, so when it went to 85C- CPU/29C-MB, I put the fan close to it


Please tell me you actually have a fan on your cpu heatsink...

If yes, then

Quote:
I stopped the fan and it started climbing up to 95 -CPU/ 38 -MB

What a very bad idea. You could have fried your cpu very easily doing that.

Reading comprehension FTL... If you're going to give advice take the time to actually read the thread you are responding to. And exactly which fan should be spinning at 3000rpm? You didn't ask or say which one you were making the assumption for that spec. The fan I have on my P4 at home is quite happily running at ~900-1300rpm and keeping the CPU quite cool (coincidently it's a 90mm fan on the aforementioned Thermalright XP-90).

Obviously the OP isn't super-experienced so please don't post garbage in his thread, that doesn't help.

 

[flasher702]

The fan should be held onto the heatsync with screws or clips or something. Just unscrew or unclip it if you can then you can get at the heatsync fins better without taking it off the mobo.

 

[juking]

Good News Everyone ! ( not like Professor Farnsworth).

I removed the fan( Thanks Scribs, Flasher702) it just poped out and cleaned the heat sink with a paint brush. It was really dirty and shaped just right to collect dirt.

SO cleaned with a comp air. and paint brush.

after that , turned the system on ( ofcourse put the fan back.) and the temprature stayed at 43C CUP/ 38 C MB. for 2 hours on the BIOS screen.
Then, logged let it stay idle, browsed some site, played a few videos ..it didn't crash. I'll left it go on for now .. have to see how its doing when I get back home.

So its been an dirty fan and heat sink after all, great analysis people. Thanks a million.

But I guess I should change the heat sink at some point to get better performance.

Also I see that the case has the facility for another fan on the side of the chassis, how dose that fan get power ? I'm thinking maybe a fan there would help.

Also another thing I saw was the Fan ran at a higer RPM, like 1928 RPM.

Also my frequency is at 3000 MHz, with FSB @ 800 Mhz
do the number sound right ?
I tried using the MBM program for monitoring the CUP temps, but it dosent have my MB listed, so stuck.

It feels great to have fixed the system( alteast I think so) , woudnt have been able to do it without ya'll . Thanks.

 

[flasher702]

Grats

I do believe MBM had been discontinued. Try SpeedFan http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php

Side panel fan plugs into either the mobo with a 3pin header (allows you to monitor and possibly adjust the RPMs of the fan) or to the PSU with the same type of 4pin plug that your HD uses. If you look at this list you will see some with 3 and 4 pin power connectors (only use one at a time). I assume the slot on the side pannel is for an 80mm fan.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Submit=ENE&N=2010110573+1372726528&Subcategory=573&description=&Ntk=&srchInDesc=

You might want to consider a filter to put on the fan to keep the inside of the case cleaner but also open the case up and dust it out periodically.

43c is still pretty hot for sitting at BIOS, use speedfan to see how hot it gets under load, if it's peaking above 48c I would say definately replace the HSF. The fan is probably spinning faster because the air is flowing better but the fan might be damaged from the high heat keeping it from spinning up to full speed. If you want to avoid replacing the HSF just get a side panel fan and set it to blow into the case onto the HSF and see if your system is stable.