LITTLEBLACKDOG.COM

Posted: Sun May 25, 2008 6:55 pm Post subject: Server - Hardware issue?

I have a question for you guys - any thoughts as to what my server issue is as of late?

Okay, here's the symptoms:

For awhile now, I was having problems with my file server (running Ubuntu Server 7.10 at the time) locking up, and when I'd reboot, it would hang on the BIOS boot up screen (after the memory check, while "detecting IDE drives").

At first I thought it was a software issue, so I did the update to Ubuntu Server 8.04, which failed miserably. Either way, I think I have the software all updated/fixed/working.

The thing is, I still was getting that crashing.

Here's where it gets weird... When it would crash like this (and fail on the bios), the first thing I tried was to leave the machine shut off for awhile (a few minutes), to see if it cooled off enough (assuming it was a heat issue), and start it back up again. Of course, it wouldn't work even after letting it cool for awhile (not only that, but when it was working, it'd go for days and days, so not likely a heating issue).

So one day I discovered, if I removed one stick of memory (two 256MB sticks of PC133 in the machine) and put it back in, it'd magically boot past the IDE check and everything... Until the next crash.

So for fun, the next time it crashed, I took out the 2nd 256MB stick (I figured 256MB was enough for a file/web/TiVo server), and it didn't crash for awhile. So I figured the 2nd stick was bad memory. That simple.

Until yesterday, when it locked again... Without the "bad" memory at all... So I rebooted it, and it hung at the usual place (scanning for IDE). Powered it down, left it down, powered it up, nothing helped.

So for giggles & grins, I put the "bad" memory back in. Now it magically boots up again...

I just don't get it.

Any ideas/suggestions? I really don't want to replace any more hardware than I really have to (money is tight, what with $4.19/gallon gasoline prices these days and all), but I do want the server to be reliable again.

Thoughts? Ideas?

Thanks!

Posted: Sun May 25, 2008 8:08 pm Post subject:

Could be any number of problems...bad power supply, motherboard on the fritz...

Have you unplugged everything except the necessary components? Did you do a full reset on the BIOS?

I would burn a copy of Ultimate Boot CD and run some tests.

Posted: Mon May 26, 2008 4:50 am Post subject:

Sounds like the mothboard. In addition to the ultimat boot cd you might want to try this for testing the memory:

http://www.memtest.org/

Posted: Mon May 26, 2008 5:41 am Post subject:

sounds kinda like the issue I'm having with my main windows PC. nice patriot ram with heat spreaders... RMA'd them back in January and the new set is already on the fritz. I've forced windows to only use the first stick cutting my ram in half (to 512M now) and it seems to have fixed it for now. I think the problem with mine is that the motherboard may be overdriving the second bank because the problems always show up on the high end of the installed Gig of ram. somewhere around the 800M-1G range (last 256Meg). I'm thinking with yours it may be a contact issue or low voltage issue either in the power supply or the motherboard. Do you have a mobo monitor that gives you voltage readouts? Might wanna check that as well. And if possible, what the RAM voltage is set at. You may need to adjust that setting.

Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 11:51 pm Post subject:

also a cheap fix to try... replace the mobo battery.... I've seen bad batteries cause all kinds of weirdness. Generally when I buy a mobo I head right to walgreens and pickup a new battery and chuck the one from the manufacturer.

Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 3:11 am Post subject:

Here's the strange thing - ever since I posted that, it's been stable - no crashes...

Of course, one thing that I'm going to do that (hopefully) will keep it stable - I'm changing the memory soon.

Basically, I'm doing the "great memory swap" in our household...

Turns out the three computers we have (the server, the wife's computer, and mine) all use the same type of memory (DDR - PC3200/PC2700), and my wife's computer desperately needs more memory (running Win XP Home on 512MB with 64MB of that diverted to on-board video just ain't cutting it), so I ordered a 1GB stick for hers (to use in conjunction with one of the 256MB sticks in it already), and a 1 GB stick for mine (to use with two of the three 512MB sticks I have in mine, bringing mine up to 2 GB).

That leaves me with an extra 512MB stick (the server has two 256MB sticks, but that's fine since it's running Linux) - I figure I'll put the 512MB in the slot that hasn't given me any problems, and then decide if I want one of the extra 256MB ones in the slot that was giving me grief (but hasn't in awhile).