Weird computer reboot...

Hello to all, AMD 2000+, 1gig ram, asus mb. GKnot 0.28, Divx 5.05. I am not sure WHERE the problem is stemmed from...the computer will simply reboot when it's in the middle of encoding, and happens every time, with different sources. Please offer some suggestions. Thanx in advance, -Polarbear

"Sounds" like a hardware issue. Encoding applications produce LOTS of heat. If you're overclocking, or have insufficient fans/cooling, this could be the reason. You can test CPU heat issues with the prime95 application; if that's not the trouble, you can test memory with memtest86. Both are available via searching on Google, you might also stop by the hardware forum here for additinal advice and assistance. Good luck!

Thanx for the great suggestion. I checked with both of those diagnostic softwares, and after running them for an extensive amount of time, my system turned out fine. I checked every setting (hardware / software) and narrowed the problem down to CPU Frequency Multiple and CPU/PCI Frequency. I have an Asus Motherboard w/ 2000+ AMD chipset. First off, what IS the 'correct' non-overclocked setting for those 2 above mentioned thing should be? I always thought they were supposed to be: CPU Frequence Multiple: 12.5x CPU/PCI Frequency: 133/33 Thus yielding 1666 Mhz. But under those settings, I ALWAYS get a crash midway through the encoding process and ONLY the encoding process, not any other burn through program test. I changed the settings to: CPU Frequency Multiple: 12.5x CPU/PCI Frequency: 100/33 Thus yielding 1222.77 Mhz. The system, though encodes at a much slower rate, doesn't reboot anymore upon encoding. I know for certain it is an AMD 2000+ CPU...so what setting should it be by default for normal CPU speed and what seems to be the problem? Any help / suggestion greatly appreciated on this matter. Thank you all so much, -Polarbear

At least you've narrowed it down to a likely hardware problem. I don't know the "correct" values for your particular CPU and your particular motherboard -- I have Athlon T-birds and Epox motherboards, and they "defaulted" with the proper FSB and multiplier. If it were me, I'd first see if Asus supports that CPU on that board, and, if they have a BIOS update, then, I'd also check my CPU out at AMD's website for additional info. I'd also make sure the CPU was still under warranty. I'm moving this thread to the Hardware forum; perhaps someone more Asus and Athlon XP knowledgeable can help you out.

The original settings are the correct settings for your mobo/processor. At this point I would be looking at possibly you HSF is not seated properly or the CPU is defective. You can check the heat of your processor using (MBM). My suggestion would be to do an encode with MBM running and see what the temp of the CPU is during the encode. This way we could determine if you have a heat issue or not.

try to disable bios shadow and video shadow from the bios.

Thank you all for the helpful suggestion. I am fairly certain the hardware is not an issue, quite frankly. I had been encoding w/ the previous version (can't remember which) of GK w/ Divx 5.04 under the exact same hardware setting and everything was working fine. I had to reinstall XP Pro and thus resintall the necessary encoding softwares, and all the sudden, the rebooting occured, when I set the CPU to 1666 Mhz (12.5x / 133/33). I set the CPU back to 1222 Mhz (12.5x / 100/33) and the encoding, aside from being much slower, functions perfectly. I checked the CPU temp, and it's well below critical level and also disabled the shadow bios / graphics stuff, but the comp still reboots at 1666 Mhz. Very frustrating. Please offer any other advice if possible, Thank you all once again, -Polarbear

It sounds a bit strange but if you think about what's controling the CPU, it's the BIOS. I would recomend an upgrade of your BIOS (Reflash your BIOS as we call it, here in Sweden :) ). Look on the manufacters homepage and se if they have released any new BIOS-versions to your motherboard. This might not solve your problems but it's worth a shot. Just a little curious, what happends if you overclock? :D. Maybe you haven't tested this and remember that if you overclock and something happends your guarantee might not be valid any more.

Beware flashing your BIOS. I just lost a mobo to it.