Very Unusual problems with a power machine

[spiritfly]

Recently I've built a pc for a friend.

The configuration is the following:

CPU: Core2Quad Q6600
MB Asus P5K-E
RAM: 2 x 2GB PQI 800MHz
HDD: 1TB Western Digital
150GB WD Raptor
ODD: 4 x Pioneer DVD-RW sata
VGA: Asus 7300GT Silent
PSU: Cooler Master 1000Watt Real Power

Now after a month or so, the pc started acting strange. When I turn it on the bios freezes while detecting the drives. If I enter the bios before it does that, the bios only show up some of the devices. For example only 3 dvd burners and nothing else, no hard disks nothing. I turned it off again and simply pulled of one of the cables giving power to the dvd burners, turned it on again and it worked, so I turned it off, attached the dvd burner which I have pulled off and it works again and it detects everything.

Hmm the first time I thought the power cable wasn't attached good. But after a few days my friend calls me up again with the same problem. So I've changed the sata cables thinking maybe some of it is bad and tried flashing the bios with the latest.

There are two power cables for sata drives with four plugs on each of it, coming out of the psu, so I suspected it is something with the power cables, I tried different configurations with the power cables:

one power cable to the four dvd-rws and one for the both hdds;
one hdd with two dvdrws..)
two hdds and one dvdrw with three dvdres

but after a few shut downs and turn ons the pc does that same thing again.

I have built anothe pc configuration for my friend which is exactly the same as this one and it works flawlessly till now, what could be the problem with the first one?

 

[WR2]

Try testing the system with 1HD and 1 DVD drive for a while.
If you get a stable system start adding stuff back in and see if you can detect which part, or which combination, is causing the problem.

 

[spiritfly]

Thanks for your suggestion WR2, I will do just that, but you see the problem is that this problem comes out at a very random point when working with the machine for a long time.

The first time happened like almost a month after the machine was built. Then when I disconnected a dvd drive, turned it on then shut it down, connect the drive and turn on again the problem was fixed. After that it happened the very next day. Then I did the very same procedure as above and the problem never appeared until like 15 days of active work with the machine. So the real problem is that I really don't know how to recreate this situation and I can't be really sure if the things I change will work or not.

 

[Shadow703793]

Try reflashing the BIOS through DOS or EZ-Flash.

 

[spiritfly]

Shadow703793 I did that too, and the other day the same problem appeared.

 

[spiritfly]

Well its been a week now since the last time I did some tweaking on that pc and I finally hope the problems are gone. I took the other machine which worked and compared the two. I noticed that on the one that I had problems with, the controller jMicron for eSata was enabled.

I've also exchanged the PSU's to see if that is causing the problems, and there is no problems since these changes. I don't know what solved it, but I just hope it will stay that way.

Thank you for your help guys

 

[ohiou_grad_06]

Last time I had that problem, my mobo had bitten the dust. If I were you, track it down in case you need to rma