When an Hardware problem can let you know you have a software problem
.... I want to share this experience with you:
The subject could be :
"boot problem under windows XP with an Abit MotherBoard"
"continuous boot under XP"
or "My PC cannot boot anymore"....
I have purchased an Abit SL6 Motherboard 2 years ago
An increasing booting problem has appeared little by little some months ago-->
until the PC could not boot anymore under Windows XP (BUT since I kept a double-boot win98se/XP I noticed
that it was booting under 98se !
1) I though about a SW pb because of the behaviour difference between win98 and winXP
2) after one week, and after I verified all my devices (replaced SDRAM, Processor, Power, HardDisk that some friends
lend me for the tests, It appears to come from the MotherBoard Hardware
3) inspecting the card: Almost all the same capacitors have a leaky brown stuff at the top (electrolyt leaking)
I searched on the web with the words "capacitor problem abit" (by the way I had made many other unsuccessful
searches on the Web but with more "general terms" and found nothing)
--> a bunch of (very interesting) messages came out
Result:
There is a BIG BIG problem with Capacitors on several Abit motherboards, but maybe other devices
That are using this type of capacitors.
Those capacitors have faulty electrolyte and they have a very short life (you can read links below)
All symptoms that are described are the ones I see on my PC, and it has been confirmed to me by Abit.
I post this message to avoid to other people to lose a lot of time if they experience the same problem.
Those capacitors regulate the voltage for the CPU, but also for the memory banks and the AGP slot....
Abit told me that they do not know what to do with my problem, and my warantee is still valid (3 years for
componants that can be replaced).
They ask me to wait --> but I cannot just wait without computer during several weeks as they ask me to do
Those capas(1500uF - 6,3v - 105° JACKCON with a diameter of 8mm and space between legs of 3.5mm) are quite difficult
to find and I must change the 18 caps on the mobo.
If anyone knows wher I can find the replacement caps (I think that 10v would be better that 6.3v but ... problem is the size)
Abit do not want to send me replacement capacitors to allow me to replace them by myself (I have some HW collegues
that are working in a HW card line).
I am stuck. Given that I have spent so much time to find the problem, and given that this replacement is quite easy
I do not accept Abit position ... wait .... and wait ..... and wait....
As you can see in the links below, this problem is known since many months !!
(maybe I was the only one that was not aware )
ALL those links are VERY clear. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT Problem and not only for Abit !!!
http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/WEBONLY/resource/feb03/ncap.html
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=4232
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=5878
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=6085
http://home.att.net/~garyheadlee/faqs.htm
http://home.att.net/~garyheadlee/images.htm
.... I want to share this experience with you:
The subject could be :
"boot problem under windows XP with an Abit MotherBoard"
"continuous boot under XP"
or "My PC cannot boot anymore"....
I have purchased an Abit SL6 Motherboard 2 years ago
An increasing booting problem has appeared little by little some months ago-->
until the PC could not boot anymore under Windows XP (BUT since I kept a double-boot win98se/XP I noticed
that it was booting under 98se !
1) I though about a SW pb because of the behaviour difference between win98 and winXP
2) after one week, and after I verified all my devices (replaced SDRAM, Processor, Power, HardDisk that some friends
lend me for the tests, It appears to come from the MotherBoard Hardware
3) inspecting the card: Almost all the same capacitors have a leaky brown stuff at the top (electrolyt leaking)
I searched on the web with the words "capacitor problem abit" (by the way I had made many other unsuccessful
searches on the Web but with more "general terms" and found nothing)
--> a bunch of (very interesting) messages came out
Result:
There is a BIG BIG problem with Capacitors on several Abit motherboards, but maybe other devices
That are using this type of capacitors.
Those capacitors have faulty electrolyte and they have a very short life (you can read links below)
All symptoms that are described are the ones I see on my PC, and it has been confirmed to me by Abit.
I post this message to avoid to other people to lose a lot of time if they experience the same problem.
Those capacitors regulate the voltage for the CPU, but also for the memory banks and the AGP slot....
Abit told me that they do not know what to do with my problem, and my warantee is still valid (3 years for
componants that can be replaced).
They ask me to wait --> but I cannot just wait without computer during several weeks as they ask me to do
Those capas(1500uF - 6,3v - 105° JACKCON with a diameter of 8mm and space between legs of 3.5mm) are quite difficult
to find and I must change the 18 caps on the mobo.
If anyone knows wher I can find the replacement caps (I think that 10v would be better that 6.3v but ... problem is the size)
Abit do not want to send me replacement capacitors to allow me to replace them by myself (I have some HW collegues
that are working in a HW card line).
I am stuck. Given that I have spent so much time to find the problem, and given that this replacement is quite easy
I do not accept Abit position ... wait .... and wait ..... and wait....
As you can see in the links below, this problem is known since many months !!
(maybe I was the only one that was not aware )
ALL those links are VERY clear. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT Problem and not only for Abit !!!
http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/WEBONLY/resource/feb03/ncap.html
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=4232
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=5878
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=6085
http://home.att.net/~garyheadlee/faqs.htm
http://home.att.net/~garyheadlee/images.htm
