Computer freezes up.

[daryl]

Just built system approx 2 weeks ago. K7SEM motherboard, AMD xp Athlon1700,Maxtor 40 gig 5400,128mg ram pc133.Onboard sound and video.Net gear Fa311 pci card.Comcast @home with a linkys router and also a netgear hub.....Ok now what happens is if i go online internet explorer vers.6.I can only work for about 1 minute and the computer will lock up.Fans still working ,screen stay,s up.Clock stops....Not sure what to do,i have replaced network card with know good card,also replace ram with know good ram.Still same problem.Can anyone help...Thanks in advance Daryl.................... Almost forgot windows 98 se

[morriswindgate]

I would start with the "Repair Internet Explorer" tool that is in the System Tools-Tools menu.

[daryl]

Just tried that,but to no help.just replaced mouse also.seems like it will run and just as soon as you move mouse it freezes.That may not be the cause though.

[GaryRouth]

It can never hurt to scan for viruses. Do a full system scan with your current antivirus, and augment that with a run of HouseCall - that should rule out any virus activity. [for HouseCall: http://www.trendmicro.com ]

Are you running Zone Alarm?

Everything else except the Internet is OK? Did your Internet access work OK at first with this new build? - or it hasn't been quite right yet?

If it's not a virus, might be a firewall type of problem. I don't have any network equipment that matches your hubs and routers, but someone out there will - in case it's something specific to your hardware. (you could browse their support sites [with a different computer, that is] to see if anythings up with those]

Best of luck, & Happy Holidays
. . . Gary

[p.s. did you uninstall the network drivers for the older card before installing the new one?]

[mike breck]

What sort of mouse do you have?

Any IRQ conflicts showing in Device Manager?

You've never had any lockups in Windows - just when online?

Might be worthwhile scanning for trojans and malware.

For malware use AD-aware

http://www.lavasoftusa.com/

For Trojans use The Cleaner

http://www.moosoft.com/

Try uninstalling the driver and any software for the mouse. Then try the Windows generic driver for that type of mouse. Sometimes the software that comes with a mouse is more trouble than it's worth.

Try disabling power management in the BIOS and in Windows, to see if that affects it.

HTH

[daryl]

Ran the virus scan.Computer freezes up all the time now.Disabled the sytem.ini file and it seems to fun fairly well except for the graphics of course.Did a coplete reformat Saturday night and then reloaded win98se.Worked for about 10 min.I heard the the mobo i have is a piece of crap.A probably got what i paid for.I may switch boards,But i would like to be able to use pc133 memory,as i have a lot of it.I am just tryin to make a X-mas present out this for 1 of my kids.Any help on another board may be benifical. Thanks so far Daryl

[GaryRouth]

Sometimes with a lot of care and attention, the value-line boards will work just fine - as long as they're not pushed too hard. I'd recommend using as conservative Bios Settings as possible, at least until things settle down. Try going into Bios Setup, and find the option "Save Defaults and Exit" (or something worded close to that): this will use default timings and such for all the hardware the bios detects. Memory timings, especially, should be conservative - doubly so if the memory is also a value brand. The default settings should put it to CAS3, rather than CAS2, for added stability. It might also set the memory to "Timings by SPD" - which is Serial Presence Detect (the bios queries the module for it's default settings) - a very reliable method.

Another thing to try is to check the date of the bios on the board, and see if there is an update for it. There may also be updated drivers for the SiS components (the chipset, video, audio, lan - [doesn't that board have built-in lan? Why are you using the NetGear add-in card?] ). [If you happen to have the K7SEM pcb board version 3.0a - there's a recent bios for that, from late November this year: http://www.ecs.com.tw/download/k7sem30a.htm Remember that for any bios update, it must be an EXACT match for your board - you can check for bios updates at ECS: http://www.ecs.com.tw/download/bios_m.htm The latest drivers are available there also: http://www.ecs.com.tw/download/drivers_m.htm

It might be that the power supply isn't very good: what brand/wattage does it read on the label? Do you have an extra one around?

And for a little extra stability, another bios setting you might try is to Disable Spread Spectrum. . .

It is true that the K7SEM is a low-priced board: but you paid real money for it - it should at least work to its basic specs, or you can return it if it proves to be a faulty one.

Good luck with your project: Hope everything turns out OK in time.
. . . Gary

[p.s. ---to help with troubleshooting, try using the computer as a standalone (no network connections or software) - and see if it's stable when disconnected.]

[daryl]

Thanks for the info...I use a netgear as a test in case the other lan card was bad.I spoke to a couple of people about this board and each one stated that it struggles to support the XP Athlon 1700.I also have an 850 Duron layin around.I might try it some time.As far as getting this system up and running i bought a Gigabyte GA-7VKMLS Board for $59.00 Including 2nd day air.It seems to be a better board from all reviews i checked.I will just have to wait and see. Thanks for all your help so far....Daryl

[GaryRouth]

Sounds like a good plan. The Duron might do fine on that board, and no user younger than 10 could ever tell the difference between the Duron and the XP.

Don't forget to give the 1700 at least a 300wt. power supply from a known good brand.

[7 more days till these goodies have to be wrapped and under the tree!] . . . Best of luck
. . . Gary