Wierd Lockups HELP ME

I've just rebuilt my pc (ASUS A7M266, Athlon XP 1700+, Voodoo5 550 AGP graphics, SBLive! 5.1, Fujitsu 16GB HDD) and I'm getting loads of random lockups, crashes and blue screens when trying to install win98 SE. I don't know what's going on - I have an old 235 watt psu, but i don't think that's the problem... are there compatibility issues with the XP 1700+ and win98 SE? is the cpu underpowered? Is it likely to be a hardware conflict? HELP!!!

I think you will need more power for your AMD XP. I think you will need at least 300W PSU, 350W would be better.

p/s: not too sure about the weird lockup, but try another better PSU and see if it helps.

Well, I think you had the answer in your own post... could very well be the PSU. You should at least have 300W with an AMD CPU these days.

How are your temps in BIOS?

i think you should get another psu too but you said youve just rebuilt your pc. was it running fine before, without the lockups? sorry if i misunderstood that.

A quick way to check your power supply is to disconnect all unneeded cards, fans etc. I built a computer for a friend with a 235 watt, 750 Duron etc. It worked fine when it was here, but when it was 800 miles away, it started to hang at the BIOS screen. Turn it off, and it would boot into safe mode. Shut it down,restart, and it would hang at the BIOS screen on reboot! I had him pull everything not necessary, and it worked fine. If you don't have a spare PS to try, try this. 235 watt PS is asking for trouble. I'm having him upgrade as soon as possible. In the meantime, it works with no soundcard, no fans, and the case cover off.

Oh well, 235W is definately not enough for this XP, especially if you have CD burner on it.

sometimes a 300 watt isn't even enough (especially if its a cheap one). 235 watts needs to be upgraded to at least a good 300, maybe even 350 to be safe and for longevity.

jeff

Thanks for your replies - what brands of PSU should I be looking for?

enermax is the best . . .

but if money is an issue . . .

maybe sparkle?

I wouldn't go outright and say Enermax is the best. I have one and while I have yet to have any problems with it, some people around here are highly recommending the Sparkle PSU's.