October 2012 - WLUG - wlug.mailman3.com

Re: [Wlug] help diagnosing PC issue: suspect power supply

by Theo Van Dinter

On Tue, Oct 9, 2012 at 11:59 AM, Richard Klein <rich(a)richardklein.org>wrote: > It could be the motherboard or CPU, but try unplugging all USB devices > and removing all the internal cards that you can, first. If it boots > okay then, try adding them back, one at a time, until you find the > offending device. > Just a second for this sort of approach. I once had a machine which basically got hit by lightning and they went down. In the end, I found that what had actually happened was the hub I was using got hit and fried all the network cards on the LAN. As I recall, the machines wouldn't even let me power them on until I pulled the (noticeably crispy) network card out and then everything worked fine after that.

Oct. 9, 2012

Re: [Wlug] help diagnosing PC issue: suspect power supply

by joel d

> From: Brett Russ <bruss(a)alum.wpi.edu> > Subject: Re: [Wlug] help diagnosing PC issue: suspect power supply > To: Worcester Linux Users Group <wlug(a)mail.wlug.org> > Message-ID: > <CAGcHgFN4odSRHmS=jjYuvEDy1myRMOgKEYxy0bWu9e4-3V9i7A(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 > > On Mon, Oct 1, 2012 at 7:57 AM, Brett Russ <bruss(a)alum.wpi.edu> wrote: >> On Sat, Sep 29, 2012 at 6:19 PM, Chuck Anderson <cra(a)wpi.edu> wrote: >>> I agree that the power supply is suspect. You can measure the voltage >> >>> Alternatively, it may be easier to just try a replacement. >> >> I have a new one on the way. I'll reply here with the results. > > Well, brand new power supply and the system behaves the same > problematic way as before. > > So next try is the memory, as another list reply suggested. I've had > memtest86 running against both DIMMs for 47+ hours and counting, 70 > total passes so far, and 0 errors. Remember I'd already tried > removing first one DIMM, then the other, and the problem repro'd > either way. So by these measures it'd seem the memory is OK? I know > some mem problems take days to show up so I'll just leave this running > for a couple more days anyway. > > Not much more I can do here, as I've seen repros with most everything > else unplugged so I'm now thinking it must be the motherboard. > Perhaps I will try reseating the CPU--haven't done that yet. > > Recall the system is having trouble POST'ing: it hangs at various > points before BIOS POST completes, i.e. I don't get a confirming > 'beep' at end of POST and in some cases the monitor won't wake, other > cases the BIOS splash screen stays splashed, etc. The full original > email is here: > http://mail.wlug.org/pipermail/wlug/2012-September/008059.html > > Anyway, if anyone has other ideas here I'd welcome them. > > Thanks again, > Brett > Hi Brett, You sound pretty convinced this is a PC hardware problem. I think I missed the earlier discussion, but how exactly do you know this is hardware at fault (vs anything not hardware at fault) and how certain are you? Have you tried running a "bootable operating system" via a CD or DVD drive as a diagnostic step (will it boot Ubuntu or another from the optical drive)? If CD/DVD boot is out, there are thumb drive bootable images also. I would start here and rule out everything that is not hardware. As a test, if a different O.S. than Ubuntu 11.10, runs well (except slower) from an optical drive, your hardware is likely fine (and instead have an Ubuntu 11 or app or driver problem). Step only takes a few minutes and is very telling (and well worth it IMHO). This step will likely tell you if it is hardware vs everything else. So if you can assure yourself it is hardware 100% ... All the PC hardware I have worked on in the past years is pretty much self diagnosing/reporting. In this case, your job if you choose to accept it, is to "read and decipher what the motherboard is telling you at boot up". To speak the language of your motherboard, you need to check for any of the following information: External to case, Rear facing LEDs (often have many and are multi-colored) On motherboard LEDs, viewable only inside Beep tones heard at boot up Error or other messages displayed quickly at bootup You need to read the "diagnostics" page of your model's specific PC or motherboard vendor's manual for this specific PC/motherboard to decipher what it is seeing at bootup (based upon lights/beeps/LEDS/etc). Sounds like: You either have two bad power supplies, or this is not the problem. You could have bad memory DIMM(s) that do pass MemTest86 (these test help, but I have seen them pass on bad chips it is a bit of a long shot though). You have changed the motherboard battery and flashed the latest BIOS. Don't rule out a new BIOS being a problem (glitch in install or wrong one or BIOS version problem) You still have a problem that could be hardware or not. You could have an Ubuntu 11 playing well with your motherboard, thus a test of another OS and version... If it was my PC I would next rule out the following in this order: Test and work on whatever the motherboard manufacturer is telling you via lights/beeps/LEDs/boot messages. Ubuntu V11.10, not because I don't like it but trying something else for 15 minutes could tell you something. The current version of CMOS you flashed to the motherboard

Oct. 9, 2012

Re: [Wlug] help diagnosing PC issue: suspect power supply

by Richard Klein

On Mon, Oct 8, 2012 at 11:30 PM, Brett Russ <bruss(a)alum.wpi.edu> wrote: > > Well, brand new power supply and the system behaves the same > problematic way as before. > > So next try is the memory, as another list reply suggested. I've had > memtest86 running against both DIMMs for 47+ hours and counting, 70 > total passes so far, and 0 errors. Remember I'd already tried > removing first one DIMM, then the other, and the problem repro'd > either way. So by these measures it'd seem the memory is OK? I know > some mem problems take days to show up so I'll just leave this running > for a couple more days anyway. > > Not much more I can do here, as I've seen repros with most everything > else unplugged so I'm now thinking it must be the motherboard. > Perhaps I will try reseating the CPU--haven't done that yet. It could be the motherboard or CPU, but try unplugging all USB devices and removing all the internal cards that you can, first. If it boots okay then, try adding them back, one at a time, until you find the offending device. -- Rich

Oct. 9, 2012

Re: [Wlug] help diagnosing PC issue: suspect power supply

by kstratton＠fastmail.us

If you reseat the CPU, be careful with the heatsink. I have pulled out an AMD chip out of a socket with the socket engaged by trying to remove the heatsink. The heatsink compound can get gooey enough to act like a weak glue. On Mon, Oct 8, 2012, at 11:30 PM, Brett Russ wrote: > On Mon, Oct 1, 2012 at 7:57 AM, Brett Russ <bruss(a)alum.wpi.edu> wrote: > > On Sat, Sep 29, 2012 at 6:19 PM, Chuck Anderson <cra(a)wpi.edu> wrote: > >> I agree that the power supply is suspect. You can measure the voltage > > > >> Alternatively, it may be easier to just try a replacement. > > > > I have a new one on the way. I'll reply here with the results. > > Well, brand new power supply and the system behaves the same > problematic way as before. > > So next try is the memory, as another list reply suggested. I've had > memtest86 running against both DIMMs for 47+ hours and counting, 70 > total passes so far, and 0 errors. Remember I'd already tried > removing first one DIMM, then the other, and the problem repro'd > either way. So by these measures it'd seem the memory is OK? I know > some mem problems take days to show up so I'll just leave this running > for a couple more days anyway. > > Not much more I can do here, as I've seen repros with most everything > else unplugged so I'm now thinking it must be the motherboard. > Perhaps I will try reseating the CPU--haven't done that yet. > > Recall the system is having trouble POST'ing: it hangs at various > points before BIOS POST completes, i.e. I don't get a confirming > 'beep' at end of POST and in some cases the monitor won't wake, other > cases the BIOS splash screen stays splashed, etc. The full original > email is here: > http://mail.wlug.org/pipermail/wlug/2012-September/008059.html > > Anyway, if anyone has other ideas here I'd welcome them. > > Thanks again, > Brett > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug -- kstratton(a)fastmail.us

Oct. 9, 2012

Announce: WLUG Meeting Wed 10/10 7PM: OpenStack

by Chuck Anderson

Hi folks, The next Worcester Linux Users' Group (WLUG) monthly meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 10, at 7PM. The location will be WPI Higgins Labs, room 230 (computer lab). Wednesday, October 10, 7:00 - 9:00 PM WPI Higgins Labs, room 230 (computer lab) WLUG member Tim Keller will be giving a presentation on OpenStack, open source software for building private and public clouds. Afterwards, we will go out for pizza and continue our discussions. See you there, Chuck President, Worcester Linux Users' Group http://www.wlug.org/

Oct. 9, 2012

Re: [Wlug] I presume we're meeting the 10th of Oct?

by Chuck Anderson

I reserved Higgins Labs 230 again, same place as last month. On Mon, Oct 08, 2012 at 04:41:23PM -0400, Tim Keller wrote: > Chuck, > > Where will this meeting be held? My current demo setup is two pcs... > I'm probably going to need help depending on where we have it. > > Thanks, > Tim. > > On 10/5/12, Chuck Anderson <cra(a)wpi.edu> wrote: > > Sounds great! > > > > On Fri, Oct 05, 2012 at 11:01:24AM -0400, Tim Keller wrote: > >> That's a great idea. I do lots and lots of virtualization stuff.. I'd be > >> willing to do some research, setup a demo and do a talk about OpenStack. > >> > >> Chuck, what do you think? > >> > >> On Thu, Oct 4, 2012 at 9:19 PM, David Glaser > >> <dglaser(a)glaserresearch.net>wrote: > >> > >> > How about the cloud -say OpenStack. I see references to it. > >> > > >> > -David > >> > On 10/04/2012 03:38 PM, Tim Keller wrote: > >> > > >> > Hey Gang! > >> > > >> > I presume we're having a meeting on the 10th? Does anybody have a > >> > topic/idea? > >> > > >> > Thanks, > >> > Tim.

Oct. 9, 2012

Re: [Wlug] help diagnosing PC issue: suspect power supply

by Brett Russ

On Mon, Oct 1, 2012 at 7:57 AM, Brett Russ <bruss(a)alum.wpi.edu> wrote: > On Sat, Sep 29, 2012 at 6:19 PM, Chuck Anderson <cra(a)wpi.edu> wrote: >> I agree that the power supply is suspect. You can measure the voltage > >> Alternatively, it may be easier to just try a replacement. > > I have a new one on the way. I'll reply here with the results. Well, brand new power supply and the system behaves the same problematic way as before. So next try is the memory, as another list reply suggested. I've had memtest86 running against both DIMMs for 47+ hours and counting, 70 total passes so far, and 0 errors. Remember I'd already tried removing first one DIMM, then the other, and the problem repro'd either way. So by these measures it'd seem the memory is OK? I know some mem problems take days to show up so I'll just leave this running for a couple more days anyway. Not much more I can do here, as I've seen repros with most everything else unplugged so I'm now thinking it must be the motherboard. Perhaps I will try reseating the CPU--haven't done that yet. Recall the system is having trouble POST'ing: it hangs at various points before BIOS POST completes, i.e. I don't get a confirming 'beep' at end of POST and in some cases the monitor won't wake, other cases the BIOS splash screen stays splashed, etc. The full original email is here: http://mail.wlug.org/pipermail/wlug/2012-September/008059.html Anyway, if anyone has other ideas here I'd welcome them. Thanks again, Brett

Oct. 9, 2012

Re: [Wlug] I presume we're meeting the 10th of Oct?

by Tim Keller

Chuck, Where will this meeting be held? My current demo setup is two pcs... I'm probably going to need help depending on where we have it. Thanks, Tim. On 10/5/12, Chuck Anderson <cra(a)wpi.edu> wrote: > Sounds great! > > On Fri, Oct 05, 2012 at 11:01:24AM -0400, Tim Keller wrote: >> That's a great idea. I do lots and lots of virtualization stuff.. I'd be >> willing to do some research, setup a demo and do a talk about OpenStack. >> >> Chuck, what do you think? >> >> On Thu, Oct 4, 2012 at 9:19 PM, David Glaser >> <dglaser(a)glaserresearch.net>wrote: >> >> > How about the cloud -say OpenStack. I see references to it. >> > >> > -David >> > On 10/04/2012 03:38 PM, Tim Keller wrote: >> > >> > Hey Gang! >> > >> > I presume we're having a meeting on the 10th? Does anybody have a >> > topic/idea? >> > >> > Thanks, >> > Tim. >> > >> > -- >> > I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their >> > constituents as "consumers". > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug > -- Sent from my mobile device I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their constituents as "consumers".

Oct. 8, 2012

Re: [Wlug] I presume we're meeting the 10th of Oct?

by Chuck Anderson

Sounds great! On Fri, Oct 05, 2012 at 11:01:24AM -0400, Tim Keller wrote: > That's a great idea. I do lots and lots of virtualization stuff.. I'd be > willing to do some research, setup a demo and do a talk about OpenStack. > > Chuck, what do you think? > > On Thu, Oct 4, 2012 at 9:19 PM, David Glaser <dglaser(a)glaserresearch.net>wrote: > > > How about the cloud -say OpenStack. I see references to it. > > > > -David > > On 10/04/2012 03:38 PM, Tim Keller wrote: > > > > Hey Gang! > > > > I presume we're having a meeting on the 10th? Does anybody have a > > topic/idea? > > > > Thanks, > > Tim. > > > > -- > > I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their > > constituents as "consumers".

Oct. 6, 2012

Re: [Wlug] I presume we're meeting the 10th of Oct?

by Frank Sweetser

Fantastic idea! Plus if it's on Wednesday the 10th I should actually be able to make it for once... Frank Sweetser fs at wpi.edu | For every problem, there is a solution that Manager of Network Operations | is simple, elegant, and wrong. Worcester Polytechnic Institute | - HL Mencken On 10/4/2012 9:19 PM, David Glaser wrote: > How about the cloud -say OpenStack. I see references to it. > > -David > On 10/04/2012 03:38 PM, Tim Keller wrote: >> Hey Gang! >> >> I presume we're having a meeting on the 10th? Does anybody have a topic/idea? >> >> Thanks, >> Tim. >> >> -- >> I am leery of the allegiances of any politician who refers to their >> constituents as "consumers". >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Wlug mailing list >> Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org >> http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug > > > > _______________________________________________ > Wlug mailing list > Wlug(a)mail.wlug.org > http://mail.wlug.org/mailman/listinfo/wlug >

Oct. 6, 2012