GPU freakout and remote sadness

[PunkHop]

What up, fellow Sage-ers? I just built my first HTPC. Here are some specs before I detail my problem(s):

IDEQ 210V
Athlon XP 2500+
Radeon 9200 SE AGP card
Hauppauge 150 PCI card
Sage 3.0.4 Beta
45 button Hauppauge remote control

I've got SageTV running ok, but I've got two major problems (one much worse than the other). So here we go.

Sometimes my box just crashes. Clickin' around Sage, everything's fine for a minute... BAM! Computer restarts and when it gets back into XP Pro, tells me it recovered from a serious error, and then tells me it was the graphics card and/or driver. Doesn't give any details, just that there was an error. I'm using the Catalyst 5.8 drivers. I don't think it's a heat issue, because I'm not doing anything GPU-intensive... just clicking around SageTV for under 5 minutes, nothing major. Has anyone had this problem or know to fix it?

Also, my 45 button remote isn't working at all. Yes, I clicked the checkbox to install it when I first installed Beta 3. Yes, I clicked the 45 button option in the SageTV prefs. I put the little remote receiver guy on top of my tv, facing me. It just doesn't respond to commands at all. I tried linking commands to it, and I hit a button and nothing happens. Nothing in WinTV either. What the hell?

I really want to get this thing working. From hardware to software, this HTPC has fought me every step of the way... but now I'm so close! Please help me out. Thanks a lot, guys.

[deadtoaster2]

Originally Posted by PunkHop

Computer restarts and when it gets back into XP Pro, tells me it recovered from a serious error, and then tells me it was the graphics card and/or driver. Doesn't give any details, just that there was an error. I'm using the Catalyst 5.8 drivers. I don't think it's a heat issue, because I'm not doing anything GPU-intensive... just clicking around SageTV for under 5 minutes, nothing major. Has anyone had this problem or know to fix it?

I had a problem similar to this with my old emachines, where it would do random restarts. Sometimes it would restart every 5 mins, but sometimes it could run for a few hours. First thought it was heat so i got a big box fan and had it blow inside the case. That helped a lot but still had restarts occasionally, replaced graphics card and bought a 80mm fan while I was at it. (The case didn't have any fans except the CPU and power supply) Problem fixed, so I think my problem was partly heat and partly bad graphics card. I would check both on your system.

[JUC]

while heat is an issue with smaller cases, I don't believe the 9200 or your cpu should be putting off that much heat to cause it to restart. I have run a shuttle with a athlon 64 3000 and a 9600XT with 2 hard drives and a tuner card with no temp issues whatsoever. What are your temps showing? You can try taking the case off and blow a fan on it to see if that helps but it is possible a driver issue. I'm not sure where in the line of catalysts they are in now but make sure it is the most current. If it is, reinstall it and see if it helps.

BTW---not sure if you know about 'sudhian forums' but they are a great resource for SFF's and troubleshooting.
JUC

[PunkHop]

I ran it with the case open for a while, and it crashed just as frequently as it does with the case on. I really don't think it could be heat, because wouldn't it take a little while for it to heat up enough that it resets? Sometimes it crashes within 2 minutes of starting SageTV.
When the computer restarts, it tells me there was a error with the graphics driver... but what the hell? I installed the card with the ATI Catalyst drivers. What else can I do? It was crashing just as much when I hadn't installed the Catalyst drivers, when I just let XP install it's embedded drivers. I really gotta fix this.

Also, any thoughts on the remote?

[waynedunham]

[QUOTE=PunkHop]I ran it with the case open for a while, and it crashed just as frequently as it does with the case on. /QUOTE]

Just an FYI, but running with the covers off can often lead to HIGHER temps, not lower ones. Depending on how the fans are set up/utilized and the case design you can often "pump" more hot air out of the case via a closed case and the fans than if you open the case and rely on open air circulation.

I've seen that many times while working on a machine with the covers off that the chip, and case temps are higher than with the case closed.

[roofus]

Random restarts = either overheating, windows issues, or hardware conflicts. Suggest trying better cooling first, that doesn't work, try a diff videocard, but windows has a nice way of eating away at it's own stability, so in the end that may be it.

[m0ng00se30]

Just as a loooong shot... download memtest86 and let a memory test run for at least one revolution. I know its not related to video necessarily, but memory errors can cause havoc.

--Mike

[roofus]

I found a solution in this post, it seems there are conflicts with the 150/500 drivers and many VIA chipsets. A new motherboard fixed the problem for me and others.

I also checked your motherboard has a VIA KM400A chipset. You may want to consider buying a new motherboard.

Post where I found the solution

Your motherboard specs