PHD sometimes crashing PC - instant restart

[g__day]

Anyone seen this type of behaviour, about 1 time in 5 - 15 to 45 minutes in the PC just restarts. Every time PHD has been the main thing running, if not teh only thing active - I'm sure that's where the fault lies.

Better still, anyone know of a fix?

[JohnH]

Hmm, are you using the latest version? I use 1.4 and it seems reliable to me. There is a 1.5 pre 2 release available for download - I think it addresses some bugs with SBIG cameras - you might check the relase notes also you can try the Yahoo group (http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/stark-labs-astronomy-software), I have found Craig resonds incredibly well to requests for help/changes...for example he changed the DEC routines after I emailed him (mind you that was with a very early version and it is a far more popular program these days).

FWIW here is my inital thoughtS: A re-start with no BSOD you say - very odd - what version of the OS do you use? You have scanned for virus/spyware/trojan/other nasties? Have you checked the Syslogs for clues? Almost sounds like hardware to me - eg a dodgy memory simm can do this but only with PHD active...hmm...odd.

[g__day]

Agreed, it sounds like a hardware fault given there is no BSOD, but I have run sometimes 6 applications on this for hours stably - its only PHD that seems to expose this fault.

Yes I have full firewall / virus scanners / phishing filters / spyware detection / identity manage on Windows XP with Service Pack 2, 1GHz Athlon Desktop with 1GB RAM and oodles of storage, all hooked up to power that comes from a UPS.

[Astroman]

I was getting auto restarts but that was a memory thing, I changed memory (upgraded) and it hasnt done it since.

I am going to attempt to use PHD for guiding, if the weather hold out, I will try tonight.

[JohnH]

CPU overheating?

This seems to fit the bill, you get random flakiness at intervals depending on how hard you work the CPU. What could be happening is this: computer turns on, computer heats up, CPU heats up past safe operating levels, computer reboots, CPU cools down a bit...

Solution: Check your motherboard's manufacturer's website for tools/utilities to help keep CPU temp in a safe range and AMD's support page for ideas. If this does not lead anywhere consider getting a better heatsink and/or fan. Cheap test for this is to run with the case off and a domestic fan blowing on the motherboard....

[33South]

The internal power supply could be faulty. No idea how to check it, other than to replace it and see if the prob goes away.

Im on my 3rd power supply now and voilà, no more random restarts since I installed a good quality 500w

[[1ponders]]

What camera are you using to autoguide with. I've had a few probs with driver clashes initially with my DMK and the computer would bluescreen crash and burn and then reboot. This only occurred when I opened the capture program and the camera went live.

[g__day]

Meade DSI - no crashes yet tonight and I changed the screen savers to 40 minutes.

[lost_in_space]

I second that, typical symptom of a CPU overheating. Arctic Silver is the heat transfer paste of choice to ensure a good thermal bond from the CPU to the heat sink.

[g__day]

Yeah I custom build PCs, on my 16th one here, I use artic silver 5 on most of my rigs.

I may change the PSU to a Topwer Gold 420W - buts its a low end rig I'm running on.

* * * * *

Strangely enough I did alot of imaging last night, not one crash, but PHD seemed uncommonly jerky (on 5 minute exposure stars look like binary twins)! What settings to folk recommend for PHD (aggressiveness of settings, frequency of guide corrections, duration of pulse etc). I typically run corrections from .5 to 5 seconds, dependent on how good tracking seems.

Mind you I think the DSI I use rotated about 40 degrees clockwise during teh night - that may have stuffed things up considerably!