Sytem reboots on it's own

[Jarhed7276]

My system:
Plll 600e, Abit be6-ll rev. 1.0, 512 mb sd 100 ram, 3dfx 3500 vid card, SB Live 5.1 snd card, Intel InBusiness 10/100 net card, Creative 6x DVD, Creative dx3 DVD decoder, Creative 8-4-32 RW, Maxtor 40 gig ata 66 hd, Win98se.

I've had this system for 2 years without any problems, but lately it has started to reboot on its own. I downloaded and ran a memory tester and the mem tested ok. I downloaded and ran Maxtor diagnostics and it came back with an error. I checked Maxtors database and it said to replace the drive. I replaced the drive with a Maxtor 80 gig ata 100, but the problem remains.
I also flashed the Hpt 366 controller to version 1.25( I think that was the version ) and updated the Hpt drivers. That didn't help either.

Any suggestions?

One more question: Can you use Fdisk to format a hd this large?
When I boot up the system recognises it to be a 80 gig hd, but when I tried to use Fdisk it only sees it as a 10 gig drive. I had to use Maxtors software to partion and format but I prefer using Fdisk.

Thanks for any help.

Gerry

[Commandos]

Do you have any heat problem? Some boards do restart the system if the CPU temperature exceed its normal average.
Sometimes,it could be a software or drivers problems like there is something that isn't compatible with each other.
Concerning the FDISK, you can use it to partition any drive no matter what the capacity is. (FAT32 or NTFS).

[Jarhed7276]

Thanks Commando. I don't believe it's a heat probmlem as my system is running at 82 degrees.

I did find out ( Quite by accident ) that there is a problem with Fdisk and drives larger than 64 gig. Here is the site with the info:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q263044

Thanks again for your help.

Gerry

[biglaker]

Jarhed,
I do not believe the Microsoft article is the cause of your problem. You say that the reported size of your drive is 10 gig. The article states that it would incorrectly report the size of your drive by 64 mb. An 80 gig drive would therefore report a size of 16 gb. Another thing you mentioned is puzzling:

I also flashed the Hpt 366 controller to version 1.25( I think that was the version ) and updated the Hpt drivers. That didn't help either.

Is this controller a separate controller card that you did not identify in your listing of hardware? You might want to try connecting the drive to your m/b if this is the case. It could be that this controller is loose and may need reseating. Or maybe it's just not working correctly-- do you have anything else that is connected to the same IDE port that IS working?
If the Hpt 366 controller is your m/b controller, then the issue causing an incorrect drive size being reported might be attributed to your m/b bios. So that we're clear on this, maybe you should post the exact message that Fdisk is reporting.

When Commandos asked about heat, you replied that your system is running at 82. That would be just fine but what about the temp for your processor? Do you have a measure of it?
Hope this helps or begins a dialogue that gets to the cause/fix of your problem. Biglaker

[Commandos]

Well it was the CPU temperature that I was asking,not the overall system.. If the CPU is getting hot , well it's really a critical problem that you have to solve.

[Mafiosy]

i think its a memory problem, although you tested it , it seems much possible that memory is cracked,
Second reason could be damaged power supply.

Maf.