250 Points in Hardware

Never use MB with integrated video/audio when u build it yourself... Always more trouble than what u ar esaving. (also harder to upgrade)

1. Dowload the latest drvier for your video card.
2. Remove all cards, sound, modem, scsi ..., except for your video card.
3. Go into bios and load default bios. Reinstall Windows.
4. After windows is installed, delete the video card it detected in device manager but do not reboot.
5. Configure your computer to prevent Windows 98 from automatically reinstalling the previous driver files:

a. Right-click the desktop, point to New, click Folder, type oldinf, and then press ENTER.

b. Click Start, click Run, type inf in the Open box, and then click OK. Note that this opens the Windows\Inf folder.

c. On the Windows\Inf folder Edit menu, click Select All, and then click Cut on the Edit menu.

d. Minimize the Windows\Inf folder, and then double-click the oldinf folder on the desktop you created in step 2a.

e. On the Windows\Desktop\oldinf folder Edit menu, click Paste, and then close the oldinf folder.

f. Restart your computer.

g. When your computer restarts and prompts you for driver files for your device, install the correct or updated drivers.
6. After the correct drivers have been installed, return the files you moved to the oldinf folder on the desktop to the Windows\Inf folder:

a. Double-click the oldinf folder on the desktop, and then click Select All on the Edit menu.

b. On the Edit menu, click Copy, and then close the oldinf folder.

c. Click Start, click Run, type inf in the Open box, and then click OK.

d. On the Windows\Inf folder Edit menu, click Paste, and click No or No to all if you are prompted to overwrite any files.

Test it like that for a few days. If you have lockup problems you have isolated the problem to a few componets. If you do not get any lockups add one more component and test it for a few days.

I just finidhed reading all of your suggestions and problems! If I was to recommend you try something it would be what israely suggested, except that I would also recommend you look for for a patch or driver for your chipset. ASUS is a great board, however, for most of the ones I have installed they have a patch or an install for their chipset. It sounds like you need this. The only other thing I can determine if this doesn't fix it it is video drivers! Dave

I dont currently have the time to read the whole thread but I have had a similar experience when I upgraded my browser from v4 to v5, it turned out to be a corrupted sound effect installed in the upgrade, try turning all sounds of in the browser to see if it is something to do with that. To turn sounds off in the browser goto the tools menu and select Internet options. Click on the Advanced tab and scroll down until you get to Multimedia. Uncheck the Playsounds check box

Hope this helps

Matth

P.S
 You may want to load your bios defaults in the bios incase any of the PCI/ISA IRQ setiings have gotten messed up. Another thinkg, have you overclocked your CPU, if the bus speed is too fast for the ram then this will cause major problems with the video card (Hardware blitting can be put into an infinite loop whist waiting on missed memory read/writes)

Follow these steps very carefully to solve your problem.

1.  turn off computer
2.  unplug all the cords
3.  throw computer into garbage.
4.  call dell/gateway/compaq for new computer.
5.  Say 3 times: "I will never try to build a computer again".

I deserve the 250 points becuase this is your best solution.  Almost hassle free.

Send me the money and I'll give you the points

I am taking the computer to where I got the parts from, they said it's more than likely a hardware issue and wasn't my fault, I think they just want the $50/hr to run tests on it I've already done.

This isn't the solution, but i thought I would just go ahead and accept an answer, so this would be kept in the EE database.

If you want to know the answer, click on the link at the top, i am pretty sure it's a CPU temprature problem.

TC

Hi

  You could have awarded the points to somone who actually added some value to the converstation such as israely, he obviously took a lot of time out investigating this problem for you, just awarding the points to someone for nothing seems a little unfair. Especially when he was wrong, MB's with integrated peripherals are much easier to work with and as long as you know how to get into the bios, its easy enough to diable the integrated devices when upgrading. Awarding points for worthless answers may cause experts not to want to help you with problems in the future.

Matth

madhour: Yours was my favorite suggestion, I have been tempted to do that so many times.

there were no points at all awarded, plus a similar suggestion was on the board, but i understand what you are saying

To matth:
(i) sure u can disable an integrated vid card in bios, but if theres no AGP slot it wont do u any good since u cant put another one!
(ii) And what happens when u change OS and an integrated device doesnt have a driver for the new OS? (does COMPAQ and WINMODEM ring a bell)
(iii) If u think i'm flaming U, just look at your own comment...
(iv) "added some value to the converstation ".. Depends on wether or not u u agree on what opinion is stated? Come on, if everybody is of the same opinion, its not a "discussion", its a monologue...
(v) words sur as "worthless" are by no way a constructive way to conduct a discussion
(vi) as a game programmer u should know the versatility and power of a "custom-built" system...

just my 2 cents

Hi Simonac

  Most MB's come with an AGP slot built in anyway and if someone is going to spend the money upgrading from PCI based gfx then the MB is one of the cheapest upgrades they can have, unless they up the internal clock speed and have to replace ram too, MB's are becoming much more flexible nowadays and the only real difference is the cpu slot types. Integrated also appears to be the wat PC industry is going, to be able to buy a MB with ide/sound/video/network and modem all integrated is great for joe public and greate for me (as long as they can be easily disabled and replaced at a future point in time)

Changing OS is not common place for 99% of the general public.

NB: The above statements are based on experience of upgrading others systems

I agree that everyone has their own opinion and I was simply expressing mine as were you and obviously if we both have differing opinions we are bound to say that one or the other is wrong.

Worthless is probably too strong a word and apologies do go out to you from me.

I agree with point vi, I mess with my systems that much that i've thrown the outer casings away :)


Matth

Matth, u seem to be a calm and understanding person; U have MY apologies If I got excited.

Actually the reason why the computer locked up was an overheated CPU, a larger fan fixed the problem.

Thanks for the feedback thunderchicken. Glad your system is operating. Take care Dave