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My PC has recently started to shut itself down perhaps randomly but coincidentally when performing complex audio tasks. It seems to happen when I am really pushing it to the limit, and happened this weekend just before getting to the end of saving to disk a 21/2hr DJ mix recorded through Pulsar, GREAT!

It has also happened whilst piling on the plug-ins in LOGIC, it seemed to just decide that's enough, I'm shutting down.

Non-audio use seems to be fine. What could this be do you reckon?

monitor your temp - audio pushes your computer HARD! make sure you are not overheating your cpu and such . . .
try the same procedure with your case open, if nothin happens, it might indicate that you have a temp problem

You're right Algorythm, I had a lot of problem that were related to heat, and it took me quite a while to found this. Even with the case open, pulsar a Luna togheter generate a LOT of heat! Almost like a toaster oven! Symptoms ranging from complete freeze up, to synch problem.

Then I added a FAN that look like a PCI card just between Pulsar and luna, blow all the heat directly outside the case, and nothings crashed for a week now. Everything is perfect. I can load the 7 DSPs to 90% without ANY problems!

Now I do MUSIC and i come here to check the new files section and review some of them, since they're working and that i can try them without a crash instead of battling with that damn pc!

It could be Power Management (BIOS & Control Panel settings), or your Power Supply, as well. I've also had this problem CONSISTANTLY while using onboard HighPoint controllers. Maybe list your computer hardware, might give us more clues.

-
get creamware @ <a href=http://www.infinitevortex.com>infinite vortex</a>

Hey marcuspocus, that fan that fits as a PCI-card, what's it called, and where did you get it ?

Just sound-insulated my PC with new silent fans and everything, but since i run Pulsar1 and Pulsar II SRB, there still might be room for improvement, and you li'l gizmo sounds cool

Cheers
Stubbe

You can get those "Slot Coolers" at <a href=http://www.3dfxcool.com>3dFX COOL</a> and also <a href=http://www.3dcool.com>3D cooL</a>. I don't use them anymore, because they are 1) Noisey as heck compared to everything else in my machine, and 2) all three that I have installed in different machines burnt out within a couple months, and turned into little heaters! After I noticed the machines crashing a lot, I opened them up to find those things all stuck, generating heat instead.

You might simply get a "Silencer" or "Panaflo" cooling fan. You can get Panaflo's at <a href=http://www.caseetc.com>CaseEtc</a>, and Silencers at <a href=http://www.pcpowerandcooling.com>PC Power & Cooling</a>.

Well, about sound, I don't ear this fan AT ALL, less noise than the Intel CPU fan...

They're called Vortex Turbo Fan, they're made with kevlar + ballbearing. So I don't think they'll stop working too soon.

They're maybe better options, for sure. This lil gizmo worked for me thou!

Thanx guys, just been looking at different scenarios on the net, but before I part with my doe, methinks a check with a temp-probe I just re-discovered would be the proper thing to do.

After all, I may find it a bit more useful to part with my hard-earned bills in exchange for a device with which I can make some awful noises

Keep cool
Stubbe

On 2001-07-02 13:19, Stubbe wrote:
After all, I may find it a bit more useful to part with my hard-earned bills in exchange for a device with which I can make some awful noises

the cheapest route for this might be to buy shoddy used fans and install those instead - that would be the most cost-effective way to make "awful noises"

marcus pocus - a link for the vortex fan please? thx!

Subhuman

Here's the setup. The weird thing is that it has just started doing it. Been running fine for a year. When it turns off, it just resets iself and reboots. Which makes me think it is the CPU overheating, and the resetting is a protection measure. What I can't understand is why it has only recently started doing this?

ATX Workstation Tower Chassis with PSUPentium III ATX Motherboard (SM-370SCD)Intel® Pentium® III 800MHz Processor (100MHz FSB)
P III FCPGA To Slot 1 Convertor
Heatsink to Socket Processor
2 x 128Mb PC100 SDRAM Module (168 pin) 15Gb ATA-66 Hard Disk: (5400rpm) 30Gb ATA-66 Hard Disk: (7200rpm)
nVIDIA TNT2 32Mb (M64) AGP Graphics
Creative Labs SoundBlaster LIVE! 1024: Bare

Hmm, seems a bit weird...

Either it's the summer heat giving your CPU a hard time, or your fans have become plugged.
Try to wipe them over with a vacuum cleaner (from the outside)

Is it possible for you to monitor the temperature of the PSU and/or CPU from either a monitoring program or in the BIOS ?

If you get anything above 65-70 degrees Celsius, this may be the problem.

My last suggestion is a bit far-fetched:
If you (or anybody else ) accidentally touched the goldplated connections of the RAM or CPU when mounting it (you have a slot 1 CPU ?), it may lead to bad connections over time. Difficult to cure , but try to wipe the contact surface with a grainy pencil eraser. Be _very_ careful !

Hope you get it fixed.
Stubbe

Are you sure? I guess you installed ACPI with incompatible hardware. Check the energy properties - click on the windows desktop with the right - choose screen saver + choose properties of the energysavings (well I don´t know the english expression, exactly) -
and within energy schemes choose standbymode = never and hdd power down = never , Sleepmode should be disabled, too. I guess that will solve your problem.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Zer on 2001-07-03 07:00 ]</font>

The ultimate CPU cooler comparison is here. This guy is a friend of mine, a hardware nut and 100% honest as well. So forgive the fact that his site is pig-ugly.

http://www.dansdata.com/coolercomp.htm

OOoooh, *ouch* bad news my friend. You're a victim of the Intel Memory Translation Hub issue.

<a href=http://www.supermicro.com/PRODUCT/Mothe ... D.htm>This is the motherboard you listed</a> notice it's a i820 chipset board with the Memory Translation hub -- the i820 chipset doesn't support PC100 ram natively (only RDRAM) so <a href=http://www.intel.com/support/mth/>Intel built a flakey MTH</a> which you are experiencing.

So, no, it's not Pulsar, it's absolutely and positively without a single doubt in my mind your motherboard.

Better check out the ASUS CUSL2C

Hi,

This is an old topic and this question is really directed to Subhuman, it has taken this long for the motherboard maunufaturer to get back to me.

Here's what they said

For the defective 820 and 840 chipset model, your have following choice to select.

1st choice is for 820-chipset models we can swap it to 370SSA and 370SSM

Please visit our website http://www.supermicro.com to make your selection.

Could I get your advice on which board would be best Subhuman

Thanks

370SSA is a Socket 370 board with the Intel i815 chipset, the other board is a microATX board with only a couple PCI slots, so of those 2 boards, this one is best: http://www.supermicro.com/PRODUCT/Mothe ... 370SSA.htm

I'd honestly push for them to give you this board: 'P3TSSA' instead: http://www.supermicro.com/PRODUCT/Mothe ... P3TSSA.htm

This one will accept the new P3s up to 1.2Ghz. Both boards should be fine, but see if you can get the P3TSSA board out of them, I think they owe it to you after months of lost time (tell them this ).