Subj : Re: USB locking up To : Barry Martin From : Ky Moffet Date : Tue Sep 15 2020 20:46:00 BARRY MARTIN wrote: > Hi Ky! > > > > > > the Round TuIts, But Firsts, etc. You had given a link which > > > > suggested going in to the BIOS to disable the Marvell SATA ports and > > > KM> I did? :) > > > Sure; remember when you had amnesia?! > > KM> Is that what I forgot?? > > We don't recall now... > KM> Wait, now we both have amnesia? > Maybe - what do we compare it to? Why are you asking *me*??! > KM> You can look in the BIOS under ... I think it's under System > KM> Health -- and check the voltage in realtime. This (at least in my > KM> experience) will report what the board is using, not what the PSU > KM> is providing. > > Yes, I've looked at that and appears normal: 5v a fraction under (4.97v > IIRC), 12v a fraction over -- definitely within 1% as opposed to 10%. Did you watch if it changed significantly under load? > > The motherboard is an ASUS M5A97 R2.0. Wandering the web have found > > others with the same problem. Stuff about "LLC" -- Load Line > > Calibration -- and "FSB" -- Front Side Bus ==> carry data between the > > central processing unit (CPU) and a memory controller hub, known as the > > northbridge. > KM> Huh. That's the AMD version of Silver's (Intel) board. Apparently > KM> we both have good taste. > > Of course! :) Guess the good news is even though different CPUs and the > assosicated design differences what is applicable to one is probably > applicable to the other. (And yes I did check to see if switching the A > to I was the 'trick' - nope!). Oh, no, mine that has the bad Southbridge is an Asus P5B Deluxe (2008). So far Silver's new board (2014) has, knock wood, no issues. But bad southbridge does seem to be kind of an Asus thing... hopefully yours doesn't predict mine's future. And I think the other P5B is starting to go, as I'm getting that popping "device plugged/unplugged" sound once in a while... another early symptom. :( > > KM> Yours: > KM> https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/M5A97_R20/overview/ > KM> Mine: > KM> https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/P9X79_LE/overview/ > > Should have read ahead (on the Intel guess). We do NOT *buy* AMD. > Sort of got excited when scanned through the overview and came across > "check your PC in real time". I'm in "monitor the voltages" mode so > interpreting that as seeing the voltages, temperatures, etc.; probably > is more like VNC or Remote Desktop. I don't know what can monitor voltage from within linux. > > > KM> Bought Silver's used off eBay, CPU included... was the best > KM> sub-$200 option at the time, and haven't seen anything more > KM> exciting since in that price range. Now if only I'd finish moving > KM> computer so I could actually USE the thing...!! > > Being able to use does tend to make a better investment. OTOH > having spare parts on hand isn't always a bad thing (no wait!) > Haha... having twin boards has been handy more than once. One dies, just plug everything into the other and life goes on as before. > KM> Any voltage drop in the 5V lines might affect USB. > > Agree, which is why I was sort of looking around and fiddling with > things like charging capabilities. OTOH would seem there should be more > of a correlation between which USB device cause the lockup. Seems like Wasn't when mine was going... you wouldn't think a mouse dongle would overtax it, but apparently it did. Didn't lock up but would simply Not Work. > a thumbdrive doesn't need all that much compared to a card reader or > external DVD or hard drive. And DC is constant, not like AC and I might > hit a low point. ...WAG External HD or DVD usually has its own power supply. > Last few days was fiddling with a card reader (adapter) and a microSD > card. Same reader, same card, almost always the same port. Once, out > of maybe a dozen times (seemed like more!) the system locked up. Would > seem if the adapter was the trigger (too much current, USB connector > pins misaligned and shorting out, etc.) I would have more lockups. If it's a power issue ... remember every time the system accesses a drive or RAM or CPU for some other reason that draws more power. Short usually doesn't lock up, rather it causes an instant reboot. Had a machine that would randomly reboot. Realized it wasn't quite random, but rather when someone walked by... Hmm. Turns out that with even the slightest vibration, one of the naked metal pins that stick out of the back of the motherboard was just barely contacting the metal case. Instant short-out and reboot. Transplanted it to a different case; problem solved! (Still have that system, tho being of the socket7 era, not real useful.) > (BTW, the problem wasn't with the hardware but the software. Issue was > the software is supposed to format the SD card. Yup: I was using a 64 > GB card and so over that limit. Switched to a 32 GB card -- no > problems.) Huh. What file format were you trying to use? > Keyboard and mouse on the USB 2.0 ports; my plug-ins are almost-always > on USB 3.0, usually front port. Some systems will not recognize keyboard or mouse on the USB3 ports, at least not during bootup. Both my "new" boxen have USB2 ports labeled specifically for these devices. > An this is probably nothing: during boot my powered USB 3.0 hub will be > on (port indicators), off for a second or so, and then back on. Don't > know if blinks or anything when a system lockup occurs as the hub is > behind me when I plug something into the front panel. Also not > recalling if the LEDs are on during a lockup. No idea. One of mine has power on/off LEDs and switches for each port; the other has noting but a powered-on LED for the whole device. > KM> Discovered another problem, tho -- Tarnish (old Silver) had 4GB > KM> RAM because WinXP 32bit can't use more than that anyway (and it > KM> was what was handy at the time). Tried to give it 8GB since it's > KM> now hosting PCLOS, which benefits from more RAM. WOULD NOT BOOT! > KM> Guessing it's the same issue -- added power draw was too much for > KM> the defective circuit. > > Might be a motherboard issue. Ya think? this is the same board with the USB low voltage issue!! > I have a Lenovo desktop and it is > supposed to take 8 GB (4x 2GB) but ugh-ugh: 2+2+1+1 is its max. And > not the single-sided vs. double-sided issue as played with that. Which Lenovo board is that? > KM> Ah, well... when I get completely moved into New Silver, Cash can > KM> have its old job back (secondary PCLOS streaming box) and Tarnish > KM> can run ReactOS (which runs well on Tarnish, and doesn't like it > KM> when there's more than 4GB RAM anyway). > > Sounds like winter projects! At least, after the baseball season. > > Right: should keep the games and political ideologies separate. > KM> Yeah. It's been slow to penetrate baseball, and each spasm of > KM> Stupid has tended to quickly peter out, but when there's so much > KM> top-down Thou Shalting... hopefully this crap will die down > KM> everywhere without devolving into civil war. :( > > Dad had his "Pendulum Theory": society's mindset swings back and forth, > compbined with what is good for one group is bad for another. Yep, there is that. Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. Weak men create hard times. ― G. Michael Hopf, Those Who Remain > KM> Did I gripe about CenturyLink yet? they changed my loop -- it got > KM> shorter, but my connection went from stable 5Mbps to unstable > KM> 4Mpbs, and am told by their now worthless tech support that it > KM> sucks to be me. One of the fixed wireless companies is now almost > KM> competitive price for faster connection... might have to switch. > > It almost seems like CenturyLink is setting themselves up to fail. When They don't seem to want customers anymore, that's for sure... > Think I told you, or at least posted, a few months ago had a line noise > (telephone) issue -- when that fixed I 'casually' asked to verify the > DSL speed before leaving - was my subscribed 7 Mbps. The tech did comment > surprised this area had 10 available as he had just come from an area > where 1 was the fastest. I didn't say anything but definitely thinking > this is city, not rural, and 10 is slow. Egads... I did find the phone number for the local tech, assuming the number still goes anywhere useful.. need to get around to calling him. > So yes, might be good for you to consider switching to the wireless > company. I'd be checking the connectivity: decent during bad weather Had fixed wireless in SoCal and it was really spotty in anything that looked like weather. Had fixed wireless in Clarkston MT and it was solid even during a blizzard. One could hope the equipment is getting better, but it's still strictly line of sight. > (rain, snow). There are also satellite options Satellite has really nasty data caps, starting at 3GB/month, then you pay an outrageous amount per GB or get limited to dialup speed. I easily use 3GB in an average DAY. Satellite is not an option. > providers near me" and one hit was > www.HighSpeedInternet.com/ia/davenport -- so switch the locations. > Oddly didn't mention Metronet at all. Companies pay to be listed on those sites. It's more a mark of aggressive marketing than of availability. Where my sister is, these sites have a dozen providers listed. Guess how many actually service her area? One. þ RNET 2.10U: ILink: Techware BBS þ Hollywood, Ca þ www.techware2k.com --- QScan/PCB v1.20a / 01-0462 * Origin: ILink: CFBBS | cfbbs.no-ip.com | 856-933-7096 (454:1/1) .