Weird freeze and restart problems.

HiJackZX1 · 04-27-2008, 11:54 PM

I have fianlly finished my PC and have been testing it on my test bench. All is perfect until I start doing really CPU stressing tasks. When say installing a large program or leaving the PC on for awhile while watching a DVD, then PC screen will either go black then freeze, or the PC will restart. When it comes back on it will say, your PC has recovered from a serrious error. When I check the technical breakout, it will say something about some .dmp file issue and also a .xml issue. Doesnt .dmp have to do with the RAM? Next time the system does it, I will copy and past the error. Wonder what could be causing this :-(

Jistari · 04-28-2008, 01:15 AM

Bad memory?
If there are two sticks, pull one and try and work with one. If problem goes away, well, you probably have the answer.
If not, switch to the other stick.
Worth a try.

HiJackZX1 · 04-28-2008, 12:42 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Jistari

Bad memory?
If there are two sticks, pull one and try and work with one. If problem goes away, well, you probably have the answer.
If not, switch to the other stick.
Worth a try.

I think its bad memeory also..... I should expect that from TigerDirect. It seems everything I buy from them either breaks quickly or just doesnt work at all. You dont think it can be a processor issue?

Anyways i will test the RAM and see whats up.

HiJackZX1 · 04-28-2008, 11:48 PM

Had the problem again, it seemed to center around the onboard ATI GPU, so I went to AMD and installed the latest ATI drivers. This seems to have cleared up the problem. I troed leaving it on for hours, something I was never able to do..... works nicely.

Jistari · 04-29-2008, 01:12 AM

Glad you solved yours.

When mine runs, it runs great. But about half the time Im getting a white screen when I start the car. Have to disconnect the vga cable and reconnect it. Xenarc resets and poof, runs fine until next shutdown.

Oh well, like I said, gald yours is working

HiJackZX1 · 04-29-2008, 06:25 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by Jistari

Glad you solved yours.

When mine runs, it runs great. But about half the time Im getting a white screen when I start the car. Have to disconnect the vga cable and reconnect it. Xenarc resets and poof, runs fine until next shutdown.

Oh well, like I said, gald yours is working

I dont think it will be the last of my issues..... now I have to get my ditigal to analog converter for the DVI-D port. Im praying the adapter will allow me to run 3 screens off of it by being plugged directly into a powered 4 way VGA splitter.

Jistari · 05-02-2008, 07:39 PM

Im thinking about running a second display also. Not for rear passengers (its a vette) but just to have some sort of tablet like display, but bigger, like 12 to 15 inches that I could reach back and grab when I want to look at more than a few square blocks on the nav.

May be easier for me (if I could just decide on the screen hardware) because I dont need to run two displays (dont need seperate desktops, so it can just mirror whatever is on the little screen), cant see an inexpensive way of doing it though.

edit : actually now that I think of it, it may be the same as running two seperate desktops ? The little one is set to 800 x 600 in windows, that would probably be ok on the larger display but the level of detail shown in the nav (Ig4 btw) is probably tied to the screen resolution, so how would it know to show any more info on the second screen if it was just split off ?

Oh well, still gonna try and make this work if I can find a decent larger display, hopefully ts.

HiJackZX1 · 05-03-2008, 05:50 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by Jistari

Im thinking about running a second display also. Not for rear passengers (its a vette) but just to have some sort of tablet like display, but bigger, like 12 to 15 inches that I could reach back and grab when I want to look at more than a few square blocks on the nav.

May be easier for me (if I could just decide on the screen hardware) because I dont need to run two displays (dont need seperate desktops, so it can just mirror whatever is on the little screen), cant see an inexpensive way of doing it though.

edit : actually now that I think of it, it may be the same as running two seperate desktops ? The little one is set to 800 x 600 in windows, that would probably be ok on the larger display but the level of detail shown in the nav (Ig4 btw) is probably tied to the screen resolution, so how would it know to show any more info on the second screen if it was just split off ?

Oh well, still gonna try and make this work if I can find a decent larger display, hopefully ts.

If you use a tablet, I think it may have a VGA port on it. So all you would have to do is mirror your desktop onto the dash monitor you connect. It is a fairly easy and straight forward process. My install was a nightmare because my board has a VGA port and a DVI port but the DVI port is DVI-D, which means it needs this special 115.00 dollar converter that converts your monitors into 100% digital capabile.

PS: I think the RAM may be bad. For some reason if I run the graphic above 128 mb of RAM (its capable of 1024 mb of RAM for graphics), it will not leave BIOS, it will constantly just reset. Right now I really dont care about the issue because a CarPC doent need much 3D power.

Jistari · 05-05-2008, 04:43 AM

Yup, in addition to the VGA, my MB is blessed with the same Dual link DVI-D port :-) and of course, every single adapter you find (in the stores anyway) doesnt fit.

I was gonna screw with trying to fool the MB into thinking there were two displays attached to help with a wierd problem Im having (http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/revi...t-p-o-s-7.html), its a long story.

But If I do ID a second larger display, the problem may solve itself.

Been discussing it with the system vendor, he is working with me. May end up just changing MB (to another model). Hate giving up the capeabilities of this one though.

Im beginning to think my ram may be woggy too (woggy ? <== made up word analogus to screwed up), but with the initializing the display problems, psu problems (doesnt start reliably) and probable mb bios or firmware issues, who knows where to start ?

Not looking forward to a "replace this....oh still dosent work...replace that.....oh still doesnt work" cycle.

Ill post when I get it squared away.

HiJackZX1 · 05-05-2008, 01:38 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Jistari

Yup, in addition to the VGA, my MB is blessed with the same Dual link DVI-D port :-) and of course, every single adapter you find (in the stores anyway) doesnt fit.

I was gonna screw with trying to fool the MB into thinking there were two displays attached to help with a wierd problem Im having (http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/revi...t-p-o-s-7.html), its a long story.

But If I do ID a second larger display, the problem may solve itself.

Been discussing it with the system vendor, he is working with me. May end up just changing MB (to another model). Hate giving up the capeabilities of this one though.

Im beginning to think my ram may be woggy too (woggy ? <== made up word analogus to screwed up), but with the initializing the display problems, psu problems (doesnt start reliably) and probable mb bios or firmware issues, who knows where to start ?

Not looking forward to a "replace this....oh still dosent work...replace that.....oh still doesnt work" cycle.

Ill post when I get it squared away.

Well I got the DVI-D to VGA converter today. It is about the size of 2 of those cheap DVI to VGA converters put together and has some kind of microchip in a glass type case in the middle. I hope it works with the powered VGA splitter.

Jistari · 05-07-2008, 01:55 AM

So the old way was out the vga into a splitter and two screens ?
And the new way will be out the dvi-d, into your dvi-d to vga converter, then into the vga splitter, then to three screens?
Or will it be two screens off one of the ports with the splitter, and one screen off the other port?

Only reason I ask is I havent tried running a screen on each port yet, can you get video out of two ports simultaneously?

HiJackZX1 · 05-07-2008, 10:20 AM

Originally I tried using a standard VGA splitter, but as you connect another screen, the first screen starts to loose brightness. So what i did was buy a powered VGA splitter that amplifies the VGA signal. The DVI-D to VGA converter has to be connected directly to the back of the screen or it will now work correctly. I figured that since the VGA splitter is a amplifier that the converter would not know the diffrence, and it turned out I was right.

So here is how my setup is:

The dash screen is connected to the VGA port on the PC (easily done).

On the DVI-D port I have a 10ft DVI-D cable that will go to a remote panel hiden in the car, this cable connects to the DVI-D converter then the converter plugs directly into the powered splitter. From the splitter comes three 10ft vga extension cables, which plug into the screens. The VGA splitter has a range of 210 ft of cabling so I am not even near its limit. When I turn on the PC the second display comes up as HD FURY panel (the name of the converter), so it actually does become a part of the screen like the instructions say.

The reason I went with the KINO-690S1, was because of its nice embeded graphics card. It can do mirror view, and extended windows. Lets you use VGA and push 1080p and higher on the DVI-D all at the same time. If your MoBo has a DVI-D port it should be able to do the same as mine.

Jistari · 05-09-2008, 05:07 AM

Well that answers my ? about getting a signal out of both connectors at the same time. Cool . . .Thanks.

Ya, like I said, when this MB works it works great. Wish I knew whether the problem was with the MB or the display with mine. Way too convoluted (I have it split over a few posts) at this point. Still working on it. Starting to lean towards the PSU. It doesnt start reliably (have to hit the switch I put on the accessory line to get it to start when it doesnt start as it should with the car). That may be powering the display improperly. Bleh . . .whatever . . .as I said, still working on mine.

Glad that (the splitter/converter) worked out for you :-)

HiJackZX1 · 05-09-2008, 11:02 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by Jistari

Well that answers my ? about getting a signal out of both connectors at the same time. Cool . . .Thanks.

Ya, like I said, when this MB works it works great. Wish I knew whether the problem was with the MB or the display with mine. Way too convoluted (I have it split over a few posts) at this point. Still working on it. Starting to lean towards the PSU. It doesnt start reliably (have to hit the switch I put on the accessory line to get it to start when it doesnt start as it should with the car). That may be powering the display improperly. Bleh . . .whatever . . .as I said, still working on mine.

Glad that (the splitter/converter) worked out for you :-)

What screen do you have? Maybe you should consider connecting the screen directly to the 12V+ line and ground, not the PSU. All of my screens are connected this way, since i need them to start before the PC turns on. I used the Relay method to switch them on and off. All my screens have their own fuses and regulators so its safe. Maybe check if your screen has regulation.

Jistari · 05-10-2008, 02:19 AM

Its a Xenarc 700 IDT. Yup I thought that too. I went through the trouble of taking the car apart again, disconnecting the power running from the PSU and running the power to the monitor from their 12V Cig lghter adapter sent with the Xenarc. Tried it with the monitor powered before the PC booted and powered after the PC booted. Same problem. Really friken annoying

I can not condone, but I can understand why people walk into places with automatic weapons and go postal at times