Hi All!

Just need some ideas on what may cause my Dell Gx150 to lock up constantly when not in 16 color VGA mode. When the onboard drivers are installed for the intel 85815 graphics controller and set to 256 colors (or higher) locks up while scrolling, any games, internet...etc. Only works in VGA mode 16 colors. Pulled DMA out and installed a AGP 4x card with no luck. All fresh drivers, Direct x 9 installed (no errors), no errors in Device Manager, sais all is well. Ram is good, switched out with known good RAM , still have same problem. Checked HardDrive with scandisk, no problems there either.I suspect a bad motherboard? Driving ME NUTS!!!!! ANy ideas are helpful.

Here are my specs:

Dell Optiplex Gx150, Intel 1.0GHZ
512 MB Mem
onboard graphics controller by intel 85815 chipset
Windows ME installed

thanks!
HeidiWhay happened prior to all of this? Surely it has not always been that way.Bought computer used off of Ebay for my kids. Hard drive was wiped when I got it. Not sure how it was prior to me BUYING it. I am comfortable with changing out the motherboard. Just don't want to replace unnecessary components!

Try an out of case build

[borrowed from another site]pcmech
We're going to start from scratch.

1) Remove EVERYTHING from the case
2) Set the motherboard on a non conductive surface. The motherboard box is perfect for this. DO NOT PLACE THE MOTHERBOARD ON THE STATIC BAG! It can ACTUALLY conduct electricity! We are going to try and assemble a running system outside of the case.
3) Install the CPU and heat sink.
4) Install 1 stick of RAM.
5) Install the video card and attach the power supply connection to the card if your card needs one.
6) Connect the monitor to the video card.
7) Connect the power supply to the motherboard with both the 24pin main ATX Power connection and the separate 4 or 8 pin power connection.
Connect power to the power supply.
9) Do NOT connect ANYTHING else. Make sure you have the power connector on the CPU fan connected.
10) Use a small screwdriver to momentarily short the power switch connector on the motherboard. Consult your motherboard manual to find which two pins connect to your case's power switch. Then touch both pins with a screwdriver to complete the circuit and boot the system.

If all is well, it should power up and you should get a display. Then assemble the parts into the case and try again. If the system now fails to boot, you have a short in the case and need to recheck your motherboard standoffs.

If the system does not boot after this process, then you most likely have a FAULTY component. You'll need to swap parts, start with the power supply, until you determine what is defective.

When starting a thread about your computer, be sure to include full specifications including brands, models and your power supply. This is important to help us help you.
OK, so you bought it used and it has never functioned correctly? How long has this been? Have you tried contacting the seller, if this was a recent purchase? That's how some computers end up on eBay.

The GX150 was a decent machine for it's time. Unfortunately, they go bad eventually as any other machine. For now I would remove any add on video card and just use the inbuilt one. Run a test on the RAM with a free download at www.memtest86.com. Run each stick for about an hour and then all together. Did the RAM in question all come from that machine?

Next, download the appropriate drive maker's utility from their web site. I think those models tended to use Maxtor. If so go to www.seagate.com and download SeaTools or the Maxtor one (PowerMax)

Windows is not required for these exercises. You will end up with bootable floppies. You may want to first clear the NVRAM. Press down the caps lock, Num Lock, etc., until allthree lights on the keyboard are on. Then press Alt+E and hold down until it STARTS beeping. Release the keys and LET it stop, then reboot.

Post back with your findings.