Upgraded an old machine, need reassurance

boybiffa

boybiffa

boybiffa

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Joined
29 Sep 2010
Posts
16
Hi folks,

Been a while since I did anything with a computer so just looking for reassurance that what I have done is correct.
My machine is old..
Motherboard : intel g965 socket 775
CPU Intel core 2 duo quad core q6600 kentsfield revision b3
X4 2tb wd green caviar HDDs fitted
Nvidia geforce 8400gs graphics card

Had it approx a year and the bios battery was flat and wouldn't save bios settings or clock within the operating system. I simply weren't fussed as it booted past that and I just manually updated the clock whenever the machine was powered down.

I have recently fitted the new hard drives above and fitted a cooler master mwe 80 white 500w PSU

4x new ddr2 ram sticks fitted

I replaced the bios battery but it doesn't appear to save settings so is acting like the battery is flat but it isn't having checked it with a multi meter and the battery is inserted correctly.

My voltages below: are they okay and safe?

Vcore1: 1.23v
Vcore2: 1.84v
+3.3: 3.31v
+5v: 4.97v
+12v :11.97v
-12v: 11.13v
-5v: 5.01v
+5v: 5.05v
Vbat: 4.08v

The above voltages are at 100% CPU load but remain the same at idle.

Thanks in advance
Rob
 
Are you able to check the motherboard battery with a multimeter? It should read 3v, under 2.7v and I would get a new one - you can buy them cheap enough these days.

Is the BIOS configuration jumper in the correct position? It should be connected to pins 1 and 2. Anything else will reset your settings each time you power on the PC.
 
The voltages all look pretty much bang on to me. Have you checked the contacts in the battery holder? They might be corroded.
Pretty sure the battery isn't used when the PC is on, so the Vbat will always be 3-4v in software.
 
Have you set the windows clock settings to update automatically when online?
I seem to remember last time I replaced a flat bios battery it took a while to sort itself out, after a week or so it seemed to be ok again after a few power cycles and reboots etc. as if windows got confused.

If you enter the BIOS, can you see the time there, and is that correct/keeping time?
 
Thanks for the replies guys, much appreciated!

The voltage readings came from speedfan, I believe speedfan to be the most reliable after the bios as other software appears off. Bios temperatures match speedfan temps aswell as voltages so I'm inclined to believe speedfan and the info I can get from the bios.

I have only had the computer about a year and only a few days ago changed the bios battery, it doesn't keep time so if I completely turn off the machine and disconnect power, on power up, I enter bios and update the time and date and it's fine then..

I have checked the bios battery on a multimeter and states 2.88v which I would think is okay, certainly shouldn't be the cause of the problem.

I haven't set windows clock to update when online, I do it online by opening the adjust time and date setting and select internet time and update now button.

I've tried a few power cycles but to no avail, I have removed the battery and noted the two terminals that make contact are okay and not bent, the only thing I did notice was the plastic battery holder moves a little and appears to have a very small crack in it. I have very carefully glued it and put a small zip tie round the outer edge but this also appears to be an issue. I have checked the motherboard jumper settings and it's on pin 1 and 2 so should be okay. During my time with the machine, it's never kept time etc but always booted fine and ran fine so I just wonder if it's down to age or its its knocked at some point and knocked a solder loose perhaps.

Thanks for confirming my voltages are okay, now I can rest easy knowing my computer isn't going to set fire to the house :D

Thanks
Rob
 
Quick update,

Power cycles the machine last night a few times, by shutting down, leaving power on, booting back up, shutting down, boot back up, shut down, remove plug, plug back in, power back up, machine has been unplugged overnight and hey presto! Seems that the bios battery is holding all the settings :)
 
It does sound as though the dodgy battery holder was causing your problems. I would be careful not to knock the machine in case you undo your fixes.

Is the machine intended to tide you over until an upgrade?
 
Thanks and yeah, it's only for another year or two at most.

It's been okay over the last few days thankfully however if I may, I have found two of my HDDs appear to have issues.

One drive states 124 pending sectors

Another states 2 sectors reallocated and 65,489 pending sectors.

Is it possible to clear pending sectors by formatting or? What do people suggest?

Thanks
Rob
 
boybiffa said:
Thanks and yeah, it's only for another year or two at most.

It's been okay over the last few days thankfully however if I may, I have found two of my HDDs appear to have issues.

One drive states 124 pending sectors

Another states 2 sectors reallocated and 65,489 pending sectors.

Is it possible to clear pending sectors by formatting or? What do people suggest?

Thanks
Rob
Click to expand...
Whenever I have problems with sectors on hard drives, I get rid of them asap to prevent data loss.

Replace the OS hard drive with an SSD for a nice speed boost.
 
Could possibly look into getting an adapter plate and put an SSD in where the second optical drive would be, at present I have 4 2 tb hard drives and two of the drives have the above issues..
The drive with 124 pending sectors I have now formatted and currently running check disk

Is it possible to save it or both ?
 
What causes bad sectors on hard drives in the first place? Is it related to the "needle" that reads the drive?
 
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