[nflug] Hardware Question

[Cyber Source]

David Mangani wrote:
> Sorry about the botched post.... My question. I have had 3 unusual
> system lockups recently. My desktop seems to freeze, no programs will
> launch but the mouse seems to keep working. The first time I
> attributed it to just a glitch. It happened twice more. I noticed that
> when this happens the HD light comes on and STAYS on steadily. I began
> to think a HD going south. I powered down and reseated the ribbon
> cable on both ends. It seemed okay for the day, then locked up again
> later in the day. As a last resort I changed out the ribbon cable and
> it seems okay now ( been up trouble free for 2 days ). Is there a
> software tool that will help me determine if the HD is starting to go
> bad before it totally quits? I have a ton of music and alot of photos
> I'd hate to loose. I'm backing them up right now just in case. If it
> matters, the HD in question is a Western Digital WD800JB 80 gigs
> 7200rpm.
>
> Thanks
> Dave
>
>
I wouldn't think hard drive here. How does the hard drive sound? Does
the hard drive get hot? I mean it could be starting to flake out but
there are alot of other things that could be a problem. The fact that
it's not a complete freeze and the mouse still works makes me think
that. Try to have another box around and the next time it borks, try and
log into it with ssh or at the very least ctrl-alt-f1 and have a look at
dmesg or /var/log/messages and especially your x logs. Running memtest
from a boot or live cd will rule out if you have some goofy memory too.
How's your fans? Is the system clean? A hot cpu and/or power supply can
cause all sorts of trouble. What temp is the cpu running at? If you
can't see it in /proc/acpi your bios will most likely tell ya and if
your approaching  70C, you have an overheating problem. How is the video
card? Try turning off your screen savers and/or dpms in your x config
temporarily.
Just a couple of thoughts.
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