Weird bootup error

[Sam]

When I've rebooted my spare computer I've sometimes gotten the
following error right after the POST activities:

"Trap 00000001
Debug trap
cs:eip0008:00404465
ss:esp=0010:00060Ec4
flags=000000086
NoCy NoZr IntDis Down Trap Dis
eax=000000A5 ebx=00000C00
edx=00000000 ecx=00000000
ds=0010 es=0010
edi=00070000 epb=00061FF0
esi=0000009F fs=0036
cr0=00000011 gs=0000000"

After making sure everything was seated properly, I figured that
possibly memory might have something to do with it, because it
happened so early in the boot. I've tried taking DIMMs out and
re-starting. Eventually I was able to start Windows, but I don't trust
it.

I'm getting paranoid about this machine, since my main computer is
out for repair. Was I correct to suspect memory? Could it actually be
something else, like a bad motherboard, power supply or corrupted boot
record?

Computer is an old ePox 8KTA3+ with an AMD Athlon 1400 CPU. I have 3
256meg DIMMs (only 2 currently installed) and an ATI 7500 video card.

Sam

 

[-Alby Hewlet]

Sam,
It sounds like the memory to me. Looks like you fixed it. Use an eraser
and clean the contacts of the 3rd dimm. Sometimes that's all you have to do
to be rolling again.
Alby

 

[Sam]

Sometime on, or about Sat, 17 Jul 2004 13:46:41 -0400, -Alby Hewlet
scribbled:

Sam,
It sounds like the memory to me. Looks like you fixed it. Use an eraser
and clean the contacts of the 3rd dimm. Sometimes that's all you have to do
to be rolling again.
Alby

Ah! The old eraser trick. I'll try it.

I was also thinking that it could be the power supply. It's pretty
undersized (250watts). Besides taking out one of the DIMMs, I also
took out a slave harddrive. That would have reduced the load on the
PSU.

I just wish I understood would the error message was trying to tell
me, so I could identify the problem directly, instead of just
guessing.

Sam

 

[AndrewJ]

Sometime on, or about Sat, 17 Jul 2004 13:46:41 -0400, -Alby Hewlet
scribbled:


Ah! The old eraser trick. I'll try it.

I was also thinking that it could be the power supply. It's pretty
undersized (250watts). Besides taking out one of the DIMMs, I also
took out a slave harddrive. That would have reduced the load on the
PSU.

I just wish I understood would the error message was trying to tell
me, so I could identify the problem directly, instead of just
guessing.

Sam

You must be careful getting advice from a hosed PC. In almost every
case the error message is wrong.

 

[Sam]

Sometime on, or about Sat, 17 Jul 2004 15:48:57 -0400, AndrewJ
scribbled:

You must be careful getting advice from a hosed PC. In almost every
case the error message is wrong.

Yeah, I know... the error often relates to something else that the
real problem triggered. I'm just trying to decide if the motherboard
is at fault or not. This board has been known to have problems due to
a bad batch of capacitors that were used on some of them. I'm just
concerned that they may be fluctuating and causing the occasional
errors. I've heard reports that they've actually exploded on some
Mb's... but, I'm not sure if that's an urban myth or not.

Sam

 

[David Maynard]

Sometime on, or about Sat, 17 Jul 2004 15:48:57 -0400, AndrewJ
scribbled:




Yeah, I know... the error often relates to something else that the
real problem triggered. I'm just trying to decide if the motherboard
is at fault or not. This board has been known to have problems due to
a bad batch of capacitors that were used on some of them. I'm just
concerned that they may be fluctuating and causing the occasional
errors. I've heard reports that they've actually exploded on some
Mb's... but, I'm not sure if that's an urban myth or not.

Sam

The 'bad capacitor' problem can happen to a lot of motherboards and is not
limited to a particular 'brand'.

Look for 'bulged' tops on the large electrolytic capacitors (look like a
vertically mounted 'tube') around the CPU and memory area.

The tops are normally FLAT and, while the bulge isn't 'huge', it's quite
apparent when compared to a normal one (and there's always some 'normal'
ones left even with a massive problem).

 

[Sam]

Sometime on, or about Sat, 17 Jul 2004 20:56:31 -0500, David Maynard
scribbled:

The 'bad capacitor' problem can happen to a lot of motherboards and is not
limited to a particular 'brand'.

Look for 'bulged' tops on the large electrolytic capacitors (look like a
vertically mounted 'tube') around the CPU and memory area.

The tops are normally FLAT and, while the bulge isn't 'huge', it's quite
apparent when compared to a normal one (and there's always some 'normal'
ones left even with a massive problem).

I've just looked at all the capacitors on the board, and I could see
nothing that was really out of place. No obvious bulges, leakage, etc.

Sam

 

[David Maynard]

Sometime on, or about Sat, 17 Jul 2004 20:56:31 -0500, David Maynard
scribbled:




I've just looked at all the capacitors on the board, and I could see
nothing that was really out of place. No obvious bulges, leakage, etc.

Sam

Good. That should eliminate one potential source of the problem, then.