Re: sensors, alarms, crashes!
Matt Price wrote:
Hi folks,
as discussedi nan earlier thread (sorry don'th ave it handy!) I'm
having trouble with hard freezes on my system. I've installed sensord
and lm-sensors and find that, even when my system appears to be
working fine, I getthe following messages in syslog:
Good progress so far.
May 3 16:55:16 anarres sensord: Sensor alarm: Chip it87-isa-0290: VCore 1: +1.78 V (min = +1.42 V, max = +1.57 V) [ALARM]
May 3 16:55:16 anarres sensord: Sensor alarm: Chip it87-isa-0290: VCore 2: +1.25 V (min = +2.40 V, max = +2.61 V) [ALARM]
May 3 16:55:16 anarres sensord: Sensor alarm: Chip it87-isa-0290: +3.3V: +3.10 V (min = +3.14 V, max = +3.47 V) [ALARM]
May 3 16:55:16 anarres sensord: Sensor alarm: Chip it87-isa-0290: +5V: +4.57 V (min = +4.76 V, max = +5.24 V) [ALARM]
May 3 16:55:16 anarres sensord: Sensor alarm: Chip it87-isa-0290: +12V: +13.06 V (min = +11.39 V, max = +12.61 V) [ALARM]
May 3 16:55:16 anarres sensord: Sensor alarm: Chip it87-isa-0290: -12V: -9.93 V (min = -12.63 V, max = -11.41 V) [ALARM]
May 3 16:55:16 anarres sensord: Sensor alarm: Chip it87-isa-0290: -5V: -4.63 V (min = -5.26 V, max = -4.77 V) [ALARM]
May 3 16:55:16 anarres sensord: Sensor alarm: Chip it87-isa-0290: fan2: 0 RPM (min = 3013 RPM, div = 8) [ALARM]
so those of course don't look so good. Can anyone interpret this for
me? I'm afraid I know very little about hardware at this level.
One obvious possibility stands out: Your power supply fan is not
running, and the heat is causing all your voltages to sag.
That's the first thing I'd check. Have a look at your power
supply fan. If the fan isn't running, that could cause all these
symptoms. If that is the case, then you have three options
available
(1) Replace the power supply. (~$30 USD)
(2) Replace the fan yourself. (~$5 USD)
(3) Have someone else replace the fan. ($? USD)
I'd do number (2), but remember that these power supplies can
store lethal charges, sometimes for weeks after being unplugged.
I know what I'm doing in there, you may not. If you aren't sure
you can keep from killing yourself, do *NOT* open your power supply.
Your mileage will *NOT* vary. Power supplies are CHEAPER THAN COFFINS.
As a temporary work around, tap the fan blades with a pencil and
see whether it'll take off. If it does, you may be ok for the
immediate future, like the next couple of days. If you turn off
the computer, expect to have to restart the fan again. Use your
ears while using the computer. If the fan gets really quiet,
have another look.
If the supply fan is running, then several possibilities come to mind.
(1) Your sensors are out of calibration.
(2) Your software is not reading them correctly.
(3) Your voltages are out of line.
The best way to check this is with a voltmeter.
I disagree with some of the values stated for voltages. For example,
your +5V line should be 5.05V +/- 0.25V. But the voltage ranges
given are wider, so you are *way* out of spec. on that one. All
your voltages appear to be sagging.
If (3) is the case, then there are three likely possibilities:
(1) Your power supply is overloaded by too many extra stuff
added on by you
(2) Your power supply is overloaded by something in your system
drawing more power than it should (failing)
(3) Your power supply is failing.
(1) can be detected by looking in the mirror.
(2) can be checked by the "burnt finger" test.
(3) can be checked by substituting another power supply of
approximately equal wattage rating.
Apropos of (2), check the fan on the processor. If it isn't running,
it may cause the processor to overheat, causing crashes, also possibly
causing it to draw too much current. That's the first place I'd check
for a "burnt finger". That may be the fan being reported above.
I've also noticed that the crashes, which can come at just about any
time, seem ot come particularly frequently when I'm using the dvd
player and when CPU usage is fairly high (50% or more). I have
however had top running during crashes and don't notice cpu usage
rocketing up or anything.
As always I appreciate the help. If I need to provide more specific
hhardware info please let me know. thanks,
Well, hopefully you've got some more ideas to check.
HTH
P.S. If it's just the fan, don't throw away the power supply if you
replace it. Maybe we can work something out.
Mike
--
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I can explain it for you, but I can't understand it for you.
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