In case you may have been wondering why I was gone for so long resulting in my hosting credits reach :blink -18 :blink... Well I blew one of the parts of my PCs core system. Just for the record, this ain't the first time I did it. Previously, I caused a burnt out processor when I tested my PC with the minimum components -> Motherboard, RAM & the Processor - The Heatsink. It all happened while I was doing my fortnight PC cleaning (I kinda like cleaning every bit of my PC regularly), I was almost done, when dad asked me to check one of his documents. So, without strapping on every bit of hardware, I booted the PC up. What I didn't know was that, without the Heat Sink, the Intel Processor would get fried. It didn't run for long, probably 15 seconds, before the computer turned of with a sound. I wasn't sure as to what had happened, but when I touched the Red hot processor, I felt something was wrong. When I finally took the CPU to my system administrator he asked me if I ran the processor without the fan. At first I hesitated then I accepted it. That took place some 2 years back. I got my PC in the late months of 2002. Back then my system comprised of the following : -
> Motherboard - Mercury KOBP4M266, 400 MHz FSB @ Rs. 4000
> Processor - Intel Pentium 4 1.7 GHz, 400 MHz FSB @ Rs. 8100
> RAM - Transcend SDRAM 128 MB, FSB 133 MHz @ Rs. 1700
> CD ROM - LG 52X @ Rs. 1240
> Hard Disk - Segate 40 GB @ Rs. 3400
> Floppy Drive - Sony 1.44 MB @ Rs. 300
> SMPS - Mercury 325 W @ Rs. 400
> Cabinet - Mercury Micro ATX @ Rs. 700
> Monitor - 15 '' LG Studioworks 563N @ Rs. 7150
> Keyboard - Multimedia Keyboard from I Key @ Rs. 600
> Mouse - Samsung USB Optical Cyber Beatle @ Rs. 1350
> Speaker - I Sound 1500 PMPO 2.1 @ Rs. 2700
> UPS - Classic 500 VA @ Rs. 3200
> Microphone - Frontech @ Rs. 125
Beore the Processor black out, I got myself a few more gizmos to work with : -
> Printer - HP Deskjet 3550 @ Rs. 3000
> RAM - An additional 128 MB of SDRAM @ Rs. 1100
> Keyboard - Samsung KB2M001SPAAD Multimedia Keyboard @ Rs. 500
> Mouse - PS/2 Optical from Samsung with 12 function scroll button. @ Rs. 500
After the blow up, I had to get a new processor, but with my Mercury motherboard, I could only have got a Celron equivalent for the Pentium's had switched to 533 MHz. So, I thought of upgrading my system and purchased the following : -
> Motherboard - Intel D865GVHZ, FSB upto 800 MHz with HT support @ Rs. 5200
> Processor - Intel Pentium 2.4 GHz, FSB 533 MHz non HT @ Rs. 5800
> RAM - Non Hynix DDR 256 MB, 333 MHz FSB @ Rs. 2150
> Headphone - TechCom @ Rs. 125
During the 865 era, I got a few other devices : -
> Scanner - Cannon Lide single cord USB @ Rs. 3200
> Gampad - Frontech antasy PAD @ Rs. 500
> UPS - Microtek Max Power 600 VA @ Rs. 2600
> Speaker - 4.1 Intex 3000 watt @ Rs. 2100
It was all running smoothly except for one hectic problem that I have faced throughout these 4 years or so; Bad Shutdowns. Earlier the computer would start on 2 or 3 attempts because of the power instability. Quite often (5 to 10 times daily), the PC would have a bad shutdown despite having a good UPS. I asked for a UPS change but that didn't help either. The Mercury Motherboard would power off for safety during a BS. The power button would have to be pressed for 3 seconds followed by again pressing the power button to power the PC back on (to many power's I suppose). But, I managed to bring the rate down, by removing the Monitor power supply from the UPS. When I got my second UPS (Microtek Max Power), I plugged in the CPU to it and the monitor to the other one. Eventually the old Classic UPS's battery got drained out and I decided to put the monitor on direct resulting in a blackout during a power cutoff. But thanks to hibernating feature, I was able to turn my PC off without being able to see anything on the screen. The BS rate was minimal during this phase. I had both speed and reliability. This went on for 2 years, with the BS rate fluctuating up and down. I was quite fed up with it and finally resorted to getting an SMPS with higher wattage (450 to be precise). It had been long since I had cleaned the CPU, so I began cleaning it with a clothe. Seeing plenty of dust on the heatsink, I unlocked it and gave it a thorough cleaning. Then I moved on to the processor hoping to gain some speed, so I moved the socket lever up and unlocked the processor. While I was giving the Internal Display card a thorough cleaning, the socket lever got stuck in the perforated clothe and flew away. It wasn't until I was done cleaning and on my way to put the processor back in its slot that I noticed the missing lever. Even at that time I didn't realize it was a serious issue, 'cause I thought it had just opened. It was only after I had failed to set it in its place despite all my efforts, that I realized that I was in for big trouble. Without the lever attached, the processor won't get locked firmly and the system wouldn't boot. I got in touch with my administrator, Piyush Jaiswal who's a GID (Genuine Intel Dealer) and told him about my misdoings. He's always been very helpful and supportive. Anyways, I brought the CPU to him and he gave it a few tries to see if the processor would somehow get locked. But I knew from having tried every possible way, that it just wouldn't do. Being of his liking that I was, he gave me the E-Mail address of Intel Customer support of the Asia Pacific region, printed some templates and gave me all the necessary instructions to contact them and ask for a replacement. He was pretty sure that if I flattered them, they would give me a replacement. I followed all the procedures and exchanged details, sent them a photo of the part and after 10 days of uncertianity the response was negative. It was disappointing, but I had to move forward. Now I had two options :-
> Get the board fixed via chip level repairing
> Get a new motherboard
Being the gizmo freak that I am, I chose the latter and resorted to getting the following : -
> Motherboard - Intel 915GAG, FSB upto 800MHz with HT @ Rs. 4900
> Processor - Intel Pentium 4 3.0 GHz, FSB 800 MHz with HT @ Rs. 8300
> RAM - DDR 512 MB, 400 MHz FSB @ Rs. 2125
Now, my system's super fast, but the BS(Bad Shutdown) rate has gone tremendously high, 20 - 30 per day.
Here's my power supply configuration : -
> AC 230V
> 5 KW Automatic Stabilizer from Sen & Pandit
Can U pundits tell me how do I minimize the BS rate. Also, are the costs of my last buys genuine?
Here's some other information.
> When the 5 KW stabilizer is turned off, even though the voltage is very less, fluctuations are less and so is the BS rate
> When using a manual stabilizer, the BS rate is less
> BS rate increases with the number of stabilizers in series and number of accesories that are along the same socket.
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