h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I got the BIOS back but can't remember if I disabled ethernet and didn't write it down. Windows keeps saying found new hardware.

GRUB incidently has changed to Xmas scene. I'm leaving it on all over Xmas and shutdown only after I can get a man who knows; because beyond plugging things in I don't.

I can't imagine why it stalled unless the cooler moved since it is on a knife edge.

The GRUB Christmas scene is unrelated - it does that through the end of December/beginning of January based on the system clock.

If the cooler isn't perfectly flat on the CPU it could cause these symptoms. You're lucky, in that most modern CPUs have built-in "thermal protection"; five years ago if your cooler moved the CPU would destroy itself in a puff of smoke in well under a second.

Another thing I would have checked, if you hadn't already reset the BIOS, was whether the BIOS battery had just failed. But as long as you keep it powered up you'll never know... It's cheap enough to swap it out on the off-chance; assuming it's something like a CR3022 you can buy a replacement for between 39p and £1.99. In theory they're supposed to last up to five years, but that time includes how long they were sitting on the component shelf waiting to be put into a computer. (So don't buy "one and a spare" - the spare one will die around the same time as the one that's in use. )

So, my suggestion is... Look in the manual and find out what sort of battery you need. Buy one, and when it arrives shut down the machine and swap the battery. While the case is open, take hold of the heat sink and give it a "wiggle" - if it moves at all with relation to the motherboard below, get someone to replace it properly.

Good luck. Oh, and you'll need to reset the BIOS again after you change out the battery.

Cheers, will do that.

Jump starting and resetting BIOS are the same thing to me.

But I left the cables to the monitor in and it was only when with a completely dead pc and several attempts I noticed power was being sent from the monitor; how else would it know I disconnected a cable.

I can't remember how USB78 plugs were aligned since they are identical, they can go in two ways but both with ground on the ground so hoped it will be ok.

BIOS states USB configured but windows won't recognise a flash drive in the USB's served by that plug.

I don't want to get the fiddly little things out again; I couldn't get at the battery without unplugging them which just looked like one but turned out to be two.

The USB plugs on the motherboard usually go in as a mirrored pair, i.e. pin 1 at the top on one and the bottom on the other... If you get them turned upside down they won't work as the +5v pin translates to a NC ("No Connection") on the 5-way plug.

The easiest way to tell if it's the right way up is to plug in something with a power light into the USB socket - if the light comes on it's wired right.

Address a problem with your computer
You received this message because hardware or software on your computer caused Windows to shut down unexpectedly and restart. This is a serious problem, commonly referred to as a stop error or blue screen.

If you have received this error more than once, we recommend that you do the following:

Back up your files to avoid data loss in case of a complete hardware failure.

Contact the original manufacturer of your computer to determine the specific component which is failing.

How do I find my computer manufacturer?

Click Start, click Run, type msinfo32, and then click OK. Your computer manufacturer is listed as the System Manufacturer in the right pane of the System Information window.

Click to go online to see contact information for most computer manufacturers
Additional technical information

Although we know the problem is caused by a hardware component, the error report does not contain enough information to tell us the specific component. It is likely that the problem is being caused by one of the following computer components:

Random access memory (RAM)
System board
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
Power supply

That is about everything I think. Could this be a software problem because I got a new modem from 3 mobile.

Power fluctuation; I don't understand the board is posting ok but windows failed to start twice.

OpenSuse is ok?

It soundes like your original diagnosis (displaced heat sink) was right.

I don't think so since it has run 2 days without problem; and I can't see any movement since I looked with a torch.

At the moment the temp is 26 for cpu 26 for mb voltages normal.Ambient 20.

But windows keeps trying to install ethernet and I haven't put any drivers on for it. Now it is disabled.

I think this time is different; I could load openSuse but kept getting blue screen stop from windows.

Why would it fail to load; doesn't make any sense.????

I forgot to set onboard LAN to disabled; that is why windows keeps trying to install it.

But why would it want to use it?

Also I can't see how the vibration of simply noise of breaking glass can cause the cpu to overheat.

It is doing my head in since the gap is filled with arctic silver and it can't move by more than a couple of microns.

This is really confusing especially because I used to have a glass photo frame with a pic of my granddaughter that shattered for no reason whatsoever. It just exploded and it was near the pc. ????

I'm thinking cable. The backing to the frame hit the USB modem on my very heavy table. It is only cardboard backing and only 10" x 8" but it would cause movement in the slot because they are loose.

The question is would the movement cause windows to hang? Maybe through a power surge or just intermittent loss of connection.

Just before the blue screen windows stated it had installed new hardware which turns out to have been LAN I forgot to disable, it hasn't got drivers; but why after not asking did it get installed?

It could also be dust; but now after looking closer at the cooler can't see how it would move sufficiently far and in any case when it did overheat in the past I got a warning and then it went up to 80C.

Or it could be a naff cpu; but coincidence rules that out.

"I used to have a glass photo frame with a pic of my granddaughter that shattered for no reason whatsoever. It just exploded and it was near the pc."

Subsonic vibrations? That would both break the glass and cause daughterboards to slowly unplug themselves. You can get that if, say, there's a blocked-off chimney in the wall behind with the wind blowing across the top. (It's a situation that's common in "ghost hunting"... Don't ask. )

I think I'm getting closer now; the new modem is installed as PnP but the old one wasn't.

The Bios are PnP disabled but the modem is PnP. Cut in connection = conflict.

The blue screen in the latest probably caused by ethernet installed on a board without LAN drivers.

The chimney is blocked and there is a satellite dish right behind where the photo was.

Still can't get the 2 USB's to work. Also got firewire on this.

XXXXX
XXXX

We have on the plugs Data1 Data2 GND Sheild

both the same but on the pin ground is 4th from left top and bottom???

Windows lists unknown device under USB for this USB only and no drivers for this device which I suppose means the thing plugged in.

I have swapped them around and tried to install drivers but nothing?