Subj : USB lock up - poo! To : Ky Moffet From : Barry Martin Date : Wed Nov 04 2020 09:31:00 Hi Ky! > KM> Apparently the Space Moose ate your reply... it WAS here, I know > KM> because I read it! but it has since vanished (Techware only shows > KM> me a blank message that won't accept a reply, so methinks it's > KM> vamoosed). > KM> Oh well, think the topic was getting in need of an upgrade anyway > Techware censored me?! As you said, probably getting into a > verifictaion of a verification verifying it's more than likely probably > the Southbridge. KM> And guess what... remember I was a bit dubious about the future KM> of Cash (Tarnish's twin, except for being made in Taiwan instead KM> of China)... well, yesterday I plugged in the USB floppy drive, KM> and... lordy, the solid lockup like you've never seen!! Took KM> several restarts to get it to remember that it has other USB KM> stuff. Well, I sure won't be using the USB floppy drive with it KM> again! (At a guess, too much power draw...) KM> USB floppy drive worked fine with Bullet. Well, possibly Cash might be the recipient of a capacitor transplant. The 'needing several restarts' part reminded me of a problem I had with "Backend 1" ==> actually the second or maybe third of the series of MythTV servers here over the years. It was getting to the point where it took numerous tries just to boot -- just using the internal stuff, no idea on how it reacts to external drives, etc. I'll have to check to see if the problem is with Southbridge capacitors. Right now the unit is storage: case is probably reusable, PSU probably decent as is some of the daughtercards. OTTOMH no idea what the motherboard is much less Intel or AMD. KM> Oh, speaking therewhich, found a USB driver for DOS that works KM> with flash drives (tho the USB keyboard doesn't work at the same KM> time). Will have to find the URL again and post it over in Yes, I'd be interested if nothing more than troubleshooting. Have several PS/2 keyboards and mice -- of course helps if the motherboard has the ports! KM> DOSTips. Not only that, but DOS7 works with a 128GB exFAT drive. KM> Would not have expected DOS to be able to read exFAT. (DOS6 is KM> limited to 2GB drives. I prefer DOS7 so don't care.) I'd probably be using an older version of DOS just because what I have here, LIS, at this point troubleshooting, though eventually just for old fun..... > Only other item I'm recalling right now is you were considering snagging > some capacitors from sacrificial motherboards to replace failed ones one > otherwise good boards. Should be OK as long as the value is the same or > slightly greater. Some discussion on voltage rating: slightly larger is > fine. KM> So about what I'd guess -- bigger pipe usually good, smaller pipe KM> usually not good! Something like that! :) > I've been half-looking at Intel motherboards and CPUs, mainly the Newegg KM> You mean motherboards and Intel CPUs, since Intel not only no KM> longer makes motherboards, they removed all support for their old KM> ones, much to everyone's annoyance. (Bullet has an old Intel KM> mainboard.) Darn shortcut English I use! "Intel motherboard" didn't mean a motherboard manufactured by Intel but rather a motherboard using an Intel CPU. As for the removal of support - bad Intel! They probably cited storage or some other relatively flimsy reasoning. And as for the removal of support, why I try to grab as much information as possible, though usually I'm grabbing manuals and that type of information as I don't use Windows so don't need those drivers, etc. (OTOH there are some Linux drivers not from the usual Linux sources.) > ads because get sent to me. Need to start doing a bit of analysis to > get familiar with the terms and what they do and how interact (for all I > know a 8-core 2.0 GHz unit is overall faster than a 4-core 3.0 GHz one.) KM> Depends what you're doing. For single-threaded apps, faster speed KM> is more useful than more cores. However in my experience more KM> cores is less likely to get pegged at 100% by some CPU hog. Even KM> so, unless you're gaming or doing video rendering or the like, KM> more than the semi-standard 4 cores is not going to see much use KM> anyway. KM> At this point I would not worry too much about it, and would KM> first pick a motherboard with the desired features, then decide KM> how much you want to spend on a compatible CPU (last year's model KM> being so much cheaper for no great loss of performance). You can KM> always upgrade the CPU next year, when this year's model becomes KM> last year's model, so you end up in the same place and save a ton KM> of money. KM> (Well, maybe a ton in pennies..) Yes on the pennies! I will probbaly go more with an Intel-based (I learned!) motherboard I like and match it with an Intel CPU; my 'reverse' of checking out the Intel CPUs was more to see what's to look for -- know from the current AMD-based motherboard a 95W CPU is better toleraated than the 125W CPU version, though probably some other factors in there which made the CPU cooler. Also seeing a lot of the same CPU beign offered from Newegg. Not surprising from being in retail: the usual sale cycle of full price, sale at 30%, sale at 25%, sale at 40%.... And for poops and giggles will have to check out what the "Avengers Edition" is: boot logo screen? > Motherboard selection generally seems less complicated: either is able > to use the selected CPU or not, do want certain options, don't need > others, etc. Right: one reason why I was doing it backwards so could be somewhat ready for those one-day sales: I like this board, grab a CPU for it. Or is the CPU being offered as part of the package deal any good? And no, not necessarily going to go with a package near nor even with Newegg -- just a starting point. KM> Several SATA3 ports, maybe M.2 ports (but I don't like the idea KM> of something that hot flat against the mainboard, and an adapter KM> in one of the PCIe slots works just as well and stays a lot KM> cooler), at least a couple USB3 ports, more PCIe slots than you KM> think you need (minimally 2 or better yet 3 each of 16x and 4x, KM> not just a 16x and a 1x), at least 4 RAM slots, layout not too KM> cramped so fullsized ATX. That was my basic criteria when I went KM> shopping for Silver's new guts. Happened on a CPU/board combo KM> that was featureful enough, and here we are today. Yes, the ability to expand is somewhat important: who knows what option will be made available? Not a fan on on-board video so need PCIe x16, which of course uses a PCIe x16 slot -- might be nice to have a second one available. Built-in USB 3 (and 3.1, which is and isn't C - argh!!) is a plus - why use a PCI(e) slot? Plus I tend to think if the motherboard comes with the lastest-and-greatest in USB then it probably is also more up-to-date in other factors. KM> This particular board does not support onboard video, but random KM> card from the parts pile works well enough. Onboard video is KM> slowly going away again, just when we'd become used to it and go KM> hey, where'd it go?? Based on my limited experiences it also seems any random video card will work fine -- as long as it fits in a slot and the BIOS cane be switched to it. KM> As a general rule, boards with overkill numbers of slots and KM> ports also do not cut corners on less obvious stuff, and boards a KM> bit short on ports probably skimped elsewhere. Over the years KM> I've noticed a parallel trend in longevity, too. Ok, yes -- I don't have nearly as much experience as you do on that detail but I have used the same criteria: if a motherboard seems to be cutting corners on something like two USB 2.0 ports instead of four then it seems they also have skimped on some other parameters. ...Doesn't always work: this motherboard has 6 USB 2.0 ports on the rear panel and apparently that design division didn't cut corners but the crew designing the Southbridge circuitry did! > .. Take the lemons and make lemonade! > Take the salmon and make salmonella! KM> Ain't biology wonderful? :D Yup! And seems no one remembers the old ad that had "Hey Sal! Sal Monella!". ¯ BarryMartin3@ ® ¯ @MyMetronet.NET ® .... The money I saved for a rainy day turned to mildew. --- MultiMail/Win32 v0.47 þ wcECHO 4.2 ÷ ILink: The Safe BBS þ Bettendorf, IA --- QScan/PCB v1.20a / 01-0462 * Origin: ILink: CFBBS | cfbbs.no-ip.com | 856-933-7096 (454:1/1) .