CoreTemp not displaying Athlon XP (32 bit) temp

[gdv]

I have just tried CoreTemp (v0.99.7.10) for the first time with an AMD Athlon XP 2800+ CPU and am puzzled by the results so far. In particular, although it seems to be correctly identifying the CPU and correctly detecting the CPU load, it does not seem to be detecting ANY core temperature, in that the reading stays constantly at 32°F. (FWIW, this is an eMachines T2865 with an FIC K7M-NF18G motherboard with an ITE IT8712F sensor.)

I read through the FAQ here in the forum and found that this can occur with AMD CPUs (Why does my AMD processor's temperature always read 0C/32F?), but the information there seems to apply to newer CPUs than mine. Furthermore, my CPU temp appears to be correctly detected by SpeedFan v4.41, CPUID Hardware Monitor, and an old version of Everest Home Edition (v2.01.347). So it doesn't seem that the info about AMD CPUs in the CoreTemp FAQ would apply to my situation.

In addition, Core Temp does not seem to be correctly identifying the CPU frequency, as it is reporting 1837.39MHz (334.07 x 5.5), while it should be reporting approximately 2083MHz, per Athlon XP 2800+ specs (CPU-Z is reporting 2088.1-2088.3MHz and Everest is reporting 2087.66-2087.78).

I'm new to all of this, so there may be something obvious that I'm not getting, but something doesn't seem right... ...BTW, I'm just trying out Core Temp and all of these others to try to figure out if something is overheating and causing occasional BSODs. (Is that even possible? Is it likely? ...I'm suspecting my integrated GPU so far, but I don't really know if I'm even on the right track to figuring it out.)

I don't know if a screenshot and register dump would be relevant to figuring this out, but I'll go ahead and attach them.

I appreciate any help anyone can offer!

[The Coolest]

Core Temp doesn't support the Socket A AthlonXP for temperature detection since it doesn't have a DTS.
Only processors starting with the Athlon 64 family are supported.
Core Temp will include an update to properly detect older AMD processors, but it will still not be able to read the temperature, in the FAQ, see section #13 for an explanation.

[gdv]

Core Temp doesn't support the Socket A AthlonXP for temperature detection since it doesn't have a DTS.
Only processors starting with the Athlon 64 family are supported.
Core Temp will include an update to properly detect older AMD processors, but it will still not be able to read the temperature, in the FAQ, see section #13 for an explanation.

Thank you!

I assume DTS means "Digital Thermal Sensor." But (sorry for my ignorance here) if CPUs prior to Athlon 64 don't have a DTS, what are SpeedFan v4.41, CPUID Hardware Monitor, and Everest Home Edition detecting when they display the CPU temp? ...Am I correct in attributing that temp reading to the ITE IT8712F sensor? ...And Is Core Temp (by design) only working off the DTS? (Is that implied in the name Core Temp, in that DTS directly measures the CPU core?)

And if "Core Temp will include an update to properly detect older AMD processors, but it will still not be able to read the temperature," what will it be detecting? (As I mentioned, it already seems to be correctly identifying the CPU and correctly detecting the CPU load, but not displaying the correct CPU frequency.)

Thanks again!

[The Coolest]

You got everything right

Regarding recognition.
Core Temp will detect the CPU type (AMD Processor doesn't tell you much), correct frequency, platform, lithography, revision and VID (on mobile parts).

It will only be included in a future release, and not the next one.

[gdv]

Thanks again, for your assistance!

One final question (a bit OT for this thread , but hinted at in my OP): I've been experiencing occasional BSODs (WinXP) and occassional system lockups where NOTHING is responsive except a forced manual shutdown via On/Off switch (or unplugging). The BSODs typically involve win32k.sys or ntoskrnl.exe, but I've been unable to identify any problem with any particular driver or peice of hardware. I'm not doing any overclocking or gaming, but I often don't reboot for 30-40 days and really load up the system with 15-25 programs running at once, 5-15 Opera windows with 40-70 total tabs, and sometimes another browser or two at the same time, and frequently have stretches of 100% CPU time (tho' I'm not seeking help with the 100% CPU issue right now - usually related to how many Opera tabs I have open). Both the system freezes and the BSODs seem to occur haphazardly (no pattern), except that they seem to occur when I have have my system even more loaded up than normal.

So here's the question (actually a little cluster of questions, because I'm not even sure exactly what to ask): In your experience, would CPU or GPU overheating be a likely culprit for the freezes or BSODs? (I think I recall reading that freezes are a common symptom of overheating, but don't know if that is correct; and I don't know if BSODs are common with overheating. ???) If so, is one symptom (freeze/BSOD) more common than the other? And is either symptom (freeze/BSOD) more likely to indicate one or the other processor (CPU/GPU)? Finally, do you know of any good internet resources where I can get a good introduction or overview of processor overheating issues?

Thanks again!!!

[The Coolest]

From my experience BSODs are usually caused by bad memory or a bad power supply.
You can easily test the RAM by running memtest86+ for a few hours. It will usually point out memory defects within the first 3-5 cycles.
Regarding power supply, it's more tricky, but basically you have to monitor the voltage rails and see how low the 5v or 12v rail dip. If they go below 4.7v and 11.6v, that could be a cause for a freeze/bsod or even a hard reboot.

[gdv]

Thanks VERY much for those suggestions!

I've tested the memory in the past with memtest86+, but not for several months or maybe over a year, so maybe time to test again.

And I'll try to check out the power supply using some of the other programs' logging capacity as soon as I get a chance and can figure out how. I have the computer on a UPS that should be protecting it pretty well, but I live in an area that seems to have pretty "dirty" power (e.g., frequent millisecond flickers of my reading light and far too many power outages), and there is a noticeable dimming of overhead lights every time the AC kicks on, so I've been concerned about possible damage to the system.

Thanks again for your assistance!

[The Coolest]

In such situations, a UPS is really recommended.
It should eliminate most of the risks of unstable power.

[gdv]

From my experience BSODs are usually caused by bad memory or a bad power supply.
You can easily test the RAM by running memtest86+ for a few hours. It will usually point out memory defects within the first 3-5 cycles.
Regarding power supply, it's more tricky, but basically you have to monitor the voltage rails and see how low the 5v or 12v rail dip. If they go below 4.7v and 11.6v, that could be a cause for a freeze/bsod or even a hard reboot.

Well, I think you steered me in the right direction , but the machine in question BSOD'd and wouldn't reboot later the same day as my last post!

I'm on a much inferior backup machine now and have been researching PSU testing, etc. Finally took the nonbooting machine apart tonight, unplugged the PSU from the MB and checked the no-load voltages for all leads (+3.33VDC, +4.97VDC, +5.21VSB, +11.70VDC, -5.11VDC, & -11.02VDC), which were all within the tolerances in one chart I found online. Then I remembered your post above, so just checked back here to see the lower limits you had mentioned (below 4.7v and 11.6v), and my no-load +11.70v looks a little dicey. I realize this static, no-load test isn't sufficient, but I don't have a way to monitor live voltages since the machine won't boot.

Unfortunately, I've run across a lot of forum posts re the Bestec 250W PSU in my machine (an eMachines T2865) being notorious for dying and taking the MB out with it. ...So I may be SOL. But it also looks like I have an obvious case of cpacitor placque, and the described symptoms also fit my experience (unpredictable freezes and BSOds, failure to boot, etc). So I may have an option to salvage the MB with a some cap replacement; but if I'm able to, it sounds like I dang sure better upgrade the PSU before it fries the MB (if it hasn't already)!

I'm a long ways from knowing the answers, but noticed you had replied to my last post after my machine failed:

In such situations, a UPS is really recommended.
It should eliminate most of the risks of unstable power.

...and thought I'd update you. In spite of the frustration and disappointment of a non-booting system, I'm actually kind of glad to see there may be some other (maybe repairable) reasons for the problems besides a failure of my UPS to protect my system.

I'll try to eventually post back and let you know the outcome.

Thanks again!

[The Coolest]

Ah yes, the leaky cap syndrome.
I have an old P3 machine that I use as a firewall-router, and it started randomly rebooting itself one day, after much fiddling around I noticed that all of the caps on the board went bad.
I eventually replaced them and the system has since been going strong for over 18 months now. What I can say is that replacing caps is a pain.
An AthlonXP system has got to be really outdated by now, I'm not sure that spending hours resoldering caps is really worth it.
I understand that performance requirements and costs are subjective but I would really recommend you to consider upgrading the system.
Anything you can purchase today for say $250 (CPU + motherboard + ram) will probably outperform what you have right now by a few times at least.

[gdv]

What I can say is that replacing caps is a pain.
An AthlonXP system has got to be really outdated by now, I'm not sure that spending hours resoldering caps is really worth it.
I understand that performance requirements and costs are subjective but I would really recommend you to consider upgrading the system.

Oh, would that I could!!! But unfortunately, the "performance requirements and costs" are pretty "objective" in my case. Been out of work a few years, sleeping on my sister's floor, and getting most of my food from local church food closet... ...no money for gas, insurance, meds, etc., let alone new computer equipment. At this point I'm reduced to cannibalizing others computer discards. (Have a 2001 ATX PSU lined up to pick up from someone this evening, but it apparently has no specifications sticker on it... ...hopefully will at least be adequate for testing purposes.)

And all my financial records, job search, disability application stuff, etc. is on the non-booting machine. Of course, I can salvage the HDDs & data if I have to, but I'd really like to salvage the whole machine, not to mention 7 years of custom tailoring the WinXP installation, folder structure, etc. (Yes, unbelievably, with over 450 installed programs and thousands of hours of internet activity, I've never had to re-install WinXP on this system!!!)

And frankly, I'm amazed that my system (WinXP, AthlonXP 2800+ with 1.5GB RAM) performs as well as it does, given how much I've loaded it up with installed programs and how many programs I typically have running at once. I don't do any gaming or graphics intensive stuff, but at any given time I usually have 10-15 Explorer windows open, 15-20 programs/utilities running on the Task Bar and 10-12 Startups in the System Tray, including 24/7 streaming music, 1-3 browsers (including Opera with 5-15 open windows and 30-80 total tabs open), Word and/or Excel, Thunderbird, etc. And I typically only reboot every 30-40 days (longest was something over 60 days!!! ...but can't access the log right now for exact number). So I'm OK with the performance, even though I occasionally see some performance lags and have to close a few programs/utilities, and I certainly would like more RAM (system max is only 2GB, so not much room to expand there, and wouldn't probably bother even if I could afford it). My only real bottleneck is my slow startup time (about 3 min), probably due to how many startups I'm running and the fact that I haven't ever re-installed WinXP.

So for all these reasons, I need to try to salvage what I've got and, therefore, appreciate your (and others') generous assistance!!!

I'm very much a DIY guy, have done plenty of soldering, and am confident I can do the cap replacement, but I haven't done lots of PCB/electronics repair and have one question: how easy/difficult was it to locate to necessary replacement caps when you did your recap?

Thanks again!

[The Coolest]

Sorry to hear about your financial situation, hope it gets better soon

Regarding the recapping. I think that I had to replace about 12 caps, it wasn't too hard just time consuming.
You'll need a 40w soldering iron (or close to that), solder, some wick may be helpful and a small rubber sponge.
I got most of the stuff I needed from www.dealextreme.com

It wasn't too difficult for me to find matching caps, but my mobo is probably less sensitive since its pretty old tech, even compared to your Athlon system.