Intermittent PC issues?

[Kooldino]

So I'm working on a friend's PC.

In general, it runs flawlessly.

However, sometimes when I boot it, it will lock up on boot. Hard lock.

Other times, I'll hear the HDD spin up and down, and it will get stuck in a reboot loop. It will get to the point right past the DMI pool screen, and then it will reboot again.

the 5v rail on the PSU reports 4.65v

I've extensively tested the RAM, CPU, and HDD, all of which come up clean.

I'm running on an Epox 8rda+ and an Athlon XP with 512MB of RAM.

CPU temps are generally under 110F.

Four of the larger capacitors on the board are midly swollen.

Help?

[Fat Tone]

I think you've found it. I had the exact same board go flaky with several of the caps swollen. You can still find the odd socket 7 mobo fairly cheaply. You can also source the caps and replace them (see my thread in GHW where Greebe suggested a supplier) if you can be bothered.

[Gurm]

It's a Socket-A. Might as well just replace the board. They're cheap.

[Fat Tone]

Of course, I meant socket-A. :doh:

That was a cracking board too.

[Kooldino]

Well, I just want to make sure it fixes the issue. My friend is on a tight budget.

Anyone have a stable, cheap socket A board to recommend? It just needs 2-3 PCI slots and an AGP slot.

[Gurm]

Well, I just want to make sure it fixes the issue. My friend is on a tight budget.

Anyone have a stable, cheap socket A board to recommend? It just needs 2-3 PCI slots and an AGP slot.

I might have one in the back room. It's not a GOOD board, though... but stable and functional.

[Kooldino]

I might have one in the back room. It's not a GOOD board, though... but stable and functional.

What is it?

How do the caps look?

[Gurm]

What is it?

How do the caps look?

I dunno, I'll go look. I just sold the ULI one that ran actually very snappy. I'll see what the other one is.

[Kooldino]

lmk