What is fried?

[nobody]

I have an old box - k6/2-500 OCd to 600 on FIC VA-503+ board, running
win2k that I used as a test box. When "testing" eMule, the box got
infected with something despite the latest OS patches and virus defs
(Symantec AV corporate), so badly that it would bluescreen every time
a cleanup was attempted. Tried to install a fresh XP from CD boot -
would freeze in the middle of copying files. Same to 2k. 98
installed without a glitch though. Tried to install 2k from under 98
- setup would copy files, reboot, and then complain about corrupt
files, different ones every time. Tried to copy the whole i386 to HD
- would bluescreen in the middle of copying. Thought it's because of
OC - any jumper combination except the OC results in continuous beeps
and no post. Flashed the latest BIOS - to no avail. The only part
that feels hot to touch is the north bridge, and even that is not too
hot to burn the skin. The RAM - generic PC133 - works fine in other
box. Tried different harddisks (from 6 to 20 GB) - same result.

Question: what is fried?

 

[George Macdonald]

I have an old box - k6/2-500 OCd to 600 on FIC VA-503+ board, running
win2k that I used as a test box. When "testing" eMule, the box got
infected with something despite the latest OS patches and virus defs
(Symantec AV corporate), so badly that it would bluescreen every time
a cleanup was attempted. Tried to install a fresh XP from CD boot -
would freeze in the middle of copying files. Same to 2k. 98
installed without a glitch though. Tried to install 2k from under 98
- setup would copy files, reboot, and then complain about corrupt
files, different ones every time. Tried to copy the whole i386 to HD
- would bluescreen in the middle of copying. Thought it's because of
OC - any jumper combination except the OC results in continuous beeps
and no post. Flashed the latest BIOS - to no avail. The only part
that feels hot to touch is the north bridge, and even that is not too
hot to burn the skin. The RAM - generic PC133 - works fine in other
box. Tried different harddisks (from 6 to 20 GB) - same result.

Question: what is fried?

What happens if you run some diagnostic software, like memtest86+ or
Prime95?... memory tests of course but they do stress/heat up the whole
system.

Is that VA-503+ an early one with the old voltage regulator(s)? I know
that people who tried to use a K6-2/500 on early MVP3 mbrds had trouble
with VRs after several months. The Soyo 5EHM stuff is fairly well
documented: the early examples had a 12amp(IIRC) rated VR and it would
eventually crap out under the load of a K6-2/500; Soyo increased the rating
of the VR on the later versions to 15amp... again IIRC.

Have you checked the capacitors, especially the group around the CPU for
bulging tops and/or oozing? See
http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/WEBONLY/resource/feb03/ncap.html &
http://www.motherboardrepair.com/

Also, don't forget the power supply - an easy swap as a check.

 

[Jason Gurtz]

You may want to try your fixing/de-spyware'ing/de-virus'ing by using a
boot CD such as bart pe.

Then you remove all the malware as possible sources of bluescreen.

~Jason

--

 

[nobody]

What happens if you run some diagnostic software, like memtest86+ or
Prime95?... memory tests of course but they do stress/heat up the whole
system.

I wish I could run them, but looks like my multiple attempts to
install 2k screwed up 98 so much it no longer stable to run anything
;-(

Is that VA-503+ an early one with the old voltage regulator(s)? I know
that people who tried to use a K6-2/500 on early MVP3 mbrds had trouble
with VRs after several months. The Soyo 5EHM stuff is fairly well
documented: the early examples had a 12amp(IIRC) rated VR and it would
eventually crap out under the load of a K6-2/500; Soyo increased the rating
of the VR on the later versions to 15amp... again IIRC.

Could be - it ran OCd and overvoltaged chips ever since it was bought
in mid'98. First it was a 266 OCd to 337.5 (4.5x75), and then since
2000 it was 500 OCd to 600. But still looks too weird for VR to be a
suspect - I thought it just would not even post when VR is fried

Have you checked the capacitors, especially the group around the CPU for
bulging tops and/or oozing?

They look normal, but could've dried up since 98

See
http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/WEBONLY/resource/feb03/ncap.html &
http://www.motherboardrepair.com/

Also, don't forget the power supply - an easy swap as a check.

This one is not that easy - I have no more AT type PSU around.

Looks like that old k6 system reached the end of the road. The
company I work for is about to chuck out a bunch of IBMs with PIII
ranging from 866 to 933 - they were crap even when they were new
(around late 2000 - early 2001) but I'll grab one to use as a 2nd box,
that is easier than figuring out how, if it's possible at all, fix the
k6.

Thanks anyway

NNN

 

[nobody]

You may want to try your fixing/de-spyware'ing/de-virus'ing by using a
boot CD such as bart pe.

Then you remove all the malware as possible sources of bluescreen.

~Jason

I guess fdisk with following format removed any and all malware. Yet
it continues to bluescreen at every attempt to install any NT flavor -
tried all from NT4 to XP
:-(

Thanks anyway
NNN

 

[Roger Hunt]

(k6/2-500 OCd to 600 on FIC VA-503+ board)

I guess fdisk with following format removed any and all malware. Yet
it continues to bluescreen at every attempt to install any NT flavor -
tried all from NT4 to XP
:-(

Shot in the dark -
The BIOS setting, PNP OS, should be set to "no".
Also, I would quadruple-check those jumpers. They read right to left and
it's caught me out more than once when I had a 503+.

 

[George Macdonald]

I guess fdisk with following format removed any and all malware. Yet
it continues to bluescreen at every attempt to install any NT flavor -
tried all from NT4 to XP

Well chances are slim I guess but it's always possible that a boot
sector(s) virus could be lurking. The only way to really "clean" a disk is
with the mfr's diags, using the "write all zeros".

 

[Captin]

I have an old box - k6/2-500 OCd to 600 on FIC VA-503+ board,
running
win2k that I used as a test box. When "testing" eMule, the
box got
infected with something despite the latest OS patches and
virus defs
(Symantec AV corporate), so badly that it would bluescreen
every time
a cleanup was attempted. Tried to install a fresh XP from CD
boot -
would freeze in the middle of copying files. Same to 2k. 98
installed without a glitch though. Tried to install 2k from
under 98
- setup would copy files, reboot, and then complain about
corrupt
files, different ones every time. Tried to copy the whole
i386 to HD
- would bluescreen in the middle of copying. Thought it's
because of
OC - any jumper combination except the OC results in
continuous beeps
and no post. Flashed the latest BIOS - to no avail. The only
part
that feels hot to touch is the north bridge, and even that is
not too
hot to burn the skin. The RAM - generic PC133 - works fine in
other
box. Tried different harddisks (from 6 to 20 GB) - same
result.

Question: what is fried?

Using a hard drive utility on a floppy disc and writing zeros to the
drive will take time but it will rule out germs.
I have used Seagates Seatools on plenty of different old hard drives
to do the job....
Longshot...

Sometimes with Windows 2K and XP on old machines it would pop up
with this’n’that is corrupt , etc and it wouldn’t shut up....
we would press the enter key and you would be prompted with
continue anyway, Windows XP will not install such and such file or
whatever..we would just press the Enter key and keep installing.
A few times I left a steel ball sitting on the Enter key just to get
Windows 2000 installed . Then after installing any drivers,( if
required),
I would type "services.msc" in the run box and get in and disable
services
like USB etc if the computer had no USB ports, wireless networking.
etc
Once you disabled about 20 services the system was fine
I think a lot of those corrupt files were for things the board/BIOS
whatever did not support.
This was before BIOS updates were as prevalent

 

[nobody]

Using a hard drive utility on a floppy disc and writing zeros to the
drive will take time but it will rule out germs.
I have used Seagates Seatools on plenty of different old hard drives
to do the job....
Longshot...

Sometimes with Windows 2K and XP on old machines it would pop up
with this’n’that is corrupt , etc and it wouldn’t shut up....
we would press the enter key and you would be prompted with
continue anyway, Windows XP will not install such and such file or
whatever..we would just press the Enter key and keep installing.

Tried...Resulted in bluescreen somewhere in the middle of "coping
files" process. Gave up after a few (4? 5?) futile attempts

A few times I left a steel ball sitting on the Enter key just to get
Windows 2000 installed . Then after installing any drivers,( if
required),
I would type "services.msc" in the run box and get in and disable
services
like USB etc if the computer had no USB ports, wireless networking.
etc
Once you disabled about 20 services the system was fine
I think a lot of those corrupt files were for things the board/BIOS
whatever did not support.

I had NT4 installed on it in 98 (with K6/2-266 OCd to 75*4.5=337.5) -
no problem whatsoever. Then installed Advanced Server 2k in 2000 -
again no problem, but the thing slowed down to a crawl. Replacing the
chip with K6/2+ 500 OCd to 600 brought it up to acceptable speed
again. Was running fine until just over a year ago, when it started
acting up. I thought it's because of the old C:\ starting to develop
bad sectors. When it's got infected, it was long overdue for an
overhaul, so I just formatted the drive. Later I made a few attempts
to install the OS on another, presumably clean and working drive
(pulled from a decommissioned box at work) - the same result (or
rather lack thereof)

This was before BIOS updates were as prevalent

The latest BIOS for the board was dated late 2000 - I flashed it, to
no avail.
Looks like the time has come to chuck it...;-(
7 years - not too bad a mileage for a box assembled in '98 on a
shoestring budget ;-)
Thanks anyway
NNN

 

[Franc Zabkar]

I have an old box - k6/2-500 OCd to 600 on FIC VA-503+ board, running
win2k that I used as a test box.

- any jumper combination except the OC results in continuous beeps
and no post.

What combination are you running at present? Core voltage? FSB? DIMM
frequency? Multiplier(s)?

I'd try a conservative combination and work upwards from there, eg FSB
= 66MHz, multiplier = 6, Vcore = 2.2V, DIMM freq = PC-66.

If and when you do finally get it running, use CpuIdle or a similar
app to keep the CPU temperature down, and to take the load off the VR.


- Franc Zabkar