I hope there is someone here with the patience to help a newby with his first computer build project. I really have two issues which may or may not be related. Here are my specs:
Gigabyte GA-K8NS Ultra-939 motherboard
nForce3 Ultra chipset
AMD Athlon 64 3000+, 512KB L2 Cache, Socket 939 64-bit Processor
(2) 512MB PC3200 184pin DDR DIMM Memory Modules (dual channel)
Hitachi 250GB, 7200RPM, Internal SATA/150 Hard Drive
Verto GeForce FX 5500 Video Card, 8x AGP, 128MB DDR
NEC 16X Double Layer DVD±RW Drive, Model ND-3520A BK
Mad Dog Multimedia SurePower 600W BTX/ATX Smart Cable Power Supply
Antec Super Lanboy case
The more significant problem is that the computer will spontaneously restart every few hours or so. It usually happens when opening a new application or website (via DSL) but sometimes will just happen when the machine is sitting idle. I first thought it must be a CPU heat issue but the Gigabyte utility shows it running between 29 and 32 degrees celsius. I did use thermal paste in a thin layer between the CPU and stock cooling fan. When it shuts down I get a very brief flash of what looks like a BSOD but there's not enough time to read it. I am running Windows XP Pro, SP2 and Norton antivirus. I have heard there is a way to turn off the auto restart feature so at least I could get a look at the BSOD, but I'm not sure how to do it.
One other piece of info may be helpful. When I look in the Gigabyte utility, it shows me two warning fans signals for system and power fans. The motherboard has the capability to control these fans I think. I didn't have any three pin connector wires so I just hooked the case fans directly to a four-pin molex connector, which seems to work fine but the speeds aren't controlled. Could this be confusing the motherboard?
The other problem really has me stumped. When I use the CD/DVD to load a program or something, it reads the first fine. Then when I remove that CD and put in the next one, the computer still sees the one that has been removed. Is there a Windows setting or something that controls whether the optical drive clears its cache? Is the optical drive just bad? Could this be related to the rebooting issue?
I loved the experience of building my own. If only I can get past these last two "minor" issues I will be in love with my new baby. Thanks in advance to anyone who might be able to shed some light on these issues.
Gigabyte GA-K8NS Ultra-939 motherboard
nForce3 Ultra chipset
AMD Athlon 64 3000+, 512KB L2 Cache, Socket 939 64-bit Processor
(2) 512MB PC3200 184pin DDR DIMM Memory Modules (dual channel)
Hitachi 250GB, 7200RPM, Internal SATA/150 Hard Drive
Verto GeForce FX 5500 Video Card, 8x AGP, 128MB DDR
NEC 16X Double Layer DVD±RW Drive, Model ND-3520A BK
Mad Dog Multimedia SurePower 600W BTX/ATX Smart Cable Power Supply
Antec Super Lanboy case
The more significant problem is that the computer will spontaneously restart every few hours or so. It usually happens when opening a new application or website (via DSL) but sometimes will just happen when the machine is sitting idle. I first thought it must be a CPU heat issue but the Gigabyte utility shows it running between 29 and 32 degrees celsius. I did use thermal paste in a thin layer between the CPU and stock cooling fan. When it shuts down I get a very brief flash of what looks like a BSOD but there's not enough time to read it. I am running Windows XP Pro, SP2 and Norton antivirus. I have heard there is a way to turn off the auto restart feature so at least I could get a look at the BSOD, but I'm not sure how to do it.
One other piece of info may be helpful. When I look in the Gigabyte utility, it shows me two warning fans signals for system and power fans. The motherboard has the capability to control these fans I think. I didn't have any three pin connector wires so I just hooked the case fans directly to a four-pin molex connector, which seems to work fine but the speeds aren't controlled. Could this be confusing the motherboard?
The other problem really has me stumped. When I use the CD/DVD to load a program or something, it reads the first fine. Then when I remove that CD and put in the next one, the computer still sees the one that has been removed. Is there a Windows setting or something that controls whether the optical drive clears its cache? Is the optical drive just bad? Could this be related to the rebooting issue?
I loved the experience of building my own. If only I can get past these last two "minor" issues I will be in love with my new baby. Thanks in advance to anyone who might be able to shed some light on these issues.
