Windows XP stability LFS 64k blocks

[webwalker]

Ok, so I've been having some pretty painful stability problems. I don't know whether to blame Sage, the fact that I'm running the neta of 6.5.8 (which is supposed to be rock stable and isn't for me), my HD200 with current firmware, or just the alignment of the stars.

I've got 1 SATA disk (160) storing my OS partition (4k NTFS), and a second partition on the same disk in 64k NTFS. For Recording and library storage, I'm using a pair of 500gb IDE Seagates, both formatted with 64k NTFS.

I have had occasions when uploading data to the host by wifi from other XP hosts dies and the server hangs. I can't prove that this is causal. I did find a Microsoft KB that implied that copying to a Win2k host with 'Launch each window in its own thread' is set can cause a hang. To be sure, I made sure that the option was unchecked in advanced settings for explorer and then mashed 'apply to all.'

I'm still having periodic hangs, but I can't tell whether they're related to the Host OS, or to the sage process. But it is a hard enough hang that I can't get in to the machine when it wraps itself around the axle.

Diagnostic suggestions?

[mgkicer]

webwalker, for what purpose do you use the other 64k partition on the SATA 160? I had a similar set up that was causing me problems when I first installed 6.4.8. I had a 750GB partitioned for OS and TV recording and my system would hang occasionally. Now that I have an OS drive, TV recording drive and a fake raid1 for the library, my system is much more stable.

[webwalker]

interesting.

I have performed cpuburn, memory tests on the hardware, trying to get it to fail, and can't. But run SageTV 6.5.9 for a few minutes and it fails nicely!

Oddly, I don't get any failure messages in the event log. Nor in the sagetv debug log. NOTHING. The system is there and then suddenly it is just GONE.

The 64k partition on the 160gb drive is for the MP3 collection. I can move the collection to another drive and disassemble the partition. But at this stage it does seem like a long shot. Of course, at this stage, long shots are all I've got.

M

[flavius]

There are some tools that could be worth trying out, like debugview (dbgview?) and process explorer that I have used in the past.

[mickp]

Look in your windows event logs and see if you have any errors or warnings.

Mick.

Edit: Sorry. Just re-read your second post and notice that you have checked there already. Catastrophic hardware would be my next guess. CPU temp seem okay? You could try swapping out memory sticks. A friend replaced his motherboard recently because XP wouldn't install. The new mb did the same thing. We eventually tracked the problem down to faulty memory though it all posted fine with extended memory tests.

Mick.

[webwalker]

Turned out the be the board itself. The THIRD board; previous two have had other. non-related failures.

On a new board now, and things have been rock solid so far.