BlackPrince:

Tufftest looks like just the program I am looking for to run diagnostics on my desktop - unfortunately I don't have a floppy drive. Do you know if there is any way to use tufftest to create a bootable CD without having a floppy?

You could create a bootable CD instead. There used to be bootable CD images at www.bootdisk.com and Nero can be used to burn a bootable utility CD.

I have a good brand PSU with enough output and still the core voltage goes down a bit under heavy load, it's just that the motherboard's regulators can't keep the voltage line steady all the time. I don't have any stability problems so that doesn't matter. Your system has crashed even without any load so I don't think that it is the cause here.

Looking at the tufftest website, there doesn't appear to be any way of creating a CD Bootdisk without first creating a floppy bootdisk. I also can't find a tufftest bootdisk on bootdisk.com.

You are right though, that the load on the system is likely not the problem.

Could it have possibly been a bad memory chip connection or dust in the case causing the problem somehow? When I had the case open all I did was clear out some dust and move the memory chips around. Now my PC has been running non stop for over 12 hours, and prime85 has been running for the last few hours. This is the best my PC has done in months, so I'll still keep my fingers crossed!

Even if my problem has somehow "gone away" a general diagnostics program seems like something I should keep in my collection just in case.

Cheers!
Icarus

http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/

-kwag

Thanks Kwag, that looks like a nifty utility!

One question though: Were you suggesting that I can use this somehow to create a tufftest bootdisk without a floppy, or are you suggesting I use the diagnostics already included with "Ulltimatebootcd"?

Thanks,
Icarus

Hi Icarus,

You should create a boot disk, if you cannot boot from CD.
But I suggest downloading the ISO image if you can boot from CD.

-kwag

@Icraus,

Some problems occur due to over heating sensor of the system fan. This
is built into the BIOS of many Dell computers. I had similiar problems
as yours and discovered the computer was over heating. The Geeks website
has diagnostic programs to test such problems. I too would like to create
a bootable CD for Tufftest. Some of my friends don't have floppy disc
drives and I have to use an external one. I like the concept of the "Ulitmate
BootableCD" but, I need DOS based testing programs independent of
Windows to narrow the problems.

Update: Try this for Tufftest BootableCD:
http://www.tufftest.com/how-to-use-nero.htm

-BP

Black Prince:

1. My problem appears to have gone away... The only explanation I can think of was that one of my memory slots is bad, becaused I moved the memory cards around and now all is well. However, I would still like to run any diagnostics I can - can you give me a link to the "Geeks website" so that I can run the test to see if I have a problem with an overheating sensor on the fan? (FYI - the computer is not a Dell)

2. I also saw the information on creating a Bootable CD using Tufftest, however, look at the first step in the instructions:

Kind of hard to do if I don't have a "Drive A"

Cheers!
Icarus

Heya Icarus

Could I just ask a quick question, your memory dimms, are they in they in the same coloured slots on the motherboard or do you now have one in each?

Reason I ask is thats a dual channel motherboard and for dual channel to work reliably the dimms have to be a matched pair. Any timing differences and you will get lockups when attempting to run them dual channel. If it was dust in the dimm slot causing it then memtest86 would have thrown errors galore up at you.

The other thing to note is that a P4 can draw a lot of power, apart from needing a seperate 12v connection it can draw in excess of 60 watts. As a bare minimum your psu has to be able to sustain 26 amps at 3.3v, 30 amps at 5v and 15 amps at 12v (this should be in a table on sticker on the side of the psu). Intel suggest a 400w psu with dual 12v lines and dedicated 12v auxillary connector, with a 500w psu being recommended for the p4 630 on LGA775. Allthough it doesn't sound like much thats a lot of amps being drawn just for the cpu, without adding in the motherboard, ram, hdd, optical drives, usb devices, fans etc.

Sorry for the late addition to the thread btw

__________________
Mark

Thanks for the input Mark!

For what it is worth, the memory dimms are now in the 2 black slots (before they were in the 2 blue slots).

I have no idea how that solved my problem, but somehow it did.

Computer has been on for the past 48 hours now, with prime95 torture test running for 32 of those hours with no errors.

It could be that the chips were not tightly in place or the connectors were a little oxidized etc.

That's what I thought of in the first place, when he said he moved them and it all worked
This happens a LOT, specially in places where humidity factor is high, like here in Puerto Rico.
You should see how I jerk memory and PC cards in place when things don't work, and all of a sudden they start working

-kwag