You might remember me having problems... well...

[Shmee150]

Hey everyone, Basically I've been through 5 computers in the last year, the threads about them are these:

http://forums.hexus.net/help-technic...l-restart.html

http://forums.hexus.net/help-technic...hats-wong.html

http://forums.hexus.net/help-technic...nt-either.html

And guess what, it's died again.

Basically I am in need of an expert, someone who gives tech support to the techies, to help me try and get this fixed. If you think you can or know somebody who might be able to, I would be delighted to meet up and see what we can come up with. I don't want to spend any more 000s on my computer and am very close to just chucking it and buying a Dell or something, but obviously finances don't agree right now so fixing this one would be the best option!

Let me know if you think you might be able to help me, I think I need somebody with both knowledge and test parts to work out what on earth is causing this.

Many thanks,

Tim

[peterb]

Is this the shuttle again? Symptoms?

[digit]

I wonder if possible the power coming from the mains socket is giving you all your grief? Do your lights flicker often in your house? Have you tried plugging in the computer elsewhere in the house? Are you using a surge protector, could be its faulty?

[Shmee150]

I wonder if possible the power coming from the mains socket is giving you all your grief? Do your lights flicker often in your house? Have you tried plugging in the computer elsewhere in the house? Are you using a surge protector, could be its faulty?

To peterb, it is the shuttle, but it is a very different shuttle. This time with the following spec:

Shuttle SX48P2
C2Q 6600
4GB Corsair
9800GT
DVD
Raptor 150GB

I have had the same problem at 2 different addresses, in both cases using surge proectors, 1 address is just 1yr old and seems decent, other is old but nothing else is having problems.

The symptoms that are being suffered are basically that it just doesn't POST. Right now you switch it on and it sounds like it's whirring up but nothing comes on screen, then it shuts off and then starts itself again, this time it doesn't properly whir up, (no HDD noises at least) and hangs like that for as long as you don't get bored and switch it off.

I expect I'll need to have it actually looked at but any ideas I suppose would be appreciated.

Many thanks,

Tim

[Betty_Swallocks]

My first inclination would be to remove the CPU and reseat it then refit the heatsink with some quality compound.

[Shmee150]

My first inclination would be to remove the CPU and reseat it then refit the heatsink with some quality compound.

I've done this many many a time

[peterb]

I'ed be inclined to suspect the PSU - I guess you have done all the usual stuff, disconnecting everything etc etc and building from scratch.

[Agent]

To peterb, it is the shuttle, but it is a very different shuttle. This time with the following spec:

Shuttle SX48P2
C2Q 6600
4GB Corsair
9800GT
DVD
Raptor 150GB

I have had the same problem at 2 different addresses, in both cases using surge proectors, 1 address is just 1yr old and seems decent, other is old but nothing else is having problems.

The symptoms that are being suffered are basically that it just doesn't POST. Right now you switch it on and it sounds like it's whirring up but nothing comes on screen, then it shuts off and then starts itself again, this time it doesn't properly whir up, (no HDD noises at least) and hangs like that for as long as you don't get bored and switch it off.

I expect I'll need to have it actually looked at but any ideas I suppose would be appreciated.

Many thanks,

Tim

Don't get me started on this with Shuttles.

I had one working fine - It was doing nothing strenuous either. Powered it up one day - no POST.
No matter what I did, It wouldn't POST. Every part was changed apart from the PSU and motherboard which were proprietary to shuttle.
Just wrote it off.

Then a bit later I brought a SN95 (I think, its been a while). A few months later it did the exact same thing (everything was different hardware). Powered up, full fans, no POST.
Emailed shuttle....nothing.
Had a friend who knew a contact at Shuttle get in touch with them - had an email and RMA'ed it directly to them. They replaced both the motherboard and PSU as they were apparently broken.
Was working great, then a few months later the exactly same issue - full fans, dead Shuttle.

Shuttle never replied to any more of my emails.

To say I was furious was an understatement. I'll never buy another.

After having a Google about I found a few people with the same issues and no solutions. Its still sitting in the wardrobe.

[Shmee150]

Don't get me started on this with Shuttles.

I had one working fine - It was doing nothing strenuous either. Powered it up one day - no POST.
No matter what I did, It wouldn't POST. Every part was changed apart from the PSU and motherboard which were proprietary to shuttle.
Just wrote it off.

Then a bit later I brought a SN95 (I think, its been a while). A few months later it did the exact same thing (everything was different hardware). Powered up, full fans, no POST.
Emailed shuttle....nothing.
Had a friend who knew a contact at Shuttle get in touch with them - had an email and RMA'ed it directly to them. They replaced both the motherboard and PSU as they were apparently broken.
Was working great, then a few months later the exactly same issue - full fans, dead Shuttle.

Shuttle never replied to any more of my emails.

To say I was furious was an understatement. I'll never buy another.

After having a Google about I found a few people with the same issues and no solutions. Its still sitting in the wardrobe.

I don't blame Shuttle, in fact I think it's more likely my CPU that's causing everything to nuke. I've built about 30-40 Shuttles and this is the only unit to cause problems, and it's been different ones everytime. They have been incredible in accepting back the number of units I've already sent, just now I know that I can't push it any further I've got to work out actually what is going on.

To peterb; why do you think the PSU would have blown 5 times now? Could the CPU cause that? I think I need to get a new unit, and borrow somebody's CPU, and if that works then I know my CPU is dead

[morda8]

it could maybe be ram i had problems with ram before

[Shmee150]

It has occured to me that my brother's Dell has a C2Q and same type of Ram also, is it a dangerous game to try out his cpu and ram in my system? If this might blow them up then it's definitely not worth it, if it's safe then why not but I don't know.

I expect trying mine in his would be dangerous and likely to nuke his mobo/psu?

Tim

[peterb]

I

To peterb; why do you think the PSU would have blown 5 times now? Could the CPU cause that? I think I need to get a new unit, and borrow somebody's CPU, and if that works then I know my CPU is dead

PSUs tend to be the area that is skimped on by mfrs. The CPU is only available from one source, but the PSU market is very competitive - just look around - you can by a 500W PSU from between £20 and £100 - which one is a mfr going to use to keeo his end product competitive - which one is more likely to give problems.

I would have said that having 5 fail is unlikely, but as you say you have built over 40 atht is a 12 1/2% failure rate - although strange that they have all happened to you.

Is your mains power supply unreliable, suffering from brownouts or surges? (You said you use surge protection - but they won't protect against small surges (and IMHO, they are pretty much a waste of money) which could affect a (cheap) psu.

Putting a good chip in a suspect machine is not a good idea (putting the suspect chip in a good machine would be better).

If the mobo is special to type, and built down to a price (most are - some more than others) then a component on that could have failed -and that failure could also be PSU related.

Agent's experience should not be discounted - nor indeed the evidence that is elsewhere on Google. They don't seem to be the most reliable pieces of kit

[Shmee150]

PSUs tend to be the area that is skimped on by mfrs. The CPU is only available from one source, but the PSU market is very competitive - just look around - you can by a 500W PSU from between £20 and £100 - which one is a mfr going to use to keeo his end product competitive - which one is more likely to give problems.

I would have said that having 5 fail is unlikely, but as you say you have built over 40 atht is a 12 1/2% failure rate - although strange that they have all happened to you.

Is your mains power supply unreliable, suffering from brownouts or surges? (You said you use surge protection - but they won't protect against small surges (and IMHO, they are pretty much a waste of money) which could affect a (cheap) psu.

Putting a good chip in a suspect machine is not a good idea (putting the suspect chip in a good machine would be better).

If the mobo is special to type, and built down to a price (most are - some more than others) then a component on that could have failed -and that failure could also be PSU related.

Agent's experience should not be discounted - nor indeed the evidence that is elsewhere on Google. They don't seem to be the most reliable pieces of kit

I think that the mains power is ok, I mean it's happened at 2 different addresses. The way the machine's are dying really does not seem like the PSU going on it's own, it's just too repetitive for that. I know they're not the most reliable, but I seriously doubt 5 in a row could go, the odds are just too inconceviable that there isn't something else going on.

Something in my machine is evidently killing the unit each time. The latest thing I’m thinking is to buy the cheapest socket 775 cpu and single ram stick I can find with risk of knowing I might kill it, try it in this machine and that will tell me what’s wrong vaguely unless of course it still doesn’t work in which case RMA the Shuttle and when it gets replaced put the new budget components in it and if it still doesn’t work then this is a lost cause and I have absolutely no idea what to try, however if that does work then I will need to replace both my CPU and RAM with new high-end stuff because I can’t risk trying either one and blowing out the whole lot again. That wouldn’t be the ideal solution what being a couple of hundred £s down but if it means I get a working computer again I’ll take it, it’s been a horrid year!

Tim

[GSte]

I'd try a stick of your bro's RAM in your shuttle.... its possible the motherboard may be overvolting the RAM and has fried it, but RAM is cheap, so its worth a shot. Dodgy RAM is very common, and can cause the type of things you are seeing.

From the sounds of Agent's troubles though this is a common issue. Maybe you should just ditch the shuttle and buy a new mobo, psu and case.

Good luck whatever you decide.

[jeffel]

Get a psu tester and see if it outputs the right volts.
PSU testers

Since this is your 5th shuttle i think there is something wrong with your electric socket where you plug your pc in.There is no better explanation for this phenomenon.This should be really frustrating for you isnt it?

[Shmee150]

Get a psu tester and see if it outputs the right volts.
PSU testers

Since this is your 5th shuttle i think there is something wrong with your electric socket where you plug your pc in.There is no better explanation for this phenomenon.This should be really frustrating for you isnt it?

I might try that, but I've had it blow at 2 different addresses, first 2 at one address so I tried another, and the next 3 here. Something really really odd about that!

I have no idea what's going on and unfortunately my laptop died yesterday (hard drive fail, lots of Blue screens etc...) so right now I'm computer-less. Not too helpful when I have a programming exam next thursday (doing computing at uni), in fact really really bad.

Tim