I think my motherboard is calling it quits...

[archeryguy1701]

Hey, I'm having computer issues and wanted to confirm my theories before I do anything drastic and have to spend lots of money. My PC is what I do everything on (internet, games, hw, etc). It's a decent computer and can keep up with most tasks that I require and games I pick up. I have about 8 USB ports at various locations on my computer, but only 2 of them work, with one of those ports working occassionally.

Well, tonight both of my remaining USB ports went out, which cut off my mouse. I have two USB mice that I tested on each port. Each time, the mice would get power, but a message would pop up saying that a "USB device has malfunctioned." This message comes up for anything USB I try to plug in. Fortunately, I also had two mice that plugged into regular mouse ports. Well, it would seem that that isn't a functioning port any more either (I used to use it before switching to USB mice, so it definately worked at one point). Neither mouse worked there when I plugged them in. All my USB devices work properly when I plug them into my laptop.

So, I'm thinking the motherboard is on it's way out, but I'm not 100% sure and wanted your folks opinions. The thing that concerns me is that if I need a new mobo, I could be in real trouble. Unless I find an old mobo, most of the ports (CPU, ram, expansion slot) aren't on current motherboards, so I would have to replace literally everything inside my computer except hard drives, sound card, and network card. So, any opinions on the problem? Any possible solutions (and keyboard only directions)? Any place I can find obsolete mobo's? Thanks for any help!

 

[USS KG5]

It could be a windows issue - if you are on XP a repair install will replace the system files and re-install hardware - might help?

I personally might try deleting all the USB entries from device manager and rebooting - let it reinstall everything - if you try this first and a repair install if that does not work then you might resort to blaming hardware.

It could be your PSU as well as your mobo BTW.

 

[farmkid]

It definitely could be a problem with your motherboard, or it could be a Windows issue, as USS KG5 suggested. To rule out the Windows idea, go to Linux.org and download a LiveCD distribution. You can boot to Linux from the CD and see if your USB devices work. If so, then it's a problem with Windows, if not, then it's time to upgrade.

 

[archeryguy1701]

Well, I booted the computer this morning and the two USB ports are working now, so I'll hold off on any action until it fails again. I'll pick up some CD's and dowload the Linux for when that time comes. USS KG5, if it's a PCU problem, what would be causing that? Is the only way to combat that through a new power source? Since the ports came back to life after 12 hours, does that change anyone's guesses, or does it still look like one of the above-mentioned problems?

 

[Deks]

It's entirely possible the MBO is having issues with it, or the power supply unit is doing something.

Best bet would be to try the Linux option and see if another OS will give you same issues (test it out for several days).
If the problem persists in XP, then I would suggest you reinstall it completely.
Also ... have you tried searching for possible drivers for your MBO ?
I'm not talking about flashing the BIOS, but windows drivers for USB for example.

 

[archeryguy1701]

I haven't done a driver search... I will look into that as well.

 

[USS KG5]

Well, I booted the computer this morning and the two USB ports are working now, so I'll hold off on any action until it fails again.

Might be fixed for good, be positive!

I'll pick up some CD's and dowload the Linux for when that time comes. USS KG5, if it's a PCU problem, what would be causing that?

PSU - as in power supply unit - when they get old and tired their power output drops and this leads to odd crashes at times.

Is the only way to combat that through a new power source? Since the ports came back to life after 12 hours, does that change anyone's guesses, or does it still look like one of the above-mentioned problems?

I'd play it by ear now and see how you get on - the Linux live CD idea was a good one if the problem re-occurs.

 

[Deleted 2]

And even if it is your motherboard, USB PCI expansion cards are cheap.

 

[archeryguy1701]

So, the USB ports have continued to work since I last posted here, but I've had two more things that may be a symptom, or they may just be a pair of unrelated, poorly timed errors. First, my monitor has started streaking. If I have something that has a distinct color contrast difference between something next to it, the colors will streak or run a couple inches across the page. It isn't severe enough that I can't see, but it's a nuisance. Turning off the monitor and turning off the computer don't help, but if I unplug the monitor from the computer, it will fix it self. The other problem happened this morning. I turned on my computer and walked off, and when I came back, I had this:

I don't know if it did that through the entire boot process, but by the time I returned, that should have been my login screen. Unplugging the monitor didn't fix this, but I turned the computer off and restarted it, and that problem has been fixed (for now). So, does this information change anything? Is this related to my current problems, or are these an unrelated issue you think?

 

[farmkid]

That's what you see when your video card is on it's way out or having other problems. It's probably not related to the USB issue, though they very well could be symptoms of the same underlying problem. I'm thinking it's not a software problem, but a hardware one--most likely the motherboard or power supply.

If you have some old drives or other things laying around that you can plug into the power supply, you can try to stress it and see if the problems multiply. Find as many old drives and/or fans you can and plug them into the power supply (they don't necessarily need to be plugged into the motherboard) and then turn the system on. If the problems become more pronounced or if it dies completely, you probably need a new PSU.

 

[archeryguy1701]

^I can buy that. I had none of these problems before I installed a second hard drive (except for 6 of my 8 USB's never working), even though it took a couple of months for problems to begin to arise.

 

[Noname Given]

^I can buy that. I had none of these problems before I installed a second hard drive (except for 6 of my 8 USB's never working), even though it took a couple of months for problems to begin to arise.

Question - Are you using an on-board video chipset built into the MB; or a seperate video card (and if it's an NVidia or ATI video card, what model?)

 

[archeryguy1701]

^I can buy that. I had none of these problems before I installed a second hard drive (except for 6 of my 8 USB's never working), even though it took a couple of months for problems to begin to arise.

Question - Are you using an on-board video chipset built into the MB; or a seperate video card (and if it's an NVidia or ATI video card, what model?)

It's a seperate video card. I'll confirm this when I get back, but I believe it's a NVidia 6800GS card for an AGP port.

 

[archeryguy1701]

^That was correct. Geforce 6800 GS.

 

[LaxScrutiny]

OK, problems occuring and then going away after you turn off your computer and let it sit are electrical or heat.

That could mean you need more cooling fans, or with an older computer and you haven't upgraded anything lately, it more likely means the fans are clogged up with dust bunnies. It looks like you are going to have to open the case soon anyway, so give it a good cleaning.

It could also mean the capacitors are going. As the computer sits idle for overnight, the capacitors discharge and when you reboot you get a bit of a fresh start. Then gradually the problems resurface.

It could also mean a PSU problem. Either heat or capacitors, the PSU itself may be having the problems described above.

You say have added a new hard drive recently, that will add stress on your PSU. One thing you should try is to disconnect the drive, just unplug the power cable from it, and see if you problems go away.

If you are looking for a new/old fashioned motherboard, look at Asrock motherboards, this is an Asus subsidiary that come out with unique boards, for example some support both DDR and DDR2, or AGP and PCE Express, or older CPU slots for older processors but newer RAM, etc etc. They should have something that will help you.

But keep in mind you can get a new computer that is faster in all ways with larger faster hard drives for probably $400 if you shop around.

 

[USS KG5]

Are Ge Force 6's not quite famous for their power hungriness as well?

Perhaps the graphics problem indicates that our friend definitely needs to look at his PSU?

 

[Noname Given]

Are Ge Force 6's not quite famous for their power hungriness as well?

Perhaps the graphics problem indicates that our friend definitely needs to look at his PSU?

Yep - very trun as the GeForce 6 series were 'power hogs'. And given what he reports with the USB ports - as others have already stated, it's either the capacitors on the MB; or a PSU problem where the unit just doesn't have the wattage to handle the demands made on it.

 

[archeryguy1701]

So, is the way to test this to plug a couple more drives in and see if the problems get worse?

 

[Leroy]

I think it sounds like a power supply issue, you wouldn't beleive the problems an old or crappy power supply can cause.

 

[farmkid]

So, is the way to test this to plug a couple more drives in and see if the problems get worse?

The best way would be to replace the PSU and see if that fixes the problem. However, if you don't have access to another PSU, plugging in more drives to stress it is a reasonable thing to try. You're probably more likely to have a couple of old drives laying around than a spare PSU.