FIC AZ11 Mobo: Random Lockups: Windows XP corrupted. Help?

[ThumpingRhino]

Anyone that can Help,
I have had the FIC [First International Compuer(www.fica.com)] AZ11 motherboard for 4 months and have had no problems until the last month. I first had Windows Me installed and around a month ago the computer just started to Lock up even when no programs were running. The whole computer would just stop, the hard disk was not accessed, and the mouse doesn't move. It justs locks. Nothing could be one except to restart. I formatted the hard disk and did a Clean install of Windows ME. I thought that this would sove the problem but the computer continued to just lock-up randomally for no apparent reason. So I decided to upgrade to Windows XP. I did a clean install of XP and it worked great for about 4 days but then today the problem started again. The computer just locks up even when only the defualt Windows applications are running. I have the latest drivers on all my hardware. Could this be the problem? It is a very strange problem as there is no errors or messages and I do not know how to re-produce the lock-up. Just today it locked up and now many files on my computer have become corrupt, mot likely due the lockup and the improper shutown, and I must scrub the harddisk. or find some other way to fix it. I can not use my computer like this and I have no idea how to fix it.

Any help on this would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks,
Rhino

Here's My Computers Specs:
Specs:
CPU: (1ghz) 1000mhz Duron
Heatsink: CoolerMaster CB5-5g12
Case Fan: Vantec Stealth Case Fan
Case: Power Magic
Power Supply: 300watt ATX
Memory: 256mb Ram(2x 128mb)
Sound Card: Sound Blaster Live! Player 1024
Video Card: eVGA Geforce2MX 400 64mb
Network Card: NetgearFA311
Motherboard: FIC AZ11
HardDrive: 8gb Quantum Bigfoot
CDROM: 32x Mat****a(Creative) CD rom drive
CDRW/DVD: Toshiba SDR-102 24/4/4/ CDR/RW/DVD Player
OEM: Self Built

[Philip1952]

That bigfoot you have for a HDD is old. Boot into dos with a 98 boot disk. (If your XP is Fat32). Then do a through scandisk from dos and see if you have any bad sectors.

The lockups your getting could be caused by a drive going bad, or memory problems, or heat problems.

First thing I would do is a scandisk to check that HDD. (Add replace it for something faster in the near future no matter what).

Second is down load the program called mem test. You can get it Here. Run it and see what it has to say about the condition of your memory.

Third is take a side off and put a small house fan blowing in to see if that stops the lockups.

Fourth remove the sound blaster! There was some problems with it and some chipsets for the AMD CPU's. I don't know if your boards chipset is one of the problem ones. But it wouldn't hurt to try. Remove the drivers to.

Do these test one at a time.

[TARP2]

I think philip1952 is right . good advice. I am leaning toward the cooling being a likely source.From your post I only see one case fan. Thats not enough considering all you have in there. If the other suggestions don't cure it, consider using a good thermal paste on the cpu.

[ThumpingRhino]

But why would the computer work fine for 3 months and just now the cooling/memory/power supply be a problem?

[Philip1952]

I missed the single fan part of his post.

On the heat sink and fan combo on the CPU. Are you using the TIM pad or Artic Silver? If TIM pad. Take the HSF setup off and check to see if the pad has gone bad. The duron isn't a high heat producer. But with out a good pad it will cause heat problems.

Try the fan in the side of the case first. After you check the HSF out.

I never use just one fan in a computer I build. At least two minium. Even on the Intel based computers I play with.

[ThumpingRhino]

Can you go into more depth on the TIM pad and the Arctic Silver? I do not know what you are talking about, although I assume it is some sort of thermal conductor/paste ( I was under the impressionm that I did not need it). I am not using any thermal paste on my CPU. I am only using the CPU and the CPU/heast sink. Here is the the link to the cpu/heatsink combo http://www.coolermaster.com/products.../cb5-5g12.html

[ThumpingRhino]

Just formated and re-Installed Windows XP--------

[ThumpingRhino]

Thanks for the info for my power supply. I've done a clean install of Windows XP with all the default drivers. And Ii've installed 3dMark2001se, PCmark 2002 and MemTest. I have also removed one stick of Ram. I have just run into another problem. While my sister was using the computer, the computer randomly restarted. And it's not a normal restart(logging off, etc) The screen just goes black and the computer start to boot up. I did not see this but when I was using 3dMark the same event accured. 3dMark had just finished the 1st test and was starting the second test when the computer just restarted. I am thinking that this has to do with the power supply, but I was under the impression that the problem was the memory. What do think this means? Do you think that the power supply has caused both the lockups and random restarts? I haven't had any lockup problems(yet) but have had two random restarts within 24 hours of a clean install of Windows XP. Along with the installation of the 3 programs I mentioned. Power Supply?

Thanks Again.,

Austin

[Philip1952]

On the thermal pad on your HSF setup. It is for transfering heat from the CPU. The pad type of thermal compound only lasts a year or two then it just sort of runs off the CPU section. Then you can have overheat problems. Most of the time you would see random reboots when under high CPU usage. If you do not have your motherboard monitor setup to watch CPU temps. You wouldn't catch it.

Artic silver is another type of thermal solution for the same problem. One version is a thick paste. The other version is an epoxy. With eather of these types you put a very thin coating on the CPU. You do not get carried away. Like the old saying a little dab will do you.

The power supply is something you might want to check out. If you have one you can switch out. If not try the other items I listed to rule them out before you spend any money.

Why would it run good for three months then have problems. The easyest way to say it is Production Tolorences. Something with parts made on the loose side of the tolorences will die faster than the same part made with parts on the tight side. IMHO

[RJA]

Originally posted by ThumpingRhino
Anyone that can Help,
I have had the FIC [First International Compuer(www.fica.com)] AZ11 motherboard for 4 months and have had no problems until the last month. I first had Windows Me installed and around a month ago the computer just started to Lock up even when no programs were running. The whole computer would just stop, the hard disk was not accessed, and the mouse doesn't move. It justs locks. Nothing could be one except to restart. I formatted the hard disk and did a Clean install of Windows ME. I thought that this would sove the problem but the computer continued to just lock-up randomally for no apparent reason. So I decided to upgrade to Windows XP. I did a clean install of XP and it worked great for about 4 days but then today the problem started again. The computer just locks up even when only the defualt Windows applications are running. I have the latest drivers on all my hardware. Could this be the problem? It is a very strange problem as there is no errors or messages and I do not know how to re-produce the lock-up. Just today it locked up and now many files on my computer have become corrupt, mot likely due the lockup and the improper shutown, and I must scrub the harddisk. or find some other way to fix it. I can not use my computer like this and I have no idea how to fix it.

Any help on this would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks,
Rhino

Here's My Computers Specs:
Specs:
CPU: (1ghz) 1000mhz Duron
Heatsink: CoolerMaster CB5-5g12
Case Fan: Vantec Stealth Case Fan
Case: Power Magic
Power Supply: 300watt ATX
Memory: 256mb Ram(2x 128mb)
Sound Card: Sound Blaster Live! Player 1024
Video Card: eVGA Geforce2MX 400 64mb
Network Card: NetgearFA311
Motherboard: FIC AZ11
HardDrive: 8gb Quantum Bigfoot
CDROM: 32x Mat****a(Creative) CD rom drive
CDRW/DVD: Toshiba SDR-102 24/4/4/ CDR/RW/DVD Player
OEM: Self Built

Well, I remember I used to have that kind of lockup crash, *even*
just sitting idle, even when I was in the middle of reading an AVG anti-virus help document, but I was using Windows 98 SE.
The configuration that occurred with was:
Soyo SY-K7VTA-B motherboard,
AMD Athlon T-bird 900 mhz processor
(Voodoo 3 3000 AGP video card installed at the time)
(Voodoo 3 is *not* the cause)
The cause was the processor voltage being too *high*.
The Soyo SY-K7VTA-B motherboard's default processor voltage
gets set *too high*, by at least a step (1.82V instead of 1.79V)
Unless you get the latest BIOS flash, at least 4/11/2001,
you *must* with the Soyo SY-K7VTA-B motherboard, manually
select the processor voltage by setting Vcore to -0.025V, which
will bring it down to 1.79V. 1.82V is *too much* for an
AMD Athlon T-bird 900 mhz, but apperently not for an
AMD Athlon T-bird 1.3 ghz, because, at least with Windows 98
SE, my new Chaintech CT-7AJA2E motherboard with
AMD Athlon T-bird 1.3 ghz is stable at 1.82V.