hardware issue maybe?

[Tobmello]

Hello,

I had originally posted an issue with my win98 Dell p2 400 machine where it would suddenly shut down for no apparent reason. I decided to upgrade it to win2k pro to see if the problem still persists. It does! Sometimes when I leave it alone for an hour or so and come back, I get NOTHING on my screen. My keyboard is stuck (keys don't work). The screen is totally blank. I have to then hard boot it to start back up and it usually works. Other times I get "no operating system found" error msg which leads to another hard boot. I can't imagine this is a software issue. Question is, could this be a hard drive problem or a power supply issue or an overheating issue? I'm running my primary IDE controller to my hard drive, and the second controller to two CD rom drives. :confused:

[smurfy]

I'm picking this is probably BIOS level power management feature rather than heat - do a few "tests".
Lewave computer alone and time hoe long it takes to do it.
Retart it and repeat the experiment.
If time = the same as the first time, then it's likely power management.
Next time you boot up, access your CMOS setup and see what power management settings there are in there.

[Tobmello]

Here's the latest. I disabled power mgmt in the bios and the problem still occurs (completely at random). In the middle of working on something it will just shut down. Sometimes it will shut down once the screen saver (mopi) comes on. Yesterday I started experiencing other issues. I can't use my lpt ports all of a sudden. So i had to switch my printer to a usb port. (i tried two different printers and got the same msg: error printing to lpt1 [or lpt2] port)
Then it told me my network connection was unplugged when it wasn't. A reboot cured that. Still can't print to my parallel port.

[Tobmello]

the only thing i havent checked yet is the memory on the board. I recently swapped out memory from my celeron processor (66mhz buz) to my dell (100 mhz bus). Don't know if the memory differnce would cause that problem or what...the dell DOES recognize the memory i put in.

[alphavega7]

What you describe sounds very much like what is called a joke virus. With luck, it could not be, but it sounds very much like it.

A joke virus is not actually a real virus but a little program installed on your computer and which starts at the boot sectioon before the system or anything else starts. It loads in your RAM, to start the sequences. Frequent effects of this joke virus is your CD-ROM bay opening and closing constanlty with no reason, or your computer shuting down time to time or restarting amd other effects such as you describe.

It is possible that you are searching for a hardware problem when it could in fact just be a software program. Somehow and somewhere, you could accidently have downloaded something which installed and loaded this program in your computer or received it through an e-mail.

You should hae a look and look in your drive for any strange program you beleive is not right.

One easy way to irradicate the problem could be to restore your system with the original installer or backup all your work and totaly reformat your drive and re-install everything back. If after this your problem is fixed, than it was a joke virus. Else, it could be something hardware.

David Bryce
alphavega7@yahoo.com

[Tobmello]

I don't mind reformatting the hard drive but I just recently reformatted it and installed win2kPro (earlier i was running win98 but was having problems with random reboots back then as well)

Today when my machine shutdown I couldnt get it back up again for about an hour. Took me 6 reboots. The first 4 times it got all the way upto the windows 2000 boot screen and then it bluescreened with a quick error and powered down. The 5th time it wouldn't get past the initial Dell symbol and it hung. The 6th time it came up just like normal. I don't know enough about low-level troubleshooting to really help myself at this point. All I know is how to reformat and reinstall but I've already done that.

[Tobmello]

also, anyone know how i can reactivate my printer lpt ports? i've already figured out the cable is good as is the printer itself. But i can't print to lpt1 or 2. :p

[Tobmello]

ok this is my last and final plea for help before i take my 'puter into a shop to have them diagnose it :confused:

Yesterday it crashed at random a few times. One of the times I was able to document this crash dump screen:

"Stop: 0x000000D1 Driver IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

Address BEC62BDC base at BEC51000, datestamp 38437f02 tcpip.sys

Beginning dump of physical memory"

I see the word driver and irq and tcpip as the only things i recognize in that error. Anyone care to diagnose?