[thelist] Yikes! Misbehaving machine - please help.

Marc Seyon seyon at delime.com
Tue Jun 18 14:00:01 CDT 2002


Chris,

Coca-Cola huh? D'oh!
<t1p type="computer's diet">
Don't allow your computer to have any Coca-Cola. No matter how much he pleads, cajoles or threatens!
</t1p> :)

Ok, ok. So I opened him up and disconnected both CD drives. Seems to have ameliorated all the symptoms.

The real tip now:
<tip type="spelling">
When using British instead of American English, it's advisable to use the '-ise' suffix in place of the '-ize' suffix. The former is always correct in Brit. English, and more commonly used, while the latter is not allowed for some words including
advertise
(com)promise
surprise
enterprise
</tip>

My resident computer-guru advised that it's likely that the CD-drive itself is on the way out, and this may be the root of the problem. What say ye?

regards.
-marc


From: "Chris Blessing" <webguy at mail.rit.edu>
Reply-To: thelist at lists.evolt.org
Date:  Tue, 18 Jun 2002 14:21:07 -0400

>Marc-
>
>Sounds like a shot motherboard, specifically a shot IDE controller!  Could
>be a messed up power supply too, actually I'd say that's more likely than
>the motherboard (unless you recently indulged your computer with an ample
>supply of CocaCola). ;)
>
>
>> I've got a slight problem guys. Computer froze up on me earlier
>> today. Now it's giving all manner or annoying problems. Here are
>> what I think are the major symptoms:
>>
>> - CD drive opening and closing of its own accord, particularly
>> while starting up/shutting down.
>> - Computer failing to boot up - freezing on the Dell screen -
>> intermittently.
>> - CD drive making a very loud buzzing noise, and recently, a sort
>> of grating, as of gears gnashing together. Buzzing sounds like
>> something spinning in overdrive, and continues for anywhere from
>> 10 - 60 seconds before it spins down.
>> - CD drive is inaccessible. Unresponsive to open button also.
>> CD-RW was also not appearing in Windows Explorer, although it was
>> opening and closing on demand.
>> - Attempting to open Windows Explorer last time caused system to
>> hang while apparently looking for drives.
>> - During one attempt to run virus scan, when monitor powered off,
>> was unable to wake it back up - hard drive light was still
>> spinning. Had to power off computer.



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