HP 8660C Freezes intermittantly

[garf]

HP 8660C - PIII600 freezes intermittantly. Totally random - has happened at various different times . The following items have been replaced or exchanged - memory ; hard drive ; added video card ; 2 different OS's - win 2000 pro and XP Pro. Not much left except the MB or CPU and neither of these seem to be readily available anymore. Someone said the HP's use a proprietary MB so I cannot install a regular ATX board. Any ideas other than to give it the "Office Space" treatment??

[NooNoo]

Turn off the caches in bios for the processor, it will slow to a crawl, but if it doesn't hang it means the memory on the proc is shoddy.

[garf]

how do i disable cache. don't see that option in bios

[Ruslan]

According to HP, the only fully supported OS on this PC is Win98SE... :rolleyes:
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?lc=en&lang=en&cc=us&product=59337&dlc=en&docname=bph05319

You may need a BIOS update for supporting newer OS.
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareList?lc=en&lang=en&cc=us&product=59337&dlc=en&os=54
Updating BIOS may be dangerous! It can be only the last option, if nothing else can help... Check the motherboard's name and revision as even the same motherboard model was having different (and sometimes even not compatible!) BIOSes... http://www.elhvb.com/mboards/OEM/HP/index.html

It is not 100% true about HP motherboards - this particular MB is pretty much regular Micro-ATX motherboard (made by ASUS for HP - OEM version)and the power supply is micro-ATX standard (except for HP doesn't use "-5V" channel). So, it is possible to replace the motherboard and/or the Power Supply... At least, I did it many times... Some re-wiring may be needed for the front panel connections,though...

As for your problem, try:
1. Check the memory stick with any good memory scanner (try memory sticks one by one, if you have two of them).
2. Try to replace the Power supply (at least temporarily - for testing) as those tiny Bestec PSUs weren't reliable enough (HiPro were much better)...
3. Check if CPU is not overheating (fan is spinning fast enough, clean the dust etc.)
4. Check the harddrive's surface for defects - as even single bad or unstable sector can cause lockups. Presonally I prefer MHDD utility... http://www.benchmarkhq.ru/fclick/fclick.php?fid=276

[NooNoo]

Oh yeah, HP - Bios setup doesn't have all the options that a non branded motherboard has. Ruslan has the best advice.

[DonJ]

FYI, here is your parts listing:
http://partsurfer.hp.com/cgi-bin/spi/main?sel_flg=modinfo&model=D9289A

While it doesn't list your mobo, it does list the power supply as being P/N 0950-3751, $77.00, 185 watt power supply (Chewbaka Plus, Delta DPS-160GB B) - 100-127VAC and 200-240VAC input (switch selectable), 43-66Hz - Total of 9 output connectors (Asia Pacific)

You should be able to find suitable suppliers while Googling for this P/N.

Also, doublecheck your CPU cooling fans, heat sinks, etc. for excessive buildup of dirt, dust, etc. If it overheats, it can cause all kinds of screwy problems.