ASUS A4/Z81K stability problems?

I just bought an ASUS z81k (A4) and installed win2k. I am having some stability problems. I am wondering if it is an os problem, driver problem or hardware. The ethernet jack in the back doesn't hold the ethernet cable in well and it shifts, when the connection is lost and starts up again the computer freezes and white lines run horizontally across the screen. I have to turn it off to restart. It now freezes when I am running GIS software from ESRI and is getting more frequent even when there is no networking connection and no cable plugged into the back. Does anyone know if xp will resolve these stability issues or is this something more serious? I've had it since this past Thursday...maybe thats a bad omen???

ASUS Z81K WSXGA
AMD 64 2800+
Mobility Radeon 9700 64MB
512 MB DDR333
40GB 5400rpm HD

 

I wouldn't get to disappointed just yet. First I would check the system log in event viewer, this should report most errors and may help point you in the correct direction for a fix. Also it might be worth getting all of the lastest driver etc from asus and also look to amd & motherboard m/f for cpu/chipset updates. Have you put the latest service pack on yet?
Personally I prefer XP to 2000, 2000 is good but I have had fewer problems myself on XP, esp with drivers etc as XP recognises alot more hardware by defult then 2000 does, so upgrading to XP maybe worth a go.
The loose network port is a worry, if it continues to cause problems then I would ask for a replacement notebook asap.
good luck
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ASUS M6Ne 15.4" WSXGA 1.7 PM ATI9700 80Gb HDD 1Gb RAM

 

Thanks, I checked the event log and couldn't find anything that pointed me in the right direction. I called the vendor and ASUS, the vendor said that I needed to run xp sp2. One of his other customers said that sp1 wouldn't even boot but that sp2 was just fine. When I called ASUS they said that 2000 should run fine. I had updated to win2k sp4 as soon as I was done with the initial install. The system became more and more unstable and now won't even start. When I push the button the fans start up but nothing else, there isn't even power to the dvd drive because I have to open it manually, so that precluded me from a reinstall. I am sending it back and hopefully the new one will be better because I loved it for the 4 hours that it worked without problems.

I have downloaded the xp-64bit beta because i don't have enough money to buy xp sp2 (the computer was a gift and I am a starving masters student) have you heard anything about xp-64?

 

I haven't used the 64 bit ed at all, so I can't help you there. It is beta software so again there maybe stability problems. I still think XP is the best way to go, I see your a student, you should be eligible for student discounts, you may even want to check with your uni if they have a microsoft agreement. I just purchased a legal copy of XP for $18.70+ postage yesterday. Thats definitely affordable. Otherwise I know a few people have had good success with linux on the A2D series, so this maybe another way to go if your on a tight budget, in fact personally I would go linux before Win64. But that is a completely uneducated response.
Good luck with the new notebook
a

ps most asus notebook usually come with a copy of XP how come yours didn't?

ASUS M6Ne 15.4" WSXGA 1.7 PM ATI9700 80Gb HDD 1Gb RAM

 

Thanks, XP didn't come with my computer because I didn't want it actually and I already had a copy of 2000 that I could use. btw how did you get a copy for 18.70? I checked with my school and the best they can do is an upgrade to sp2 for about 70 bucks. I am very happy with 2000 and know it very well. Also, the people that I have talked to that like xp I can count on one hand. I am not averse to it though.

I really want to put linux on but there are a couple things that I need to run in a windows environment, namely GIS software. I may be able to get it in a linux version but since it is a class I want to stay as close to the class as possible. I also don't know linux at all, and only a very minor amount of unix...basically just what I needed to telnet and do searches back in the mid 90's when i was an undergrad.

I've heard a good way to learn linux are the ...in a nutshell books. Do you know of a good place to learn how to use it? Thanks and I appreciate your help.

 

There was quite a good guide from memory, at tom's hardware, which was all about making the switch to linux. This might be a good place to start. There are also lots of versions which can run directly from a disk ie cd. Thus you can try one of these out to see if you like it before going ahead and installing it on c drive. As for books, I don't know of any, I perfer to get most of my info from the internet, much quicker uptodate and cheaper.
As for the $18.70, I guess that I just lucky that the uni I work for has a very good site licence agreement with microsoft. Not every uni does this but it is always worth checking. My uni didn't really advertise the fact that much thus I could have saved myself alot a cash years ago had I known about it.
hope it all works out, still weird that 2000 doesn't work but thats life I guess

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ASUS M6Ne 15.4" WSXGA 1.7 PM ATI9700 80Gb HDD 1Gb RAM

 

Knoppix Linux and SUSE Linux are good distros to start with.

ASUS M6800Ne, P-M 1.5 Dothan, 512MB Ram, Tohiba Combo drive, Samsung Spinpoint M 40G HDD with 8M cache, Mobility Radeon 9700

 

Thanks guys, those are good suggestions and I will try out SUSE.

I wish my school had better deals, the last univeristy I worked for had a great relationship with micorsoft, which is where I got all of my stuff before...unfortunately I am on the other side of the country and can no longer take advantage.

Thanks Underpantman and AuroraS.

 

**** my z81k, z81ka is very unstable. im almost positive it has to do with the nforce3 go 150 GART + radeon9700 combo.

iv found that it works best with fast writes on and write combining off

also DO NOT INSTALL the nforce GART driver, that will intensify the problems tenfold.

the z81ka also freezes everytime i try and play videos or any movie file for that matter.

VLC doesnt work either. im stumped