First things first; if the machine is still in warranty, don't mess
with
it but send it back to the manufacturer and demand a replacement.
It is in warranty and I am following their process. I'm hoping to
short-circuit that process by finding the problem on my own, if
possible. Plus, I've never really had to deal with a hardware failure
before, so it's a good learning process.
If the machine is out of warranty, you might consider replacing it
altogether. My employer's IT department ditches PC's and servers at
the first
failure after the warranty runs out. Accordinf to them it's cheaper
than
repairing them.
But if you want to have a go, this might help:
http://www.daileyint.com/hmdpc/manual.htm
Basically, it's just a problem of elimination.
First check if your machine is the only one having problems at the
hosting site. Maybe they have unstable electrical power.
Then make sure that all expansion cards and RAM are well-seated, and
that all connectors are OK. Also check that there is no dust build-
up on
e.g. fans and heatsinks. If necessary, clean carefully with (dry, oil
free) compressed air. Dust can lead to short circuits or reduced
cooling. Next, look for capacitors that have leaked fluid, or have
bulging metal end plates on the motherboard; those are dead or
dying. It's a leading cause of motherboard failure. It is possible to
replace them, but you'll need the right equipment:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/fixing-motherboard,1606.html
Install a monitoring program like mbmon or healthd, and have it log to
another machine or a USB stick mounted syncronously. Monitor CPU
temperature, fan speeds and the different voltages. Not all power
supplies are created equally. See the articles at tom's hardware:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/Components,1/Power-Supplies,6/
If you've found nothing so far, it's time to start swapping out
components, starting with the power supply.
This is all good stuff to try. Thanks.
-- John
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