[tlug] Box Freezes Up: Bad Hardware: Can't Reset

[Jim <jep200404@example.com>]

Shawn wrote:

> at the moment I'm tempted to suspect my memory has gone bad...  ?

Why? 

Earlier Shawn wrote:

> My box (FreeBSD) went offline yesterday. The screen was blank/black and frozen, 
> and the reset button wouldn't work. 

That the reset button wouldn't work, strongly suggests a hardware 
problem. Hardware problems require physical visits. Start preparing. 

Hardware can fail in many ways. Memory is just one of them. 
Included among common mundane ways for hardware to fail are: 

   1. Stuck fan (leading to overheating)

      Visually inspect each fan. Are they spinning fast? 
      Also, does anything smell hot? 

      Caused by loss of lubrication. 
      Fixed by relubricating or replacing 
      (if hardware hasn't been damaged by overheating)
      http://tlug:archives@example.com/ML/0601/msg00218.html

   2. Bad electrolytic capacitors

      Look for electrolytic caps with bulged tops. 

      Caused by bad stolen electrolyte formula. 
      Fixed by replacing caps or whole motherboard. 
      http://www.colug.net/pipermail/colug/2004-June/000069.html
      http://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Acolug.net+electrolytic

I don't think you have enough information yet to single out 
memory as the culprit, even though it might be the problem. 
To figure out if memory is the problem, swap it with known 
good memory. Also, when you put known good memory in the 
problem box, try the suspect memory in a known good box 
also. 

> One thing against me is that the box is an hour drive by car (in Tsukuba) 

Start preparing for that trip _now_. Take a whole, compatible box 
so that you put the old hard drive in the new box and take the old 
box home for study/salvage/repair. It would be for the old box to 
die shortly after you arrive, especially if fans are an issue. 

Jim