Tech: When cards go bad...

Subject: Tech: When cards go bad...
From: GUEST,In good company
Date: 04 Oct 16 - 11:32 AM

This has happened umpteen times before but whoever said you shouldn't make the same mistake twice is, sadly, mistaken.

Just spent the best part of 4 hours troubleshooting an iffy wireless network connection. In the end it was the network card itself. Now, bits of silicone and silver with no moving parts should not go wrong should they? But they do. The number of cards and DIMM modules I have seen go bad is silly.

Note to myself, to be forgotten next time. If possible. Swap out the card first!

Learn from my mistakes. :-)

Cheers

Dave

Subject: RE: Tech: When cards go bad...
From: GUEST,In good company
Date: 04 Oct 16 - 12:39 PM

Well,roger my router with a protocol probe. I replaced the non functioning 300Gb wireless card with a 54Gb one for now and, although that works fine, ordered a 600Gb USB dongle for the extra speed.

For no good reason whatsoever I tried the 'duff' one in the machine I am on now, running Chaletos, and it works fine! Must have been the last Windoze 10 update that screwed the driver up.

Who would have thought that the nice Mr Gates could be party to such a thing...

:D

Subject: RE: Tech: When cards go bad...
From: leeneia
Date: 04 Oct 16 - 08:44 PM

"roger my router with a protocol probe"

Is that from Talk Like a Pirate Day?

...bits of silicone and silver with no moving parts should not go wrong...

They can get dirty, dusty or wet. Or a power surge can hurt them.

Subject: RE: Tech: When cards go bad...
From: BobL
Date: 05 Oct 16 - 02:40 AM

And components can age and occasionally fail, although not very often if the manufacturer's quality control is up to scratch.

Subject: RE: Tech: When cards go bad...
From: GUEST,In good company
Date: 05 Oct 16 - 05:31 AM

To err is human
To arr is pirate

:-D

Agreed, BobL.

There is also solar activity. A real good one to use when asked to provide a root cause for an odd computer failure.

Cheers

Dave

Subject: RE: Tech: When cards go bad...
From: Mr Red
Date: 05 Oct 16 - 06:57 AM

Silicon chips are made by processing at 600-1000 deg C for minutes to an hour.
They run at up to 100 degC (internally at the coal face) for 10,000 hours.
Now the heat work of 1 hour at 1000C v 10,000 hours at 100C - well you do the math(s).
Though I suspect the internal temp and the heat work effect differ at the two temps ie ratio not linear.
But you get the drift, the <TECH ALERT=ON>diffusion process</TECH> continues and eventually the chip is no longer the chip you bought.
Given the vageries of these things, <TECH ALERT=ON>MTBF</TECH> is an average, some will fail sooner.
But I am feeling lucky with my Lenovo T410s.

Micro$oft updates are another layer to add to the confusion of fault finding, and I can find fault with Micro$oft very quickly. (other Apples are availeble to go wrong - but don't expect them to admit it too quickly).