Droid Engineer Archive
Thread: I *may* not last too much longer...
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Jenden
Tue Jan 18, 2005 4:45 pm
#27
Don't know if it helps any but I haven't had a single crash (other than some I know I caused by my own stupidity) since I got rid of windows... but, that may be a bit extreme just to get rid of a crash.
TheRealTK421
Tue Jan 18, 2005 4:51 pm
#28
Yea....it's getting to be about time for a fresh format or, at least, a repair install.
/bow
Respectfully,
/bow
Respectfully,
TheOrb
Tue Jan 18, 2005 11:17 pm
#29
Jenden wrote:
hehe, there was no reinstallation... not of windows at least. Running the penguin full time now.
How difficult is this to set up? How does the performace compare to windows?
Jenden
Wed Jan 19, 2005 6:45 am
#30
All depends on which distro you go with. I'm running gentoo, which is probably one of the most complicated, but also gives you the most freedom/choices. I still don't have everything set up quite right though (my onboard sound is a bit flaky, though I've installed red hat on here before and the sound came out solid, so its just a config file somewhere). Some of them like redhat/mandrake/SUSE on the other hand aren't any worse than a windows install. As far as performance goes, there are a few minor glitches with galaxies (when not in mouse-look mode the my view doesn't move when I push the mouse against the screen) but nothing that really bugs me. Water doesn't render right (no texture) for some reason, but all the rest of the graphics are fine (and that may just be my video card settings or something). Sometimes I'm getting better fps on my linux box (its got less memory overhead than windows did, so its nice for low-memory systems) and sometimes they're worse. usually about the same though.
TheRealTK421
Sat Jan 22, 2005 8:03 am
#31
Update:
Well...I'm running MemTest86 on my main PC as I write this (from my backup box).
Well...I'm running MemTest86 on my main PC as I write this (from my backup box).
I'm not even 50% done with the tests and already about 1700 errors generated. 
Last night, my box restarted while only running NAV and IE, so that may show that whatever's been knocking me out of SWG isn't related to the game itself but something on my end.
I can't yet rule out the video card either since some of the crashes I've had specifically mentioned ATI as the device driver that generated the exception.
To add insult to injury, I started hearing some fan bearing problem somewhere on Thurs. but it hasn't happened since. So...I've some more tracking to do.
To add insult to injury, I started hearing some fan bearing problem somewhere on Thurs. but it hasn't happened since. So...I've some more tracking to do.
/bow
Respectfully,
Jenden
Sat Jan 22, 2005 8:44 am
#32
You're computer's starting to sound like mine sometimes... I swear it actively hates me sometimes.
TheRealTK421
Sat Jan 22, 2005 8:52 am
#33
Yea...these sorts of issues are yucky to track down. In some cases, it just means I'm ready to drop in a new mobo, CPU and RAM. 
I'm up to 85% done now and just shy of 2700 errors.
I'm up to 85% done now and just shy of 2700 errors.
My day is starting to consist of hunting down the latest BIOS ver., chipset drivers, etc. to see if that helps (possibly in advance of a repair install of Windows or a total wipage).
Oh well....it was about time for a fresh/clean install.
/bow
Respectfully,
Jenden
Sat Jan 22, 2005 9:04 am
#34
yea... a while back I had a bad power supply, got that replaced but still busted. I figured that maybe it was the mobo, replaced that, still no good, finally figured out that it was the power supply, but the brand new one I had gotten was bad as well... This summer will be time for a new setup though, get a nice AMD64, NForce 4 board, and Geforce 6 series (not sure which one yet), now I just have to figure out where the money will come from.
TheRealTK421
Sat Jan 22, 2005 10:08 am
#35
Okay...so...the plot thickens...
MemTest86 restarted when it got done (I guess it loops automatically...unless I'm not fully 'getting' its normal operation). I couldn't get out of it using ESC, so I had to pop the floppy and hit the ole' reset button.
When I did, I got a series of beeps on POST. WinXP booted to the login screen and, on a hunch, I had it power off. I pulled the AC cord from the power supply and let it sit for a minute or more (didn't time it or anything).
I plugged the AC back in and booted. No beeps.
As of right now, the system (IE specifically) seems a ton more 'snappy'. I also discovered that I've been using some "Hyperion" drivers (for my VIA KT266 chipset) and they are actually newer than the legacy drivers that VIA put out. I have ver. 4.48 now but ver. 4.55 is the latest Hyperion set. The legacy drivers ended at 4.43.
So...now I'm in a quandry. Update to 4.55 (even though they aren't expressly made for the KT266 chipset) or rollback to the 4.43 legacy (which VIA claims some users report a "more responsive system" when using)?
From my past hardware tech experience, it almost seems like I had a capacitor or resistor networkthat was 'railed' and when I let the mobo fully power down and re-power(by pulling the AC plug), I might have 'unrailed' it.
I think for now, my best bet will be to hold tight and peep the performance and behavior to see if the issue's been cleared.
Any DE (PC tech.) types wanna put in 2 credits on this?
/bow
Respectfully,
MemTest86 restarted when it got done (I guess it loops automatically...unless I'm not fully 'getting' its normal operation). I couldn't get out of it using ESC, so I had to pop the floppy and hit the ole' reset button.
When I did, I got a series of beeps on POST. WinXP booted to the login screen and, on a hunch, I had it power off. I pulled the AC cord from the power supply and let it sit for a minute or more (didn't time it or anything).
I plugged the AC back in and booted. No beeps.
As of right now, the system (IE specifically) seems a ton more 'snappy'. I also discovered that I've been using some "Hyperion" drivers (for my VIA KT266 chipset) and they are actually newer than the legacy drivers that VIA put out. I have ver. 4.48 now but ver. 4.55 is the latest Hyperion set. The legacy drivers ended at 4.43.
So...now I'm in a quandry. Update to 4.55 (even though they aren't expressly made for the KT266 chipset) or rollback to the 4.43 legacy (which VIA claims some users report a "more responsive system" when using)?
From my past hardware tech experience, it almost seems like I had a capacitor or resistor networkthat was 'railed' and when I let the mobo fully power down and re-power(by pulling the AC plug), I might have 'unrailed' it.
I think for now, my best bet will be to hold tight and peep the performance and behavior to see if the issue's been cleared.
Any DE (PC tech.) types wanna put in 2 credits on this?
/bow
Respectfully,
Jenden
Sat Jan 22, 2005 10:16 am
#36
very strange indeed... my suggestion would be to just watch it for a while, if all seems to be working ok go ahead and upgrade to the newer hyperion drivers. If things seem a bit off, downgrade to the official VIA drivers. Also, if you don't have one up and running already, you may want to get some kind of vitals monitor for the system (heat, voltage, fan speed, etc) and keep track of that. Doesn't sound like a power or heat problem, but it never hurts to be sure.
TheRealTK421
Sat Jan 22, 2005 10:19 am
#37
Yea....I was looking at the ASUS "PCProbe" utility. I don't know much about it though...
/shrug
Note: For that don't already, I highly recommend checking out "Tom's Hardware Guide". That place is a veritable cornucopia of info, tips, knowledge and....'goodness'.
/bow
Respectfully,
/shrug
Note: For that don't already, I highly recommend checking out "Tom's Hardware Guide". That place is a veritable cornucopia of info, tips, knowledge and....'goodness'.
/bow
Respectfully,
Message Edited by TheRealTK421 on 01-22-2005 09:22 AM
Jenden
Sat Jan 22, 2005 10:22 am
#38
Not sure if that one works for non-asus boards. I've used it myself, and its pretty good, you can set alarms on it if certain stats drop below a certain point. Usually the mobo manufacturer has one on their site.
And as far as tom's hardware guide, if nothing else I keep track of it regularly just for the news. Always seem to pull the interesting stuff out of the mass of news.
And as far as tom's hardware guide, if nothing else I keep track of it regularly just for the news. Always seem to pull the interesting stuff out of the mass of news.
Message Edited by Jenden on 01-22-2005 09:23 AM
TheRealTK421
Sat Jan 22, 2005 10:26 am
#39
PC Probe is what came with the mobo originally (and I think ASUS points to it via their site).
THG's excellent AMD Athlon XP vs. Pentium 4 'shootout' was the thing that convinced me to swing to AMD. I'm glad I did. I think the 3 fpu' really make a key difference for a lot of my apps.
/bow
Respectfully,
THG's excellent AMD Athlon XP vs. Pentium 4 'shootout' was the thing that convinced me to swing to AMD. I'm glad I did. I think the 3 fpu' really make a key difference for a lot of my apps.
/bow
Respectfully,
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