Hello all 
I came across this forum searching from google, and it looks like a friendly community. I know this is my first post(and it's a Help me!! post), but I look forward to contributing where I can: I don't plan on running off once people help me
Anywho, I have two symptoms:
1. When the hard disk is not being accessed, the hdd light goes dim (partially on, but not fully bright) rather than off.
2. Soon after starting up, it freezes. More specifically: at the xp login screen, if I wiggle the mouse for a while, after a few seconds it'll stop moving and neither it or the keyboard will respond. If I just go ahead and log in, I can usually get to my desktop and click on an icon before it freezes. Once it freezes, the HDD light stays full-on, but no accessing noises from the hdd.
The system specs are listed in my profile (it's the desktop computer), and to that I would add:
* Windows XP Pro
* 400W PSU (only ~2 months old)
* The graphics card (Radeon X700) is only 1 month old.
Here are some of the things I have tried:
* Swapping out the hard disks and the graphics card in many combinations.
* I tested the ram with MemTest86. Passed with flying colours.
* System Restore, just in case a rogue driver or such had found it's way in. (Safe more works without any problems!)
* The voltage and temperature readings in the bios seem fine.
* With no hard disks or expansion cards save for a Nvidia Riva TNT2 and cd drive, Ubuntu Live CD works fine.
* With only one hard disk and the TNT2 attached, XP still freezes. Possibly a software issue involved?
One thing just came to mind: <i>This happened soon after trying to install a floppy disk drive</i>, which I havn't used in ages. I gave up on it because I couldn't be bothered figuring out which connector on the cable was A: and which was pin 1. That's not what I want help on, tho the computer *did* work after the fdd thing for a day or so.
Maybe the psu is shot? The thing with that is- it's only two months old!!! And surely the floppy didn't kick it over the edge? It's 400W, albiet a moderately cheap brand. The voltages in the bios look fine...
Any help would be *greatly* appreciated.
I came across this forum searching from google, and it looks like a friendly community. I know this is my first post(and it's a Help me!! post), but I look forward to contributing where I can: I don't plan on running off once people help me Anywho, I have two symptoms:
1. When the hard disk is not being accessed, the hdd light goes dim (partially on, but not fully bright) rather than off.
2. Soon after starting up, it freezes. More specifically: at the xp login screen, if I wiggle the mouse for a while, after a few seconds it'll stop moving and neither it or the keyboard will respond. If I just go ahead and log in, I can usually get to my desktop and click on an icon before it freezes. Once it freezes, the HDD light stays full-on, but no accessing noises from the hdd.
The system specs are listed in my profile (it's the desktop computer), and to that I would add:
* Windows XP Pro
* 400W PSU (only ~2 months old)
* The graphics card (Radeon X700) is only 1 month old.
Here are some of the things I have tried:
* Swapping out the hard disks and the graphics card in many combinations.
* I tested the ram with MemTest86. Passed with flying colours.
* System Restore, just in case a rogue driver or such had found it's way in. (Safe more works without any problems!)
* The voltage and temperature readings in the bios seem fine.
* With no hard disks or expansion cards save for a Nvidia Riva TNT2 and cd drive, Ubuntu Live CD works fine.
* With only one hard disk and the TNT2 attached, XP still freezes. Possibly a software issue involved?
One thing just came to mind: <i>This happened soon after trying to install a floppy disk drive</i>, which I havn't used in ages. I gave up on it because I couldn't be bothered figuring out which connector on the cable was A: and which was pin 1. That's not what I want help on, tho
the computer *did* work after the fdd thing for a day or so.Maybe the psu is shot? The thing with that is- it's only two months old!!! And surely the floppy didn't kick it over the edge? It's 400W, albiet a moderately cheap brand. The voltages in the bios look fine...
Any help would be *greatly* appreciated.
