The above post with link to a "workaround" from MS didn't work. All my drivers refused to load with the error: "Could not load drivers, insufficient bios memory". So I'm still stuck with the usual ACPI setting and a overloading core. I'm pretty much willing to try anything by now. The only thing I haven't tried yet is re-seating the CPU, and that's because it's a pain to remove it with my custom cooler. I'll try it eventually but I'd prefer to see if there are any other options left.
Try a factory reset of your BIOS TEST Remove every hardware component you dont need. (CPU+PSU+MOBO+Onboard GPU or GPU should remain) This also means unplugging all unneeded drives. Disable anything you dont need through BIOS (onboard sound, ethernet, unneeded ide/sata/USB controllers etc) TEST Although it hurts try a different MOBO/CPU. TEST
And just to cheer you up:
I am suffering from a known error: ASUS CPU Init. So currently I am turning on my PC by pressing power and then quickly tapping my PSU switch twice :P
<!--quoteo(post=1720604:date=Aug 4 2009, 06:04 PM:name=Faskalia)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Faskalia @ Aug 4 2009, 06:04 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1720604"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Enjoy digging at a low layer :)
PreBoot BIOS Hardware
Any custom bootloaders, rootkits etc?
Try a factory reset of your BIOS TEST Remove every hardware component you dont need. (CPU+PSU+MOBO+Onboard GPU or GPU should remain) This also means unplugging all unneeded drives. Disable anything you dont need through BIOS (onboard sound, ethernet, unneeded ide/sata/USB controllers etc) TEST Although it hurts try a different MOBO/CPU. TEST
And just to cheer you up:
I am suffering from a known error: ASUS CPU Init. So currently I am turning on my PC by pressing power and then quickly tapping my PSU switch twice :P<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
No bootloaders. A bit unsure what rootkits exactly are so I'd say no.
I've tried software reset of bios and reinserting the battery. Done the hardware removal, all the way down to using only a non-usb keyboard. However, I only swapped memories around and tried using one at a time (I must have at least one memory in, no?). Disabled everything that could in BIOS. Not tested a different mobo/cpu, unfortunately quite unavailable for me.
I really appreciate your help, this is a tough nut to crack.
Seeing that the problem does not seem to apply for unbunto but still does for XP you should try to get an xp sp3 technet download (unmodified) if possible or at least a retail xp CD.
It might also be worth to have a closer look at your hardware: is EVERYTHING xp certified?
What does z-cpu say about your CPU?
Did you by accident disable one core through the bios or did you downclock one core?
HT just stands for hyperthreading, which means that the CPU can work @ 2 threads at once. This doesnt mean that you have a real dualcore CPU and I am not quite sure how the performance monitor interprets single core CPUs with HT technology.
The XP disc is from the net, but I do have a SP1 retail one. I just wanted to skip the hassle with downloading 7 years worth of fixes and updates, even if they can be slipstreamed via nlite as well.
XP certified hardware? I tried googling a bit but I didnt turn up anything exactly explaining it. However, as things have been going smoothly for years I'd guess it all is certified, none of the hardware is from a obscure unknown company. It would be the network card in that case.
About messing with the frequencies, I removed the bios battery after messing around with it manually so everything should be back to default.
I forgot to mention something I believe, some time ago (after first noticing this problem) a lightning strike, with the lack of a better word, disabled my previous nic card and the PCI ports, one which had my X-fi in it. I replaced the nic card and moved around the sound card, it didn't work anywhere. However, the next day it worked again somehow. It appeared the lightning bolt didnt go through my wall socket but rather through my router and/or network cable, or I'm just crazy. I can't think of any other theory why only the PCI ports would be affected. Take note that I had my problem before this happened.
<!--quoteo(post=1720635:date=Aug 4 2009, 08:32 PM:name=Tykjen)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Tykjen @ Aug 4 2009, 08:32 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1720635"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Svenpa, download win7 and give that a try, if you havent.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Word, I can recommend the windows 7 RC, get someone with a technet subscription to download it for you, don't trust downloaded stuff from elsewhere. The installation you're using is either broken or infected, ubuntu running fine and all.
I have a quadcore and my processor selection is grayed out.
Why is your processor selection not grayed out? Do you have a dual sockel mainboard?
Short: Can you select another CPU and if yes, what does it show?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
For easy comparison: <a href="http://img190.imageshack.us/i/cpuzk.png/" target="_blank"><img src="http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/117/cpuzk.png" border="0" class="linked-image" /></a>
It isn't much differentiating the two but what concerns me is the voltage, as it isn't two physical CPU's, shouldn't both be the same? EDIT: Nevermind, it goes up and down a bit during idle/load.
I'd love to download win7 but I'm really looking for a perma fix, wont they disable all beta versions of it when it goes retail? Ah heck, I'll give it a try just to see if it fixes it.
Edit: Ignore the fact it's 2800mhz and not 3600, it clocks down while idle.
Just a quick one try disabling any add on cards you have installed from the device manager, that x-fi card in perticular to see if it makes any difference.
Kouji_SanSr. Hινε UÏкεεÏεг - EUPT DeputyThe NetherlandsJoin Date: 2003-05-13Member: 16271Members, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue
edited August 2009
Dunno if you checked to see if the problem lies with the new-ish <i>multicore rendering</i> option that is available in the episode2(L4D) Source engine version...
I believe it actually is a hardware problem after some further investigation.
New things attempted:
Unplugged all PCI cards, again (Tried unplugging everything not crucial for start before) Re-seated the CPU, evened out some of the CPU paste. Installed Vista and Win 7. No, they were not retail. (Problem there, more on this later) Installed retail XP home.
Looking back when I tried Ubuntu, there actually was some CPU load which didn't correlate with any process, it just was a lot less than for windows. Ubuntu had 20-25% while Windows have 50+%. However, a freshly installed XP from the retail CD had only about 25% aswell but as soon as I installed some service packs and whatnot it jumped back to 50%. I'm however unsure if the CPU load from Ubuntu live simply came from the fact it's a live cd.
Windows Vista and Windows 7 both crapped out on me. It seems it can't handle my monitor resolution/hertz. Whenever it tries to boot (after the windows logo) my screen turns off and shows "input signal out of range". I reinstall and look for some kind of options to set resolution before it starts but none were found. I tried loading drivers for my graphics card during the OS install but it just returned some error that it could not. So, I pick up my other computer's monitor and plug it in. Yay, it works. I login and it all boots up nicely and I check task manager. Same problem persists, schaisse. To top it of I can't just change resolution and plug my main monitor in, it still shows "input signal out of range" as soon as I plug it in alone. However, if BOTH monitors are plugged in at the same time, it works and I can change resolution to whatever. >:(
And thus here I sit with a computer only working 50% of it's fullest potential and considering to either take a chance getting a new CPU or dismantling it and wait for the right moment to get a new computer (right after new radeon cards due to september).
There's something very wrong with those voltages. The CPU core voltage should vary by +/- 0.1V at most, and it shouldn't show two different voltages for the same processor. Unless CPU-Z is wrong (and in my experience it rarely is), my guess would be that there's something wrong with your CPU or mainboard.
Your processor is also underclocked, but that might be because it's idle.
<!--quoteo(post=1723441:date=Aug 18 2009, 02:32 PM:name=lolfighter)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (lolfighter @ Aug 18 2009, 02:32 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1723441"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->There's something very wrong with those voltages. The CPU core voltage should vary by +/- 0.1V at most, and it shouldn't show two different voltages for the same processor. Unless CPU-Z is wrong (and in my experience it rarely is), my guess would be that there's something wrong with your CPU or mainboard.
Your processor is also underclocked, but that might be because it's idle.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Thats a good call. Didnt notice it myself.
Do you have intel speed-step or something similira turned on?
My Q6600 underclocked itself (by reducing the multiplier from 9 to 6) when idle, although I am not sure whether that was a feature of the processor or the mainboard. Probably the latter, actually. Anyway, it'd immediately jump to full speed when put under load.
This won't help fix the problem, but it's just an anecdote that you might find amusing. Games for Windows guidelines suggest a game should check for a 360 controller on each USB port once every <b>frame</b>. So for some games, if the devs have implemented 360 controller support to the letter, the game can actualy run faster if you block up those USB ports so the game no longer needs to check them for 360 controllers! (as much as 20% faster :o)
Anyway, let's hope it's not some sort of facepalm problem like that. And that you fix it before NS2 comes out!
I'm getting a new computer in september if they decide to release the i5 and new gen radeon cards. This fu**er can rot as a file server or something. It must be a hardware problem and if it isn't I cant be arsed to try anything extremely skewed and I wont take the chance buying new parts.
Guess I'll try the xbox control thingy for the lulz.
Comments
The above post with link to a "workaround" from MS didn't work. All my drivers refused to load with the error: "Could not load drivers, insufficient bios memory". So I'm still stuck with the usual ACPI setting and a overloading core. I'm pretty much willing to try anything by now. The only thing I haven't tried yet is re-seating the CPU, and that's because it's a pain to remove it with my custom cooler. I'll try it eventually but I'd prefer to see if there are any other options left.
PreBoot
BIOS
Hardware
Any custom bootloaders, rootkits etc?
Try a factory reset of your BIOS
TEST
Remove every hardware component you dont need. (CPU+PSU+MOBO+Onboard GPU or GPU should remain)
This also means unplugging all unneeded drives.
Disable anything you dont need through BIOS (onboard sound, ethernet, unneeded ide/sata/USB controllers etc)
TEST
Although it hurts try a different MOBO/CPU.
TEST
And just to cheer you up:
I am suffering from a known error: ASUS CPU Init.
So currently I am turning on my PC by pressing power and then quickly tapping my PSU switch twice :P
PreBoot
BIOS
Hardware
Any custom bootloaders, rootkits etc?
Try a factory reset of your BIOS
TEST
Remove every hardware component you dont need. (CPU+PSU+MOBO+Onboard GPU or GPU should remain)
This also means unplugging all unneeded drives.
Disable anything you dont need through BIOS (onboard sound, ethernet, unneeded ide/sata/USB controllers etc)
TEST
Although it hurts try a different MOBO/CPU.
TEST
And just to cheer you up:
I am suffering from a known error: ASUS CPU Init.
So currently I am turning on my PC by pressing power and then quickly tapping my PSU switch twice :P<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
No bootloaders. A bit unsure what rootkits exactly are so I'd say no.
I've tried software reset of bios and reinserting the battery.
Done the hardware removal, all the way down to using only a non-usb keyboard. However, I only swapped memories around and tried using one at a time (I must have at least one memory in, no?).
Disabled everything that could in BIOS.
Not tested a different mobo/cpu, unfortunately quite unavailable for me.
I really appreciate your help, this is a tough nut to crack.
Where did you get your XP disc from?
Retail, OEM or MS Technet?
Seeing that the problem does not seem to apply for unbunto but still does for XP you should try to get an xp sp3 technet download (unmodified) if possible or at least a retail xp CD.
It might also be worth to have a closer look at your hardware: is EVERYTHING xp certified?
What does z-cpu say about your CPU?
Did you by accident disable one core through the bios or did you downclock one core?
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Intel HT 3,6ghz<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
What kind of CPU exactly.
HT just stands for hyperthreading, which means that the CPU can work @ 2 threads at once. This doesnt mean that you have a real dualcore CPU and I am not quite sure how the performance monitor interprets single core CPUs with HT technology.
Please post your Z-CPU info.
<a href="http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php" target="_blank">http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php</a>
XP certified hardware? I tried googling a bit but I didnt turn up anything exactly explaining it. However, as things have been going smoothly for years I'd guess it all is certified, none of the hardware is from a obscure unknown company. It would be the network card in that case.
About messing with the frequencies, I removed the bios battery after messing around with it manually so everything should be back to default.
CPU-Z info:
<a href="http://img35.imageshack.us/i/cpuzk.png/" target="_blank"><img src="http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/117/cpuzk.png" border="0" class="linked-image" /></a>
I forgot to mention something I believe, some time ago (after first noticing this problem) a lightning strike, with the lack of a better word, disabled my previous nic card and the PCI ports, one which had my X-fi in it. I replaced the nic card and moved around the sound card, it didn't work anywhere. However, the next day it worked again somehow. It appeared the lightning bolt didnt go through my wall socket but rather through my router and/or network cable, or I'm just crazy. I can't think of any other theory why only the PCI ports would be affected. Take note that I had my problem before this happened.
Just for comparison.
I have a quadcore and my processor selection is grayed out.
Why is your processor selection not grayed out?
Do you have a dual sockel mainboard?
Short: Can you select another CPU and if yes, what does it show?
Word, I can recommend the windows 7 RC, get someone with a technet subscription to download it for you, don't trust downloaded stuff from elsewhere.
The installation you're using is either broken or infected, ubuntu running fine and all.
I'd almost recommend a fresh wipe considering all the stuff you've checked already.
Just for comparison.
I have a quadcore and my processor selection is grayed out.
Why is your processor selection not grayed out?
Do you have a dual sockel mainboard?
Short: Can you select another CPU and if yes, what does it show?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
For easy comparison:
<a href="http://img190.imageshack.us/i/cpuzk.png/" target="_blank"><img src="http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/117/cpuzk.png" border="0" class="linked-image" /></a>
It isn't much differentiating the two but what concerns me is the voltage, as it isn't two physical CPU's, shouldn't both be the same? EDIT: Nevermind, it goes up and down a bit during idle/load.
I'd love to download win7 but I'm really looking for a perma fix, wont they disable all beta versions of it when it goes retail? Ah heck, I'll give it a try just to see if it fixes it.
Edit: Ignore the fact it's 2800mhz and not 3600, it clocks down while idle.
I believe it actually is a hardware problem after some further investigation.
New things attempted:
Unplugged all PCI cards, again (Tried unplugging everything not crucial for start before)
Re-seated the CPU, evened out some of the CPU paste.
Installed Vista and Win 7. No, they were not retail. (Problem there, more on this later)
Installed retail XP home.
Looking back when I tried Ubuntu, there actually was some CPU load which didn't correlate with any process, it just was a lot less than for windows. Ubuntu had 20-25% while Windows have 50+%. However, a freshly installed XP from the retail CD had only about 25% aswell but as soon as I installed some service packs and whatnot it jumped back to 50%. I'm however unsure if the CPU load from Ubuntu live simply came from the fact it's a live cd.
Windows Vista and Windows 7 both crapped out on me. It seems it can't handle my monitor resolution/hertz. Whenever it tries to boot (after the windows logo) my screen turns off and shows "input signal out of range". I reinstall and look for some kind of options to set resolution before it starts but none were found. I tried loading drivers for my graphics card during the OS install but it just returned some error that it could not. So, I pick up my other computer's monitor and plug it in. Yay, it works. I login and it all boots up nicely and I check task manager. Same problem persists, schaisse. To top it of I can't just change resolution and plug my main monitor in, it still shows "input signal out of range" as soon as I plug it in alone. However, if BOTH monitors are plugged in at the same time, it works and I can change resolution to whatever. >:(
And thus here I sit with a computer only working 50% of it's fullest potential and considering to either take a chance getting a new CPU or dismantling it and wait for the right moment to get a new computer (right after new radeon cards due to september).
The digital gods are cruel and unsympathetic.
Your processor is also underclocked, but that might be because it's idle.
Your processor is also underclocked, but that might be because it's idle.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Thats a good call.
Didnt notice it myself.
Do you have intel speed-step or something similira turned on?
If so, turn it off.
This won't help fix the problem, but it's just an anecdote that you might find amusing. Games for Windows guidelines suggest a game should check for a 360 controller on each USB port once every <b>frame</b>. So for some games, if the devs have implemented 360 controller support to the letter, the game can actualy run faster if you block up those USB ports so the game no longer needs to check them for 360 controllers! (as much as 20% faster :o)
Anyway, let's hope it's not some sort of facepalm problem like that. And that you fix it before NS2 comes out!
Guess I'll try the xbox control thingy for the lulz.