On 06/10/16 19:19 (GMT-0500) Greg Wallace apparently typed:
On Monday, October 16, 2006 @ 2:04 PM, Felix Miata wrote:
What happens if you disable the screensaver and DPMS?
Could a screensaver problem cause the machine to not be able to re-boot? I
Certainly seems possible if the video card has a heat-related problem. Screensavers commonly keep a graphics card loaded more than web surfing, IM, or email typically do.
forgot where DMPS is controlled. Could you tell me how to turn it off?
Comment out the xorg.conf option line that has it.
Check the docs on your BIOS to find out exactly what 2 beeps means
What docs. I got zilch in the way of documentation with this Dell machine, and Dell tech support couldn't tell me what two beeps meant (actually, they took off on a tangent and didn't even try to answer that question, about what I've come to expect from their tech support).
Google for BIOS beep codes Dell should answer it, or search the Dell forums.
1. Cleaning -- Well, I cleaned it out as best I could. I tried a vacuum and a wisk broom. It's hard to a lot of the areas because of all of the things sticking up in the air and covering other things up. I have to say, however, that it really didn't look all that dirty.
If it didn't look very dirty, particularly on the heat sinks, then likely heat is not the problem, unless the video card has a dead fan cooler. How old is it?
2. Power supply -- How does one test the power supply?
You can get a go/nogo power supply tester for under $20. With the system running, check the voltages with any multimeter at the power-to-motherboard-plug and see if they match what the label on the PS says they should be.
Overall, as I said above, I'm suspecting a bad video card as the culprit.
Methinks same thing. Don't you know anywhere to borrow or steal any old video card just to test? PCI or AGP (or if you have such a slot, PCI-X, though not likely you'd find an old one of those to borrow), anything just to see if problem goes away. The US is full of old puters sitting around collecting dust with no one to be bothered to get rid of them. Just be sure with an old AGP card that its voltage requirement matches what the motherboard can provide. Newer ones use lower voltage. Searching for video on your model on the Dell forum might turn up a reason to get Dell more involved. -- "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped." Psalm 28:7 NIV Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 Felix Miata *** http://mrmazda.no-ip.com/