Strange system lockups - kernel saying disk error

[Kaya Saman]

On 06/05/2011 03:48 AM, perryh at pluto.rain.com wrote:
> Kaya Saman<kayasaman at gmail.com>  wrote:
>
>    
>>> Did you apply any updates shortly before it started to fail?
>>>        
>> No updates! I did however, install unrar through ports.
>>      
> Intuitively, that seems unlikely to have triggered the problem.
>    

This doesn't sound like an issue to me either as it wouldn't touch the 
kernel or any modules.

>    
>> I remember on other boards that went on me in the past with
>> capacitor issues, a bunch of orange stuff starts leaking out
>> of them when they blow up.
>>      
> A leaking capacitor has surely gone bad, but the syndrome I'm
> thinking of is more subtle.  The top of the can, which should
> be flat, bulges upward a little bit.
>
> Whether replacing bad capacitors qualifies as "quick" depends
> on how comfortable you are using a soldering iron.  It does
> generally require taking the board out of the case, which may
> or may not be "quick" or "easy" depending on the case design.
>    

I have a degree in Electronic Engineering :-) - though no soldering iron :-(

>    
>> Also the chassis doesn't have any cooling fans either since it was
>> bought extremely cheaply by the family member but not sure that's
>> the culprit neither power problems as the system has run in high
>> outside ambient temps in the past with no A/C in the room and also
>> was working fine on the PSU installed with the 4 disks.
>>      
> Fans that were never there can't have suddenly failed :)
>    

Odd that isn't it :-P

> Power supplies do fail occasionally, and not always in obvious
> ways such as failing to turn on at all.  The output voltages may
> be a little too high or too low, or they may be correct but with
> excessive ripple or electrical noise; or the supply may be just
> fine until a disk draws a current spike to move the arm rapidly.
>    

This needs either a voltmeter or oscilloscope to check out the voltages, 
fluctuations, and ripple.

None of those at home :-(

....<man what I am I doing with 2 racks and no tools to fix things???>

> It might be worth checking the fan mounted on the CPU heatsink if
> there is one, and the fan in the power supply (which ventilates the
> case as well as the power supply itself).
>    

CPU fan works - at least it spins, fan in PSU not checked as I'd need to 
open it as it's a PS/2 design if not mistaken!


But all these tips would be useful for a system that was given more 
value then mine. If I had actually paid for the system and it been quite 
advanced it would definitely be worth taking everything into account.


Regards,


Kaya