Help... Computer is dying fast

[JHZR2]

Hi,

I know there are a lot of knowledgable people on here when it comes to computers.

I have a dell precision workstation 620. Built ~early-mid 2001. It has a single PIII xeon, 1GB RDRAM, 420W power supply, 2x 10k rpm scsi drives. Tightly integrated case.

On Saturday morning it was working 100% fine. I was doing work on it, printing stuff out, working online, etc.

Tonight I got home and started it up (I had shut it down). All of a sudden everything was at a crawl.

The system keeps loosing time, though the original battery checked out OK (3V). Replacement didnt help it.

The bios lost the processor speed. Reverted to 266 MHz. I managed to find the speed change utility, and set it to 933 MHz (underclocked).

The system clock resets every time. Once started up, I can use an online utility to reset the clock, but it looses a LOT of time while running.

The on-board thermal and fan rpm sensors show erratic readings all the time.

Everything is VERY jumpy. The mouse jumps in spurts when I move it, data moves slowly in spurts (Im backing up stuff to different drives).

Once I checked to verify cpu speed by opening sisoft sandra. All of a sudden, for whatever reason, the computer came back to life, and the mouse wasnt jumpy, etc. I started transferring files at that point, and then after maybe 5 minutes, the computer shut itself down, stating that there was a thermal event (the sensors are fluctuating wildly from 120F to 32F). I restarted, and are now transferring files again, without that being an issue (though the sensors are still fluctuating).

I dont know whats wrong. The time keeps resetting, my computer is more or less useless because it keeps operating in spurts, etc.

Does it sound like my motherbopard is shot? I dont really know how to diagnose this. I just dont want to have to buy a new computer, as thgis one operated great. I also hate re-installing stuff, working on computers, etc. I sure hope there is a solution.

Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

JMH

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

Your BIOS may be corrupt/bad, you may have a BIOS virus, the CPU may be bad (improbable but possible), perhaps a power spike screwed up things?

 

[JHZR2]

how can one check for a bios virus?

If the bios got corrupted (the battery was dead, and I think it lost all info, thus why it reverted to 266 mhz) What is the best way to get it back?

Thanks,

JMH

 

[JHZR2]

oooh, that was my thousandth post!

JMH

 

[55Test]

Is the computer still operational at all? You could try checking Dell's website for the latest BIOS revision for the system, assuming they have one.

 

[94MaxGXE]

First thing I would check is the power supply. Does the BIOS have a section that monitors the supply voltages? Go to that and see if the 5vdc, and the others are steady. The 5 volt should not read below 4.88, or be jumping around.

 

[55Test]

I see that you're backing up data, that's a wise step. Once you've backed up all your important data, format the hard drive then reinstall your OS. You'd be surprised how often this can fix problems that seem to be hardware related, but are not.

 

[newtoncd8]

I haven't seen that before, but the first thing I would check is your power supply and also make sure the internal fans are working okay.

 

[DockHoliday]

I 2nd the power supply check.

 

[wwillson]

Back your data up if you can before you do anything else. I would check to see that all cooling fans are operating properly (expecially the CPU). If that's not the trouble, then see if you can flash the bios with the latest rev. from Dell. You should also pull all of the PCI cards (if there are any) and memory and reseat them.

PM me if you need any help.

Wayne

 

[oilyriser]

clean the dust out of your cpu heatsink, fans ,and from the power supply ventilation holes.

 

[ebaker]

Make sure the heatsink is making good contact with the processor core. It sounds like the processor is overheating and tripping the thermal protector circuits. DO NOT try to flash the bios unless it is running correctly.

 

[seotaji]

Give the power supply a check.

 

[JHZR2]

OK, here is the deal.

The CPU has a passive heatsink. There is a system fan that blows through the ducting for the CPU, and another for the memory, then two small ones for the power supply. All of them seem to work well. If I watch them, they all spin up and remain spinning fine. The sensors do crap out sometimes, causing a '0' RPM indication, but I do not see the fan ever not spin.

I have the latest bios from dell. I try and keep my computer clean, and vacummed it out last night as a precaution as things went bad.

Core 0, which I think is my processor core, reports 1.78V, constant. I think that my processor takes 2.8V.

Per reccomendation, Ive watched my 5V and 12V lines in motherboard monitor. They are steady at 11.94 and 5.02V. Bot, once in a while, they crap out to 0V. However, i think this may be a sensor issue. If they really did go to 0, wouldnt the system shut down? Or, would sporadic power cause the HD, etc to repeatedly start up and shut down?

The motherboard monitor high/low chart shows that core 0 (I dont know what that exactly is, but keep in mind that I only have 1 processor) has had a high of 1.78V, low of 0V, average of 1.53V. Core 1 has had a high of 2.59V, low of 0V, average of 2.24V.

3.3V lne has a high of 1.48V, low of 0V, average of 1.36V, This seems suspect to me. 5V line has had a high of 5.02, low of 0, average of 3.60V. 12V line has had a high of 11.94, low of 0 and an average of 10.45V.

Thing is, when I watch the voltages, they never drop to 0 for very long, and dont seem to be as messed up as the data suggests. But I guess it does suggest a faulty power supply, right?

But that takes me back to my question: If I had sporadic power, or low voltage, wouldnt the system not turn on, or shut itself off? Could low power supply voltage screw up the system clock, effectively causing it to reset all the time, when the system was shut down?

This computer has a long, computer length, and only ~3 in high and 1.5 in wide power supply. Its not something Ill be getting at best buy. However, could I perhaps buy a best buy power supply, sit it on top of the computer, attach the cables, and try to run my machine? Or does that present grounding issues, as the PS isnt part of the case? My problem is that this proprietary power supply will probaby be expensive...

ANy info would be great.

Thanks,

JMH

 

[newtoncd8]

Just priced them, wow, $139 for a power supply ...ouch. eBay has them in "good working used condition" for a lot less.

It kind of looks like it might have a proprietary connection to the motherboard.

http://www.impactcomputers.com/41ufc.html

 

[Amkeer]

If its not a heat issue its the power supply. I am not familiar with Dell since I build my own using a ATX case. If you have a ATX case then Best Buy has power supplies, 300 watts should be sufficient, for $40.

When the system is booting go into bios and check the pc health section of the bios which will list fans, voltages, etc.. Make sure the systems fans and temperatures are not out of wack as well as voltages.

 

[JHZR2]

My bios doesnt allow visualization of the 'health' info. I can access it via motherboard monitor, from windows. It has always been fine, but the reading since these issues have arisen have been quite sporadic.

I tested one of the typical connectors for the CD drive, using a multimeter. They both checked out fine and were steady. Its not like they drop the way that the monitor claims.

I bought a 'good used' power supply from on ebay. I will swap that in. If it doesnt work, Im going to buy a mac mini, and then get a replacement motherboard for this one as I find one at a reasonable price (ebay prices are ~$140).

A funny thing that I observed is that while operating, booting, running the system is extremely slow and choppy, transferring files from the system over ethernet wire is as fast as Id expect it to be.

Its a really good system, Ive been really happy with it. I hope that it can be salvaged and run correctly. Nobody wants to work on it, not local stores, not best buy, etc. Its a bear to work on because everything is so tightly integrated. But I hope I can get it working, as though its old (PIII xeon, rambus) technology, it runs everything faster than my P4 2.8GHz machine at work, running the same OS, same RAM, etc. It was a good buy, a good investment, and so I hope I can solve the issue.

Can anyone comment on where to take Dell workstations for repair once out of warranty? The tech help at dell suggested a local computer store or bestbuy!

JMH

 

[Amkeer]

Cheaper to build new system!

 

[JHZR2]

yeah I think Im going to buy a mac mini.

I do have a couple laptops. One for work, a mini 12.2" one for travel, and an old PIII compaq that has a 15" screen. I can't attach my 19" samsung LCD to the laptop (Im using the laptop right now). It just doesnt look right, even at the correct resolution. It has an ATI video card, with I believe 32 MB, but it doesnt look right. its not clear for an LCD, even with the correct drivers.

I like the laptop, but think that a new desktop (mini,since I will be moving at least once in the next year or two) will be best.

JMH